As University students, we learn from professors at the forefront of their respective academic disciplines: publishers of major journals; best-selling novelists and U.S. Poet Laureates; activists and chairpersons of major political organizations, just to mention a few.
A welcome addition to these ranks of elite instructors is 50-year-old visiting history professor Mushirul Hasan, who is on leave from Jamia Millia Islamia, a prominent Indian university located in New Delhi, where he functions as de facto president. He is a man who, in the words of Assoc. History Prof. Richard Barnett, is "one of two or three of India's first-rate modern historians ... [he is] on the cutting edge of secularism and communalism in India."
Hasan's body of work is indeed prolific: He has written six books, edited an additional 13 and published over 60 papers. According to Barnett, a hole opened in the department when a professor left. Department leaders invited Hasan to teach to add momentum in modern Indian historical studies and enhance its South Asian historical program. It's a role that seems fit for Hasan, whose expertise is world-renowned in academic circles. Along the way, Hasan also may change the way students think about one of the most heavily populated and culturally rich nations of the world.
"I have been to this country several times to give lectures and attend academic seminars ... [at] UCLA, Amherst, Columbia" and others, Hasan said.
However, he said this is his first teaching assignment in the United States.
In the opening lecture of HISA 203, a survey course in modern Indian history, Hasan told his class of about 40, "if over the day I give you a semblance of coherence in Indian history, I would have accomplished a great feat indeed."
Hasan proposed that the "periodization" of Indian history into Muslim, Hindu and British eras - categorizations perpetuated by most historians of India - is incorrect.
"The basis of Indian society is caste and class, not religion," he said, explaining that the British historians of India espoused an over-simplified view of the complexities of Indian culture.
"Hindus [and Muslims] aren't unified, monolithic categories," he added.
Hasan devotes much of his work to preventing the manipulation of history by various political and religious organizations, a prevalent practice in modern India.
"The problem is that knowledge of the past is colored by the contemporary experiences of India," Hasan said. "Some of us are battling it out with those who only rewrite history ... it should not be politicized."
A vigorous opponent of academic ostentation, he said he writes for the Indian Express, the largest newspaper in India, on a wide range of issues of contemporary and historical relevance.
By doing so, Hasan is able to extend his own readership outside the boundaries of academia, and most importantly, "to reach out to the community ... to give insights one has had and express them in a straightforward manner," he added.
Historians too often confine themselves to elitist academic circles, which is the antithesis of what their ultimate goal should be - recording history for the purposes of all people, Hasan said.
Of all his academic work, Hasan cites the 1979 publication of his first book, "Nationalism and Communal Politics in India," as the most important breakthrough in his career.
"The reception of my readers to [its publication] provided me with an incentive to pursue my historical exploration," he said. "If your first book fails, it is very difficult to ... [publish] a second book."
The book was based on Hasan's dissertation for which he received his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge.
While Hasan has built his career living in India, he said moving to the U.S. has been relatively easy because there is no language barrier.
He added that thus far he has been extremely impressed with the quality of the faculty, students and facilities at the University.
"I am very impressed by the warmth of the people, the enormous facilities both students and faculty members seem to have ... and by the fact that students seem quite committed" to education, Hasan said. "I look forward to learning a great deal ... and sharing with my colleagues my own perspectives of South Asia."
Hasan described his transition to University life as very smooth, although he arrived here after a grueling 23-hour flight just in time to give his first lecture. Hasan stayed in Barnett's house his first night here.
"It is a [long] journey from India to here, but I sort of got into the rhythm of things very quickly," he said.
Hasan will remain at the University for the spring semester, and will return to India in May. While HISA 203 is full, Hasan's other class, HISA 504, Theorizing Modernity in South Asia, a graduate course on modern Indian history, still has room for students.
Hasan said while he is in the country he hopes to develop a stronger perspective of the American educational system and, most importantly, "to do as much as one can to promote the salvation of history."
Read More
Letting go of my first year FOMO
By Mai Hukuoka | 10 hours agoIn an attempt to transition to University life, I found myself saying “yes” to way too many things, which left me feeling detached from my surroundings rather than at home on Grounds.
Days on the Lawn gives newly admitted Class of 2028 a taste of Grounds
By Miriella Jiffar and Mia Tan | 2 days agoThe annual spring program invites newly admitted students and their families to experience information sessions, resource fairs and tours around Grounds.
The weight of saying “I love you”
By Mai Hukuoka | 4 days agoWhile grand gestures can't fully describe the weight of love, that doesn't mean love has to be small. Love can, and should, feel heavy.
