Alison R. Marshall

Dr. Alison R. Marshall is a Professor in the Department of Religion at Brandon University, specializing in Asian religion, migration, and Canadian ethnohistory. She holds a PhD from the University of Toronto's East Asian Studies Department. Her research explores intersections of religion, migration, and identity among Chinese, Filipino, and Muslim communities in Canada.

• Educations: PhD (University of Toronto), Mandarin studies (Middlebury College, Fu Jen University)

Her research interests include Chinese Canadian history, religious adaptation in diaspora, and the role of religion in migration. She has authored/co-authored books such as The Way of the Bachelor, Cultivating Connections, and Bayanihan and Belonging, and co-edited Bloomsbury Handbook of Religion and Migration. Recent projects include a forthcoming Handbook of Religious Ecstasy and cultural consultancy for Disney/Pixar's Turning Red.

Awards include the 2021 William Norrie Arts and Culture Award and the 2015 Canadian Society for the Study of Religion Book Prize. She has secured SSHRC, Heritage Canada, and international grants, training dozens of research assistants. Her work bridges academia and public engagement through symposiums, museum exhibitions, and media contributions.

Key areas of study: Chinese nationalist movements, Filipino bayanihan spirituality, and the role of foodways in religious identity. Current research focuses on drug-induced religious experiences and future projects explore decolonizing drug spirituality narratives.