SOCIOLOGY@SAU: Sociology Seminar Series, 2014-2015 (Monsoon Semester) - Madrasas and the Question of Reforms

About The Department - Vision and Beyond

Over the last half century or so, a vast body of knowledge(s) on the region has evolved within South Asia that mostly remain within the countries of their origin due to a number of reasons. In this specific context, there is a crucial need to share some of this knowledge in contemporary times when, despite assertions of localisations and mini-narratives, the universal does retain its emphasis through a constant dialectics of the two. The debate between the local and universal or mini-narratives and meta-narratives continue to rage, and is more clearly visible in the context of South Asian context. Even so, we are acutely aware of the non-existence of regular and serious forums for South Asian scholarship in social sciences to showcase our own research and thinking. We are also quite conscious of the fact that the process of establishing sociology in the region has created its own peculiarities which has established close inter-relationships between sociology and social anthropology, history, cultural studies, archeology and other related disciplines. We consider the porousness of South Asian sociology one of its most enduring strengths. On the other hand, we are not unaware of the unfortunate regressions sociology has experienced in different South Asian contexts over the last 30 years or so marked by numerous institutional failures.

It is within the context(s) outlined above that the Department of Sociology at South Asian university, initiated in 2011 witihn the Faculty of Social Sciences contributes to teaching, training and knowledge production. It is not intended to be a mere forum for the production of cutting-edge intellectual knowledge and exchange of that knowledge traversing across national borders in South Asia and beyond. Our expectation is that this knowledge would dislocate the persistence of an imposed framework emanating from the colonisation process and postcolonial politics of knowledge. Despite the passage of over fifty years since the process of official decolonization began in the region, much of the analyses of our problems, situations, histories and dynamics emanate from Euro American academia; this is certainly the case when it comes to conceptual formulations and theoretical approaches that are being employed in exploring the region’s social and cultural complexities often without much self-reflection.

The Department of Sociology strongly believes in the need to reformulate this situation by effectively centering South Asia without naively shunning thought from these established centers of knowledge be they in Europe or North America. We believe in an active and robust engagement with these issues within South Asia. In this context, through the work of its faculty and the research of graduate students, the Department would bring forward the newer forms of knowledge that comprehends and represents the South Asian context with a more authoritative and nuanced voice. We strongly believe in the need to actively intervene in the process of knowledge formation through a constant sharing of knowledge that the region produces as well as through interaction with the world beyond the region.

The courses taught in the Department as well as the research carried out by its faculty members reflect this overall vision and our collective commitment towards innovation, move beyond untenable stereotypes, and explore a new world of knowledge within the discipline of Sociology.

Saturday, September 13, 2014

Sociology Seminar Series, 2014-2015 (Monsoon Semester) - Madrasas and the Question of Reforms

Madrasas and the Question of Reforms

By Dr. Arshad Alam

Centre for the Study of Social Systems

Jawaharlal Nehru University

Abstract: Principal actors involved in the debate on reforms of Indian madrasas are the state and the ulama. Both operate with very different perspectives on what constitutes reform. For the state, it has largely meant making the madrasa system relevant to the needs of occupational structure; for the ulama, it has always involved the moral question of how best to socialize a Muslim child. Operating at such cross purposes, it is not very difficult to see why madrasa reforms have very nearly failed. The location and articulation of contemporary madrasas cannot be understood without a historical reading of the institution. Over time, the institution has undergone changes in terms of its contents, aims and methods. Appreciating this historical shift is central in understanding its position on madrasa reforms today.

About the Speaker: Arshad Alam is Assistant Professor, Centre for the Study of Social Systems, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He has previously taught at the Jamia Millia University, New Delhi and was an International Ford Fellow at the University of Erfurt, Germany. He has published in the area of Muslim identity and education, low caste political articulations, Indian Muslims and the question of diversity within Indian Islam. He was Assistant Editor with the journal History and Sociology of South Asia during 2006-2012. Arshad Alam has an MA from CSSS/JNU and an MPhil and PhD from ZHCES/JNU. He is the author of Inside a Madrasa: Knowledge, Power and Islamic Identity in India (New Delhi and London: Routledge)

Date:

17 September 2014, Wednesday

Time:

02.30 PM

@

FSI HALL, South Asian University,

Akbar Bhawan, Chanakyapuri,

New Delhi 110021

ALL ARE CORDIALLY INVITED

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