The Institute of Ismaili Studies - Field Project and Field Trips

Field Project and Field Trips

Field Project

In the summer of their second year, GPISH students undertake a field project. This component of the programme offers them direct experience of the lived context of the theories they are exposed to during the Graduate Programme. Students are encouraged to make connections between historical and contemporary issues during this time and to understand the social context of knowledge.

Aleem Karmali in Kampala, Uganda where he did his field project.

The project gives students an opportunity to produce an original piece of research. It is designed to encourage students to formulate and conduct a research project of their own, which can serve as a basis for continued post-graduate study or career development. It is, therefore, an integral part of the Graduate Programme.

Given the short period of time available to conduct research, the field project will often, although not necessarily, take the form of a case study. The disciplinary framework and methodology are open to discussion with the staff of the Department of Graduate Studies. Each student is assigned a Research Supervisor to assist them with the field project.

In the past, students have chosen to examine a wide spectrum of themes according to personal interest, including identity, religious authority, resettlement and aesthetics in places as far-flung as Sidhpur in Gujarat, the Darb al-Ahmar district in Cairo, and Khorog in Tajikistan.

Zarangez Karimova in Egypt where she did her field project

For example, Aleem Karmali, who was a filmmaker prior to joining the Graduate Programme, elected to explore via a video report what the motivating factors were for Ismaili Muslim refugees who returned to Kampala. Another student, Aliyor Marodaseynov, chose as his focus the impact of Mini Hydropower Stations in Tajikistan, while Munira Shoinbekova looked at the process of resettlement of the Afghan Ismaili community in Canada during the 1990s.

A full list of the work produced this summer by the latest cohort of students can be found below.

Field Trips

The Graduate Programme enables students to have a direct encounter with the societies being studied through field trips. First-year students visit Cairo, Egypt, and second-year students visit Andalusia, Spain.

Also see:

News Story: IIS Graduate Students Visit Al-Andalus.
Photo Gallery: GPISH and STEP Field Trip to Historical Sites in Spain

List of Field Projects, GPISH 2011

NAME	TITLE	LOCATION	RESEARCH SUPERVISOR
Aliyor Marodaseynov	Impact of Mini Hydro Power Stations (MHPS) in Tajikistan	Tajikistan	Gurdofarid Miskinzoda
Amin Tejani	The perceptions of Eng Hwee Chu’s paintings in Malaysian society	Malaysia	Saeed Zeydabadi-Nejad
Amira Chilvers	STEPping out-Tajik teachers take the field	Tajikistan	Farouk Mitha
Imran Shams	Bitan: Shamanistic tradition within Ismailis of Hunza	Pakistan	Gurdofarid Miskinzoda
Karim Mitha	Perceptions of Mental Health in South Asian Muslim Youth	Australia	Sharmina Mawani
Laila Naz Taj	The perception of people of Garam Chashma about the shrine of Pir Nasir Khusraw in Chitral, Pakistan	Pakistan	Gurdofarid Miskinzoda
Nasreen Hussaini	Journey: Challenges and Adjustments in Settlement Process of Indian Ismailis Immigrants in Australia	Australia	Marodsilton Mubarakshoeva
Rozina Kanchwala	Community response to development intervention in Djenne district, Mali	Mali	Saeed Zeydabadi-Nejad
Sahir Dewji	Ismaili identity in the Democratic Republic of Congo	Democratic Republic of Congo	Sharmina Mawani
Shadi Al Sharani	The current Syrian Examination System: The Way Forward? How do teachers perceive the impact of the current Syrian Examination System on learning outcomes?	Syria	Marodsilton Mubarakshoeva
Shamsiya Chamanova	NGOs and health provision for labor migrants: The case of Ismaili Doctors’ Initiatives in Moscow	Russia	Marodsilton Mubarakshoeva
Sher Baz Khan Ramal	Ismaili ritual practice in Karachi	Pakistan	Laila Halani
Wisam Elhamoui	The role of religion in urban organization of spontaneous neighbourhoods in Tehran	Iran	Saeed Zeydabadi-Nejad
Zahra Sheriff	Ismaili youth identity: A case of Karachi	Pakistan	Sharmina Mawani

The Institute of Ismaili Studies - Field Project and Field Trips

Last updated: 6/3/2011 10:12