Critiquing Asian representation in Canadian pop culture episode artwork

EPISODE · May 30, 2025 · 30 MIN

Critiquing Asian representation in Canadian pop culture

from rabble radio · host rabble.ca

It's Asian Heritage Month in Canada – and this week on the show, we'll be joined by Sadaf Ahsan and Sarah Sahagian to discuss Asian representation in Canadian pop culture.  From books and television to music, the Canadian cultural landscape has made significant strides in embracing diversity—offering richer, more nuanced portrayals of Asian characters and (mostly) moving away from stereotypes and tokenism. Yet, as our conversation reveals, we still have a long way to go. In this conversation, Sarah and Sadaf share some of their recent favorite films, TV shows, books, and music. They also discuss why diversity should be viewed as a valuable opportunity—not a risk—by investors, and emphasize the vital role of behind-the-scenes representation in shaping authentic stories. About our guest  Sadaf Ahsan is the senior editor at 3 Magazine, co-host of Frequency Podcasts' The Reheat, columnist at The Globe & Mail, contributing editor at RepresentASIAN Project, and a Humber College journalism professor. Her work has appeared in The Walrus, CBC, The Cut and more. She previously worked at The Juggernaut, Canadian Press, The Discourse, NOW Magazine, and the National Post. More about Sadaf here.  If you like the show please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you find your podcasts. And please, rate, review, share rabble radio with your friends — it takes two seconds to support independent media like rabble. Follow us on social media across channels @rabbleca.   

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Critiquing Asian representation in Canadian pop culture

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This episode was published on May 30, 2025.

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It's Asian Heritage Month in Canada – and this week on the show, we'll be joined by Sadaf Ahsan and Sarah Sahagian to discuss Asian representation in Canadian pop culture.  From books and television to music, the Canadian cultural landscape has made...

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