Dr. Mumtaz Ahmad - University of North Carolina Wilmington

In Loving Memory of...
Dr. Mumtaz Ahmad
Dr. Mumtaz Ahmad, a distinguished social scientist, scholar and academic, was associated with the
International Islamic University, Islamabad (IIUI) since 2007. In addition to the position as the executive-director of the Iqbal International Institute for Research and Dialogue (IRD), he earlier
served the university as its vice president, and later as president. He was a professor of political
science at Hampton University, VA, USA. He published nine books and numerous journal articles,
chapters in edited volumes, and encyclopedia articles on politics of contemporary Islamic movements, political sociology of religious groups, and political developments in South Asia and the
Middle East.
Dr. Mumtaz Ahmad’s contribution in the development of a culture of research, debate and critical
inquiry in academic settings, and his tenacious efforts to build interfaith dialogue, construct intrareligious relations and uphold peace, tolerance and harmony are unparalleled. It was due to his
continuous devotion and commitment that IRD accomplished a respectable place as a global center of excellence and organized major international conferences, panel discussions and public debates by eminent international scholars and policymakers from all over the world.
With the vision to augment intellectual and scholarly development of young Pakistani scholars
and to enhance academic alliances and collaborations with foreign universities, Dr. Ahmad conscientiously worked for the initiation of several exchange programs in IIUI. It was due to his profound attentiveness that a partnership program between IIUI and University of North Carolina
Wilmington, USA (IIUI-UNCW Partnership Program) was started last year.
Dr. Mumtaz Ahmad passed away last month, leaving the entire academic community exceedingly
distressed over this irreparable loss. Pakistan has been deprived of an internationally celebrated
scholar, a visionary academic, an eloquent speaker, a champion of peace and tolerance, and an extremely compassionate and humble human being. May his soul rest in eternal peace!
Dr. Munazza Yaqoob
Post-Doc Fellow, UNCW, USA
THE CONFERENCE
The New Global City: Presenting and Translating
Worldwide Cultures Within a Global Citizenry
The first in a series of co-hosted events, this conference
delves into the transmission of national, and regional
cultures as well as subcultures throughout various
nations. As the world continues to evolve and grow,
nations face distinct obstacles in the international
climate. The goal of this partnership, and this
conference, is to initiate a more intimate global
community.
This conference will facilitate scholarly discussions to
open the lines of communication between world
citizens. Specifically, accepted papers explore how
culture is translated, interrogated, adapted, and even
redefined as it appears in localized contexts across the
globe. This conference uniquely encourages
scholarship from a variety of disciplines in the hopes of
extending our inquisitive pursuits beyond one field or
another.
THE NEW GLOBAL CITY
About the Partnership:
The International Islamic University of Islamabad (IIUI) and the
University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) are connected through
the U.S. Department of State’s University Partnerships Grant Program.
The three-year partnership will design and implement a collaborative
model of professional development in enhanced teaching, research and
community engagement, primarily with regard to Political Science,
International Relations and English.
The teaching component of the IIUI-UNCW collaborative model enables
the expansion of faculty teaching expertise at both institutions through
in-person and virtual workshops, mentoring, and pedagogical
collaborations. The research component of the IIUI-UNCW collaborative
model facilitates faculty exchanges, collaborations, and mentoring with
the aim of increasing individual faculty and departmental research
capacities. The community engagement component of the IIUI-UNCW
collaborative model fosters or expands student, campus and regional
engagement through activities such as internships, public lecture series,
and community dialogues.
Jose V. Sartarelli
Chancellor
University of North Carolina Wilmington
Chancellor Jose V. "Zito" Sartarelli has 35 years of professional leadership experience. He is
committed to attracting the best students, faculty and staff to UNCW by supporting the university's success in applied learning and academic research. Sartarelli, who took office July 1,
2015, came from West Virginia University, where he served as the Milan Puskar Dean of the
College of Business and Economics for five years.
At West Virginia University, Dr. Sartarelli led a business college that enrolled more than 2,700
students. Under his leadership, the business college improved its academic profile, set enrollment and fundraising records, partnered with other campus units to create six joint degree
programs, established three new centers and launched both a Ph.D. in business administration and a fully online executive master of business administration. U.S. News & World Report
ranked the EMBA program 25th nationally in 2015.
As West Virginia's chief global officer, Dr. Sartarelli focused on international recruiting efforts,
achieving double-digit growth in international undergraduate applications. With his guidance,
WVU forged new partnerships and signed student exchange agreements with top universities
and colleges in Germany, China, Israel and Brazil, among others.
Over the years, the chancellor has held leadership roles with numerous professional organizations in several countries. He is past chair of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers
of America International Steering Committee and a former board member of the Council of
the Americas. He also served on the board of the West Virginia United Health System. He and
Katherine, also an active volunteer in civic and community organizations.
Remarks
Dear Esteemed Colleagues and Guests:
Welcome to UNCW. It is our great honor to host the “New Global City: Presenting and
Translating Culture Within a World-Wide Citizenry” conference, and to share our
beautiful setting as the backdrop for the important discussions and events ahead. I
hope you will find your time here inspiring -- intellectually and scenically.
Long before I began in my role as UNCW's chancellor last year, a small group of our
faculty had worked tirelessly to secure a grant that aimed to foster a meaningful and
productive dialogue between our campus and scholars from International Islamic
University in Islamabad. This conference is the latest fruit of that labor, and another
critical step in UNCW’s mission not only to expand our international partnerships but to
engage our students and community in new ways of thinking, both from an academic
and a cultural perspective.
I would be remiss if i didn't acknowledge the absence of a man who was so instrumental
in developing and fortifying the collaboration between UNCW and IIUI: Dr. Mumtaz
Ahmad. The passing of this leader, dignitary, and friend to many of you could have left
an unimaginable gap between what he envisioned for this partnership and its ultimate
impact. Instead, Drs. Cilano and Clements, with support from their colleagues, have
created a program imbued with the spirit of Dr. Ahmad’s ambitious intentions for this
grant. The work you do in the coming days will be a very special tribute to Dr. Ahmad. In
the long term, the ideas and practices you take with you when you leave, and the ways
that they will enhance your students’ and colleagues’ future experiences and outcomes,
will serve as a beautiful testament to what can come of a shared commitment to
academic excellence...in this new global city of cultural exchange and scholarly
opportunity.
Thank you for joining us for this important conference, and I wish you success in all that
you pursue, personally and professionally.
Chancellor Jose V. Sartarelli
Introducing the Conference Team:
Dr. Cara Cilano—Principal Investigator
Dr. Cilano's research interests focus on Pakistani
literature, as well as terrorism and literature, and
she teaches courses on these topics and, more
broadly, in postcolonial and contemporary literatures and theories.
Dr. Caroline Clements — Co-Investigator
Dr. Caroline Clements received her Ph.D. in
Clinical Psychology from Northwestern University. Her main interests are psychological
factors related to intimate partner violence
in perpetrators, victims, and children. She
maintains ongoing research programs for individual differences in coping, control perceptions, and hopelessness depression.
Dr. Karl Ricanek Jr., — Co-Investigator
Prior to joining the computer science department at
UNCW Dr. Ricanek worked at Corning Optical Fiber where
he was the supervisor of the In-Situ Measurements
Groups and Naval Undersea Warfare Center and the technical director and manager of the Advanced Interactivity
Media Center. Currently he is the director of 13S Institute
one of four centers at UNCW and the home of the IIUIUNCW US Department of State Grant. He has been the
lead PI or Co-PI on more than 22 extramural projects with
the US government with a total capitalization of more than
$18 million. He has more than 70 peer-reviewed manuscripts, 4 book chapters, and nearly 100 talks and presentations. His research products are being used in hundreds
of universities and companies around the world.
Dr. Diana Ashe — Co-Investigator
Professor Ashe is interested in how documents work, how
they persuade, how readers understand them, and how they
can facilitate change. This focus on texts and their contexts
leads her to study entrenched debates—often with environmental concerns at their center--between passionate citizens,
duty-bound government officials, and intensely motivated industries. In addition, she's fascinated by the ways in which our
increasingly complex methods of creating, viewing, and manipulating texts can complicate our already vexed ethical systems, leading to new forms of plagiarism and new ways of understanding (and sometimes enforcing) academic honesty.
Dr. Jess Boersma — Co-investigator
Jess Boersma teaches courses in Peninsular literatures, critical
thought, and Spanish language. His research focuses on representations of violence in contemporary Peninsular cultures. His
current book project combines continental philosophy, literary
theory, history, and political theories of sovereignty with close
textual readings in order to examine how Spanish citizens
attempt to cope with violent events occurring outside of Spain’s
national borders. In addition, he is currently co-editing with Scott
Weintraub an upcoming special issue of Discourse: Journal for
Theoretical Studies in Media and Culture, titled "Membranous
Topographies."
Dr. James Devita — Co-Investigator
James DeVita, Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator
for the M.Ed. in Higher Education, is the Lead Evaluator on
the grant. James joined the Watson College of Education at
UNCW in 2012, and brings his expertise in both qualitative
and quantitative research methods to assist the project's collaborators in measuring the project's success. His prior experiences as a Research Associate on a National Science Foundation grant and scholarly work related to issues of access
and success of marginalized populations in higher education
will help frame his work as the Evaluator of the IIUI-UNCW
Partnership grant.
Celebrating IIUI’s Post-Docs at UNCW
Dr. Muhammad Sheeraz
Dr. Muhammad Sheeraz received his PhD from Department of English, IIUI. He is an Assistant Professor, and in
past was the Chair of English Language Centre. His PhD
dissertation was on Pakistani-American fiction. He has to
his credit three book-length works: Hour of Decline
(Punjabi-to-English translation of Fakhar Zaman’s poetry,
published by Sang-e-Meel, Lahore), Mughal Sara’ey
(English-to-Urdu translation of Raza Ali Hasan’s poetry,
published by Idara-e-Yadgar-e-Ghalib, Karachi), and
Nasloon ne Saza Paee (English-to-Urdu translation of
Gen. Kamal Mateen ud Din’s work on fall of Dhaka, published by Punjab University Press, Lahore); fifteen academic papers in HEC recognized journals; and several
translations, stories and poems in literary journals.
Dr. Fauzia Janjua
Dr. Fauzia Janjua is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English, IIUI. She teaches Language, Linguistics
and Research Methods at the Graduate and Post-Graduate
levels. Many MS and PhD students have completed their
research projects under her supervision and several are
engaged in the process. She has presented many papers at
numerous international and national conferences and has
numerous publications to her credit. She has also authored four books and three chapters focusing on linguistics and research.
Dr. Manzoor Khan Afridi
Dr. Manzoor Khan Afridi is Head of the Department of Politics
and International Relations, at IIUI. He is Ph.D in International
Relations from Jilin University China. Currently he is Post-Doc
Research Fellow at the University of North Carolina Wilmington,
USA. Dr. Afridi has published a number of research papers in national and international journals and participated in various
seminars and conferences. He has produced 3 Ph.D and 35
M.Phil scholars. His area of interest is Pakistan-China Relations,
Pakistan’s Foreign Policy, International Relations and Tribal Areas’ issues.
Dr. Munazza Yaqoob
Dr. Munazza Yaqoob is Associate Professor in the Department of
English, female campus, and founder and In-Charge of Critical
Thinking Forum (CTF), International Islamic University, Islamabad. .
Currently she is working on the CTF grant project “Consciousness
Raising of Pakistani Women on Social and Academic Issues” in collaboration with the Department of State, USA.
Dr. Noor Fatima is presently a Postdoctoral Fellow at University
of North Carolina, Wilmington. She is faculty member of Department of Political Science and International Relations, International Islamic University, Islamabad Pakistan. She has completed
her higher Education from Potsdam University, Federal Republic
of Germany & Quaid-e-Azam University Islamabad.
Her main research area is Public Policy, Foreign Policy & International political Economy. She has presented her papers in International Seminars, conferences mostly in Germany, Poland &
Bangladesh & United States. She has undertaken a short term
research residency in UNCW in October 2015.
A big thanks to
Dr. Cara Cilano!
It is with true mixed feelings that we celebrate Cara Cilano in this conference
program, for without her none of us would be here. At the same time, she is
leaving us to become Chair of the English Department at Michigan State, a true
honor which speaks so much to her outstanding scholarship, leadership, and
teaching prowess. So we are sad and proud, sad that such an esteemed
colleague is leaving and proud for her many, many accomplishments in the fifteen years we have been
honored with her presence at UNCW.
This grant would not have happened without Cara’s tireless efforts. The grant itself speaks to the
heart of her scholarship. She has published numerous works on South Asia literature and two books on
Pakistani literature in particular. For her work she has received numerous honors, including UNCW’s
Distinguished Scholar Award and it’s Distinguished Professor award, the former the highest accolade UNCW
gives for scholarship and the latter its highest award for teaching. This grant captures a lifelong series of
global awards, including Fulbright Fellowships to bring her scholarship to numerous other countries. In this
way the grant partnership is a natural extension of a lifelong passion for globally engaged research and
teaching.
This grant, and this conference, is a symbol of the passion that Dr. Cilano brings to her life’s work. She
has worked tirelessly, under sometimes very difficult conditions, to bring about greater understanding and
appreciation of Pakistani writers to American audiences. Without her we would not have been exposed to
the literature, the music, the long history and, most importantly, to you, our colleagues in academia at IIUI,
other universities in Pakistan, neighboring countries, and all over the United States.
Although we are sad that Cara is leaving this grant, we are proud of the legacy she leaves here and in
Pakistan. We hope she knows the esteem in which she is regarded by her colleagues all over the world. Our
warmest wishes go with her on this new journey. The best thing we can do to honor her legacy is to continue
her fine work, striving for excellence in all things related to this partnership and knowing that none of it
would have been possible without the strong foundation and dedication she has given to each and every part
of this project, and to every person touched by it.
We wish you well Cara. Inshallah we will meet again…and soon.
Introducing the IIUI Steering Committee
Our colleagues at IIUI will be hosting next year’s conference!
Dr. Mumtaz Ahmad:
Chair
Dr. Noor Fatima
Dr. Samina Malik
Dr. Munawar Iqbal Ahmad:
Co-Chair
Dr. Aziz-ur Rehman
Dr. Munazza Yaqoob
Mr. Mohammad Ismail
Dr. Husnul Amin
Mr. Mohammad Jamil
Graduate Assistant Conference Planners
Victoria Bennett
After completing her Masters in Psychology at
UNCW, Victoria will attend the University of
Houston to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology.
She is broadly interested in factors that influence
intimate partner violence perpetration.
Marissa Flanagan
Marissa Flanagan is an MFA candidate in the
Creative Writing Department at UNCW. She
is a fiction writer working on her first novel.
She hopes to work as a book designer after
graduation.
Kaitlyn Patterson
Kaitlyn is in her first year of UNCWs Substance
Abuse Treatment in Psychology program. She is
interested in exploring risk factors and preventative
measures for psychopathology through mindfulness
interventions. Kaitlyn hopes to pursue a degree in
Clinical Psychology.
Kate Clauss
Kate is in her first year of UNCWs Psychology MA program.
She is interested in exploring risk and protective factors for
psychopathology following trauma exposure. Following her
masters, Kate hopes to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology.
Jeremy Rowley
Jeremy is pursuing his Masters in Conflict Management and
Resolution with a direct focus on National and International
security. From 2007-2011 Jeremy served in the United States
Marine Corps. He hopes to find Federal Employment and help
secure American interests and alliances overseas.
Marisa Stickel
Marisa Stickel is pursuing a Master of Arts in
English and will graduate in May 2017. She
currently works as a Graduate Assistant for ACE,
advising Concerts, Spirit, and Special Events and
Activities.
Paul Johnston
Paul graduated as an undergraduate from UNCW in
December of 2015. He majored in both Creative
Writing and English. He is now in his first semester
as an English graduate student. He is interested in
writing about music and analyzing literature. Learning about Pakistani culture from people of that culture, has provided him with priceless experiences
that he greatly values.
We are pleased to
present our keynote
speakers: Dr. David Gilmartin,
Dr. Christine Fair, and
Dr. Abdulaziz Sachedina. Each
of these researchers brings a
dynamic perspective to global
citizenry, and we look forward
to the expertise that they add
to The New Global City.
