Hussain Jasani’s research focuses on the religious, intellectual, and literary traditions of South Asian Satpanth Ismaili communities. He examines the historical development of Satpanth identities, the theological and cultural significance of ginan literature, and the ways in which devotional texts have shaped community memory, belief, and practice. Through the study of KhojkiA script historically developed among the Khojas of the Indian subcontinent to record their literature. manuscripts, early printed texts, and oral traditions, he investigates the transmission, preservation, and transformation of religious texts across time, including how trade routes, transport, and technology affected the movement of texts across continents. His work also considers the intersection of Islamic and Indic intellectual traditions, contributing to wider discussions on religious identity, vernacular literary cultures, manuscript studies, and the history of Islam in South Asia.
Current projects
Satpanth Ismaili Identity through the Centuries — investigating the historical evolution of Satpanth Ismaili identity through a transhistorical lens, challenging colonial-era narratives and examining how religious identity has been shaped over centuries through literature, ritual, memory, and lived practice.
Ginan Studies and South Asian Ismaili Intellectual Traditions — an interdisciplinary research programme on ginans as literary, devotional, and intellectual texts, advancing Ginan Studies as an emerging academic field through international collaborations, conferences, research networks, and performance.
Ginan Manuscripts, Textual Transmission, and Digital Heritage — a collaborative project researching the preservation, transmission, and publication of South Asian Ismaili textual traditions through manuscripts, early printed books, and oral archives, documenting the history of ginan publishing and working to preserve documentary and audio heritage.
Kalam-i Mawla: Text, Translation and Transmission
Teaching
Religion, Literature and Identity in South Asian Muslim Contexts (GPISH) — using the Satpanthi Khoja communities of Gujarat, Sind, and Punjab and their ginan literature as a case study, the course considers the construction of identity within religious and socio-political contexts, and the broader framework of South Asian cultures as expressed in language, literature, and the arts.
