Dia Da Costa

Dia Da Costa is a Professor in the Department of Educational Policy Studies at the University of Alberta's Faculty of Education. She holds a PhD and specializes in decolonial, anti-caste, and feminist theories. Her work examines intersections of cultural politics, state violence, and development with a focus on South Asia and diasporic communities.

Research focuses include: 1) Creative economy activism in India; 2) Colonialism's impact on cultural production across Asia and Americas; and 3) Caste-indigeneity connections in transnational contexts. SSHRC-funded projects include workshops on decolonizing creativity and studies of micro-insurance in agrarian India.

Teaching emphasizes critical pedagogies through courses like Education and Social Change, Cross-Cultural Studies in Education, and International Development Education. Supervision priorities include decolonial methodologies, anti-racist education, and postcolonial history.

Recent publications include a monograph on creative economy activism (2017) and articles in Antipode, Cultural Studies, and Journal of Peasant Studies. Collaborations include co-editing special issues on colonialism's cultural impacts and organizing international workshops.