Lecture: Fiction as Islamic Historiographical Alterity by Shazad Bashir

In this talk Professor Bashir will discuss examples of modern novels in Arabic (Jurji Zaydan) and Urdu (Nasim Hijazi) to reflect on the sociopolitical purpose embedded within such works, and the ways that premodern epic literature in Islamic societies shares key features with modern fiction. This presentation will discuss the importance of social logic of modern historical fiction in pertaining to the Islamic past both in itself and as a source for diversifying what we regard as legitimate sources for representing premodern societies.