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Hildreth, Mirza, Bhutto: Reflections on Pakistan’s 1950s Politics


The Covenant of Love: The Poetry, Music and Spirituality of South Asian Muslim Cultures

WHEN
Sun, May 5, 2019 from 07:00pm — 08:30pm, ET

COST   General public: $10 Students and Harvard ID holders: Free

Misaq-e-Ishq means The Covenant of Love and during this event Ali Asani ’77 (professor of Indo-Muslim and Islamic Religion and Cultures at Harvard); Pakistani pop star and author Ali Sethi ’06; and vocalist, guitarist and Grammy Award-winning producer Noah Georgeson will bring alive through musical performance, the poetic consciousness of several legendary South Asian mystic poets.

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In South Asia, Who Is the Ideal Educated Girl?

In South Asia, Who Is the Ideal Educated Girl?

In Pakistan and India, the figure of the “educated girl” has emerged over the past few decades, linked to the countries’ politics, educational reform, and campaigns for development. But what is the true meaning behind this idealized figure of Muslim women and girls?

Shenila Khoja-Moolji is an Assistant Professor of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies at Bowdoin College, where she examines the relationships between race, gender, religion, and power across nations and with particular attention to Muslim populations. She recently authored the book Forging the Ideal Educated Girl: The Production of Desirable Subjects in Muslim South Asia, where she takes an in-depth exploration of her research into the history and culture surrounding the figure of the “educated girl” in postcolonial Pakistan and colonial India.

Book Talk: Forging the Ideal Educated Girl: The Production of Desirable Subjects in Muslim South Asia

WHEN
Wed, Apr 17, 2019 from 05:30pm — 07:00pm, ET

Dr. Shenila Khoja-Moolji is Assistant Professor of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies at Bowdoin College. Her work examines the interplay of gender, race, religion, and power in transnational contexts, particularly in relation to Muslim populations. Dr. Khoja-Moolji is the author of Forging the Ideal Educated Girl: The Production of Desirable Subjects in Muslim South Asia. […]

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In Pakistan, Life and Society Become Art

In Pakistan, Life and Society Become Art

“I was born in a very literary family full of artists, poets, and writers. The art was in the blood, and then my uncle, who is also a visual artist internationally recognized, so he basically channeled my interest into visual arts. Since then I have been involved in visual arts,” says Mahbub Jokhio, one of the Mittal Institute’s newest Visiting Artist Fellows for Spring 2019.

The Riyaaz Qawwali Ensemble: A Journey of Cultures and Faiths Through Qawwali

WHEN
Wed, Sep 26, 2018 from 06:00pm — 07:30pm, ET

COST   Free

Artistic Director and founder of Riyaaz Qawwali, Sonny Mehta, will share his personal story from learning classical music to performing qawwali, the musical genre commonly associated with the Sufi tradition in South Asia. He will demonstrate the basics of qawwali, unfolding the relevant musical elements, poetry and important performance aspects.

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Student Voices: Studying Mughal Manuscripts

Was that a flash of gold I just saw? I moved around to the other side of the table, hoping to catch the light just right again. I was in a storage room of the Archäologisches Zentrum of the Museum fur Islamische Kunst in Berlin, viewing a folio of calligraphy signed by the Mughal prince Dara Shikoh (1615-59). I tilted my head as I followed the flowing lines of nast’aliq script around the page.

Bangladesh Rising: Conference at the Harvard Kennedy School

WHEN
Sat, May 12, 2018 from 08:00am — 09:00pm, ET

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE: The Economist reported last September that it is “a good moment to celebrate Bangladesh’s economic progress. Its annual growth has averaged more than 6% over the past ten years and has run above 7% over the past two.” More than celebrating, Bangladesh Rising conference will discuss how Bangladesh can maintain its momentum, and […]

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Contemporary Pakistani Artist and Academic Continues Traditional Craft

Murad Khan Mumtaz’s research focuses on devotional portraiture with a special interest in representations of Muslim saints in early modern India. On April 6th, he gave a talk at SAI that will discuss sixteenth and early-seventeenth-century album and manuscript paintings made for Muslim patrons. Before his talk, we chatted with him about his Miniature Portrait training at the Lahore National College of Art, his influences, and journey into traditional musawwari painting.