Arunita Das is a doctoral candidate at York University. Their doctoral research examines the role of digital technology in providing a platform for right-wing extremists in Canada, and the challenges in the legal regulation of online hate speech and networks. In the last ten years, Canada has witnessed an insurgence of far-right extremist groups motivated by white nationalism. Informed by socio-legal, critical race theories and a mixed-method qualitative approach, my dissertation asks: How do right-wing extremist groups use digital media platforms to garner support from individuals across Canada? What is the role of legal regulation of online right-wing extremism and hate speech in Canada? Her research thus examines the effectiveness of security responses to the threat of violent extremism, and the causes and effects of group-level dynamics on affected communities and civil society, the second and third major research theme surrounding TSAS.
Over the years, Das has focused my work on racial injustice, extremism, and colonization during my masters, and have continued to develop this work during my doctorate. She believes scholarly work should not be done in isolation from the communities who are the subjects of that work. Therefore, she strives to stay engaged in community initiatives organizing anti-racist projects.
