Invitation to the Sociology Seminar, 17 September, 2.30pm, SAU
Ankur Datta
South Asian University
Faculty of Social Sciences
Sociology Seminar Series
Monsoon Semester
2014-15
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.
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
Dr. Ankur Datta
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South Asian University, New Delhi 110 021
Phone: +91 11 24122512 Fax: +91 11 24122511
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