Imagined Futures: Thought, Art and Ethics in Muslim Societies
The third annual IIS/AKU-ISMC Graduate Conference: Imagined Futures: Thought, Art and Ethics in Muslim Societies is a collaboration between The Institute of Ismaili Studies and the Aga Khan University – Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations to showcase student-led research at both institutions.
The conference features a wide range of speakers from the IIS and AKU-ISMC programmes presenting on various topics in Islamic studies. Further details will be available in due course.
The conference will be streamed to the global Ismaili community and other constituents of the IIS and AKU-ISMC around the world via Zoom.
Schedule
08:45–8:50 Opening Remarks – Prof Zayn Kassam
08:50–9:00 Welcome Note – Dr Alex Henley
09:00–10:10 Panel 1: Muslim (Re-) Imaginations of Society and Politics
Chair: Dr Zamira Dildorbekova
Theorising Democracy with People’s Action Committees in Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu & Kashmir Haider Ali (ISMC 2026)
The Position of the Ismaili Imamat in International Diplomacy: Present and Future Moiz Rajwani (GPISH 2026)
Social Integration During the Pandemic: Examining the Experience of First-Generation Syrian Migrants during COVID-19 in Sweden Noor Mansour (GPISH 2026)
10:10–10:35 Health Break
10:35–11:45 Panel 2: Identity and Heritage in Creative Expressions Chair: Dr Walid Ghali
Carving Futures from the Past: The Role of Architecture in Expressing and Shaping Identity Gulguncha Lalbekova (GPISH 2025)
Preservation as Dispossession: Leif Larsen Music Centre and Authorized Heritage Discourse Saad Barcha (GPISH 2025)
To what extent does the interactive portrayal of the House of Wisdom and the AlamutFortress of the Nizari Ismailis in northern Iran, which fell to the Mongols in 654 AH/1256 CE. fortress in Assassin’s Creed Mirage balance game reality with historical narratives, and how does it (re)shape the contemporary understanding of these historical sites? Mohsin Baig (GPISH 2027)
11:45–12:10 Health Break
12:10–13:10 Panel 3: Gender, Power and Representation Chair: Dr Karen Bauer
The Art of Power: Rethinking Gendered Sovereignty, Aesthetic Agency, and Political Authority Through Mughal Empress Nur Jahan’s (r. 1611–1627 CE) Strategic Reign Ameeqa Qureshi (GPISH 2027)
Imagining Inclusive Futures: Intersectionality and Queer Muslim Youth in Educational Curricula Nabila Esmail (STEP 2025)
13:10–14:20 Lunch Break
14:20–15:30 Panel 4: Pedagogies in the Making of Muslim Futures
Chair: Faheem Hussain
Unveiling Hidden Religious Education in Afghanistan’s Language Subjects Mehrullah Hussaini (STEP 2024)
Digital Daʿwa and the Ethics of Becoming: Platformed Piety and the Case of Youth Club Kiran (GPISH 2026)
How can existentialist ideas about meaning and purpose in life be incorporated into religious education for Ismaili youth? Imad Ali Khan (STEP 2026)
15:30–15:50 Health Break
15:50–17:00 Panel 5: Meaning-Making in Ismaili Communities
Chair: Dr Orkhan Mir-Kasimov
The Transition of Ismaili Doctrine from Neoplatonic Metaphysics to Contemporary Ethical Pragmatism Mubashir Shah-Artas (GPISH 2027)
From Pirs to Institutions: Navigating Identity and Tension in Transnational Ismailism in Afghanistan Nazeer Rasouli (GPISH 2026)
Poetry as Pedagogy: The Art of Revolution Through Words of Wisdom Saeedeh Kardan (GPISH 2025)
17:00–17:20 Thank you note
Dr Gurdofarid Miskinzoda
18:30–20:00 Concert: Echoes of the Earth: Voices of Responsibility
Please note filming and photography may take place during the event, and be used across our website, newsletters and social media accounts. These could include broad shots of the audience and lecture theatre, speakers during the talk, and of audience members participating in Q&A.
Views expressed in this lecture are those of the presenting scholars, not necessarily of IIS, the Ismaili community or leadership. Promotion of this lecture is not an explicit endorsement of the ideas presented.
