Dear Colleagues,
The Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia (IASA), University of Tokyo, together with the Kakenhi Grant-in-Aid “Sunnis” and “Shiʿis”: Historical Inquiries into Confessional Identities and Mutual Perceptions” and the Japan Office of the Association for the Study of Persianate Societies (ASPS), is pleased to co-host a lecture by Professor David Lelyveld (William Paterson University, retired) entitled “A Reflection on Muslim Identities in South Asia.” The lecture is open to the public. Please note that advance registration is required for online participation. The co-organizers look forward to your participation.
Lecture Title:
A Reflection on Muslim Identities in South Asia
Speaker:
Professor David Lelyveld (William Paterson University, retired)
Chair:
Professor Kazuo Morimoto (IASA / Japan Office, ASPS)
Date and Time:
24 October (Fri) 2025, at 18:00-19:30 (JST)
Venue:
Room 304, Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, Hongo Campus, University of Tokyo (東京大学東洋文化研究所3階、第一会議室304), and online via Zoom
Abstract:
To what extent are the sectarian, regional, ethnic, “caste” and language identities of South Asian Muslims characteristic of historic India as opposed to other parts of the Islamic world? This discussion will concentrate on how such identity categories have been foregrounded or obscured over time with respect to the Aligarh movement, the emergence of Urdu, British social analysis, and nationalist projects. The presentation seeks to stimulate comparisons and ideas for further research.
Speaker's Bio:
David Lelyveld is the author of Aligarh’s First Generation: Muslim Solidarity in British India (1978, reprinted 2003). His publications also deal with the social and political history of Urdu and its differentiation from Hindi. A graduate of Harvard University, he did his Ph. D at the University of Chicago. He has held faculty and administrative positions at the University of Minnesota, Columbia, and Cornell. He retired as Professor of History at William Paterson University. He lives in New York City and is presently exploring aspects of the cultural relationship between India and Japan in the early twentieth century.
How to Participate:
Pre-registration is required for online participation.
Please fill in the form at https://forms.gle/Mn2z2HJ4rG78baq17 by 23 October, at 24:00 JST.
In-person attendance does not require advance registration.
Contact Person: Naoki Nishiyama (nishiyama@ioc.u-tokyo.ac.jp)
This event is co-organized by the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, University of Tokyo (organized by the Regular Research Project W-1: Approaches to the “Persianate World” as a Tobunken Seminar), Kakenhi Grant-in-Aid “Sunnis” and “Shiʿis”: Historical Inquiries into Confessional Identities and Mutual Perceptions” (23K25371) and the Japan Office of the Association for the Study of Persianate Societies (as a Gilas Lecture).