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1. Speaking with Accents on Centre Stage
01:24:34||Season 4, Ep. 1Guests: Award-winning international film and stage actress, Arsinee Khanjian and esteemed playwright, director, and stage actor, Hrant Alianak. In this episode, our guests share their journeys as diasporan Armenians from Lebanon and Sudan, respectively, to reflect on how their distinct upbringings shape their Armenian storytelling. They discuss how diaspora challenges traditional notions of Armenianness, the role of accents as markers of otherness, and their shared history navigating Canada’s film and theatre scenes as young performance artists from the 1970s onward.Biographies:Hrant Alianak (Writer/Director/Actor/Producer) made his debut as a writer in 1972 at Theatre Passe Muraille in Toronto with his play TANTRUMS. He is best known for his plays LUCKY STRIKE, THE BLUES and THE WALLS OF AFRICA which was nominated for 8 Dora Awards and received 3, including Best Production. Alianak started producing in 1992 and formed his company ALIANAK THEATRE PRODUCTIONS. Amongst the plays he has produced and directed, were several Armenian themed plays including A CROOKED MAN and BEAST ON THE MOON, starring Arsinee Khanjian. He has also completed two feature films, A TRIP TO THE ISLAND and BURNING, BURNING, both of which he wrote, directed and co-produced.Arsinee Khanjian was born in Lebanon to Armenian parents in Beirut, and has lived in Canada since 1975. Khanjian grew up speaking Armenian at home, Arabic and French in school. Her family moved to Montreal when she was seventeen, where she studied theatre at the Conservatoire Lasalle, earned her B.A. in Spanish and French from Concordia University, then subsequently graduated with a Masters in Political Science from University of Toronto. She has starred in numerous Canadian and European films (including The Lark Farm by the Taviani brothers and Ararat by Atom Egoyan), performed on stage and has directed her own work in Berlin. In 2006 she was awarded the »Genie Award« for best actress Ararat and the Gemini Award previously for her role in the CBC production of More Tears in 1999.
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Welcome to Dispersion Season 4!
01:10||Season 4, Ep. 0
Friendship as Citizenship
51:07|In this special episode of Dispersion, host Jen Haddow speaks with Dr. Rajesh C. Shukla, Associate Professor at Saint Paul University and guest editor of the upcoming Diaspora journal issue, titled Immigrant Diaspora and the Changing Dimensions of Canadian Multiculturalism about reimagining Canadian multiculturalism through the lens of social connections. Reflecting on his own migration journey and academic work, Dr. Shukla explores how belonging and identity shape the immigrant experience in Canada. This conversation offers a first look into Season 4 of Dispersion and its focus on the evolving realities of Canadian multiculturalism. Tune in for an inspiring discussion on how civic life in Canada can be redefined through sympathy, community, and friendship.
Dispersion Live Event: Navigating the Media Landscape in Canada
49:07||Season 0, Ep. 0This special live episode of Dispersion, recorded at the Toronto Reference Library on March 28, 2025, brings together three distinguished voices from the Canadian media industry. Through candid storytelling and thoughtful reflection, each guest offers a personal lens on navigating the media landscape—unpacking how their identities have shaped both the challenges they've faced and the opportunities they've found. Though their paths differ, their shared experiences of self-discovery and professional growth will resonate with many. Tune in as they explore what it means to move through the world of media while negotiating questions of identity, representation, and belonging.
4. Diaspora Care Packages: Supporting Homeland
36:14||Season 3, Ep. 4In this episode, guests will explore their relationship with their own identity in relation to their home state. What sets this apart from other episodes, is that their homeland was not, or still hasn’t been, recognized as an independent state. We explore how this fight for independence and recognition has shaped the guests into who they are today, and why they may have a different relationship with their homeland than other Diaspora groups. The two cases represented in this episode are Nagorno-Karabakh and Kosovo.
3. Should I Stay or Should I Go?
01:03:36||Season 3, Ep. 3This episode explores the push and pull factors of immigration in the lives of our guests as well as the notion of brain drain. Joining us for this episode are Azadeh Dastmalchi and Ifrah Arif. Dastmalchi is the CEO and Co-Founder of VitalTracer, a medical startup that designs smart wearable medical devices. Arif currently works as a Senior Policy and Program Advisor at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
2. Expectations of Motherhood: “You can’t just leave it at the airport”
01:17:24||Season 3, Ep. 2This episode explores the diverse experiences of motherhood in Canada’s Diaspora communities. It navigates the nuances and realities of immigrant women, their experiences, their journeys in Canada, as well as the vital role that mothers play in shaping identities and culture for the next generation. Joining us for this episode are Dr. Jacqueline Getfield and Sharon Findlay, both mothers, and experienced both personally and/or professionally on the subject of diasporic motherhood.