Amna

What are my goals for the year?

1. I hope to learn how to collaborate with others to create something that is truly collective in nature, and not just the products of individuals put together (as is often the case with academic projects). By the end of the year, I want to be more cognizant of the many different kinds of labour involved in an evolving project.
2. I hope to develop meaningful connections with my Praxis cohort and the Slab folks who are introducing us to the world of digital humanities.
3. I aim to overcome my fears of digital spaces and learn tools that allow me to study and teach poetry in new ways. In particular, I want to discover methods that center experiential modes of engagement with poetic knowledge.
4. I aim to overcome the months-long writing block I’m having and finally produce publishable work.

What do you spend time on?

I love reading poetry, listening to music, and painting. In my less proud moments, I also watch a lot of British game shows like ‘QI’ and’ Would I Lie To You?’.

What is a major issue/challenge/bone of contention in your field?

Both primary sources and scholarly research are divided across political and religious boundaries, and a lot of existent scholarship is either ignorant of the other side of the picture, or tries to avoid the question of religion altogether. An additional challenge is that Punjabi (the language my research focuses on) is written in multiple scripts and most speakers know only one.

What don’t people understand about something you work on?

People often don’t realize that the poetry I study isn’t just a ‘vernacular’ or ‘folk’ version of Perso-Arabic Islamic poetry, nor is it a ‘syncretic’ mix of Islamic (read: Arab) and Hindu ideas. It presents complex philosophical ideas that are deeply rooted in the land and culture and is reflective of the history of Punjab and its people.

If I were a song, I would be…

Tufail Niazi’s version of "Main Bhi Jana Jhok Ranjhan Di"