Doctoral Candidate
Affiliation(s):
University of Guelph
Department:
Sociology & Anthropology
Email:
vjoshi@uoguelph.ca
Research thematic keywords:
Animal Rights, Green Criminology, Environmental Sociology
Research region keywords:
Ontario
Varun Joshi
Varun is a passionate advocate for mental health within the Punjabi community. As part of Soch Mental Health, he has facilitated the Men's Mental Health Forum and supported outreach for the organization's gambling awareness initiative. His research explores the impacts of harm on animals and the environment, particularly how animals are embedded in systems of violence in the Indus Subcontinent. For his doctoral work, Varun takes a phenomenological approach to studying the lived experiences of animal rights activists.
I am eager to join CIRCLE given the transnational scope of my research. My work explores societal structures that harm animals, the environment, and people, with a focus on animal studies and green criminology—fields gaining traction among scholars of Indian heritage. I aim to contribute by integrating a Punjabi perspective, highlighting the enduring pursuit of justice for non-human entities and broadening the discourse on environmental and animal ethics.