Neha Verma (they/them)

Areas of Interest

• Abolition feminisms
• Eco-feminisms & More-than-human relations
• Embodiment & the erotic
• Sexual violence survivorship
• Trauma & healing
• Autobiography & narrative

Biography

Neha Verma is a PhD student at the Women and Gender Studies Institute. They are a multi-disciplinary creative whose work wrestles with what it means to create a meaningful life within violent and death-making systems. With a particular focus on gender-based and sexual violence, Neha mobilizes abolitionist feminisms in order to dream up futures free from sexual violence and carceral systems. Since 2020, Neha has worked in sexual violence education at Wilfrid Laurier University. This work has helped Neha build their commitment to creating a personal feminist pedagogy that centers consent culture. Neha enjoys thinking through and alongside the land, water, and their more-than-human relations. They are incredibly indebted to abolitionist organizing on the ground, particularly that which is rooted in Black feminist thought, disability justice, transformative justice, and an ethos of love.

Program: PhD 2025

Education

MA, University of Toronto

BA, Wilfrid Laurier University

Dissertation

Supervisor: Kai Recollet and Robyn Maynard

Presentations

Verma, N., Karakoyun, L., Kalisch, M. (2023). Navigating Gender-Based Violence at University. Panel hosted by the Women and Gender Studies Student Union, University of Toronto.
Verma, N. (2023). Sowing the Seeds of Transformative Justice. Stories Spark Change: An Evening with adrienne maree brown [Keynote], Wilfrid Laurier University.
Verma, N. & Hanna, R. (2023). Engaging a Sexual Violence Response Through an Anti-Racist Lens: A Workshop for Supporting BIPOC Survivors. Presented as a training to staff at Wilfrid Laurier University.
Verma, N. & Hanna, R. (2022). Unpacking Sexual Violence Through an Anti-Racist Framework. Presented through the Sexual Violence Response Certificate, Wilfrid Laurier University.

Selected Works

Verma, N. (2022). “Limp Wrists, Clenched Fists: An Analysis of Queer Performance Art as a Tool for Political Resistance.” Bridges: An Undergraduate Journal of Contemporary Connections 6, (1). https://scholars.wlu.ca/

Verma, N. (2022). “Sowing the seeds of transformative justice”. Wilfrid Laurier University. https://students.wlu.ca/wellness-and-recreation/gendered-violence-prevention-and-support/news/2022/summer/sowing-the-seeds-of-transformative-

Verma, N. (2021). “More cops won’t stop rape on campus”. Spring Magazine. https://springmag.ca/more-cops-wont-stop-rape-on-campus

Honours and Awards