Dr. Keisha Samlal
Lecturer, Communication Studies
Room 312A, 3rd Floor East
St. Augustine
Trinidad and Tobago
Telephone: 868-662-2002 ext x 83032
I am a multidisciplinary scholar trained in the fields of Communication Studies, International Relations and Sociology. I view Caribbean research as part of my decolonial practice; a way to claim space and represent Caribbean realities within the wider scholarship. My current research focuses on the role of communication, culture, and social relations, interrogating how women experience their bodies and navigate Caribbean society, through the intersectionalities of fatness, gender, race, skin-colour and other relevant socio-cultural and historical factors. I am particularly curious about the role of language within context/s, that produces and reinforces discourses of power that govern gendered bodies and bodily identity. Other areas of interest for research and publication include health information systems, higher education and sustainable development.
I have supervised students in areas of conflict and mediation within the family, residential care and youth development, and women’s experience of health and healthcare in Trinidad and Tobago.
Qualification
- PhD Sociology
- MSc Sociology
- MSc International Relations
- PGDip International Relations
- BA Communication Studies, The UWI, St. Augustine
Research Interests
- Culture and Communication
- Women’s Fatness in the Caribbean
- Gender and Women’s Bodies
- Women’s Experiences of Health and Healthcare
- Language and Power
Featured Work
- Alladin, F. M., Esnard, T. R., & Samlal, K. C. 2026. The Association Between Utility of Learning Resources, Class Attendance, Statistical Self-Efficacy, Mathematics Competence and Statistics Anxiety among Undergraduate Students. Journal of Statistics and
- Samlal, K. C., A. Sanguinette, A. Hypolite, A. Cadoo, A. Henry, A. Ramsaran, A. Ganness, et al. 2026. “The Psychosocial Experiences of Women Diagnosed with PMOS in Trinidad and Tobago: A Qualitative Inquiry.” Women & Health, June, 1–12. doi:10.1080/036302
- Addison, Letetia, Keisha Chandra Samlal, and Greer Mckenzie. 2026. "Strategic Resilience for Sustainability in a Caribbean Higher Education Institution: A Qualitative Case Study." International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 1-19. https://
- Samlal, Keisha. C. 2025. “Exploring Women’s Fatness Through the Use of Intersectionality.” In Talia Esnard (Ed.), Mentoring Relationships and intersectionality in the Caribbean, edited by Talia Esnard. Emerald Publishing Limited.
- Samlal, Keisha C., Akil J. Williams, Breane Charles, Christian Ramsaran, Leann Ramkissoon, Marylisa Ramlal, Sophia Brown, Marisa Nimrod, and Marsha A. Ivey. 2025. A Qualitative Analysis of Nutritional Needs and Dietary Changes During Cancer Treatment. BMC
- Ivey, Marsha, Keisha Samlal, Alissa Moore, and Donald Simeon. 2024. “Use of Routine Health Information Systems Data as a Public Good in Trinidad and Tobago.” Pan American Journal of Public Health. Doi: 10.26633/RPSP.2024.87
- Samlal, Keisha. 2023. “Constructing the Fat Female Body through Female Body (Re)Presentations in Soca Lyrics.” In Corin Bailey, Roy McCree, Latoya Lazarus, and Natalie Deitrich Jones (Eds.), Companion to Applied Qualitative Research in the Caribbean. Rou
- Samlal, Keisha, C. 2023. “Transitioning from Doctoral Student to Academic Professional: A Critical Reflection on the Value of Mentorship in Higher Education.” Caribbean Education Research Journal.
Courses Taught
- Communication Studies
- Intercultural Communication
- Quantitative and Qualitative methodology
- Development Theory and Policy
- Classical and Modern Social Theory
- Caribbean Social Problems
- Family Systems and Dynamics
