Academics
Teaching &
Research
Courses that challenge, research that illuminates, and scholarship that bridges the past with the urgent questions of the present.
Curriculum
Courses Taught
A selection of undergraduate and postgraduate courses currently offered at Varendra University.
Introduction to Islamic History
A foundational survey of Islamic history from the birth of the Prophet ﷺ through the classical period, covering the Rightly-Guided Caliphs, Umayyads, and Abbasids.
Islamic Civilisation & Culture
Exploration of the material, artistic, intellectual, and social dimensions of Islamic civilisation from the 7th through 15th centuries.
The Mughal Empire
An in-depth study of the Mughal empire's political history, cultural achievements, religious policy, and eventual decline, with attention to South Asian contexts.
Islamic Art & Architecture
Visual and spatial analysis of Islamic artistic traditions, from the Great Mosque of Córdoba to the Taj Mahal, examining form, symbolism, and cultural transmission.
Islam in South Asia
Historical and cultural examination of Islamic traditions in the Indian subcontinent, with particular focus on Bengal, Sufism, and syncretic cultural exchange.
Research Methods in Islamic Studies
Graduate seminar developing skills in archival research, source criticism, historiographical analysis, and academic writing in the field of Islamic studies.
Scholarship
Research Interests
Ongoing inquiries and areas of active scholarly investigation.
Sufi Networks in Bengal
Investigating the role of Sufi orders (tariqas) in cultural transmission, trade networks, and popular religion across medieval Bengal.
Women in Islamic History
Recovering female voices and contributions in Islamic intellectual and social history, challenging androcentric historiographical traditions.
Islamic Manuscripts of Bangladesh
Cataloguing, conserving, and interpreting Arabic and Persian manuscripts held in Bangladeshi institutions and private collections.
Historiography of Islamic Studies
Critical examination of how Islamic history has been written, from classical Muslim historians to Orientalist scholarship and postcolonial interventions.
Scholarship
Publications
Peer-reviewed articles and conference papers.
Sufi Networks and Trade Routes in Pre-Mughal Bengal
Bangladesh Journal of Historical Studies
Vol. 18, No. 2
Female Voices in the Sufi Tradition: A Study of Bengali Sources
Islamic Studies Quarterly
Vol. 61, No. 4
Reassessing the Syncretism Thesis: Islam and Local Cultures in Medieval Bengal
Proceedings of the National History Conference
Dhaka, 2022