Tahseen Shams

Tahseen Shams is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania, specializing in the intersections of race, religion, and geopolitics among immigrant communities. Her groundbreaking research examines how South Asian Muslim immigrants in Canada navigate interracial and interfaith dating/marriage through both personal and societal lenses.

• Current affiliation: University of Pennsylvania
• Research focus: Complex religion framework, transnational identity, and geopolitical influences on intimate relationships
• Methodology: In-depth interviews and digital ethnography with 50 South Asian Muslim participants in Canada

Her work challenges conventional race-centric analyses by demonstrating how sect, national origin, and global political consciousness equally shape identity boundaries. Key findings reveal:

• Racialized Muslims actively negotiate religious authenticity through conversion timelines and motivations
• South Asian "brown solidarity" is undermined by historical ethnonational conflicts (e.g., Bangladesh-Pakistan tensions)
• Colorism and linguistic hierarchies persist within co-ethnic Muslim communities
• Global geopolitics (especially Israel-Palestine) inform personal romantic boundaries

The project involves collaboration with a multidisciplinary RRR research team of undergraduate and graduate students, analyzing 130 interviews across five participant groups. Her publications include empirical studies in Sociology of Religion, Qualitative Sociology, and Ethnic and Racial Studies, with a forthcoming monograph at Stanford University Press.