Dr. David Gilmartin
Pakistan's Creation as Local Politics and as a Global Idea
Thursday May 12th at 12:30pm
KEYNOTE
David Gilmartin is Distinguished Professor of History at North Carolina
State University, where he has taught
since 1983. He is the author of Empire
and Islam: Punjab and the Making of
Pakistan (1988) and Blood and Water:
The Indus River Basin in Modern History (2015). He had edited
several volumes, including Beyond Turk and Hindu: Rethinking
Religious Identities in Islamicate South Asia (2000, with Bruce
Lawrence) and Muslim Voices (2014, with Usha Sanyal and Sandria Freitag). His most recent research looks at the history of
electoral politics and democracy in the Indian subcontinent and
its relationship to changing conceptions of the “rule of law”. He
has had grants and fellowships from Fulbright, the Woodrow Wilson Center, the National Humanities Center, the Stanford Humanities Center, and from the American Institute of Indian Studies for
research at India’s National Election Commission in Delhi.
KEYNOTE
Dr. Christine Fair
Prior to joining the Security Studies
Program (SSP) at Georgetown, Dr. Christine
Fair served as a senior political scientist with
the RAND Corporation, a political officer to
the United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan in Kabul, and as a senior research
associate in USIP’s Center for Conflict Analysis
and Prevention. Her research focuses upon political and military affairs
in South Asia. She has authored, co-authored and co-edited several
books including: Treading Softly on Sacred Ground: Counterinsurgency
Operations on Sacred Space edited with Sumit Ganguly (OUP, 2008); The
Madrassah Challenge: Militancy and Religious Education in Pakistan
(USIP, 2008), Fortifying Pakistan: The Role of U.S. Internal Security Assistance (USIP, 2006); among others and has written numerous articles covering a range of security issues in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Iran, and Sri Lanka. She is a member of the International Institute
of Strategic Studies, the Council on Foreign Relations, Women in International Security, and the American Institute of Pakistan Studies. She
serves on the editorial board of Current History, Small Wars and Insurgencies, Asia Policy, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, and India Review.
She is also a senior fellow with the Combating Terrorism Center at West
Point.
Why Pakistan Needs to Abandon Islam as a National Ideology
Friday May 13th at 12:00pm
Dr. Abdulaziz
Sachedina
Ethics and Interfaith Relations: Muslim Experience
Friday May 13th at 4:25pm
KEYNOTE
Abdulaziz Sachedina, Ph.D., is Professor
and Endowed IIIT Chair in Islamic Studies
at George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia. Dr. Sachedina, who has studied in
India, Iraq, Iran, and Canada, obtained his
Ph.D. from the University of Toronto. He
has been conducting research and writing in the field of Islamic Law,
Ethics, and Theology (Sunni and Shiite) for more than two decades. In
the last ten years he has concentrated on social and political ethics, including Interfaith and Intrafaith Relations, Islamic Biomedical Ethics and
Islam and Human Rights. Dr. Sachedina’s publications include: Islamic
Messianism (State University of New York, 1980); Human Rights and the
Conflicts of Culture, co-authored (University of South Carolina, 1988)
The Just Ruler in Shiite Islam (Oxford University Press, 1988); The Prolegomena to the Qur’an (Oxford University Press, 1998), The Islamic Roots
of Democratic Pluralism (Oxford University Press, 2002), Islamic Biomedical Ethics: Theory and Application (Oxford University Press, February
2009), Islam and the Challenge of Human Rights (Oxford University
Press, September 2009), in addition to numerous articles in academic
journals. He is an American citizen born in Tanzania.
AGENDA
Thursday, May 12th
8:30-10 am
Registration
9:30-10 am
Opening Remarks
10 am12 pm
Presentations
11:30-1 pm
Lunch
12:301:30pm
Keynote: David Gilmartin
1:304:50 pm
Presentations
5 pm
End of Day
6:30-9 pm
Beach Trip!
Friday, May 13th
10-11:35 am
Presentations
11:30-1 pm
Lunch
12-1 pm
Keynote: Christine Fair
1:054:20 pm
Presentations
4:255:25 pm
Keynote: Abdulaziz Sachedina
5:30 pm
End of Day
6-7 pm
Refreshments at the Wise House
7- 9 pm
Dinner at the Wise House
WELCOME SPRING!
A Pakistani welcoming of
spring, the Festival of Basant
originated as a celebration of
the spring harvest.
Not unlike our
Azalea Festival, Basant is
associated with the Mustard
flower. It is filled with bright
colors, including yellows,
oranges and reds.
Since its inception,
Basant has grown to
include a number of other
traditions, most notably
Kite Flying!
Join us for our very own Festival of
Basant! Saturday, May 14th,
on the McNeill Lawn, 1-4 pm.
We will be making and flying kites,
learning native Pakistani dances, and
celebrating spring with traditions
from both nations.
Vimeo.com
SCHEDULE
Thursday May 12th
McNeill 1027: 10:05 – 12:00pm
Sadaf Mehmood
Unseen fence: Urban Capitalism in The White Tiger and Last Man in Tower by Aravind Adiga
The concept of urbanization is embedded in streams of Capitalism. The socio-economic unevenness
propagated by capitalism is further excelled in spatial politics. The economic question affirms the sociospatial stability in a capitalist milieu. The urban expansion towards the suburbs causes increasing housing
crisis and land commodification. This capitalist suburbanization, thus, instigates social inequality and unrest.
Literature contemplates the lives of the individuals who exploit or are exploited by the politics of
urbanization triggered by their socio-economic plight. The present study is based on the qualitative form of
research and will employ the technique of close textual analysis of The White Tiger and Last Man in Tower by
Aravind Adiga that aims to analyze how the socio-economic instability inflict individuals to counter urban
inequalities and eventually haunted by the urban politics. Karl Marx, David Harvey and Henri Lefebvre
provide theoretical foundations for the current study under the umbrella of rich scholarly debates. The
urban agency, its uneven socio-economic considerations and its urgency in literary narratives substantiate
the significance of the study. The present study aims to evaluate the antinomies of capital class who enjoy
the environmental prestige whereas low-income people are striving hard to earn better living. It also
endeavors to examine the relationship between socio-economic instability of individuals and socioenvironmental inequality that is interwoven in the process of capitalist urbanization. The paper finally
concludes that the people who belong to the lower strata appear to construct the same boundaries of
distinction and injustices of capitalists when their socio-economic plight moves to prosperity.
McNeill 1028: 10:05 – 12:00pm
Nazir Sangi & Nasim Khan
Growing Use of Internet and Social Media in Pakistan: Effects on Families and Cultural Values
The Information & Communication Technology-ICT devices are indispensable today. Globally it is evident
now that these technologies have variant effects on work and non-work situations. It is generally assumed
that these devices are facilitating fast moving societies. Though, positive effects of ICT usage are improving
lifestyle it is also true that literature stresses the negative consequences of social media on families, in
particular, child-parent inter relationships. ICT has blended itself well into the everyday life of the world
dwellers in modern times. Keeping this situation in view, the current paper presents outcomes of an
exploratory study conducted at Islamabad and Rawalpindi with the 200 postgraduate students of Allama
Iqbal Open University-AIOU. Mainly qualitative and quantitative approaches were employed to have a
clearer and reliable understanding about the issue under study. Specifically, to assess the effects of these
technologies on family domains at i) social, ii) cultural and iii) individual level, purposive/judgmental
sampling technique was used for data collection. The sample consists of both male and female respondent's
views which advance our understanding about how social media is shaping social, cultural aspects of family
life and relationships of individuals in families. The study also examined the positive/negative influences of
social media which provided several dimensions helping to offer suitable measures for the optimum
beneficial utilization of ICT at family level.
McNeill 1030: 10:05 - 12pm
Kaukab Saba
Linking Sense Semantics with ‘Abrogation and Appropriation’ in Kamila Shamsie’s ‘Kartography’ to
Reinforce the Relationship Between Reference and Sense
This research paper aims to explore the interdependency of reference and sense as elaborated in Odgen and
Richard’s Semiotic Triangle through the concepts of ‘Abrogation and Appropriation’ in Kamila Shamsie’s
award-winning novel, ‘Kartography’. This study reflects how reference and sense play a potent role in our
lives, which endows nations, cultures, and individuals with their distinct identity. Post-Colonial writers like
Kamila Shamsie use the language of the colonizer to reach out to a bigger audience and to make their voices
heard in the West. However, this paper also proves that translations of these abrogated words would not
convey the same sense, which they are meant to convey in the first place. As a consequence, even though
identity and culture is asserted, its impact is limited. Qualitative research method has been adopted in
Studying the text w.r.t its ‘Abrogation and Appropriation’; dividing the words used in native language into
different categories; translating these words into English and studying their sense; rewriting the text with
these translated versions and deriving conclusions.
It was concluded that both reference and sense are relative to different language users which is proved
through the Post-colonial concepts of ‘Abrogation and Appropriation’. The research explicitly states that each
reference of Urdu used by Shamsie in her novel ‘Kartography’ creates a world of sense on its own. However,
when these references are translated, this world of sense is automatically dismantled and explored the
writer’s identity and culture by Abrogation and Appropriation; and thus both of these phenomena proved
that reference and sense are indispensable yet relative dimensions of meaning.
McNeill 1027 10:05 - 12:00 pm
Sonia Irum
Trauma and Displacement: An Ecopsychological Study of Trespassing and Sea of Poppies
In our contemporary age, academic, political, and public interest in environmental issues are on the rise.
Media coverage has also spurred consciousness about climate change and natural disasters. An increasing
intellectual awareness of the relationship between social and environmental impacts is seen in the
contemporary world. In this regard, the human ecological field of study discusses the relationship between
man with nature. Within the human ecological field we have a branch called ecopsychology, or
psychoecology that deals with the negative impact on human psyche at multiple levels including mental,
physical, social and emotional, due to degradation of environment by human beings. In this way human
ecological studies are an ecocritique and a challenge the industrialization and technology which comes in
clash with the flora and fauna of natural environment and displaces and de-territorializes the indigenous
communities.
In this paper, within the theoretical framework of human ecology, I will explore how the intervention of
technology and industrial corporate business in the natural environment brings changes which result in
displacement of indigenous communities. Human beings are displaced from their natural environment and
become victims of psychological disturbance. This psychological disturbance becomes visible in their
emotional attitudes and reactions, cognitive responses towards themselves and the social life around them. I
analyse central characters of Uzma Aslam Khan’s Trespassing (2003) and Amitav Ghosh’s Sea of Poppies
(2008) from a human ecological perspective. Drawing on Tucker and Bates research on Human Ecology
(2010) and Theodore Roszak’s (2001) theory of Ecopsychology, a link between our own mental health and the
health of the greater biosphere; the relationships between psychology, ecology, and new scientific insights
into systems in nature will be investigated in order to emphasize the impact of negative interference in the
nature of psychological and social health in human beings.
McNeill 1028 10:05 – 12:00pm
Sarwet Rasul
Webcomics in the Emerging Social Media Participatory Culture of Pakistan
Today social media has become a way of life; and through it across the globe people are actively involved in
what we call "participatory cultures." Members of social media communities such as MySpace, Twitter and
Facebook provide users unprecedented opportunities of connectivity and self expression. With relatively low
barriers to artistic expression, less demand for civic engagement, and more freedom of expression, social
media offers a wide range of possibilities of expression including photos, instant messages, audio-video calls,
blogs, videos and webcomics. In the social media context of Pakistan, webcomics have emerged as a new
genre through the last fifteen years. For instance, on Facebook we find many webcomic pages such as, The
Secret Achaar Society, The Mango People, The Kool A’s, Comics by Arsalan, Karway Laddu Comics,
Sarcasmistan, Aloo Clan, Shahzaib hussain art, Bilqees Kenchi etc. These webcomics are created by young
Pakistani artists who use the medium to criticize, to support, and to create awareness on different social
issues and practices in the Pakistani context. The current research explores a diverse data of Pakistani
webcomics collected from 5 to 6 Facebook pages through purposive sampling from January 2105 to
December 2015 in order to examine the role of webcomics in shaping Pakistani social media participatory
culture. The research examines how linguistic and other semiotic resources used in these webcomics address
social aspects, conditions, issues, and beliefs presented/ represented in these comics with reference to
various domains and aspects of life such as gender, politics, education etc. The examination of linguistic
structures in relation to visual structures is carried out for “particular interpretations of experience and forms
of social interactions” Kress and van Leeuwen’s (2006). These aspects of analysis are further embedded in
Critical Discourse Analysis (Fairclough, 1993) to reveal hidden connections between the society and the texts
of webcomics.
McNeill 1030 10:05 - 12:00pm
Ahsan Bashir
Developing Intercultural Communicative Competence of English Language Teachers: Exploring perceptions
and possibilities
Pakistan’s higher education institutions present a multilingual / multicultural environment under the
globalizing factors. The foreign students who study at these institutions belong to different languages,
cultures, and countries. They usually use English as lingua franca. But English language teaching in these
academic settings is not fully responsive to the needs of multicultural student population. Communication in
a multilingual / multicultural environment is a huge challenge as the understanding of cultures, of one’s own
and others, and developing competence to comprehend the messages successfully, is quite a demanding
task. The proposed study is designed to investigate and understand this phenomenon. The purpose of the
proposed study is to describe and compare English language teachers’ perception about exploring
possibilities to adapt existing training and teaching paradigms to Intercultural Communicative Competence
(ICC) in Pakistani universities. For this purpose, teachers teaching English to international students will be
selected by purposeful sampling. The study will follow a mixed method design. Data on each objective of the
proposed study will be gathered from the sample by using self-designed closed-ended questionnaire with
scaled items and semi-structured interviews. The collected data will be analyzed statistically with the help of
tools available on SPSS and Nvivo. Discussion of the results derived from the analysis of the quantitative and
the qualitative data, and the implications for the theory and practice of English language teaching will come
after the conduct of the study. Areas for more studies on the ICC training and teaching in Pakistani
universities with international students will be suggested in light of the limitations of the proposed study.
McNeill 1027 10:05 - 12:00pm
Munazza Yaqoob
Novel as ‘Public Sphere’: Exploring Revolutionary Potential in Contemporary Pakistani Anglophone Novels
This paper seeks to explore how fictional narratives of Pakistani Anglophone novelists work as ‘public sphere’
in which sociopolitical issues of public concerns are discussed, debated and brought into the focus of public.
The paper focusing on Mohsin Hamid, Uzma Aslam Khan, Kamila Shamsei, and Mohammad Hanif investigates
the prospects and potential of their novels as public sphere in which these author engage communities of
their readers as mini-publics in discussion on social and political issues. The public sphere created in their
novels is identified as a form of protest and social movement where socio-political issues of general interest
are expressed, ideas are exchanged freely, resistance against oppression and oppressive policies and
ideologies is voiced, and public opinions are formed. These novels are deeply political and the authors appear
as critical observers of socio-political structures of Pakistan. The texts are also strong critics of oppressive and
suppressive ideologies, which hinder Pakistan in becoming a democratic state in the real spirit where social
and civil rights are protected. The political position of the authors poses strong challenge to the power
structures responsible for these ills. Their literary narratives as public sphere help these authors achieve and
perform their agency, sense of social responsibility and public commitment as public intellectuals and help
their readers develop their understanding of oppressive structures and activate their agency and be
politically and socially responsible. These authors thus serve as resistant voices and represent collective
resistance against social injustices and oppressive cultural practices in Pakistan and their novels create space
where grassroots commitment can operate.
McNeill 1028 10:05 - 12:00pm
Nazir Sangi
Telecommuting: A Global Technology Advantage for Under-Privileged Students
In year 2005, AIOU decided to take an advantage of global technologies for the benefit of under privileged
people in Pakistan. Three projects were launched; a PhD research program, multimedia instructional design
project and e-learning capacity development project. In our PhD program, two PhD scholars have completed
and were awarded degree on recommendations of external evaluations from USA, Japan and Spain. Four
students are in process of working on their research thesis. While nine scholars are completing their
coursework and soon will shifted on their research thesis work. This program was conducted with faculty
from USA and Middle East. This program is now sustainable.
In the instructional design project, more than 40 full courses are developed at Bachelors (BS-CS) and some at
school level. The R& D work data is collected from 2006 on-words and many publications are presented/
published in conference. In the third project, e-learning management system was developed which is being
used for a One year Diploma in Computer Science/IT. This diploma is for transformation of student skills from
other disciplines to CS/IT based work in their offices. Additionally, video conference systems were used to
support blended BS (CS) four years degree program in rural areas. Two test sites were used; one in the
middle of desert, in Umerkot city (1400 KM from main campus) and other on the border of two provinces, D.
G. Khan city (800 KM from main campus). At both locations these programs are successfully running with
more than 40 students taking 20 courses each semester. Faculty is not available at both locations, which is
being provided from Islamabad via video conference. However, library, computing facilities and a laboratory
Instructors are provided locally at both locations. First batch of these students has reached the final year in
7th semester.
