|  |
| Educational Background |
Haverford College, B.A. in English Lit/Religion Harvard University, M.A. in Near Eastern Studies New York University, PhD in Middle Eastern Studies |
| Current Courses |
·Basic English: Readings in the Humanities I and II ·Playable Pasts: The Ancient Epic in Contemporary Gaming and Entertainment Cultures (玩转历史：当代游戏与娱乐文化中的古代史诗故事) ·The Divine Feminine: Goddesses in Ancient Myth and Literature (古代神话与文学作品中的女神) ·One Thousand and One Inventions: Scientific Discovery in the Islamic Age of Enlightenment (天方新谭：科学大发现与伊斯兰启蒙运动) |
| Profile |
My upbringing in the schools and streets of New York City and its suburbs, as well as the time spent frequently traveling to Rawalpindi/Islamabad and Lahore, Pakistan-- stopping en route to visit places as diverse as London, Cairo, Rome, and Dubai--are definitive parts of my education, shaping me into a lifelong student and traveler. This early and ongoing life experience as a member of the Muslim diaspora born and raised in the Westwhetted my curiosity and my drive to pose seemingly endless questions on the topics of diverse and intertwining cultures, languages, written expression in circulation, and hybrid worldviews—and to better understand how traditional views are received and reshaped to accommodate the past while simultaneously steering presentist and futurist modes of literary thinking and expression. I studied at Haverford College and Harvard University (Masters in Indo-Islamic Language and Literature), and completed my doctoral coursework at Columbia University and New York University, earning my PhD from NYU in 2018 (specializing in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies as a comparativist, working with and across Arabic, Persian, Urdu and Anglophone texts.). I have served as Vice President of the Research Committee on Religion, Ethics, and Literature of the International Comparative Literature Association since 2019.
I moved to Shanghai in 2020 during the height of the Covid pandemic to teach for NYU’s Go Local Program, helping to get admitted students started on their studies while they secured the visas needed to head to New York. I remained in Shanghai to become a tenure-track professor at Shanghai Tech’s newly founded Humanities Institute, and to fulfill the famous Muslim tradition, “seek knowledge even unto China.” I have enjoyed meeting and getting to know our extremely talented faculty and students, who have been incredible guides and companions as I make my way in Shanghai, a city stunningly new to me while also feeling familiarly cosmopolitan. Their company has further enlivened life on a campus which is poised to break fresh ground in all areas of STEM research, while dedicating considerable and considerate space for the study of what has come before in the humanities, documented in the old and enduring technology of printed books. I am planning to contribute to the total number of published books in the world in 2025: more on that matter, forthcoming.
Institute Interview You can read a longer interview and learn more about me and my academic path and passions here: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/bU0MGZVPw9IlalZhcDmUIQ
Shanghai Tech 10th Anniversary Gala: Teaching Award The student body honored me during Shanghai Tech’s 10th anniversary gala in Autumn 2023 by granting me and nine other professors with the beautiful title of “最喜爱的老师“, or most loved teacher, and honoring us with mesmerizing performances all night. My Teaching Assistants, who are also my Teachers I have been blessed to meet a variety of STEM undergraduate and graduate students at Shanghai Tech who appear at my office each semester, willing and eager to serve as teaching assistants in support of our humanities coursework. In addition to being indispensable cultural mediators in the classroom, they have taught me an immense amount about life for up-and-coming young folks in Shanghai and other Chinese cities, and about their own personal and professional endeavors as budding scientist-humanists, in the truest sense. Zhu Yuntong (James) graduated from ST in Spring 2024, and embarked on his PhD studies at Johns Hopkins University in the field of biophysics. He offered the following interview about his own exemplary life as a student finding his way in the realm of cross-cultural frontier science, and discusses the value he found in working as an invaluable Teaching Assistant in my Humanities courses: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/hP8EZLd6qeFMg8iB6xa27Q
Talkin’ Tech I was also interviewed in November 2023 by the Talkin’ Tech student team, who produce videos on their Bilibili platform dedicated to life and learning on our vibrant and young campus in Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park. They wanted to ask me—why Shanghai, and why a tech school? Watch to find out more here: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/bU0MGZVPw9IlalZhcDmUIQ
University Excellent Professor Teaching Award I was further honored to be selected as one of Shanghai Tech’s Excellent Professors in 2023, owing to the support and approval of Dean Zhang Rulun, the Humanities Institute, and Shanghai Tech University.
Humanities Institute Event: Three-Body Problem I came together with my esteemed colleagues Professor William Wu and Professor Pascal Gong to talk to students about the landmark work of science fiction, 三体，or The Three-Body Problem, which was translated from Chinese to English, and made its way into numerous televised adaptations in both languages. The subject of the novel--and of translation and cultural exchange--proved rich grist for our conversational mill.
English Language Lunch series I have enjoyed making regular appearances at our English Language lunch table, hosted by the university colleges and the campus Western Canteen. These lunches have proved to be an excellent way to stimulate conversational English practice, and to talk about topics such as travel and study abroad, the importance of skillful communication, classical and popular literature, popular culture, cuisine, and much more.
Silk Road Travel While I have spent my early years in China primarily in Shanghai, I have also had the opportunity to travel to other culturally rich cities such as Jingdezhen, where I was able to literally lay my hands on the very kaolin clay which was famously shaped there and exchanged with Muslim neighbors on the old Silk Road, deepening my interest in material and cultural exchange between China and West/South Asian sites, and making me better able to teach on the topic in my own seminars. Thank you to my associate and friend Mei Ran of the Perrotin Gallery, who made it possible to visit the workroom of award-winning Jingdezhen artist Kang Yang, who gave generously of his time, wisdom and deep artistry.
Stay Tuned! There will be more to come, including a trip to the 2025 ICLA Conference in Seoul, Korea dedicated to the topic of Literature and Technology… |
