About Us
A collaborative team of established and emerging scholars, exploring how linguistic diversity, literacy, and culture shape the social and educational futures of youth and adults.
The Transliteracies Research Lab is a vibrant intellectual home within the University of Calgary’s Werklund School of Education. Under the directorship of Dr. Rahat Zaidi, we bring together a collaborative team of established and emerging scholars dedicated to understanding literacy in a complex, multilingual world.
Our research examines how increasingly diverse populations around the world navigate schools and communities across urban and rural contexts. We investigate the dynamics of mobility, multilingualism, and multimodal literacies—exploring how communication shapes, and is shaped by, culture and identity.
Through an interdisciplinary lens and a steadfast commitment to social justice, our work challenges systemic barriers such as racism and educational inequity. We aim not only to understand these challenges but to actively address them, preparing youth and adults with the critical skills and mindsets to thrive socially, culturally, and economically.
By centering inclusive and transformative literacy practices, we generate evidence-based insights that inform educators, policymakers, and community leaders, ultimately working to strengthen the fabric of a more equitable multicultural society.