Recently the State Department's USA sponsored Pakistan Distance Education Enhancement Program (PDEEP)
project which was executed by San Jose State University, USA. Under this project, ten remote students of CS/
IT were provided telecommuting internship on five IT projects. These students were guided using Internet,
video conferencing and LMS services at five different locations. The students have successfully completed
projects and were awarded internship certificate and stipend under telecommuting part of the PDEEP
project.
This paper concentrates upon this historical event where under-privileged (remote and rural) students were
transformed into useful productive global professional workers of the world at large. The vision, exercise, the
process used, the technologies used and student’s experiences are being documented in this real world case
study. The global technology helped to transfer skills among youth through this successful case study will be
useful to many developing countries and their partners in developed countries.
McNeill 1030 10:05 - 12:00pm
Muhammad Sheerez
Every Writer is Dangerous: Silencing in Pakistani Resistance Fiction in Urdu
Many scholars have studied links between Pakistan’s contemporary condition and the third Martial Law
imposed by General Zia ul Haq (1977-1988). Sectarianism and kalashnikov culture are seen as two significant
contributions of this rule to Pakistan. In this age of strict censorship and camera proceedings, with no or little
documentation of history, the burden of literary voices increased manifold. However, the despotic
government was alert to them too. The contributions of the writers were followed, and they were trialed,
jailed, sent in exile, suspended from jobs, and lashed. The silencing project was so impactful that many
writers were unable to conduct a realistic fictionalization of history. So they began documenting the modus
operundi of silencing itself. In this paper, I will focus on the 46 Urdu short stories, written between 1977 and
1988, included in Mazahmati Adab (Resistance Literature) published by Pakistan Academy of Letters in 1995.
Contextualizing these works in the political condition and historical developments, I argue that forceful
silencing of the creative voices overshadowed the other wrongdoings of the dictator, and resulted in a kind of
silencing genre in which the authors fictionalized the ruthlessness of the government to them, and
commented upon the various tools and tactics used to silence them. Engaging these works and invoking
history, I will also show the effects of this silencing on the writers, and the formalistic strategies they adopted
to voice their “silence” and portray Zia’s era.
McNeill 1027 10:05 - 12:00pm
Tehmina Pirzada
“Don't Mess with the Lady in Black”: Exploring Muslim Girlhood and Pakistani cityscapes in Gogi and Burka
Avengers
The Muslim super-heroine in graphic narratives has always titillated western imagination, serving as an
interesting counterpoint to the subaltern depictions of Muslim women and girls in mainstream media. Dust,
the ‘burka’ clad heroine from X-Men and the vivacious Kamala Khan by Marvel are characters with staunchly
Muslim affiliations. Major American publishers featured these Muslim super-heroines with the seeming
intention to diversify their fictional universes and provide corrective representations of Muslims in a cultural
moment rife with anti-Muslim sentiment. However, the portrayal of Muslim females in graphic narratives is
neither restricted to the United States nor the sole creation of Marvel and DC comics. In Pakistan, artists like
Nigar Nazar have depicted powerful female characters like Gogi, as early as the 1970’s. Haroon Rashid in
2012 re-envisioned the super heroine trope in Burka Avengers through the character of Jia, besides
portraying female coming-of-age in a Muslim society.
It is noteworthy that Nazar and Rashid both deploy the format of what could be loosely termed as a
“cartoon” to express their views—an aesthetic format usually considered as frivolous; reviled for its
caricatured usage against mainstream Muslim values and defended in the west as a form of creative or
liberal expression. Therefore, graphic narratives like Gogi and Burka Avengers exist at the cross roads of
significant local and global issues. As a result, the use of graphic narrative by Pakistani artists becomes an act
of resistance that counteracts both religious misconceptions and imperialistic prejudices.
Drawing upon David Lewis’s concept of “finding the hero in the super hero”, I argue that Gogi and Jia rework
the trope of the super heroine by foregrounding a heroism that stems from the everyday realities of Pakistani
girls. Most crucially, these graphic narratives foreground Pakistan’s cityscapes as familiar places rather than
relegating them to the status of dangerous, militarized and othered spaces. By exploring Gogi and Burka
Avengers, I examine how graphic narratives from Pakistan can be used as a means to understand Muslim
girlhood in conjunction with contested realities of Pakistan’s cityscapes.
McNeill 1028 10:05 - 12:00pm
Jordan Rollins
Thailand's Sex Industry: Cultural Analysis and Implications
Living in an increasingly globalized society has revolutionized the sharing of information, ease of
transportation, and integration of technologies in the home and work-place. In many ways this has
contributed to the simplification of daily tasks and responsibilities that could have previously been
considered rather arduous and time-consuming. Singh and Hart (2007:155) concisely define globalization as
“the interconnectedness of people, ideas, and products.” It is a process with broad implications as it
encompasses virtually all aspects of life in the modern world and shapes culture. By nature, globalization
permeates. Therefore, it is hardly surprising that the process has impacted tourism worldwide. “Tourism
itself is both a cause and an effect of globalization” (Singh and Hart, 2007:155). Tourists today can move
internationally with more ease than ever to take in the scenic landscapes, architecture, art, cuisine, and sex
other countries have to offer.
Historically, the buying and selling of sex has always persisted in societies around the world. However,
today’s level of commercialization and globalization’s role in facilitating an environment that demands
instant gratification is unprecedented. The merger of sex and commercialization is perhaps best exemplified
in the case of Thailand. “As international tourism has become an increasingly influential factor in the Thai
economy, the focus on commerce has shifted from local to global” (Bishop and Robinson, 1998:93). It is the
international customer that takes precedence and “to whom the entire nation offers its products, including
its inhabitants, as commodities for sale” (Bishop and Robinson, 1998:93).
Bangkok, Thailand has developed into one of the world’s leading tourist destinations for sex. As revenues
brought about by the industry have continued to surge over the years, so have correlated human rights
issues as they specifically pertain to female sex workers. The remainder of this essay will conceptualize the
industry and its problematic issues, outline societal components that contribute to its proliferation, and
accordingly examine measures to improve outcomes for sex workers.
McNeill 1030 10:05 - 12:00pm
Abdul Qayyum Chaudhry
Perceptions of Teachers About Storytelling Method of teaching in Pakistani Culture
Story telling is transmission of past events into words. It is an ancient method of teaching, or sharing of
experiences with others. In Pakistani society, grandparents use to tell stories, and now many teachers also
use this method to educate their students. The objective of this study is to find out the perception of school
teachers and the importance of the storytelling method in teaching about Pakistani society. The study was
planned as a quantitative survey. A questionnaire was prepared to know the perception of teachers about
storytelling method in Pakistani society. One hundred teachers were selected randomly from elementary
schools as participants of this study. In light of this study, it concluded that a majority of participants
expressed that storytelling played a vital role in educating the child about the social customs in Pakistan.
Stories are also useful in learning any foreign language. It gradually increases the cognition of students, and
this method also captures the interest of students. It is recommended that stories must be included in the
school syllabus, and teachers should guide the students through moral based stories should also be included
in the syllabus to inculcate the cultural heritage to the child.
McNeill 1028 10:05 - 12:00pm
Susan Pearce
Istanbul: an LGBT Global City?
Representing centuries of cosmopolitan meetings across cultures and empires, today’s city of Istanbul is an
ideal site for a critical case study of the currents that shape today’s global cities. With a population of 14
million consisting of multiple ethnic groups, migrants from Anatolian Turkey, and European-oriented
denizens, Istanbul’s identity sometimes seems multi-directional. This paper is a presentation of recent
developments in LGBT Pride parades in Istanbul: how they resonate with local and transnational influences,
how they enact Turkey’s internal diversity, and their on-going challenges. The paper is the result of a
research study on gender and sexuality, social movements, and migration in Turkey and Southeast Europe. In
particular, I report on an explosive moment of public performance in Istanbul during the summer of 2013:
the city’s Trans and LGBT Pride parades. Enjoying a unique, mutual cross-fertilization with the simultaneous
Gezi Park protests, the diversity of activists and allies marching down the principal pedestrian boulevard in
support of LGBT rights appears to represent a tipping point that energized the LGBT movement in Turkey. As
one chapter of an edited book project in process, this study converses with theories of cosmopolitanism and
other scholars of Istanbul that contribute to the volume. I will draw conclusions for understanding Istanbul’s
uniqueness as well as its participation in the transnational network of global cities, through the lenses of
culture and activist movements.
McNeill 1030 10:05 - 12:00pm
Sofia Hussain
Narrating History and Politics from the Margins in Post-Colonial Novel: A Comparative Study of Kamila
Shamsie and Arundhati Roy’s Fiction
This paper attempts to analyze the representation of history and politics in Kamila Shamsie’s Broken Verses
and Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things. Though not strictly historiographic, the fiction of these women
novelists does offer extensive insight into the important historical, political and cultural shifts in post-colonial
Pakistan and India. Shamsie and Roy have narrated the major political, historical and cultural events through
the marginalized sections of the society, particularly women, underprivileged, and the minorities. Zia’s
Islamization forms an important backdrop of Shamsie’s fiction, whereas Roy unravels the political (Marxist)
and religious (Christian) establishments in caste-ridden Kerala in 1969. The selected fiction shifts back and
forth in temporal settings and records the modifications in political and social structures across various
generations till present day.
The selected works will be compared and contrasted through the lens of “subaltern studies” to examine the
peripheral narratives of the “lived experiences of various oppressed classes, which were submerged in
religious and social customs” (Amrita Biswas). While Shamsie’s fiction primarily records the impact of larger
political changes and its resultant oppressive practices through the lens of gender, Roy’s fiction focuses on
highlighting the narratives of patriarchal, religious and class discrimination in a post-colonial society. So this
paper aims to explore how these novels record the ‘silenced voices’ and provide an alternative definition of
the political, historical and cultural identity of their societies.
McNeill 1028 10:05 - 12:00pm
Raza Naeem
The Metropolis and Intellectual Life: A Case Study of Sibte Hasan and Karachi
How do intellectuals adapt to cope with life in the modern metropolis? What is the role of intellectual life in
the metropolis? To what extent can a metropolis be seen as an intellectual center with regards to the
particular situation of writers, their role in the national (or international) recognition of a city, and thus the
basis of a new representation of a metropolis, also exemplified in the national (or international) circulation of
a work of art (in this case a book(s)) between cities (Karachi-Lahore)?
The proposed paper attempts to understand these questions from an interdisciplinary point of view by
contextualizing the relationship between Sibte Hasan, one of Pakistan’s most eminent dissident intellectuals,
and the city where he chose to live and lead his long life, Karachi, at a crucial time in the city’s – and
Pakistan’s – history, i.e. the decades of the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Karachi was a growing city in the
aforementioned decades with many diverse demographic features that took on added importance in
successive decades, i.e. a cosmopolitan population accommodating different ethnicities; a large trade-union
movement; the trappings of a global city with a greatly secular and consumer culture as exemplified by its
initial designation as the national capital, the presence of a seaport, its rising population and economic
status, etc. Therefore, for a common citizen like in other large, growing metropolises, Karachi overloaded the
senses with stimuli from all directions – shops and window displays, dense populations, bright lights, signals
and signs, vehicle movements, a cacophony of noise and a multitude of smells – all of which combine to
make the city an exciting place but also one that drains our energy. My proposed enquiry will try to ask how a
dissident intellectual coped with city life, in this case Sibte Hasan, who in his long life as an active dissident
intellectual of the left in Karachi, had to cope with pressures on multiple fronts, including creative, economic
(he constantly moved from one house to another) and political (he was jailed multiple times for his activities).
I argue that the active intellectual and activist life of Sibte Hasan afforded him and his readers similar
protection against the depredations of the metropolis. The other two queries mentioned in the opening
paragraph, i.e. Sibte Hasan’s role in recognition of the city, as well as an analysis of circulation of his books
(namely his influential works Maazi kay Mazar, Naveed-e-Fikr and Musa say Marx Tak) also help to define
and clarify the dynamics of urban culture. The intellectual premise of such an interdisciplinary inquiry is that
it is possible to imagine and write about a vast theme such as a metropolis (or a global city) by collecting
material and utilizing it creatively to imagine the intellectual life of a writer in a growing metropolis in the
specific context of Pakistan.
McNeill 1030 10:05 - 12:00pm
Mehreen Jamal
Do Words Serve the Cause? Visualizing domesticity in Pakistani literature
The present paper tries to bring into light the domestic voices in Pakistani society with an analysis of one
classic coming-of-age novel, the Inner Courtyard (Angan) by Khadija Mastoor. Mastoor was one of the
pioneer authors for women’s issues in Pakistan. Her work is important and widely read, mostly by women, in
Pakistan and beyond. Angan was published in 1962 in Urdu, and it depicts the national liberation struggle of
Pakistan and its effects on society. Mastoor represents feminist voices and women’s resistance against
colonial and patriarchal oppression. This presentation will analyze this novel as a case study in order to
examine the traditional, colonial, and post-colonial bondage in Pakistani society, and how this bondage held
power over society and the lives of women. Mastoor highlights women’s consciousness and growth as strong
members of the society. Through her protagonist, Aaliya, she depicts women’s appearances in public spaces
as a challenge to the oppressive elements in society. She illustrates, in private spaces, if elders negatively
follow traditional norms how it would create a difficult life for the younger generation. Angan is a depiction
of lives of women during that time period. This paper is a historical analysis of the Pakistani society and its
comparison with Muslim societies of that time with a glimpse to contemporary Egyptian literature. With a
comparative study of Latifa al-Zayyat’s The Open Door (al- Bab al-maftuh), this study proposes an alternative
view of gender studies for both Pakistani and Egyptian societies.
McNeill 1027 1:35 - 3:10pm
Shani-Leigh Searcy, Tasnim Tabaileh
Is Facebook Shaping Our Views?
The news is filled with headlines about Syrian and Iraqi refugees who have no choice but to escape from The
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) cruelty against Syrian and Iraqi citizens. These refugees are risking their
lives by looking for a better future in neighboring countries.
Like most social and political issues today, the subject of refugees coming to the United States has hit
Facebook. Facebook, like other social media outlets, is a tool that shapes society. Unlike other avenues
where social and political issues are discussed, opinion dominates most Facebook conversations. When it
comes to sharing sources, there are no guidelines for credibility. Instead, memes, political cartoons, and
articles are rampantly shared among friends—and spread to others’ newsfeeds when a post gets enough
Likes.
The rhetoric used in posts that targets refugees is alarming and disturbing. Some posts are dehumanizing
Syrian and Iraqi refugees. The alarming and disturbing rhetoric of these posts shows that “refugees” are
treated as a problem, a social illness, or an “issue”—they are not treated as humans. Facebook is a place for
personal, inter-community, and global communication; however, many see Facebook as being a political
venue as well. With this, to what extent is this whimsical forum shaping the values and policies of a nation,
especially on crucial issues like voting and the fate of millions of people in a dire relocation situation?
In the proposed poster presentation, we use a humanistic lens to discuss the political use of Facebook where
we deconstruct conversations, Likes, and Shares to analyze the “shaping” of users on critical issues, such as
the relocation of people fleeing the first-hand terrorism of ISIS. Additionally, we will address Facebook’s
policy regarding racist and offensive posts and their control over these issues as well.
McNeill 1028 1:35 - 3:10pm
Muhammad Abdullah
Connecting through Feminine: Cultural Politics and Global Feminist Cause
Women represent strangers in this global world and femininity represents a predicament of all kinds of
unsettling forces. The image of woman emerging from Islamic art, history and literary traditions is that of
cerebral confronter, vandal, and sagacious planner; paradoxically it looms in western imagination as an
odalisque, aphrodisiac, and abject. This paper aims at appeasing feminine cultural politics by addressing
representations, misrepresentations and distrusts between Eastern and Western Harems. Disambiguation of
a diverse and discursive feminist cause along with cracking power of feminine as an agent of disjunctive
discourses is posited here by valuing anti-foundationalist traditions. The entire debate is framed in a postfeministic construction with an emphasis on relatively new diversion in feminist institution, that is, Islamic
feminism.
McNeill 1030 1:35 - 3:10pm
Syeda Sahar Z Naqvi
Creating Counter Narratives to Sectarianism and Hate Speech in Pakistan: An NGO’s Efforts to Provide
Alternative Avenues of Exchange via Arts and Dialogue.
In the summer of 2013, I conducted research as a McNair Fellow on sectarianism in Pakistan. My research
was based on analyzing data of the total number of Shias killed since 1963 till mid 2013. Data collected via
first responder organizations, web and media sources enabled me to understand the reasons and the factors
involved in sectarian violence in various cities throughout Pakistan. Although I concluded that sectarianism in
Pakistan, particularly Shia killing, was not merely a sectarian issue, it was rather a political, economic,
theological, global and regional matter; however, my field work also allowed me to witness the methods
used to spread sectarianism and hate speech all over Pakistan. One of the preferred methods to incite
emotions and violent reactions by extremists on all sides of the isles was graffiti and art on rickshaws.
