This talk emerges from Professor Bashir’s current project, Islamic Pasts and Futures: Conceptual Explorations, a critique of the conceptualization of Islamic history in modern scholarship. Bashir suggests alternatives emphasizing multiple temporalities and engaging contemporary academic debates regarding language, historiography, and history on the basis of materials of Islamic provenance.

Shahzad Bashir is professor in Islamic Studies and Director of the Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies at Stanford University.

The Center for Cultural Studies hosts a weekly Wednesday colloquium featuring work by faculty and visitors. The sessions consist of a 40-45 minute presentation followed by discussion. We gather at noon, with presentations beginning at 12:15 PM. Participants are encouraged to bring their own lunches; the Center provides coffee, tea, and cookies.

All Center for Cultural Studies events are free and open to the public. Staff assistance is provided by the Institute for Humanities Research.