Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs
Center for Contemporary South Asia

Ghulam Hussain — Anthropology of Activism: Engaging with the Narrative of Forced Conversion in Pakistan

Event Poster

Friday, March 19, 2021

11:00am – 12:30pm EST

Ghulam Hussain is a research sssociate at the Institute of Policy Studies Islamabad. His doctoral thesis titled ‘Identity Politics in Pakistan: An Ethnographic Study of Dalit Activism in Sindh, Pakistan' encapsulates a decade of ethnographic research and presents a thick description of active engagement with the unprivileged communities and the civil society in Sindh and Punjab. During these years, while writing a thesis report, he has presented papers on caste politics, pastoral and rural migration, bonded labor, and environmental justice in international and national conferences. This multidisciplinary approach culminated in the shape of some seminal publications in prestigious journals, such as in the Journal of Asian and African Studies, Critical Sociology, Religions, and Postcolonial Studies.

During the early years of his doctoral degree, Hussain assisted in organizing various seminars and conferences both at QAU, and Bielefeld University, Germany.  Lately, at the Institute of Policy Studies, he has started a webinar series on issues common to South Asian communities, in which we are engaging with scholars on South Asian studies from India, Nepal, and beyond. Additionally, Hussain is leading the research project on the issue of forced conversions in Pakistan. Hussain is currently working on a book titled ‘Nationalism and the Erasure of Caste in Pakistan’. 

South Asia Seminar