Unfortunately, it was not common to see a rickshaw boasting slogans such as, “Kafir, Kafir, (insert sect)
Kafir.” These extreme slogans were meant to stir emotions and spread hate amongst people. They were used
as a tool to reinforce inter-group divisions and recruit the youth by right-wing religious organizations.
PYA, Pakistan Youth Alliance, a non-governmental organization, used the same platform as a counter
technique to hate and extremism in Pakistan. PYA used the very art form to spread a message of tolerance
and peace. This project explored the process by which PYA created these rickshaws into canvases of artistic
“expression, a sharing of ideas, and a medium that enables the artists' ‘voices’ and viewpoints to be
conveyed.” The project focused on the genre of religion and social change by analyzing the works of PYA and
its grass roots activities of creating “counter-values and beliefs that reinforce peace, tolerance, and respect
for diversity.”
McNeill 1027 1:35 - 3:10pm
Stephanie E. Rushton
The Lasting Effects of Social Media and the Arab Spring
This body of research seeks to examine how the twenty-first century westernized tools of social media have
been adopted and consumed by the Muslim culture, which are found in numerous countries throughout
Northern Africa, the Middle East, and Southwest Asia. This paper will use the events of the spring of 2011,
collectively known throughout popular culture as the Arab Spring, as a focal point for research. Considerable
time will be spent analyzing how individuals belonging to a variety of subsects of Islam utilized social media
tools and the modern day practice of citizen journalism to ensure that values such as democracy and
equality, as well as freedom of assembly and speech, spread like wildfire throughout over a dozen countries
in just a matter of months. Additionally, careful consideration will be given to the political and socioeconomic situations in the countries, which were forever changed by the Arab Spring movement.
This paper will draw heavily on the ideology of principles such as classical breakdown theory and muted
group theory as it seeks to answer if there are certain situations in which the rapid spread of Western
cultural ideals throughout foreign lands may be a negative event, resulting in a cataclysmic breakdown of the
pre-existing government infrastructures of the countries in question. Research presented in this paper will
be of interest to those who are seeking mechanisms that can be utilized in order to solidify the relationships
citizens have with their society at large, most especially in undeveloped nations. Those who have an interest
in the ability of Islamic terrorists to take advantage of socio-economic and socio-political situations in failing
states to further their ideals will be particularly interested in this body of research.
McNeill 1028 1:35 - 3:10pm
Raza Naeem
Why Small is Still Beautiful? Sustainable Cities versus ‘Creative’ Cities: The Case of Lahore
The 2008-2010 Wall Street crash leading to a worldwide recession not only discredited mainstream economic
ideas, but prompted inquiries and interest into alternative, albeit neglected, heterodox theories for
organization of social, political and cultural life. One of these was pioneered by the radical economist E.F.
Schumacher in his great work Small is Beautiful, published in 1973 at the height of another seminal crisis for
Western civilization, i.e. the oil-crisis. My paper attempts to re-introduce and critically analyze key concepts
of this work, especially the problem of production, the question of size, the proper use of land, technology
with a human face, and development, as applicable to Lahore in a developing country context. Posited
against this concept of a sustainable city is the concept of a “creative” city unveiled in May 2011 by the
Planning Commission of Pakistan in its “New Growth Framework.” Yet my critical analysis will show that not
only is this concept highly unoriginal, borrowed uncritically from a developed-country context, but is also a
hodgepodge of technical buzzwords having little relevance for Pakistani cities, especially Lahore. In the final
analysis, the Framework’s urban approach lies firmly within the purview of a neoliberal city, a concept which
is slowly being discredited now in the wake of the worldwide financial crisis. The second part of the paper will
evaluate whether Lahore can be described as a sustainable or “creative” city. Such an analysis is timely given
the fact that 2011 marked the centenary year of Schumacher’s birth, as well as in the context of the recentlyheld Rio Plus 20 Summit in Brazil. Such a comparison also brings out the irony of the value of a developingcountry approach to urban innovation pioneered by a European in contrast to a developed-country approach
preferred by our own indigenous policy-makers!
McNeill 1030 1:35 - 3:10pm
Lance Cummings
Following the Flow: Trans-Global Rhetorics between Pakistan & the US
The study of rhetoric is often associated with the study of the “available means of persuasion” (Aristotle, On
Rhetoric), but has attained broader cultural significance in US English studies, particularly in the teaching of
writing and critical thinking. Understanding rhetoric means understanding how language and culture shape
our realities ideologically and materially—ultimately a form of persuasion (Berlin 1998; Booth 2004). When
seen as cultural practices and discourses, rhetorical theory can be conceived as flowing across boundaries
and not just contained within one particular tradition. Though rhetoric has played a significant role
throughout Euro-American histories, many rhetoricians are looking outside of these traditions for new
understandings (Lu 1998; Mao 2003; Lu 1998; Stroud 2005). Most of these efforts have focused on China,
India, and indigenous populations. Pakistan has many rhetorical traditions both in Arab and Islamic culture,
as well as in more regional indigenous cultures. Some texts, like Aristotle, are even shared between Pakistan
and the US. In a recent graduate course on rhetoric and culture, US students were given the opportunity to
study Pakistani rhetorics, in addition to traditional Western texts found in the canonical book, The Rhetorical
Tradition. Students studied influential Pakistani rhetorics, like Sufism and modern women rhetorics, while
also sharing US rhetorical traditions with their Pakistani counterparts. This will be a panel of 3-6 selected
students from the class with the instructor as moderator and chair. Using brief PowerPoint presentations,
each student will present their experiences with the class, showing how their views of rhetoric have been
impacted by observing the flow of rhetoric between Pakistan and the US.
McNeill 1027 1:35 - 3:10pm
Mariam Faridoon and Nazia Iqbal
Effect of Advertisements on Body Image, Materialism and Life Satisfaction among Pakistani Adolescents
The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of advertisements on the body image, materialism and
life satisfaction among adolescents. The sample of the study was 400 participants (200 males, 200 females)
with ages ranging from 14-20 years old and was selected from educational institutes of Islamabad. The
participants completed the research instruments which included advertisements questionnaire, body image
questionnaire, material value scale and satisfaction with life scale. Data analysis using simple regression
analysis, independent sample t-test and bivariate correlation analysis was used in the study. The results of
the study indicated that exposure to advertisements leads to dissatisfaction with body image among
adolescents. The results also indicated that adolescents who are frequently exposed to television are more
inclined to be materialistic. Furthermore, the results also indicated that people who are frequently exposed
to television are less satisfied with the life. The results of the study also indicated that no significant
difference was found among males and females regarding their perception about body image and
materialistic values while females were found to be less satisfied with life as compared to males. No
significant relationship was found between body image and life satisfaction and between materialism and life
satisfaction. Furthermore, participants’ characteristics and other related demographic factors have been
explored.
McNeill 1028 1:35 - 3:10pm
Alemseged Abbaya
Eritrean Nationalism in the Global Village
Created in 1890 as a mere gateway to the fertile and temperate Ethiopian highlands where Italy sought to
establish a settlement colony, Eritrea was not meant to be. Unhappy under Italian colonial rule, Eritreans
yearned to return to their “mother country,” Ethiopia, which they did in 1952. Unhappy under Ethiopian rule,
as they were rudely awakened to a culturally and politically oppressive and archaic feudal system, they
fought a costly thirty-year war of independence, which they won in 1991. Unhappy with their independence,
which has given them neither good governance nor prosperity, Eritreans are voting with their own feet. They
are taking unimaginable risks to cross the Sahara, where many of them have fallen victim to the Bedouin
organ harvesters, and the Mediterranean Sea, where thousands of them have drowned, to reach Europe,
where they are unwelcomed. Eritreans have made their hard-won Eritrea the most self-emptying peace-time
polity in the world.
Political oppression is axiomatically presented as the rationale for the mass exodus. No doubt, Isaias Afeworki
is an old-fashioned dictator a la Idi Amin and Samuel Doe. His ruthlessness has contributed to the misery of
Eritreans. And he is often compared with the late Muammar Qaddafi of Libya and Eritrea’s secretiveness is
identified with that of North Korea. However, since political oppression did not make Amin’s Uganda, Doe’s
Liberia, Qaddafi’s Libya, or Jong-un’s North Korea hemorrhage their citizens, the claim that Eritrea’s mass
exodus was caused by political oppression alone is not convincing . By arguing that Eritrea was not meant to
be either a colony in the era of imperialism or an independent political entity in the era of globalization, this
paper looks into forces other than mere political oppression behind the Eritrean exodus.
McNeill 1030 1:35 - 3:10pm
Mariam Shaikh
War and Terrorism: Comparative analysis among US and Pakistani online media new stories
This study aims at examining terror narratives developing in different news mediums. The distinctness of the
phenomenon of terrorism indeed lies in the emotional and conceptual meaning of disaster for communities
that experience disasters. Pakistan is one place which has witnessed to date unprecedented terrorist
incidents over the last decade. The huge loss of lives, human tragedies in the form of injuries, economic
downturn and chaos is a continuous phenomenon in the society following every incident. The advent of New
Media is regarded as one virtual space created by news media to organize disaster responses following
disasters. The blog stories are usually follow-up stories on the major incidents carrying a theme. This study
will attempt to track the disaster stories on blog spaces dedicated for terrorism-related narratives both in
Pakistani news media and US news media in comparative settings. The analysis is aimed at generating
dominant themes around blogs that are related to disaster narratives. The question is: “How, and in what
aspects, are news media stories developed around war and terrorism in Pakistani news media differently
from stories that are developed by the US news media?” The significance of analysis lies in the fact that
United States is a major player in global politics and war against terrorism, while Pakistan has a major
strategic role in this regard.
The material from two mainstream newspapers from both countries is subjected to a qualitative textual
analysis utilizing discourse analysis method guided by three questions. This approach takes the stance that
journalism is a powerful form of communication and is inescapably connected to social, political, and
economic context. The results were then discussed and conclusions were drawn.
McNeill 1028 1:35 - 3:10pm
Amna Mahmood
Globalization and the Right to Information of Citizens: The Real Transformation of Political Culture
The post-colonial states inherited the western political and economic structures along with the education
systems as a source of ideas and knowledge. Some of these countries later turned to the US from their
former colonial masters’ in the quest for economic aid and strategic partnership for their dependent
economies and fragile securities. They entered into a pattern-client relationship in which the US was a senior
partner.
The end of the Cold War and the so-called triumph of the west over the communist ideology in the 1990s
further established the western pre-dominance to the global south. Globalization is the ideological
collectivization of this pre-dominance. Although it had produced mixed results in economy, environment,
politics and international relations, its impact on political culture and domestic politics is overwhelming. The
information revolution in the form of media, virtually converted the world into a global village, popularizing
the American values of liberalism. The demand for ‘Right to Information’ (RTI) laws is a glaring example,
many of the developing states compelled to respond positively.
This article tests the hypothesis that RTI laws and their implementation in Pakistan not only ensured the
provision of public services and transparency in process of governance but also ensured the transformation
of parochial political culture into a participant one by mobilizing even the less educated masses. Using data
from the civil society groups, RTI requests to government departments, reports of the information
commissioners, focus group and media discussions, interviews and field survey, this study concludes that the
federal government of Pakistan needs to legislate on RTI, in guiding spirit to the provinces, since
implementation of citizens’ rights has become a provincial matter under the 18 th amendment to the 1973
constitution of Pakistan. Nonetheless in KPK and Punjab, two provinces of Pakistan out of four, the
implementation of RTI laws has sensitized both the masses and governments. It has provided a mechanism to
make governments accountable in intervals between two elections, to transform an electoral democracy to a
real one. However, it is a start and much has to be done in the future.
McNeill 1027 1:35 - 3:10pm
Rizwan Aftab
Linguistic Choices and Language Learning in Postcolonial Multilingual Pakistan
Pakistan, being a postcolonial country, experienced the severe effects and impacts of colonialism. One such
effect is to learn the language of their colonizers. Being a multilingual country, the people of Pakistan can
speak different languages. Besides speaking different languages, they also try to learn the English language
for different sociopolitical and socioeconomic purposes and needs. This research explores the reasons and
attitudes of language learners to learn another foreign language besides being multilingual. It also highlights
different factors that compel them to learn different languages and how these factors contribute to being
more multilingual. Urdu and English, being lingua franca, occupy special positions in Pakistani society. This
study also investigates the linguistic choices made by Pakistanis according to some sociolinguistic factors, and
their reasons for selecting or rejecting the languages used in Pakistan. It also highlights the political,
sociocultural and sociolinguistic ideologies such choices are likely to convey.
McNeill 1028 1:35 - 3:10pm
Stephanie E. Rushton
The Dangers of American Nationalism
The research presented within this paper will consider if the ideals of American nationalism, coupled with a
lack of knowledge regarding the current sectarian divides that exist within the Muslim culture, have
contributed to the rise in Sunni extremism, particularly within the nation of Iraq. A careful analysis of the
steps the United States took or failed to take during the planning for the invasion of Iraq and subsequent
overthrow of Saddam Hussein will be undertaken. The ultimate goal of this research will be to
determine whether or not the American politicians and military planners were equipped with
appropriate knowledge of the culture of the Iraqi people and if so, if they were able to successfully predict
the reactions the Iraqi people would have once democracy was introduced to Iraq. The findings uncovered by
this research will be utilized to put forward suggestions for future actions when the United States engages
with countries that are similar in nature to Iraq, such as countries that have been designated as a failed state
or those nations that lack a stable governmental structure that is capable of providing for the needs of their
citizens, in the hopes of garnering successful outcomes for all parties involved. Information presented in this
body of research will be of interest and use to those who desire more knowledge about Muslim culture, as
well as for governmental and military planners who may find themselves engaged in future conflicts which
bear a resemblance to the United States’ previous involvement in the nation of Iraq.
McNeill 1030 1:35 - 3:10pm
Christine Barba
“Hi! You seem like a cool, fun person :)”: Politeness Theory and Compliment Responses in ComputerMediated Discourse
Many linguistics, anthropology, and communication scholars examine Goffman’s (1955, 1967) dramaturgical
theories on face, expanded upon by Brown and Levinson (1978, 1987) when they developed politeness
theory. Previous literature on PT often draws on Brown and Levinson’s (1987) politeness strategies, including
compliment and compliment responses (Holmes, 1989; Herbert, 1989). While most research focuses on PT in
face-to-face settings, only recently has this theory been studied in computer-mediated-discourse. Although
some scholars (Vinagre, 2008) focus on email messages, most (Burke & Kraut, 2008; Park, 2008) explore
these strategies in online discussion forums. However, surprisingly few studies examine politeness theory in
CMD or from a discourse analytical perspective. Even fewer look at how gender, age, and culture impact
peoples’ responses to politeness strategies on social networking sites. While many scholars observe
interactions among small samples of Internet users, few initiate interactions. In an effort to fill these gaps,
this study, framed within PT, uses pragmatics and builds on Holmes’ 1986 CR classifications to determine
whether these characteristics influence peoples’ CRs on the social networking website InterPals.net.
InterPals.net is primarily used for “cultural exchange” and “language practice” (“About InterPals,” 2015, p. 1).
This study analyzed 250 CRs from males and females, ages 18 to 70, who were from 60 different countries in
total. The results indicate cross-cultural, cross-gender, and age-based similarities. These findings support and
expand on previous results (Holmes, 1989; Holmes, 2013) on how gender and culture affect CRs. Regardless
of culture, relatively equal numbers of men and women accepted, rejected, or evaded my compliment, used
laughter, and used emoticons, though the latter two features decreased with age. This data illuminates how
gender or age is performed in online versus f2f settings, and how people respond to politeness strategies
similarly worldwide, offering a better understanding of how people communicate within this context.
