Dr. Aicha Bahij

Biography

I am a Lecturer in Sociology and Criminology at the University of Bradford, where I also serve as Programme Leader for the School of Law and Social Sciences Foundation Year. My teaching interests include race, ethnicity, and gender, religion and secularism, identity and belonging and postcolonial and decolonial perspectives. I also teach academic literacy, critical study skills and responsible digital practice, with a particular interest in Foundation Year education, widening participation and supporting students’ transition into higher education.

My approach to teaching is inclusive, creative and student-centred. Drawing on my background in teaching English to speakers of other languages, I use accessible and multimodal approaches to help students engage with complex ideas and develop confidence in their academic abilities. Storytelling, visual material, discussion, humour and culturally relevant examples are central to my teaching. I am particularly interested in creating learning environments in which students from diverse educational, linguistic and cultural backgrounds feel recognised, supported and able to contribute.

My academic journey was shaped by an interest in my own history and in colonial and decolonial narratives. This led to my PhD at the University of Bradford, The Socio-Economic Legacy of French Colonialism inMorocco (2012). Combining archival research with oral histories, the study examined the enduring effects of French colonial policy on Moroccan trade, agriculture, education and identity. These interests continue to inform my work on race, faith, culture, representation and belonging.

My research and creative practice are closely connected. My current research project, The Colour and The Space, uses art elicitation to explore how Muslim women staff and students experience identity, visibility, safety and belonging within university spaces. Placing participants’ artwork at the centre of the research encounter, the project examines how creative practice can make space for complex personal narratives while challenging exclusionary understandings of who is seen, heard and represented within higher education.

I am also developing In and Out of Frame, a Polaroid photo-elicitation project exploring the varied and sometimes contradictory experiences of mixed-race academics. More broadly, my research interests include arts-based and visual methods, intersectionality, faith and gender, racialised identities, institutional belonging, and inclusive higher education.

Alongside my academic work, I have delivered a range of public art and community-based projects across Bradford, including Bradford,I Love You!, The Human Seasons at Cartwright Hall and This is theHome of Change with Impact Hub Bradford. My creative practice is collaborative, process-led and grounded in community. Through it, I explore local heritage, identity, women’s experiences and the power of art to foster connection, visibility and social transformation.

For more information about my research, teaching and creative practice, please visit my website: Aïcha's Atelier

Research

My research sits at the intersection of sociology, decolonial studies and creative practice. I explore themes of identity, belonging, race, gender and postcolonial legacies, often through participatory and arts-based methods. My PhD focused on the socio-economic impact of French colonialism in Morocco, and I continue to investigate how cultural memory and colonial histories shape contemporary lived experiences. Projects like The Colour and The Space allow me to merge research with art and storytelling to centre the voices of Muslim women and challenge exclusionary spaces. I’m particularly interested in how creative practice can support visibility, inclusivity and transformation within both public and academic spaces.

Teaching

Race and ethnicity; gender and sexuality; religion and secularism; social inequalities and social justice; identity and belonging; postcolonial and decolonial perspectives; visual and creative methods; inclusive pedagogy; academic literacy; and Foundation Year education.

Modules

• Health in Society: Community Care Perspectives - SAC6026-B
• Critical Study Skills - SAC4019-B
• Applied Project - SAC3024-C
• Academic Literacy and Digital Competence - SAC3022-C