Hussain Alhussainy, BA (Hons), MA, PhD student

Area of Study / Keywords

Critical Disability Studies Arab-Islamic Disability Studies Theory and Policy Middle East Political Economy Post Colonialism Neoliberal institutions North America

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About

I am a PhD student and Teaching Assistant in Political Science at the University of Alberta, where I previously completed a Master of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Political Science. I completed my MA as a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)–funded scholar and have worked as a Research Assistant with the Stuttering Commons under Dr. Joshua St. Pierre.

Alongside my academic work, I have been actively involved in student governance and disability advocacy. During my undergraduate studies, I was a founding member of the Council for Disability Cultures and Access (formerly the Council on Systemic Ableism) and served as President of OASIS, the Faculty of Arts Undergraduate Students’ Association. During my MA, I served as Vice-President Labour of the Political Science Graduate Students’ Association (PSGSA) and as a Graduate Student Representative on the University of Alberta Senate.

In recognition of my service and advocacy, I am a recipient of the King Charles III Coronation Medal for outstanding service to the Crown and country. At my undergraduate convocation, I was awarded the Judge Gurcharan Singh Bhatia, C.M. Outstanding Leadership Silver Medal in Arts for my work in disability rights advocacy.

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Research

My research engages critical disability studies alongside decolonial and postcolonial theory in the Middle East and North America, with particular attention to how political, social and institutional structures shape understandings and experiences of disability.

My current PhD research comparatively examines the historical inclusion of disabled people within institutions of higher learning in North America and the Arab-Islamic world. I explore whether and how disabled people participated differently within these educational traditions, comparing the historical relationship between universities and asylums in North America with institutions such as Madrasas, Muslim seminaries, and universities in the Arab-Islamic world. Through this comparison, I aim to understand how distinct histories and structures of higher learning shaped disabled people's opportunities for scholarly participation, education, and inclusion, and how these histories continue to influence higher education today. 

In my MA thesis, I explored the relationship between Islam and disability by approaching Islam as an ontology that extends across social, political, cultural, socioeconomic, and theological life. I examined how this broader understanding of Islam shapes conceptions of disability and the place of disabled people within society. Bringing Islamic and Arab epistemologies into conversation with feminist, Indigenous, and crip theories, I challenged neoliberal frameworks that tie the value of disabled bodies to productivity and economic contribution. From this work, I developed a Justice-Based Disability Model (JBDM) grounded in Islamic ontology and centred on justice, interdependence, dignity, and collective well-being.

In my BA Honours thesis, I examined how Canadian universities marginalize disabled students, barring them from full participation and educational pursuits through neoliberal policies, entrenched ableist and eugenic attitudes, and inaccessible educational, social, and physical infrastructures.

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Teaching

Teaching Assistant, Political Science 101: Introduction to Political Science — Dr. Rob Aitken (Winter 2026, 2027)

Teaching Assistant, Political Science 216: Introduction to Disability Politics — Dr. Joshua St. Pierre (Fall 2026)

Hussain A. Alhussainy

Canadian Journal of Disability Studies. 2025 November; 14 (3):45–74 10.15353/cjds.v14i3.1281

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Hussain Alhussainy

Crossings: An Undergraduate Arts Journal. 2024 July; 10.29173/crossings200

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Hussain Alhussainy

Crossings: An Undergraduate Arts Journal. 2023 July; 10.29173/crossings128

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View additional publications

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