McNeill Reception/Lobby 3:154:50pm Poster Session
FizzaHasan
Ni6: Subaltern text messages
Cellular phones have quickly become ubiquitous in Karachi, crossing class and income boundaries; with it, the Roman
keypad and script have become inescapable. The purchaser of a cellular phone is immersed, willingly or not, first-hand, in
the visual and tactile experience of globalization. While Urdu-enabled cell phones and Urdu keypads have also
become available, it appears that they are not very popular. My research finds that many Karachiites instead subvert
the imperative to make use of the Roman alphabet in navigating and utiliz- ing their cell phones' features by turning the
Roman alphabet and symbols on their head. The extensive use of Roman Urdu is an adjustment made by bilingual
speakers of Urdu and English that is well-recognized and is somewhat standardized. The English language skills of the
men and women featured in my research, how- ever, ranges between illiteracy and having rudimentary language skills
through formal schooling. They resist the logic of the Roman Urdu used by bi-lingual speakers. In my work, I first show
that Urdu-English bilingual speakers, in text messaging, mostly uniformly replace Urdu consonants and vowels with
their equivalents in English. I then explore challenges to this rule by non-English speakers. For example, the
word 'neechay' (below/downstairs) is typed as ni6. The first syllable follows the standard rules but for the second
syllable one is expected to read the number in Urdu. Such splitting of syllables is uncommon for Urdu-English bilingual
speakers. I also discuss how the necessity to read the Roman alphabet may be circumnavigated if an individual is unable to
read the alphabet. Lastly, I question what it means to use Roman Urdu when everyday language is peppered with
English words. My research attempts to show that efforts at easing the transition to globalization by, here, making an
Urdu keypad available, are often insufficient to meet the demands of a globalized life. In such situations, individuals
may instead take a hands-on approach to globalization and ma- nipulate the structures provided by globalization for
their ends.
McNeill Reception/Lobby 3:154:50pm Poster Session
Kaitlyn Patterson, Kate Clauss, Victoria Bennett, and Marissa Flanagan
Mindfulness in Modern Psychology
Buddhist mindfulness teachings emphasize the acceptance of suffering, compassion, and the eventual reali- zation of
freedom (Goldstein, 1993). Combining spirituality and religiosity, Buddhism invokes a lifestyle that allows the individual
to focus on the present toward the realization of enlightenment.
Contemporary spirituality is said to invoke individual beliefs, behaviors, and values (Hood et al., 2009). It al- lows for an
openness to change (Love & Talbot, 1999), and a connectedness with one's self and one's sur- roundings. This
connectedness is thought to be linked to an individual's well-being (Souza, 2009). For this reason, mindfulness-based
interventions have been explored as an effective treatment for a number of men- tal disorders. The American
Psychological Association defines mindfulness as "moment to moment aware- ness of one's experience without
judgment" (Davis & Hayes, 2012).
Western culture identifies mindfulness as the purposeful direction of attention and acceptance to both inter- nal and
external experiences in the present moment (Baer, 2003; Lipsky, 2009). This is challenging in the modern world that
places emphasis on social interaction, professional demands, and future successes. Jon Kabat-Zinn brought
mindfulness traditions to Western society under the assumption that even without reli- gious implications it would
be beneficial for stress reduction (Sykes, 2015).
Psychology has adapted meditation, making its benefits accessible to a variety of clinical disorders including: anxiety,
depression and PTSD (Escuriex & Labbe, 2011; Hoffman, Stefan, Sawyer, Witt, & Oh, 2010; Sundquist et al., 2015).
Moreover, many types of mindfulness interventions have been developed and empirically re- searched (Albertson,
Neff & Dill-Shackleford, 2015; Dunn, Callahan & Swift, 2013). The focus of this presenta- tion will be on the history,
treatment implications and developments of mindfulness in modern psychology. And in emphasizing how the
transmission of culture has so greatly benefited mental health practices.
Mcneill 1027 3:15 - 4:50pm
Akhtar Aziz
Competing Narratives on the Swift Glorification of Malala Yousafzai: A Social Semiotic Analysis of Pakistani
Social Media
This study will focus on the debate in Pakistani social media generated by the shooting of Malala Yousafzai
and her consequent glorification throughout the world. Being the youngest ever and only the second Nobel
Laureate from Pakistan, Malala’s achievement would have been more than enough to give her the status of a
national icon in a nation that throngs the streets in jubilation for winning a cricket match. This, however, has
not been the case, and Malala has not been able to receive even the kind of unanimous appreciation that
nine-year-old Arfa Karim probably received for being the youngest Microsoft certified professional. Malala is
in fact quite frequently compared and belittled by pitching her against Dr. Afia Siddiqui who is facing
imprisonment in the US for her alleged involvement in extremist activities. With the swift and consistent rise
of Malala as an international symbol of resistance against extremism and for the promotion of education,
there have been an ever-increasing number of images and posters on Pakistani social media criticizing her
glorification, and she has been accused of playing in the hands of the West. That, however, does not mean
that she did not get any appreciation or support from any section of the society. There have been many who
have come up to defend her against all the criticism and showed their vehement support and solidarity
through a similar use of images and posters. This study takes into consideration the competing narratives on
Malala’s glorification through a Social Semiotic analysis of the various published images and posters on
Pakistani Social media. The Social Semiotic analysis focuses on the social, historical or ideological dimensions
of the meaning-making process in communication.
McNeill 1028 3:15 - 4:50pm
Jason Marley
“Resisting Monoculture: Rethinking Vernacular in Sam Selvon’s The Lonely Londoners”
Essential to Sam Selvon’s work is an implicit critique of universalism and cosmopolitanism. While many critics
have examined Selvon’s use of dialect in The Lonely Londoners, my essay argues that the novel’s
incorporation of vernacular functions to demonstrate the limits of translation and cross-cultural
communication. To be sure, a prominent theme in the text is the extent to which the Londoners assume, and
even insist, that every Caribbean immigrant possesses a single origin. Indeed, for the London masses, every
Black immigrant, every accent, every culture, is Jamaican; the Caribbean exists only as a monoculture. The
novel’s narrative voice, in which a multitude of Caribbean regionalisms and vernaculars collapse into one
another as they comingle with British slang and accents, can thus be seen as means to counter simplistic and
often racist views of Caribbean culture and language.
Yet in creating a hybridized narrative voice that incorporates and blends many different forms, variations,
and vernaculars, Selvon is ultimately unable to express linguistic pluralism and thereby enacts a new kind of
monolongualism that struggles to highlight linguistic and cultural difference. In other words, the narrative
voice resists linguistic assimilation in that it forces the reader to confront linguistic and cultural difference,
but at the same time perpetuates the Londoners’ perception that the Caribbean is monolingual and
monocultural. Rather than view this as a failure on Selvon’s part, I suggest that the hybridized language the
novel provides functions as an impossible, fantasized hybrid of Western ideologies of global language—
thereby forcing the reader to consider the challenges of linguistic hybridity. In so doing, Selvon’s text thus
demonstrates how cultural and linguistic specificity is often swallowed and flattened by process of
hybridization.
McNeill 1030 3:15 - 4:00pm
Muhammad Abdullah
The New Global City: Presenting and Translating Cultures within a Worldwide Citizenry
The complex analysis of cultures, socio-political values and our behaviors enable us to perceive the fact that
the world has turned into a global village. We can justify the argument that the post-colonial era of Pakistan
has been slow adopting western norms up until the end of the 20 th century. Until now telecommunication
marked a solid impact on thinking, the line of action and the attitude of our youth. This impact is not only
positive but it has also opened new horizons of progress in our society.
British colonizers have given us leverage, such as the modern education system in the form of schools:
colleges and universities. Its also given us a bureaucratic structure and a comprehensive infrastructure, yet its
impact on our society has been minor. Pakistani baby boomers may have opted to stick with their traditional
norms, but a reasonable amount of the Generation X and Millennial Generation is definitely fascinated by
fast food culture, art movies and western music.
In our colleges we teach the literary work of Mark Twain, Eugene O’Neill and Maya Angelou. We make our
students learn about a civilization, social realism and feminism. We are more attracted to read the books of
Dan Brown, Sidney Sheldon and Christopher Pike. Additionally, we have also learned a lot from western
literature, but we also have produced fine post-colonial English literature. Due to the effects of colonization,
our official language was declared as British English. Now, our institutions do not mind accepting applications
written in American English. Similarly, from basic house architecture to major town planning, modern
technology is preferred. To put it in a nutshell, our whole perception is shifting towards globalization, which
is nevertheless very productive thing.
McNeill 1027 3:15 - 4:50pm
Ubaraj Katawal
Dialogic Relationship in The Reluctant Fundamentalist
This paper examines the repercussions of violence on everyday lifestyles. To be specific, it explores the
dynamics that constitute the psychology of an aspiring individual, Changez Khan in Moshin Hamid’s 2007
novel, The Reluctant Fundamentalist. The novel is set against a backdrop of the 9/11 attack in the New York
City, where Changez Khan works at an international company, Underwood Samson. Before adversity hits him,
Changez is liked by his co-workers and the people in his community. He is an intelligent, hardworking, and
collaborative young man, who has beautiful dreams in life. What does 9/11 do to him that changes him
forever? What has gone wrong in his successful life up until the catastrophic terrorist act? The thrust of this
paper will examine these questions as they pertain to Hamid’s work. The paper argues that while 9/11
crystalizes his differential identity in terms of the dominant American national and cultural history, the origin
of his loss of faith in the American dream begins much earlier in his life. It begins the moment he is born into
a Muslim family, and the moment he steps into the world with a funny sounding name, Changez Khan. At one
point in the novel, he confesses that although 9/11 event was senseless, and even barbaric, he felt a kind of
awe toward the people who carried out the act. And although such confession from someone like Changez
carries a great risk in his public life, it prompts the reader to pay close attention to his experiences that have
led him to feel this way towards the terrorists. As the title of the novel suggests, after 9/11, Changez goes
native, and later becomes an anti-American activist in Pakistan, where most of the novel is set. He goes
native, however, only after he is put through a number of security checks at airports, and gets interrogated
and strip-searched by the police just for being a Muslim.
McNeill 1028 3:15 - 4:50pm
Amal Sayyid
Towards an Islamic Modernity: A Critical Investigation of Syncretic Imaginaries in Mohja Kahf’s The Girl in
the Tangerine Scarf and Robin Yassin-Kassab’s The Road to Damascus
The current study will explore how fictional texts, by Muslim authors written in the post-9/11 era, undermine
the Manichean dialectics underpinning the rhetoric of clash of civilizations and terrorism and instead
formulate counter-Orientalist imaginaries of hybridity, syncreticism and co-imbrication between Islam and
the West. For this purpose, these authors outline the contours of an alternative Islamic modernity that
highlights how in contradiction to Orientalist notions of deficit of modernity and racialized stereotypes of
absolute alterity and inferiority of the Muslim world, that shape contemporary global discourse on Islam,
Muslims in fact actively engage with and appropriate the values, lifestyles and institutional structures of
modernity. In the process, these writers foreground how this engagement is not an instance of assimilation
to Western secular liberal frames of modernity, nor is it an instance of uncritical hybridity and
cosmopolitanism. Rather, Muslims are shown as actively modulating modernity by combining the values of
individual freedoms, rights, civic activism, rational engagement, gender egalitarianism and pluralism with
Islamic ethos and principles. This results in the formation of a distinctive Islamic modernity that maintains a
critical posture towards secular liberal frames as well as an exclusivist Islamist orthodoxy. In this paper, I will
explore Mohja Kahf’s The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf and Robin Yassin-Kassab’s The Road to Damascus to
highlight the cultural and political manifestations of an unapologetic Islamic modernity that transforms
secular frames of modernity that demand the marginalization and retreat of religion from the public sphere
and the depoliticization of Muslims, and also transmutes structures of literalist Islam that seek to undermine
the formation of new religious expressions and practices shaped by contemporary contexts. In an age of
global strife and mistrust, these works will be shown as opening avenues of rapprochement and dialogue
through an undermining of the religion versus modernity divide and also through the contesting of the
hegemony of secular frames over the definition of modernity and the authority of Islamism on defining a
normative model of Islam.
McNeill 1030 3:15 - 4:50pm
Joy Learman
Gender-based Violence and HIV Infection: Experiences of HIV Positive African Immigrant Women Living in
the United States
Gender-based violence is a major international public health concern. Research has shown that women who
experience this form of violence often suffer negative physical and mental health outcomes, including HIV
infection and other sexually transmitted infections. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship
between gender-based violence and HIV infection among African immigrant women living in the United
States. For this study, gender-based violence includes emotional, physical and sexual violence. The study also
assesses the socioeconomic factors, such as poverty and the migration process, that affect HIV infection
rates. A special focus will be devoted to the impact of context, in terms of place and environment, on the
lived experiences of HIV positive African immigrant women.
This project was conducted using in-depth qualitative interviews with a small sample of adult Englishspeaking HIV positive African immigrant women, who were receiving services from an AIDS service
organization based in a large urban area in Texas. Narrative analysis was used to gather information about
the women’s life experiences while focusing on their social context, linking ideas and analyzing the themes
that emerged from the data.
Examining larger structural issues (such as poverty and the status of women) affecting women’s vulnerability
for contracting HIV is a growing topic in the scholarly literature. Findings from this provide insight into the
contextual factors and personal experiences of HIV positive women and highlight potential means of
reducing the spread of HIV. Thus, the ultimate contribution of the study is to inform new ways of supporting
immigrant women so they have the power to lead safe and fulfilling lives free from violence and disease.
McNeill 1027 3:15 - 4:50pm
Aroosa Kanwai
Self-Orientalization or Revival of Faith: The Politics of Sacred and Religious in Aslam’s fiction.
Islam has become one of the major defining components of identities among South Asian Muslim writers as a
result of changed societal perceptions about Muslims in the West. Not only in the aftermath of 9/11, but also
as a result of growing religious and ethnic intolerance in Pakistan and the West. This is particularly pertinent
to Pakistani Muslims at home and in the diaspora given Pakistan’s image in the world due to increasing
horrible acts of terrorism in the North West regions of Pakistan and most recently the attacks on educational
institutions such as Bacha Khan University and Army Public School Peshawar. Such incidents have affected
Pakistani Muslims individually as well as globally – by way of ensuing public discussions about Islamic
fundamentalism, terrorism, jihad, and what Islam stands for.
Against this backdrop, the affiliation of Pakistani diasporic writers to a migrant ontology based on faith
provides them with a universal condition in which they may claim to belong to broader Muslim global tribe.
Born and brought up in Pakistan in a Muslim family, Aslam has described himself as a non-believer. However,
after 9/11 Aslam redefined his identity as a non-practicing Muslim. This attitude calls for the redefining of the
terms: Islamist and Muslim; good Muslims and bad Muslims: “Should the term Muslim refer to a selfdeclared believer or to anybody with a familial background linked with a Muslim society? Are there atheist
Muslims?” (Roy, 2004:102) These questions are pertinent in categorising writers such as Nadeem Aslam who
is a self-declared non-believer and yet Muslim by origin, ethnicity or choice. Given the Muslim (majority)
national context to which Aslam is affiliated, and the fact that Islam and the Muslim identities are major
themes in his oeuvres, the role of Aslam as a representative of Pakistan is often assumed whether or not he
claims to bear the burden of representation. Considering the controversial history of construction and
representation of Islam by the West, the current debates on stereotyping of Muslims have become more
complex in the post-9/11 context due to two main but related reasons: self-Orientalizing tendencies in the
works of writers of South-Asian origin and the US propaganda of war against terrorism.
In this paper, I analyze Aslam’s novels that are replete with references to Islamic laws, which provoke
debates among Western scholars with regards to the propaganda that Islam is a religion of violence. I argue
that Aslam’s eclectic approach towards Islamic laws not only complicates and question his own opposition to
Islamic absolutism, which he foregrounds in his novels, but also lends an Orientalist tenor to the
representation of Islam and Islamic culture in his novels.
McNeill 1030 3:15 - 4:50pm
Noor Fatima
Gender Inequality in public administration: a Pakistani Scenario
The current wave of globalization has greatly impacted the lives of women worldwide, particularly in the
developing world, including Pakistan. Despite that half of the potential population are women, women
remain disadvantaged in many areas of life, including employment, public management leadership, and civil
rights.
The goal of investing in gender equality and economic empowerment for women is still a challenge in
Pakistan. Pakistan can be considered in the transformation of economic, social and political life of
womenfolk. It is also a signatory of international convention concerting for elimination of discrimination. The
policies at state level reflect the gender perspective and incorporation of national programs. However, the
link between access to power structure and decision-making and to achieve a gender balance between
women and men is significantly weak in Pakistan.
The Civil Service and Public service of Pakistan is inherited from the Indian Civil Service. The ICS was operated
entirely by men. No women entered the service until 1935. The Civil Service of Pakistan continued its
progress, bearing the legacy of the ICS. Till recent times, the women were not considered appropriate for
maintenance of law and order, and collection of revenues, which were mainly viewed as men’s occupations.
A popular maxim in Pakistan is that the concentration of women workforce is higher in education and health
sectors compared to other sectors such as Civil Services, engineering, telecommunication etc. Though
Pakistan has made remarkable progress in enhancing the political participation women, still it has lower
public sector participation in the region, This paper would therefore describe the state of Pakistani women
participation in public service, the factors for women less participation in public sector and politics and why
the progress remains slow even in comparison with the South Asian Region.
