Personal profile
Overview
Sadia Habib is a Senior Lecturer in Education at the Manchester Institute of Education (MIE) in the School of Environment, Education and Development (SEED).
Since May 2019, Sadia has been the young people's programme coordinator at the Manchester Museum leading on a 3 year British Council/Heritage Lottery Fund international multi-partnership project entitled Our Shared Cultural Heritage. She has set up a Young People’s Collective with over 50 young people regularly leading on activities, campaigns and events that matter to themselves and their communities, and changing the heritage sector for the better. Follow their work on Twitter and Instagram. The project has been extended to Dec 2023.
She also works as a Researcher in Social Sciences at the Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity.
Sadia's research interests lie at the intersection of identities, arts, culture, education, social justice, critical pedagogy and anti-racism. In 2020, Sadia was in the top 3 finalists for the Museums Association's Radical Changemaker Award; in 2021, Sadia won the Manchester Culture Award for Promotion of Equality and Social Justice.
In 2018, she co-founded The Riz Test which has fast become a popular tool used by the arts and culture industries, academics and students to measure the representation of Muslims in film and on television. The Riz Test sit on the BFI’s Muslims on Screen Advisory Panel, and Sadia is also on the BAFTA Equality, Diversity and Inclusion steering group.
Sadia has written extensively about identities, young people and belonging in her own books, as well as in edited collections.
Previously, she worked as a secondary and sixth form teacher of English Language and Literature. While teaching, she worked on her MA in Education and her PhD in Education. In her PhD research, Sadia explored the teaching and learning of Britishness. You can read about her research on Britishness and British Values in her first book.
External positions
BAFTA Equality & Diversity Steering Group, British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA)
Feb 2020 → …
Co-Founder of The Riz Test, The Riz Test
Jun 2018 → …
Areas of expertise
- L Education (General)
- H Social Sciences (General)
Research Beacons, Institutes and Platforms
- Creative Manchester
Keywords
- identities
- belonging
- social justice
- heritage
- museums
- racism
- islamophobia
- anti-racism
- schooling and education
- critical pedagogy
- culture
- media
- community engagement
- young people
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
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SDG 4 Quality Education
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SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities
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SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
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SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Horrible British Histories: Young people in museums interrogating national identity through principles and practices of critical pedagogy
Habib, S., 25 Jun 2021, In: PRISM: Casting New Light on Learning. 3, 2Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
“Fundamental British Values”: The Teaching of Nation, Identity, and Belonging in the United Kingdom
Habib, S., 2020, The Palgrave Handbook of Citizenship and Education. Peterson, A., Stahl, G. & Soong, H. (eds.). Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, p. 419-433 15 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
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Art, social justice and critical pedagogy in educational research: ‘The Portrait of an Artist as a Young Person’
Habib, S., 2020, Handbook of Qualitative Research in Education - 2nd edition. Edward Elgar, p. 360-372 13 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
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Activism in the arts: Co-researching cultural inequalities with young people during the COVID-19 pandemic
Habib, S., 14 Mar 2025, In: British Educational Research Journal.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Anti-Racist Pedagogy in Early Years and Childhood Settings
Habib, S. (Editor), Yildiz, U. (Editor) & Toran, M. (Editor), 14 Nov 2025, In: Journal of Childhood, Education & Society. 6, 3, p. 347-354Research output: Contribution to journal › Editorial › peer-review
Open Access
Prizes
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Manchester Culture Award 2021 Winner
Habib, S. (Recipient), Nov 2021
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Radical Changemaker Finalist
Habib, S. (Recipient), 1 Nov 2020
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Best Outstanding Contribution to Research Impact – Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity Postdoctoral Researchers
Habib, S. (Recipient), Nov 2022
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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University of Manchester Making a Difference Award
Habib, S. (Recipient), May 2022
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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University of Manchester Making a Difference Award
Habib, S. (Recipient), May 2022
Prize: Other distinction
Activities
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10th Annual Paris Islamophobia Conference: Muslim Integration, Political Islam, and State Islamophobia
Habib, S. (Speaker)
13 Dec 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Oral presentation › Research
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How Can Sociology of Youth Research Catalyse Radical Social Change and Intergenerational Mobility?
Habib, S. (Speaker)
11 Jul 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Oral presentation › Research
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Demystifying creative and critical methodological approaches to research
Habib, S. (Keynote speaker)
7 Jul 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk › Research
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4th International Critical Muslim Studies Conference: ReOrienting Resistance
Habib, S. (Speaker)
30 May 2025 → 1 Jun 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Oral presentation › Research
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International Islamophobia Studies Research Association Annual Conference
Habib, S. (Participant)
20 May 2025 → 22 May 2025Activity: Participating in or organising event(s) › Participating in a conference, workshop, exhibition, performance, inquiry, course etc › Research
Press/Media
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Shows like Bodyguard perpetuate Muslim stereotypes. We created the Riz Test to show how dire representation is
Habib, S. & Choudry, S.
16/09/18
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert comment
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South Asian Heritage Month: truth-telling and transformation
Habib, S. & Welsh, S.
18/08/20
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert comment
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White Supremacy's Monuments: On the Removal of Robert E. Lee
Tinsley, M., Habib, S., Peacock, C., Ramsden-Karelse, R. & Younge, G.
17/09/21
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Blogs and social media
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The Guardian: Why Every Single Statue Should Come Down
Younge, G., Tinsley, M., Habib, S., Ramsden-Karelse, R. & Peacock, C.
1/06/21
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert comment