Sarita Malik is the Chair of the MeCCSA Race Network and a co-opted member of the Executive Committee since February 2009.
She is a Lecturer in Media and Communications in the Department of Sociology/Communications at Brunel University. Sarita has a BA in English with Media Studies from Sussex University and an MA in Film and Television Studies from Warwick University. Her PhD, supervised by Professor Stuart Hall, was conducted at the British Film Institute; this was on the history of black and Asian representation on British television from 1936 to the present day.
Sarita’s research is focused on the politics of media communication, representation and institutional frameworks. This has primarily been based around minority ethnic communities in Britain within the context of media history and social change. Research interests include cultural diversity and public service broadcasting, reality TV and discourses of equality, Diasporic media practice and cultural policy; black and Asian British cinema; and the relationship between media regulation and public discourse. Sarita sits on the editorial board of the journal of South Asian Popular Culture for which she has guest-edited a special issue, ‘The Cinema Issue’ (2009).
Sarita has also worked for a range of arts and media organisations including a London arts venue where she was Head of Asian Arts. Sarita’s academic and journalistic writings have been widely published. She blogs on The Guardian’s Comment is Free and has contributed to a range of print and web publications including The Guardian, Catalyst, Arts Professional and screenonline. She has made various media appearances, including on the BBC, Channel 4, Sky and Russia Today.