McNeill 1027 3:15 - 4:50pm
Diana Obeid
Violence, Trauma and Memory in Modern Iraqi Literature: The Corpse Washer and Frankenstein in
Baghdad
Twenty first century Iraq represents a time and a place characterized by the unrelenting vicissitudes of
history and the repeated trauma of violence. Kirby Farrel remarks that trauma is not merely a clinical notion
but also a cultural trope. He writes, “As a trope trauma helps account for a world in which power and
authority may seem overwhelmingly unjust. The trope may be a cry of protest as well as distress and a tool
grasped in hopes of some redress” (x). In the absence of logical answers or clear political solutions, Iraqi
literature focuses more on addressing violence and its traumatic outcomes. Literature has presented those
writers with a venue to reclaim the humanity of all those who have been traumatized by the violence
represented by war.
In addition, works of literature and in particular, the novel, become time capsules where the historical
memory is stored for future generations to share and commemorate. In that sense literature becomes “the
only framework to protect human experience from falling into oblivion” (I’jaam, introduction). In the Arab
world, it is fiction that reaches the largest audience and plays a profound role in shaping the “public
imagination and (mis)conceptions of history, much more than a historical book or official political
propaganda would. This paper arises from the premise that literature plays an important role in shaping
popular conceptions and imaginations. It is a narrative that comes to live and articulates human experience
in ways that is invaluable to our understanding. This paper begins by looking at trauma theory and its
relevance to the discussion of modern Arabic literature and in particular Iraqi literature. Then, it moves to
discuss trauma and its effects in the writings of Sinan Antoon’s The Corpse Washer and Ahmed Saadawi’s
Frankenstein in Baghdad.
McNeill 1028 3:15 - 4:50pm
David Graber
High Culture and National Identity
This paper is an investigation of the prestige of “high culture” as it relates to national identity. It notes the
tendency of modern critics to strip “high culture” of its position of prestige, and posits that such critics have
undermined the hierarchy of cultural products and “cultured nations” out of a sense that the rankings are
subjective and reflect class bias. The paper suggests setting aside the issue of whether ranking is legitimate
and instead shifting focus to the implications of the perceived hierarchy. It proposes the following approach:
to gather historical and contemporary evidence from three nations (Germany, Russia, and the US) in order to
set up a comparison between the relevant group in each country: in Germany, the Bildungsbürgertum which
views “high culture” as an native and integral part of its Germanness; in the US, a Europeanized upper middle
class which is increasingly unable to foster broad support in society for “high culture”; and in Russia, a
coalition of the educated classes and the political elite, which claim prestige within the “high culture”
hierarchy while struggling to articulate independence from the broader European tradition. To explain the
differences in the three groups, the paper proposes a two-part hypothesis to the effect that a national
disposition towards the embrace or rejection of “high culture” might be explained by 1) that nation’s position
within the perceived hierarchy of national cultural traditions vis-à-vis its position in the political and
economic hierarchy of nations, and also 2) the historical trend of non-aristocratic classes emulating
aristocrats as they gain political and social power, and leisure time.
This paper sketches out some possible ways of collecting relevant evidence. It suggests data such as how
national resources are allocated to maintaining the institutions of high culture, or how the ‘celebrities’ of
high culture – Shakespeare, Goethe, Pushkin – are venerated and shown homage by practices such as naming
streets and other public places after them, erecting monuments of them, and identifying places where they
lived or including their works in museums. Additionally, the paper makes the case that evidence might come
from looking at how the value of high culture is to be conveyed to children via textbooks, or by seeking out
accounts of who is idolized by the populace and to what extent the youth are emulating a certain type of
cultural production.
McNeill 1028 3:15 - 4:50pm
Saiyma Aslam
Gender and Mobility in the Globalized World: A Postcolonial Perspective
The relegation of women to the guarded and sealed domain of domesticity has been a strong argument
against Arab Muslim women’s mobility. This has continued to impact public participation of Arab Muslim
women, especially those from conservative or lower socio-economic classes despite the fact that the totally
transformed circumstances under globalization have seriously jeopardized ideologies related to Arab Muslim
women’s proper space as well as the role of men as providers and maintainers of their dependent female
members. The national states also face tremendous difficulties in the wake of neo-imperialist globalizing
tendencies to generate plans catering to the indigenous needs and resources. Thereby the states also fail to
ensure women’s social and physical mobility as it means change in the policies which have already failed to
adequately address needs of the male populace.
The paper argues that Arab Muslim women‘s mobility, therefore, has to be seen in a broader context where
they suffer not only from patriarchal domination at home but like their men imperialist domination from
abroad. Arab Muslim women in this situation experience ‘multiple jeopardy’: as individuals, they face
discriminatory practices during distribution of resources and opportunities; as dependent members of Arab
families, they bear male frustrations due to their declining hold over the resources of life; as companions in
the life struggle, they are increasingly being thrust into exploitable work situations; and as citizens of
postcolonial states, they experience neo-colonial and neo-imperialist pressures like the male citizens. Under
all these pressures, their mobility is threatened and compromised.
Drawing upon works of feminists such as Fatima Mernissi and Nawal El Saadawi, I intend to trace out the
international pressures, national adjustments to these pressures as well as the resulting conflicts in the
national and domestic life which impact the prospects of Arab Muslim women’s mobility.
Friday May 13th
McNeill 1027 10 - 11:35am
Muhammad Sijid Mirza
Web-Based Services in Deeni Madaris of Sub-Continent
Modernity and technology are connected to each other in today’s knowledge society. Internet technology
has changed our lives in every aspect. This technology is being used to disseminate information in real time,
irrespective of time and space. In subcontinent, government and non-government organizations are using
internet technology to disseminate their messages and to fulfill information needs of information seekers.
There are more than 20,000 Deeni Madaris (Religious Education Institutions) just in Pakistan. It is perceived
that Deeni Madaris are conservative in the adoption of information technology. This paper will identify the
number of Deeni Madaris with their websites in subcontinent. Using content analysis technique, websites will
be analyzed to know the type of website (static or dynamic), language of the website, services, feedback
options, social media links and common features. The results of this study will be helpful for stakeholders to
understand how web technology (websites) are being used among Deeni Madaris of India and Pakistan.
McNeill 1028 10 - 11:35am
Allessandra Von Burg
Citizenship Deserts: Abandoning Refugees and Redefining Mobility
A desert is a place where life struggles to exist, marked by a lack of water, nourishment, with arid soil and dry
conditions. The desert is a useful metaphor to describe geological and physical spaces where the rights and
protections usually associated with national citizenship are lacking. A citizenship desert is a non-place for
noncitizens, who may find themselves not belonging, not having the legal, social, and economic protection of
a nation.
In a citizenship desert, the narratives around noncitizens position them as either vulnerable, dependent on
others, or as hyper-strong, able to overcome all adversities. This dichotomy positions noncitizens as “others”
and results in their abandonment by citizens, governing bodies of the host nations, and inter- or supranational organizations.
This paper focuses on the recent abandonment of noncitizens in Europe and the Middle-East, specifically
focusing on the refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, and the surrounding regions, to explore the concept
of citizenship deserts. In what experts have described as the worst crisis since WWII, the mass migration of
people who are arriving in Europe by sea and land forces scholars to reconsider old models of citizenship and
mobility. Citizenship deserts have unique characteristics that position noncitizens in a state-of-now, stuck in a
present that does not afford them a past or a future. The now-ness of citizenship deserts keeps noncitizens in
a state of maintenance, without the protection and security of a nation that gives them long-term rights.
Building on the work of Arendt, Agamben, Deleuze, and Braidotti, this paper focuses on the case studies of
refugees in Europe, both to argue that citizenship deserts are unsustainable and to reflect on the new model
of citizenship that emerges from the examples of current refugees as noncitizens. Their abandonment carries
important lessons for the future of citizenship and mobility studies.
McNeill 1030 10 - 11:35am
Kurt Ozmet
Global Cities: Connotations and Forms of Participation in Ankara
In the 1980s and 1990s in Detroit, it was not unusual for people I knew to compare Detroit to Chicago or New
York. The unstated question was basically, where does Detroit stand in relation to other centers of cultural
production? Such comparisons generally resulted in a hierarchy of cities within a frame of reference that was
either regional or national.
In the 2000s, I lived in a number of so-called "global cities": Los Angeles, Basel, Paris, and Berlin. I then found
a job teaching humanities at a university in Turkey. One often hears today in Ankara that many things are
moving from Ankara to Istanbul. I am interested, however, in drawing attention to Ankara by asking, in what
ways can Ankara be considered a global city?
The singular form of the term "global city" implies connectedness, or even, interconnectedness. The plural
"global cities" implies a network in addition to many other things, such as homogeneity and equivalence. At
the same time, it evokes differences in income, mobility, education, and freedom of expression. Janet L. AbuLughod has underlined the necessity of paying attention to differences in historical development.
Ankara is known as a city of civil servants. It is also known as a city of students. Like Istanbul, it has grown
dramatically since 1950 as a result of internal migration. The population of Ankara is diverse but not
particularly international, even though it is a capital city. One of the ways in which one finds the global in the
urban, to paraphrase Saskia Sassen, is by attending film festivals that present both national and global
cinema. I will also pay attention to other forms in which the global appears, or does not, in Ankara.
McNeill 1027 10:00 - 11:35am
Ali Askerov
Understanding The Middle-Eastern Predicament: Independent Nonfiction vs. Dominant Media Systems
Many documentary films and public actors have spoken truthfully about power's roles in making audiences
aware of what they need to know in order to act. The dialectic of life in a public sphere often entails a
struggle of different power foci, which also includes independent nonfiction and dominant media systems.
Each of them with its own agenda, goals, and principles adopts a way of speaking about their positions,
policies, attitudes, and goals, among other things. Generally, documentary films make significant
contributions to the creation of public discourses of war, peace, and justice, which is important for positive
change. The dominant media systems are powerful because the state or corporations support them in many
respects, including financially.
Commonly, political powers use media, including documentary films, as a tool to reach their own objectives.
The power of media goes beyond the influence it exercises over audiences, involving the broader framework
of the social, cultural, political, as well as economic power structures of society. In order to understand the
role of the media and the messages it offers, attention needs to be paid to the structures and strategies of
discourses and to the ways these relate to institutional arrangements and the audience. The content, form,
and broadcasting method of the information may reasonably influence the interpretation of news and
therefore the persuasive effects of them among the audiences. The state or corporate controlled media may
also manipulate readers or viewers under tense political, economic, or social conditions. Thus, bidding to
understand the crisis of the Middle East in the late modern times through independent nonfiction films
would be fundamentally different from trying to perceive it by means of data offered by dominant media
systems.
McNeill 1028 10:00 - 11:35am
Jean Davison
Narrative on the Trauma of Immigration
Healthcare providers need to understand the cultural, social, economic, political and environmental factors
that shape immigrants’ health to best serve their needs and provide quality, culturally competent care.
Michultka (2009) refers to the “triple trauma” that immigrants often experience: the trauma from country of
origin, the trauma from the journey of immigration, and the trauma that occurs in a hostile new country.
Allowing immigrants to tell their narrative is often therapeutic to their healing process and gives context to
understanding their trauma.
This presentation will be documentaries on the narratives of immigrants and refugees from two distinctly
different cultures that have polarized the political debates on immigration:
1. Syrian Refugee Camps of Lesbos focuses on the Syrian refugees' humanitarian crisis. Lesbos, Greece is
a main crossing point for refugees into the European Union. According to the Syrian Center for Policy
Research report titled Confronting Fragmentation! 2015, an estimated 470,000 Syrians have died,
11.5% causalities, 45% of the Syrian population has been displaced, and three million refugees have
fled Syria seeking safety.
2. Pure Lung: Life in Honduras was filmed after the summer of the dramatic increase in children crossing
the U.S. border from Mexico and Central America without their parents. According to U.S. Customs
and Border Patrol, 68,541 immigrants crossing the border in 2014 were unaccompanied alien children
(UAC)--a 77% increase from 2013. More than 75% of these UAC were from Central America, seeking
asylum from violence and poverty in their countries of origin. UAC from Central America have an
uncertain U.S. legal status. In protracted legal limbo, these immigrant children present a social
concern with global ramifications. These migrant children often experience signs and symptoms of
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after enduring the “triple trauma” paradigm.
McNeill 1030 10:00 - 11:35am
Muhammad Shabbir
Dividends and Discontents of Globalization: An Appraisal
The phenomena of globalization illustrates the compression of time and space owing to technological
advance, and manifests itself in the contemporary scenarios related to: cultural, economical, political and
informational domains. Though relative in delivery and understanding, the globalization carries with it both
certain dividends and discontents for the people and nations entangled in it. The main strengths of
globalization relate to fast pace, technological advancements, global connectivity and information revolution.
However, in the very strengths of the globalization lies its biggest weakness. Considering the pervasive power
of globalization and its flexibility with all its attached forces, its strengths can be equally exploited for benefits
or to cause harm by the state and non-state actors. The globalization is considered a constructed phenomena
that serves as an instrument for exploitation of poor countries; its tools may be misused by the terrorists to
cause harm, and sometimes it is thought to be one of the causes of environmental and health problems.
Moreover, most of the literature produced on the topic of globalization offers the perspective of the West,
which is generally the beneficiary of the phenomena. In this context, the paper analyzes the scope of
globalization along with its advantages and disadvantages. It also evaluates the strengths and drivers of
globalization together with their uses and possible abuses. The paper aims to tell the side of the developing
world’s story, which is usually on the other side of the fence while the ‘whole world’ reaps the fruits of
globalization.
McNeill 1027 10:00 - 11:35am
Humera Naz
Higher Education in the Era of Globalization: An Analytical Study on its Socio-Economic impacts in the
South Asian Countries with special reference to Pakistan
The current study is focused on evaluating some aspects of globalization of higher education and its socioeconomic and cultural impacts on developing South Asian countries with special reference to Pakistan. The
paper highlights the trends characterizing the global landscape and their relationships with Higher Education
policies and institutions. It examines the relevance of existing accounts of globalization and higher education
for low income developing countries, particularly the higher education system in Pakistan. Using recent
developments in globalization theory, existing accounts are analyzed in relation to their view of origins,
nature and future trajectory of globalization, and the implications for higher education. It is argued that the
transformation list perspective has not gone nearly far enough in extrapolating the educational implications
of increasing stratification along the lines of race, culture, class and gender, and that this analysis will need to
be deepened in relation to the developing and highly striated countries such as Pakistan. Secondly, it is
argued that exponents of the transformationalist perspective fail to acknowledge the continuing impact and
relevance of prior forms of globalization, especially those associated with European colonialism. Drawing on
recent works, the article sets out a conceptual framework for understanding various aspects of the higher
education/globalization relationship particularly highlighting its socio-economic and cultural impacts on
Pakistani society, which are very strong and effective. The paper concludes that the study of social changes is
extensive and often supports the impact of changes in families. The stringent call for globalization is
resonating through every capital of the world.
McNeill 1028 10:00 - 11:35am
Ali Askerov
Trading Uncertainty: The Refugee Dilemma
In lieu of long expected liberties in the Middle East, war, violence, and terror came to the region with the
waves of the Arab Spring. Syria has appeared to be the worst country in the crisis zone in terms of violence
against civilians. The revolution has acquired a character of civil war, forcing millions to flee their homes.
Although the immediate effects have been felt in the neighboring countries, the crisis has brought about risks
and challenges worldwide. More than four million refugees fled the country during the course of the Syrian
Civil War. Most of them fled to neighboring Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq, while thousands also ended
up in more distant countries of the Caucasus, the Persian Gulf, North Africa, and Europe.
The refugee crisis of the Middle East has triggered economic and security problems both in the region and
the West. Undoubtedly, dealing with the refugee problems is costly. For example, as of December 2015,
Turkey was the world’s main refugee hosting country with close to 2.5 million Syrian refugees. The Turkish
government has spent more than eight billion Euros since 2011 on direct assistance to them. But, the security
problems associated with refugee problems are interpreted as even more important. Many governments and
political circles in the West have opposed refugee settlements in their countries for security reasons. Some
terrorist acts, such as the Paris event of November 2015, have been examples for justification of their
refugee policies.
However, the result is clear and unequivocal: civilians suffer severely. They flee their homes in hopes of
finding safe havens, but while trying to pass the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas, they drown; in some
countries, they are kicked out; and in others, they are blocked with police shields. New crises emerge out of
old ones.
