Clinical psychologist Shamaila Khan. Courtesy photo.
鈥淚鈥檝e lived across three continents, crossed a thousand lines, inhabited the empty spaces between the times,鈥� began Shamaila Khan, a clinical psychologist at AV诊所 Medical Center and an assistant professor of psychiatry at AV诊所 University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine.
She was reciting a spoken-word poem, 鈥淔ound in Translation,鈥� which explored how her experiences across countries, cultures, and languages have shaped her identity.
鈥淎lways traveling, always on the go,鈥� she continued. 鈥淐atching the next flight. Riding the undertow. The in-between is my most familiar territory. I belong everywhere and nowhere. That is my story.鈥�
As the keynote speaker at the AV诊所 College School of Social Work鈥檚 2026 Pinderhughes Diversity Lecture in September, Khan used the poem as a jumping-off point for a talk about the 鈥渕essy,鈥� 鈥渂eautiful,鈥� and 鈥渃omplex hybrid identity鈥� that develops in the aftermath of colonial rule.
She described herself as multiethnic, multicultural, multinational, and multilingual, adding that she was raised in multigenerational homes and has lived in multiple colonized nations. For her, identity is fluid鈥攏ot fixed.聽
鈥淚dentity is an exploration of how people see themselves versus how they鈥檙e taught to see themselves,鈥� she told dozens of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends who attended the event via Zoom. 鈥淚t is about the idea that we don鈥檛 belong in one place, but belong to multiple spaces. That identity is fluid and shifting and not static.鈥�
Khan, who identifies as a Pakistani American Muslim, argued that colonialism doesn鈥檛 simply end when colonial powers relinquish control. It 鈥渓eaves behind a fractured sense of self,鈥� she said, influencing how people understand themselves and alienating them from their own cultures.聽
Khan pointed to Eurocentric beauty standards as one example of colonialism鈥檚 enduring influence. 鈥淚 grew up in a culture where the idea of whitening your skin was a prevalent one,鈥� said Khan, who recalled using skin-whitening products until she began to question the practice. 鈥淚t was just automatic.鈥�
Colonial influence can also persist through language, according to Khan. People in Pakistan speak 60 languages, but English, she said, remains the language of power, elite education, law, and civil administration.聽
鈥淎re we heard and seen when speaking English versus our own language?鈥� she asked. 鈥淲hat are the unconscious biases that are associated with that?鈥�
“ Decolonization is not a trend and it鈥檚 not a metaphor. It isn鈥檛 just about changing the curriculum or putting a diversity statement on a website. It's an ongoing, sometimes uncomfortable practice of dismantling systemic biases, of unlearning Eurocentric standards of beauty and success, and making real space for marginalized communities to hold structures. ”
One attendee asked Khan how social workers can decolonize mental health care. As the executive director of the Center for Multicultural Training in Psychology at AV诊所 University, Khan said that she consciously tries to subvert traditional hierarchies between clients and providers, giving them space to express themselves in every facet of their identities.聽
鈥淟earning goes both ways,鈥� she said. 鈥淗ow do we structure and shape that? How do we sit in that room? Who has the voice? Who has the power?鈥�
Khan described what happens when clinicians overlook cultural context. She recalled working with a group of Rohingya women in Bangladesh whose children had been killed in front of them. A previous group of clinicians had tried an intervention focused on meditation, but because meditation is rooted in Buddhism and the Rohingya had been persecuted by Buddhists, the intervention fell apart.聽
鈥淕etting them to then use their own frameworks to exercise their own faith was much more healing,鈥� she said.
Khan鈥檚 focus on culture, identity, and power dynamics echoed the work of Elaine Pinderhughes鈥攖he lecture鈥檚 namesake and a social work pioneer whose seminal research revealed that race, ethnicity, and power strongly influence how social workers interact with clients.
鈥淪he鈥檚 been an inspiration for many folks like myself who are committed to social justice,鈥� Khan said of Pinderhughes, who attended the virtual lecture. 鈥淚nspired by Elaine鈥檚 courage to speak on difficult topics and by her transparency in sharing her own family heritage, I offer today鈥檚 topic of locating the self.鈥�
She closed by urging social workers to question the frameworks that shape their thinking, encouraging them to scrutinize their bookshelves, syllabi, and social media feeds to identify whose voices they are centering and whose histories they are leaving out.
鈥淒ecolonization is not a trend and it鈥檚 not a metaphor. It isn鈥檛 just about changing the curriculum or putting a diversity statement on a website. It's an ongoing, sometimes uncomfortable practice of dismantling systemic biases, of unlearning Eurocentric standards of beauty and success, and making real space for marginalized communities to hold structures,鈥� said Khan. 鈥淲e cannot choose a history that we have inherited, but we are entirely responsible for the structures we choose to cast down for the next generation.鈥