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FEB
21
The Reed Laments: Ecology and Capitalism in Muslim Poetics
Date:
Friday, 21 Feb 2020
Time:
3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Location:
201 International Center
Department:
Muslim Studies Program
Event Details:

"The Reed Laments: Ecology and Capitalism in Muslim Poetics"

Dr. Nosheen Ali
New York University
Friday, February 21, 3:00 pm
201 International Center

In this talk, I re-read poetic knowledge in Islam, and excavate its emancipatory possibilities in relation to ecology and social justice. My desire is to raise a set of interconnected concerns: What lies beyond the spiritual in Sufi poetics? How did Sufi word and practice introduce a radical rethinking of social-ecological relations of production? Is there space to imagine a radical politics that believes, i.e. does not shun the "sacred" as understood through a normative, cynical lens? By articulating and engaging with a poetic-historical understanding of ecology and society within Sufi imaginaries, I wish to shed light on broader concerns within the fields of environmental humanities, political ecology and Marxist thought. 

Dr. Ali is the author of Delusional States:Feeling Rule and Development in Pakistan's Northern Frontier. She received her PhD from Cornell University.  Her research interests include Environmental Education, Digital Humanities and Cultural Heritage, Anthropology of Islam and Muslim Societies, Postcolonial and Cultural Studies, and Social Studies Education.