McNeill 1027 10 - 11:35am
Melissa Awenowicz
Developing Teacher Candidates who are Active, Confident, and Competent Producers and Consumers of
Theory and Practice
The “liberal arts” is a classification that has been both the distinction and plague of many institutions,
programs, and curricula. For many outside the walls of academia and, if truth be told, inside a fair number of
large research institutions, the liberal arts have always been characterized by the confused student who has
yet to decide on a path of study, the undisciplined student who won’t grow up, or perhaps the wealthy
student just biding time until the next interesting distraction comes along.
Those of us working inside the liberal arts academic institutions understand the liberal arts from a clearer
perspective; we see the power and the possibilities, the range and diversity. We see the unexpected
potential. Similar to the way James Gee uses D/discourse, a liberal arts education may allow us to consider
the differences between E/education. Drawing on the writings of Louis Menand and William Cronon, consider
these among the goals of a liberal arts education: 1) listen and hear, 2) read and understand, 3) talk with
anyone, 4) write clearly, persuasively, movingly, 5) solve problems, 6) respect rigor as a way of seeking truth,
7) exhibit humility, tolerance, and self-criticism, 8) know how to get things done in the world, 9) nurture and
empower those around him/her, 10) see connections, make sense of the world, and act creatively, 11)
understand local, national, global connections.
Though it can be argued that graduates from any post-secondary school can and do acquire similar skills,
graduates (particularly, teacher candidates) who receive their education at liberal arts institutions are
demonstrably better equipped, specifically in the classroom, to engage in, model, and teach these skills,
because they’ve been explicitly engaged in this work throughout their undergraduate experience from a
variety of perspectives, disciplines, and lenses.
This paper/presentation will examine specific aspects of the liberal arts curriculum in a teacher preparation
program to illustrate how the aforementioned skills are developed and then manifested in the candidates’
teaching practices. This research is ethnographic in nature. It strives to describe “what is” and to interpret
how and why decisions are made and events occur within the context of the classroom. Taken together,
qualitative, teaching and course artifacts, and case studies research, were used to clarify the ways teacher
candidates’ beliefs and practices were constructed, revised, and solidified during the liberal arts teacher
education program. This study triangulated these various data strands to compile a holistic view of the
relevance, influence, and significance of the different aspects of a teacher education program in a liberal arts
institution in influencing candidates’ emergent professional identity and practice.
McNeill 1030 10:00 - 11:35am
Caitlin Stuckley
Living in Southeast Asia: A Shift in Identity
I would like to present a creative nonfiction paper discussing my experience as a twenty-something woman
living in northeast Thailand from 2013-2015, exploring the psychological and sociological changes in
embracing a foreign culture, as well as the emotional difficulties upon returning to the U.S. Returning to a
native country after establishing a home abroad initiates a delicate balance of belonging while feeling
displaced—a transient flux of an emotional void and of subjective facets of place and self.
I was a language instructor for Rajabhat Mahasarakham University, but beyond my academic position and life
within Mahasarakham, I traveled the northeast and central regions of the country and visited Siem Reap,
Cambodia and northern Vietnam. The essay explores the point of intersection where one, immersed, is both
a part of Thai culture while still living outside of it. Within that shift is a greater understanding of American
culture from its absence and also its presentation in an alternative context. Further, the essay includes
illustrations of how identity expands and reshapes, retaining one’s core self while adopting a different mental
carriage as a foreign country becomes familiar and, eventually, home.
These concepts are understood on a surface level, sometimes deeper, by those awaiting one’s return in the
U.S., but often, some perspective is lost when the two parties try to meet in the middle of their
understandings. The hope for the discussion within this essay is to explore the transformation in identity and
perspective and to help bridge gaps, wide or narrow, in understanding.
McNeill 1028 10:00 - 11:35am
Abida Younas & Mahwish Aslam
Creative Destruction: A Critical Study of the Selected Asian Fiction
Globalization, technological advancement and multinational corporations enhance diversity and greatly
increase the means through which one country actively takes part in another country’s social, economical
and political life. According to Cowen, culture industry, specifically media, global markets and trade, on one
hand enhance the intersection of different cultures and increase diversity and creativity inside the cultures,
whereas on the other hand, it leads to the death of cultural ethos in some countries. This problem is faced by
poorer countries while interacting with wealthier ones in the global market space. Global market thus
produces favorable and unfavorable results as it promotes innovation and creativity along with its destructive
capacities. This is because the world culture has beaten up on the local cultures of poor countries. So the
cultural exchange is never on equal terms. Third world’s cultural industry imports Western lifestyle into its
representations. Materialization and technology have replaced indigenous talent. With reference to Desai’s
The Inheritance of Loss (2006) and Aslam’s Maps for Lost Lover (2004), researchers will show how markets
have damaged the indigenous artistic milieu through cross cultural contact. Drawing on the notion of
Cowen’s Creative Destruction, Gray’s global free trade and Tunstall’s culture imperialism, this study will
investigate how technological advancement, culture industry and global market creatively contribute in the
destruction of third world cultures. The aim of this study is to see how arts, specifically the literature of poor
countries, have been commodified and shaped into new synthetic forms for the purpose of courting outside
market.
McNeill 1030 10:00 - 11:35am
Manzoor Khan Afridi
The Politics of Interdependence: A Case of China-Pakistan Economic Cooridor
The China-Pakistan strategic partnership is evolving into the politics of interdependence by encompassing not
only the defense dimension but also the trade, investment, energy and infrastructure development. The
proposed China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is a mega project that will connect the north-western Sinkiang
autonomous region’s Kashgar city with Pakistan’s deep sea-water port of Gwadar. It is equally important for
China and Pakistan on the one hand and for the regional states of South Asia, the Middle East, landlocked
Central Asia and East Asia on the other. It will provide China the shortest route of about 2500 kilometers to
link with the Middle East by Pakistan’s much needed road and railway network. A huge amount of forty-six
billion US dollars is allocated for the project to uplift Pakistan’s development by meeting the energy needs,
building industrial parks and economic zones. This paper will use the paradigm of interdependence to analyze
the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Interdependence is a broad term that refers to such situations of
reciprocal effects among the states or actors in different states. It is not only applicable to political-military
interdependence but also to political-economic interdependence. Here it has been observed that with the
rise of China and its rapidly growing economy, a relatively peaceful environment and neighborhood is
imperative. With the completion of CPEC, this interdependence seems to be transformed into Complex
Interdependence by creating a more peaceful environment and war; costly. Interdependence enhances the
capability to define security agendas, reduce the power of large states, and enhance the power of small
states and non-state actors. This CPEC may bring economic prosperity in the region to curb militancy in
Pakistan and disturbance in China’s Sinkiang region.
McNeill 1030 10:00 - 11:35am
David Spleser-Landes
Translating French Topics into Moroccan Ones: Abd al Malik at the Festival des Musiques Sacrees du
Monde, in Fes, Morocco
Abd al Malik is a contemporary French rapper/writer/filmmaker whose musical, literary and filmic
productions consistently strive to make today’s French Republic a more cohesive polity. While his views have
thus been criticized as too conventional and politically correct, he does not eschew the theme of extremely
rough living conditions in the French postcolonial “banlieue” (underprivileged neighborhoods) and how these
living conditions may lead to radical Islam. His art, therefore, is very much concerned with French reality: it
powerfully examines French cultural politics, powerfully describes the French urban setting, and urges French
society to solve its problems through what he terms “a new French Revolution,” (emphasis added), i.e. a
Revolution-of-how-people-look-at-each-other. His rap song “Soldat de Plomb,” which compares French youth
“of immigrant origins” to “children soldiers,” is thus, for example, completely French-focused. Yet when Abd
al Malik performed the song at the 2014 Festival of World Sacred Music in Fès, Morocco, he interestingly
broadened its scope so as to effectively address his Moroccan/international audience. The goal of this paper
is to unravel the mechanisms behind this transcultural translation (e.g. Abd al Malik’s adherence to Sufism
and a form of pan-Africanism), but also to scrutinize why things have gone much smoother when Abd al
Malik has translated French contexts into Islamic contexts rather than the other way around (translating
Islamic contexts into French contexts).
McNeill 1028 10:00 - 11:35am
Rebecca Phillips
Ethnographic Study of Tantra in the Atlanta Metro Area
Tantra is perhaps one of the most misunderstood Asian religious practices in America today. A Google search
of “Tantra” leads me to articles entitled “What is Tantra Sex?,” “Tantric Sex for Beginners: 4 Easy Tips!,” and
“8 Tantric Sex Positions.” In reality, Tantra is an esoteric religious system encountered in Hinduism,
Buddhism, and Jainism. Sexual union is but one of several tantric rites, and it is only to be practiced by elite,
initiated members of a tantric group. How has such a mistranslation occurred?
In the Atlanta metro area, an individual may practice Tantra at any of three "centers." One is the Atlanta
School of Tantra, an organization opened by a Caucasian male in 2007. The school offers classes in “Sacred
Sexuality,” nude hatha Yoga, and an online course entitled “Ecstatic Union Personal Empowerment.” With
this course, individuals may deepen their relationships for $297! In contrast, two Tibetan Buddhist
monasteries also utilize tantric, or Vajrayana Buddhist practices. These are the Dorje Ling Buddhist Center
and the Drepung Loseling Monastery. Both opened in the 1990s and seek to preserve Tibetan culture while
teaching and influencing North Americans. Both monasteries offer classes, usually for free, to any who wish
to participate.
In this paper, I will explore the distinctions and similarities between the three centers that offer tantric
teachings and practices. I will also discuss possible reasons for the differences, such as political turmoil in
Tibet and relevant structures in the United States, including consumerism, individualism, and Modernism.
McNeill 1027 1:05 - 2:40pm
Panel: Caitlin Stuckey, Jon Bonomo, Julia Gonzalez
Establishing Connections with Two Asian Academic Populations: Myths and Experiences
Objectives
In this panel discussion, we plan to share our experiences in working abroad and establishing relationships
with academic communities in Nanjing, China and Mahasarakham, Thailand. The panel will be open to
questions and comments throughout the proceedings to allow for a fluid discourse, in addition to an open
question and answer session following the panel.
Content
In this discussion, we are prepared to explore the following topics and to provide practical resources through
a structured dialogue between the panel members and the audience:
Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs): establishing an MOU with a foreign university; goals,
expectations, and outcomes; MOUs in practice
Office practices and relationships: flexibility; teaching in small cities versus large cities; office hierarchy
and negotiation; understanding communication practices with superiors and coworkers; common
discussions and questions that would be unacceptable in the U.S.; time tables within the office; giftgiving with superiors and coworkers; expectations of foreign teachers and of all faculty; relating to
other foreign staff; gender roles and expectations; dress; receiving attention as a foreigner
Practice within the classroom: attitudes toward learning English in Thailand and China; tips for
preparation and expectations; planning and organization; establishing punctuality; relating to
students and strategies for approach; identifying language patterns in students’ pronunciation;
learning about students’ native language to better understand how they learn English; understanding
English practices prior to university-level work
Finally, workshop participants will be provided with a list of resources to help them prepare for
traveling and teaching Thai and Chinese students.
McNeill 1030 1:05 - 2:40pm
Zulfqar Hyder
Globalization or Neo-tribalism: The World as Shown in Elysium
Does Globalization make people global citizens or widen the economic divide? Elysium (2013) depicts this
paradox by creating a futuristic world that has progressed and yet retrogressed. This paper relates the movie
with our globalizing and scientifically advancing world. It addresses the question that the movie raises, that
is, whether human society is reverting to primitive tribalism. While engaging with the concept of tribus,
developed by Michel Maffesoli, that toward the end of capitalism, human society is retrogressing to primitive
ideas of tribalism, this paper, unlike Maffesoli, argues that the idea of neo-tribalism is not limited to
particular professional groups but affects the overall social structure. Economic and scientific progress allows
a select minority to have a totalitarian control over the majority. It reduces the world into two main tribes,
haves and have-nots. Within these main tribes there are layers of smaller tribes. The layers within the two
tribes suggest that instead of progressing and making this world a better place to live for everyone, humanity
has degenerated to primitive tribal systems where allegiance with one group can ensure an individual’s
survival. This paper concludes that the dividends promised by globalization do not trickle down to lower
social strata. Consequently, a disgruntled majority lives with the feeling of being excluded from all the
progress.
McNeill 1030 1:05 - 2:40pm
Muhammad Safeer Awan
Pakistan and the Question of Postcoloniality
This paper traces the disconnect between Pakistan’s chequered socio-political history and the creative
responses in English language writings. In contrast to that disconnect, it highlights how writers in Urdu and
regional languages have been more aware of issues pertaining to Pakistan’s socio-cultural crises and
ideological quagmire. With noted exceptions among the second generation English language writers, most of
them problematize Pakistan from Euro-American perspectives. For example, for most women writers,
western "feminist" libratory agendas are more important than the local/regional "feminine" concerns.
Similarly, among the male writers, again with some notable exceptions, the notion of a Pakistani nation is
problematic since they conceive it as an "imaginary community." Among the contemporary Pakistani-English
writers, there is a greater trend toward not only writing within Pakistani contexts but also regarding
problems, issues, etc. of all types within Pakistan, or relating to Pakistan. Thus, these writers are closer to
Pakistani writers in Urdu and regional languages.
McNeill 1027 1:05 - 2:40pm
Fauzia Janjua
Not Scholars Nor Saints: The Poetic Problematization of Socio-religious Myths
The context free approach to the Islamic theory by the curators of Islamic intellect has given birth to the
stereotypical mythology of Islam in the contemporary Muslim world, which suits the purposes of religious
and political giants governing the states. Cultural practices provide the context for almost all religious
activities performed in the society, which provides fodder for literary writings. A contemporary Urdu poet
Amjad Islam Amjad has very successfully fleshed out the way religious myths are distorting the actual
message of Islam in the society. He challenges the myth of ‘Saints and Scholars as custodians of Islamic
knowledge’ by explaining the contradictions involved in their teachings and actual interpretations of
Muamlaat in Islam. The paper puts forward a descriptive analysis of the selected poem which not only voices
a father’s wish to restore the true face of religion in the society but also presents the resurgence as a form of
resistance against the culturally and politically unchallenged.
McNeill 1027 1:05 - 2:40pm
Sadaf Farooq
Islam and the West: Perceptions and Misperceptions
Events such as the September 11, 2001 attacks, Madrid train bombings, the 7/7 London bombings, suicide
attacks in Israel, trouble in Kashmir and Talibanization in Afghanistan and Pakistan all point to a common
denominator: Muslims and their religion—Islam. It is strange how a religion that propagates peace has come
to be linked with terrorism. The general perception that prevails today is that Islam is inherently violent; it
not only sanctions violence and terrorism but also promises the reward of paradise for it. Hence, Islam is
equated conveniently with terrorism without any distinction to the acts of terror committed by a minority
following that religion. Theories like "Clash of Civilizations" have further strengthened such a perception. The
Western media and analysts may have also added to the hype in the West against Muslims and Islam as an
uncivilized, intolerant religion where rights of women and minorities are not secure. Although some scholars
in the West say that it is not fair to link Islam with terrorism, they also observe that “All Muslims are not
terrorists but all terrorists are Muslims.” Hence the need to identify root causes of terrorism among Muslims.
The situation is made more complicated by wrongly interpreting meanings of Jihad. What are the true
teachings of Islam? How far have we deviated from them? What are the reasons for this deviation? And
what can be done by Muslim countries, collectively, to present the true picture of Islam and to remove the
prevalent misperceptions attached to Islam with regards to terrorism? Muslims need to be very cautious
today and distance themselves from all kinds of terrorism. It also requires firm commitment on the part of
the West to tackle the menace of terrorism sensibly and avoid confusing it with Islam and Muslims.
McNeill 1030 1:05 - 2:40pm
Umbreen Javaid
Challenges to Pakistan's Fight Against Militant Extremism
Pakistan was carved out of India in 1947 on very apparent religious foundations, but the founding fathers of
the newly born state were clear in their vision about future of Pakistan, as they never intended it to be a
theocratic state. Despite clear indications and declarations at various occasions by the founding fathers of the
country--who denounced religious extremism and discrimination on the basis of caste or creed and stressing
nation building on the basis of secular “nation state” notion--the country has remained entangled in a fierce
controversy regarding the role of religion in affairs of the state and politics. The constitutional and law
making history of the country is replete with hurdles emanating from this fierce, sensitive controversy.
Pakistan’s current security threat is in the guise of religious extremism and is another manifestation of the
misconceived role of religion aggravated by rampant poverty and illiteracy. Religious fundamentalism has led
the country into the vicious circle of religious violent extremism, which, if left unchecked, is a threat to the
very survival of the state itself. The state has gone through a very bitter encounter with the religious
fundamentalism in the wake of the global rise in violent extremism in various Muslim societies. Pakistan’s
experience with war against religious militants, spread around a period of more than six decades, needs to be
analyzed in order to have an insight into the dynamics of the phenomena and effective counter-religious
extremism.
