Sabith Khan, Ph.D., M.P.A., M.A.

Director and Associate Professor, Master of Public Policy & Administration (MPPA)

Book this person as a speaker:

Email: sabkhan@callutheran.edu
Phone: (805) 493-3718

Speeches:

• Living a charitable life: Lessons from my parents
  My parents were both Urdu language teachers, in public schools in Bangalore, cosmopolitan city in India. Growing up, I didn't recognize fully their acts of daily charity; whether it was in tutoring their students (who were often poor and underprivileged) or helping them financially, when they approached my parents. As I grew up and studied philanthropy and charitable giving, I realize the value of their way of living and giving. As a scholar of charity and philanthropy, I have dedicated enormous amount of time examining these phenomenon in the US, and abroad. I believe charity, as it is practiced in individual settings has the power to change lives, much more than we give it credit for. My parents lives is a testament to that.

• Value of diversity
  Having grown up in the most cosmopolitan city in India, Bangalore; I have taken diversity for granted. However, I did realize that it is not the norm in many places - even within India - and I have had to grapple with challenges to diversity: in thought, religious ideals and other areas. Diversity is beautiful as even scriptures tell us that God created various tribes 'so they could know one another.' (Qur'an: Chapter 49)

• What is it like, to be an immigrant
  Once, a friend asked me "what is it like, to be an immigrant." While I hadn't consciously thought of this before, my questioning led me to interesting areas of examining my own experiences in the past eight years in the US. I came from India, via UAE (where I spent two years). While navigating cultural nuances is something one learns over time, one's own identity is also being reshaped. This speech offers a sneak-peak into the processes that have shaped my own identity as a scholar, immigrant and a human being.

• Understanding America's diversity through the American Muslim philanthropy
  As the most racially and ethnically diverse community in the U.S. (according to Pew Research) American Muslims offer a unique lens to examine the changing demographics of the country. Based on my award-winning book, I can offer a unique look into the American experience - from a social, cultural and philanthropic lens

• Creating and Running a Socially Impactful Organization
  I am the co-founder of tlalpani, a social enterprise that works with artisans and entrepreneurs in the global south. Based on my experiences with this organization, I can share some unique insights into creating socially just, equitable organizations.

• Remittances as a Lifeline for Some or a Tool for Diplomacy for Countries?
  In this talk, based on a book I published by Routledge, https://www.routledge.com/Remittances-and-International-Development-The-Invisible-Forces-Shaping/Khan-Merritt/p/book/9781138344419 I treat remittances as an act of social norm involving individuals, nation-states, and diaspora communities. It treats remittances both as an act of individual obligation as well as a social fact that needs to be understood from the perspective of the actors, i.e., the givers and recipients. Using theories of motives of giving, policy analysis, international development, and international relations, I offer a compelling narrative of how and why remittances occur and the impacts on both the giver and recipient. The authors - both scholars of philanthropy and remittances - bring their shared perspective and understanding of this crucial phenomenon and delve deep into examining its impacts on community development and the relations between the nation-states. This book offers a sophisticated understanding of how vital remittances are to the world we live in. 　 This talk sheds light on this important social reality and will be of value to researchers, academics, and students interested in remittances, as well as to practitioners working in the international development sector, NGO actors, and policy makers.

I am  a scholar-practitioner, with expertise in American philanthropy, civil society, international development, religion and culture. I have worked across the nonprofit, for-profit and government sectors in India, UAE and the US. 

My research agenda : Charity and philanthropy are becoming increasingly important as fields of study, given the growing importance of non-state actors such as civil society groups and nonprofit organizations in our society. The introduction of Automation, Artificial Intelligence and new forms of production are sure to upend the existing models of production, in what scholars and thinkers are calling the ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution.’ This is bound to have profound impact on our societies, around the world. My research agenda is to examine these changes in the realm of nonprofit organizations, technologies, governance systems and help chart a path towards managing these rapid changes. I am particularly drawn towards examining the old as well as the new: religious, cultural and governmental systems as much as technological systems that seem to be emerging fast and dominating our consciousness.

I  served as a Board Member of The Community Impact Fund, a Washington DC based community foundation and I am an active member of the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA) and the Chair of South Asia Section of American Society for Public Administration(ASPA).

I am a founding member of IOREM, a research organization focused on research and migration (iorem.org).