Finding the "antidote to imposter syndrome": Shalini Agrawal on cultivating affinity spaces and decolonizing architecture

Shahrazad Squad: In Conversation

Sometimes soup is much more than soup. In this episode, Shalini Agarwal describes how her creative practice blossomed beyond the conventional confines of architecture, leading her to the heart of her ancestral heritage through cooking. Along the way, we’ll spice this conversation with talk of decolonization, imposter syndrome and affinity spaces.

More about Shalini:
Shalini Agrawal is informed by the diversity of her roles as architect, designer, facilitator, teacher and mother of 2 daughters. She brings over 25 years of hands-on experience in community-engaged practice in design and architecture. She is Director of Pathways to Equity, a design leadership program for social equity. Pathways to Equity was a recipient of the 2020 NOMA NAACP SEED Award for Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. She is Director of Programs for Open Architecture Collaborative; founder of FIELD Design Network, a collective that builds capacity for women of color in design and architecture. She is also founder and principal of Public Design for Equity.

Shalini is Associate Professor in Critical Ethnic Studies, Interdisciplinary Studio and the Decolonial School at California College of the Arts, and teaches at the intersection of creative practice and community engagement. Shalini’s research and practice focuses on revealing the historical legacies of colonization in architecture and design and dismantling its lasting impacts. She is faculty and core organizer for Dark Matter University and sits on the board of Architects, Designers, Planners for Social Responsibility. Shalini a contributing author to Design for Democracy: Techniques for Collective Creativity and Public Interest Design Education Guidebook, and is the recipient of 2019 AIA San Francisco’s Community Alliance Award for Education.

The Shahrazad Squad is a community of MENASA/SWANASA womxn creatives, cultural producers and change-agents. Learn more about the Shahrazad Squad: shahrazadsquad.org
Check us out on Instagram: @shahrazad_squad

Interested in our conversation cards? You can purchase a deck of 60 beautifully designed conversation cards with prompts inspired by stories in the epic historic novel, ‘1001 Nights' for $25 here.
Great for small gatherings, dinner parties, ice breakers at team/work events and more!

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Thanks for listening! And remember... Stories + Sisterhood = Save the Kingdom