McNeill 1027 1:05 - 2:40pm
Han Lheem
Islam in China: Politics of Religious Minorities
Although the two major Muslims in China, the Huis and the Uyghurs, share the same religious principles and
worldview, their respective positions within Chinese society remain radically different. Applying Gans’s
definition of acculturation and assimilation, this paper will explain main characteristics of these two ethnic
and religious communities in relation to the Han people and the Chinese government. The Hui and the
Uyghur are among 56 officially designated nationality groups in China, and Islam is the sole unifying criterion
of their identity.
The majority of the Hui people, mostly residing in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, speak Mandarin as
the first tongue and have much the same lifestyle as the Han Chinese. The majority of the Uyghur people,
largely in the Xinjian Uyghur Autonomous Region, use a Turkic language written with an Arabic script and
have a strong attachment to their religious and cultural practices, which are distinct in appearance from
those of the Han Chinese. Consequently, the Huis have assimilated into Han society, having adapted their
Islamic practices to fit into the Confucian-dominated Chinese majority culture, whereas the Uyghurs have
little desire to assimilate into Han society.
McNeill 1030 1:05 - 2:40pm
Scott Segrest
ISIS's will to Apocalypse
To respond successfully to the ISIS phenomenon, world leaders need to understand the ideology and
personal motivations of participants in the movement. Some scholarly work has been done on ISIS’s
ideological framework and on the immediate context from which the group emerged, but no one has
adequately treated participants’ deeper motivations or the larger intellectual context without which the
group’s ideology and appeal is not fully comprehensible. In particular, on the depth dimension, the existential
elements of escapist fantasy and will to dominate reality, thoroughly explored by scholars in the case of
Western radical movements, has not been similarly explored in relation to radical jihadist groups like ISIS. In
terms of intellectual context, the apocalypticism of ISIS would be greatly clarified by systematic comparative
analysis with Islamic and Western apocalyptic movements, and such an analysis has not yet been made.
The proposed paper considers these matters in light of the seminal work of twentieth century thinker Eric
Voegelin, similarly oriented studies by contemporary scholars like Barry Cooper and Faisal Devji, and studies
of Western and Islamic apocalypticism from ancient origins to modern times. Voegelin developed critical
analytical tools for understanding radical Western ideological movements; Cooper applied some of those
tools in his 2001 study of modern terrorism (including global jihadist terrorism); and Devji has done groundbreaking work in existential analysis of jihadist terrorists. The significance of apocalyptic literature for
modern political movements is not widely known or understood outside specialist circles, but it is important
and deserves more attention. Drawing on these various sources, I will present a coherent picture of this
larger intellectual context, how ISIS’s ideology has been shaped by it, and why members of ISIS have
responded to the ideology as they have.
McNeill 1027 1:05 - 2:40pm
Ayaz Afsar
Seeds of Conflict: How have Biblical Realism and Qur’anic Idealism Shaped Western and Muslim World
Views?
A preliminary analysis of parallel narrative material found in the Bible and the Qur’an shows that Qur’anic
characters tend to be heroic and idealistic whereas their biblical counterparts are realistic. Keeping this as a
departure point, this paper presents a literary critical study of characters and characterization in the Bible
and the Qur’an, exploring how the different values enshrined in the portrayals of these characters have been
foundational in Western and Muslim traditions. The paper, further, traces the continuation of these values in
modern texts, and closes with some speculation on whether these two diverging traditions can ever be
reconciled. The fundamental purpose of the study is to examine how Biblical and Qur’anic characterization
construct differing values for their respective communities, and the contemporary geo-political crisis this
phenomenon has engendered.
McNeill 1030 1:05 - 2:40pm
Florentine Andreescu
The Militarized Gaze and Body
This article investigates how the contemporary war dispositif in cinematic representations captures and
integrates bodies, gestures, space, and desire. The article focuses on two analytic concepts, suture and
interpassivity, and shows how soldiers, in cinematic space, confront trauma that results from an
incompatibility between the accelerated speed of military dispositif and the slower rhythms of everyday life.
The article conceptualizes suture as the process through which the subject enters the militarized space and
accepts it as part of reality. The subject/soldier assumes the weapon’s point of view as her/his own. For this
process to occur the weapon’s perceptual effect must be conjured away so the soldier can operate under the
illusion that what is seen has an autonomous existence (Sarup 1992, 154). Furthermore, interpassivity refers
to people’s desire to enjoy, not in the sense of actively having fun, but in the sense of enjoying the protection
they get from, the machine to which they have attached themselves (Van Oenen 2010). The article argues
that the military dispositif reshapes the social imagery of the body, further altering one’s experience of what
it feels like to be an embodied being. The body as it is experienced in everyday life disappears and finds itself
reduced to a machine-like entity, acquiring a different rhythm and being rewired in terms of capabilities of
enjoyment. It analyzes the clash between life-speeds through three cinematic texts—The Hurt Locker (2008),
American Sniper (2014), and Good Kill (2014), and clarifies how such disruptions motivate attempts to
manage and renegotiate realities fractured by traumatic war experiences. More generally, the article
analyzes the ways in which war disfigures the phenomenology of bodies and the live world.
McNeill 1030 1:05 - 2:40pm
Matthew Broaddur
Stateless Spaces: The Power of Procedure in Nigerians in Space
The ethics of “global citizenship” remain difficult to establish with any agreement given the fluidity and
instability of transnational identity. While scholars like Kwame Anthony Appiah advocate for a kind of
“rooted cosmopolitanism” in which individuals hold allegiance to multiple nations and represent the
triumphant interconnectedness of our contemporary condition, others such as Bruce Robbins suggest that
the celebratory nature of cosmopolitan thought tends to overlook the bleaker aspects of such blending and
blurring of lifestyles and worldviews. In Deji Bryce Olukotun’s 2014 novel, Nigerians in Space, the author
presents the interpersonal dilemmas and challenges of transnational individuals who are displaced, stranded,
and often seeking refuge from the institutionalized power wielded by multiple states. This paper focuses on
the character of Wale, a Nigerian-born scientist and naturalized American citizen who works as a lunar
geologist for NASA. When a mysterious agent for the Nigerian government makes contact with Wale and asks
him to return home to help turn “brain drain into brain gain,” Wale soon finds himself in a position of
extreme rootlessness as he makes a harried journey from the U.S. to Sweden and South Africa in an attempt
to reach Nigeria. In particular, this paper considers how the institutionalization of power occurs through a
culture of procedure. Procedure and an individual’s ability to conform to such behavior (such as having the
proper visa documentation) contribute to an individual’s insider or outsider status within the state.
Additionally, procedure has professional and economic implications in this novel, particularly given Wale’s
specialized expertise and job at NASA. Ultimately, this paper critiques the power disparities created by a
culture of procedure, and reads Olukotun’s novel as offering possible alternatives to these institutionalized
structures of knowledge production. Such alternatives may be models for working toward a more just
transnational world.
McNeill 1027 2:45 - 4:00pm
David Damrel
Visiting Magic Mountain: Contemporary Religious Travel Guides at a Sufi Shrine in East Java, Indonesia
A rural Indonesian Muslim shrine locally known as Gunung Kawi ("Magic Mountain") has developed a
reputation as a potent sacred space attracting two distinct clienteles. It draws first local Javanese Muslims
who regularly seek blessings at the graves of the two local Muslim awliya ("saints") buried there. But starting
early in the 20th century, a second group of patrons began to visit the mountain—large groups of nonMuslim Chinese heritage Indonesians who emphasized the shrine’s supernatural abilities to create material
prosperity. The site has grown in popularity, attracting in turn both more Indonesian Muslims and nonMuslims and, since the late 1980s, increasing numbers of non-Indonesian Chinese supplicants from Malaysia
and the People’s Republic of China.
Administering this 19th century tomb complex in Wonosari village is the responsibility of the “Managing
Foundation of Pesarean Gunung Kawi,” an association founded by the descendants of one of the entombed
awliya. To facilitate visitation to the site in the late 1970s, the foundation published two small pamphlets
that have become the de facto manuals/guidebooks for the pilgrims, visitors and tourists to the shrine. One
pamphlet (Pesarean Gunung Kawi, “The Cemetery at Magic Mountain”), is intended for Muslim visitors and
outlines in exact detail how to perform certain worship rituals unique to the site. A second guidebook serves
the non-Muslim Chinese heritage Indonesian visitors to Gunung Kawi. This divinatory book (Ciam Sie, “The
Good Readings”) is consistent with traditional Chinese religious practices and includes short poems and their
interpretations.
This presentation examines these materials as a modern hybrid of religious literature and tourist guidebook.
It will examine how the genre of modern tourist literature—a genre that has evolved into a modern
transnational literary form—now embraces and helps shape the new cosmopolitan religious reality of the
shared sacred space at Magic Mountain.
McNeill 1027 2:45 - 4:00pm
Mubasher Hussain
Pragmatic Eclecticism in Islamic Law: Shah Wali Allah and His Impact on Sunni Muslim Thought of the
Region
Ahmad bin ‘Abd al-Rahim, popularly known as Shah Wali Allah Dihlawi(1114-1176/1703-1762), one of the
greatest thinkers produced by Muslim South Asia, was a prolific writer of his age who contributed both in
Arabic and Persian to almost every branch of Islamic knowledge. He also inspired almost all religious circles
with his thought-provoking ideas. In the Subcontinent, "He is seen as an intellectual inspiration behind
almost all contemporary interpretations of Muslim thought.” Shah Wali Allah was deeply concerned about
sectarian differences among Muslims and consciously endeavored to harmonize the major disagreements.
Focusing on the legal reforms, he reached the conclusion that the gate of ijtihad has never been closed, and
all the disputed legal injunctions must be re-examined in the light of the primary sources of Islamic law: the
Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet. He desired to settle all legal disagreements so that harmony and
peace may be promoted among the Muslims not only of the Subcontinent but of the other Muslim regions
too, and, therefore, he made a great deal of effort in this regard. To achieve this goal, he not only created
legal rules that could help ‘Ulama' (religious scholars) but also employed them in his writings, especially in his
two commentaries on al-Muwatta (a classical hadith collection) to set a clear example for further work in this
respect.
Though Shah Wali Allah was a traditional intellectual who was a great influence on religious thought of South
Asia in several ways, his idea of pragmatic eclecticism could not attract much attention of the traditional
‘Ulama’ due to several reasons, which will be discussed in this paper. The writer has prepared a detailed
proposal for postdoctoral study on this highly neglected area, from within as well as from without, and
intends to revisit the various sources in order to trace trajectories of the discourses that led to the silencing
of this part of Shah Wali Allah´s writings. In this way, he wants to reconstruct his legal ideas and make them
available to a larger readership. The writer believes this conference will provide him an ample opportunity to
benefit from the discussions and insights of the participants.
McNeill 1027 2:45 - 4:00pm
Hussam Timani
Confessing the Islamic Tawhid and the Trinity in a Globalized World: Towards an Interfaith Theology of
Liberation
Following the universal human rights model, I argue that today there is a greater need to develop a universal
or interreligious liberation theology that speaks from multiple religious traditions and caters to a larger
number of poor and oppressed people around the world. In this paper, I attempt to construct a ChristianMuslim liberation theology by demonstrating how Christian and Muslim theologians may utilize the Qur’anic
concept of God’s oneness (tawhid) and the Christian doctrine of the Trinity to construct ethical, universal
criteria that face the challenges of globalization. This work is important because 1) it discusses liberation
theology form interreligious perspective; 2) it engages Christian and Muslim theologians in a dialogue with
one another on how their understanding of God is shaped by what they learn from the other; 3) it
demonstrates that what they learn from the other may inform what they draw upon in their respective
tradition relevant to what they each understand by liberation theology; and 4) it shows that learning from
the other may also sharpen points they make from their own tradition that contribute something distinctive
to other traditions so they are always both learning from and teaching each other. The Christian Trinity and
Islamic tawhid are intertwined by virtue of their common source—the Creator—and can relate globalization
to Christianity and Islam. This paper attempts to demonstrate how the Trinity and tawhid, which are both
expressions of God’s oneness, can also be interpreted to emphasize that God’s creation, like God Himself, is a
McNeill 1028 2:45 - 4:00pm
Panel: Pascale Barthe & Ellen Welch
Spectacles of Global Diplomacy in Paris, 1680-1715
Starting in the 1680s, Louis XIV hosted extraordinary embassies from kingdoms far beyond the limits of the
European diplomatic community. Ambassadors from Morocco, Algiers, Siam, and Persia, among other Asian
and African countries, arrived in Paris to work on trade treaties and formalize alliances with the French
crown. These visits also performed important cultural work in constructing France as a global power. In the
diplomatic arena, the embassies pushed French officials to develop ceremonial protocol and negotiating
practices that could “translate” beyond Europe and form the basis of a truly global diplomatic community. In
the cultural realm, the high-profile visits occasioned pompous public spectacles, media accounts, and visual
representations that exposed French subjects to foreign sights in their own backyards and fashioned Paris as
a global crossroads. Official mediations of diplomatic encounters indexed a growing public eagerness to witness the events and ceremonies of international affairs. Media accounts attempted to control the image received by this emerging audience. As several case studies reveal, however, live encounters between the public and ambassadors led to less predictable scenes of international relations. Paris was a dynamic “scene” for
global diplomacy in which foreign visitors vied with French officials—often successfully—for public prestige.
The Architecture of Empire: François Bernier’s Mosques, Mausoleums, and Monuments
Like their predecessors to the Levant, seventeenth-century French explorers in India wrote expansive travelogues. In their works, they reported painstakingly on the diverse peoples with whom they interacted during
their journeys, focusing on their social customs, religious practices, fashion, and ways of governance. While
they paid close attention to the human element, they also analyzed the physical landscapes they encountered. Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, for example, not only described routes, he also inspected and ranked caravanserais and set out to explain the cities in which he resided—their past and present, their physical layout
and defining characteristics.
This paper examines a much more static vision of early modern travels. I focus on François Bernier (1620–
1688), whose detailed depictions of Indian mosques, mausoleums, and monuments suggest a fixed, solid,
and eternal essence of the Mughal world. Anchoring empire, the Taj Mahal and the Lahore fort, for example,
are carefully depicted by the French libertin who is addressing a French audience captivated as much by Indian urban architecture as by the transformation of Versailles and the emergence of a new conception of a political epicenter in the French kingdom. This paper investigates the urban infrastructure of Mughal India in
Bernier’s Voyages and questions the translatability of empire in the early modern era. It shows that, when in
India, a free spirit could become the unexpected ally of an absolute king.
McNeill 1030 2:45 - 4:00pm
Panel: Colleen Reilly, Jeremy Tirrell, and Anirban Ray
Understanding International Academic Project Management (PM) as Possibilities of Difference between a
High and Low Cultural Context
In this panel, we discuss the organizational and cultural challenges of managing inter-institutional projects
between two academic institutions in the United States of America and Pakistan. Specifically, we look at two
globally salient project management (PM) metrics: (a) planning and measuring the performance of the project and (b) managing creativity.
Focusing on these two PM challenges, we examine differing perceptions and methods of PM that are influenced by institutional cultures, stakeholders’ expectations, and governing policies. Through a comparative
study, we examine strategies of risk governance adopted within a cross-functional team of academics from
two distinct cultural contexts. In this connection, we look at the differing professional codes of practices,
methods of knowledge production, and leadership structures adopted by these constituents.
Our analyses are informed by two sets of interviews in situ designed to elicit stakeholders’ perspectives from
both institutions, scanning issues of time management, operating cost, use of technology, cultural factors,
and federal mechanisms. We find that although there are many common and identifiable goals shared between the institutional stakeholders, the performance dimensions are inevitably defined and modified according to individual cultural and institutional backgrounds. What makes our investigation particularly exciting is the fact that our participants articulate the potential to appreciate difference as a strength of crossfunctional international academic PM.
While we conducted this research as a team, each of us will introduce a different aspect of our research.
Speaker 1 will outline the theoretical underpinnings of our project, including the challenges most often cited
as connected to cross cultural and inter-institutional PM. Speaker 2 will outline the interview methodology
we used to collect our information and provide an overview of those findings. Speaker 3 will then discuss the
ramifications fo these findings for inter-institutional PM and provide directions for future research.
!
u
o
ank Y
Th
To all of the faculty
and staff who have
worked tirelessly
through every step of
conference planning.
To Dr. Nazir Sangi for
donating his time
and services to help
us connect with our
colleagues abroad.
To our
Colleagues from
IIUI, and the U. S.
Department of
State for making
this partnership
possible.
To the UNCW
Bookstore for
their generous
donations.
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