About Dr. Arifa Javed

Sociologist and Documentarian

Writing and Producing her films, Dr. Arifa Javed, an India born sociology professor turns to making educational documentaries based on her own immigration experiences and of those she researched and processed through her professional lens, as a sociologist. After moving to the U.S., she expanded her research focus to include immigration, acculturation, and changing family dynamics as the key factors of social change.

Since the late 90s, Dr. Javed has taught sociology at Wayne State and the University of Michigan-Dearborn. In 2014, she began producing documentaries highlighting Michigan’s cultural diversity among its Indian immigrant community. Her films, including Essential Arrival, Season in the Mist, Many Passages of Time, and Cross Culture and Religion, have premiered at film festivals across the U.S. and in India.

Earlier, she authored Muslim Society in Transition, analyzing social shifts among Hyderabad’s Muslim community in the post-independence era. After immigrating to the U.S. in 1995, Dr. Javed continued researching Hyderabad’s diaspora and broadened her focus to other immigrant groups. She has been designing acculturation and diversity workshops for various organizations supporting integration among Detroit’s diverse immigrant communities and the mainstream. She has been a certified applied sociologist since 2007. This website highlights her work in promoting pluralism and social integration.