Dr. Yahya El Lahib

Biography

Yahya El-Lahib joined the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Calgary after completing his PhD at the School of Social Work, McMaster University. A long-time disability activist, Yahya’s research and practice focus on disability issues across various levels of intervention, including frontline work with individuals and families, community practice, policy development, and research on issues such as education, employment, poverty, and political engagement. His research is closely aligned with the disability movement in Lebanon, emphasizing a grassroots social justice approach that informs his teaching and research in Canada, providing a critical transnational perspective in social work. Yahya's research interests include international immigrant, refugee, and ethno-cultural racialized groups. He has specifically explored the intersection of disability and immigration in social work, examining the colonial power dynamics that influence knowledge production and practice models, often from a global North perspective. His work aims to bridge theoretical and practical models between the global North and South to address knowledge gaps related to transnational issues in disability and immigration. Additionally, he is part of a collaborative research team across Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario, working on a project that investigates the construction of diasporic professional identity in transnational social work theory and practice, utilizing arts-informed methodologies to enhance social work education and practice.

Research Interests

Courses