The Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Aga Khan University (AKU-FAS) recently hosted the Pakistan History Workshop, which brought together historians, scholars, and archivists from both Pakistan and abroad to explore the country's rich and complex history. Organized by Dr Sana Haroon (University of Massachusetts-Boston) and Dr Zoya Sameen (Aga Khan University), the event served as a platform for dialogue, collaboration, and critical examination of historical narratives.
The two-day workshop featured discussions on a wide range of topics, including maritime archaeology, Partition violence, transnational politics, cultural heritage, and law and society. Participants included distinguished academics from institutions such as the University of Texas at Austin, St. Joseph’s University, LUMS, IBA, Habib University, Royal Holloway, and Beaconhouse National University.
In his opening remarks, AKU-FAS Dean Dr Stephen Lyon emphasized the interdisciplinary significance of history, highlighting its relevance to fields such as anthropology, sociology, and political science, and its broader contribution to academic inquiry.
The workshop underscored Pakistan's relevance within the wider context of South Asian history. Dr Kamran Asdar Ali (UT Austin) examined 1960s Pakistani cinema to explore cultural representations of Partition violence, while Zahra Sabri (Habib University) investigated the relationship between religiosity and courtly culture in the Mughal era. Dr Sameen Mohsin Ali (University of Birmingham) analyzed the exercise of public authority by women civil servants in Pakistan, and Dr Humayun Ansari (Royal Holloway) explored Maulana Barakatullah Bhopali's transnationalism.
The workshop also highlighted the essential role of archives in historical research, with presentations from the Sindh Archives, the Citizens Archive of Pakistan, and the Aga Khan University Archives emphasizing the importance of preserving and studying archival materials to deepen our understanding of Pakistan’s past.
Marking a significant milestone in AKU-FAS’s commitment to advancing historical research, the event also laid the groundwork for the establishment of a Pakistan History Collective, fostering continued dialogue and collaboration among scholars dedicated to studying Pakistan’s history.
