KHOJA STUDIES CONFERENCE III Florida International University 4-5 May 2023 Sindh and the making of communities in South Asia and the Indian Ocean: between myth and reality
Hotel: Staybridge Suites Miami International Airport, 3651 NW 25th Street Miami, FL 33142 United States
Conference venue: Florida International University, Frost Museum, 10975 SW 17th Street, Miami, FL 33199
Thursday, 4 May 2023
8:00 Pick up from the hotel
9:00 to 9:30 Welcome and registration
9:30 to 10:00 Introduction (by Hasnain Walji)
10:00 to 10:45 (Panel introduction by Iqbal Akhtar, Chair: Kumail Rajani)
10:00 to 10:15
Tacit Knowledge and Entrepreneurship: Oral Histories of the Artisans of Kachchh, presenter: Chhaya Goswami (Somaiya Vidyavihar University)
10:15 to 10:30
Disconnection and Connection: Merging Identities and Histories and Belonging in Thar Desert, presenter: Vikram Ghamwani (Heidelberg University) – online 10:30 to 10:45 Diffusion of Rosewater, Religion, and Culture from Persia to Western India: Tracing the Cultural History of Ismaili Khoja Traders in the Seventeenth Century, presenter: Erum Hadi (St. John’s University)
10:45 to 11:30 Q & A
11:30 to 13:00 Lunch at Faculty Club
13:00-14:00 Panel discussion
Topic: Trade in Indian Ocean and Entrepreneurship
Panellists: Chhaya Goswami, Hasnain Walji, Iqbal Akhtar and Iqbal Dewji
Questions:
1. In the context of early 19th-century trade in the Indian Ocean, how did Indian merchants and traders adapt to the evolving economic landscape and how did their trading activities contribute to the development and growth of the region at that time?
2. What factors contributed to the omission or underrepresentation of the significant role played by Indian traders in the historical narratives of East Africa, and how can a more comprehensive understanding of their contributions help in reevaluating the historical narrative and fostering a deeper appreciation of their trials, tribulations and triumphs?
14:00 to 14:30 Tea/Coffee
14:30 to 15:15 Breakout session (4 groups)
15:15 to 16:00 Concluding ideas and roundup for the day
16:00 to 17:30 Visiting Frost Museum
17:30 Pickup from the conference venue and moving towards dinner 18:30 Dinner at Maroosh (223 Valencia Ave, Coral Gables, FL 33134, United States)
Friday, 5 May 2023
8:00 Pick up from the hotel
9:00 to 10:00 (Panel introduction by Michael Boivin; Chair: Matthew Cook)
9:00 to 9:15
Why are Sindhis Called Multanis in Calicut?, presenter: Anjali Roy (IIT Kharagpur)
9:15 to 9:30
Sindh without Sindhu: The Making of a Place and its People, presenter: Trisha Lalchandani (CEIAS-EHESS) – online
9:30 to 9:45
Making of Sami Community in Sindh, presenter: Sindhri Saba (CEIAS-EHESS) – online
9:45 to 10:00
The Sindhi Meghwars at Crossroads: Identity versus Alterity, presenter: Mohan DevRaj Thontya (independent scholar)
10:00 to 10:30 Tea/coffee
10:30 to 11:30 Q & A
11:30 to 13:00 Lunch at Faculty Club
13:00 to 14:00 Panel discussion
Topic: Situating Khoja Studies within the study of Social Sciences
Panellists: Michael Boivin, Shiraz Hajiani, Samira Sheikh, Liyakat Takim
Questions: 1. Where does Khoja Studies fit in within larger disciplines, such as Islamic Studies and ethnographic research? 2. How do we generate greater academic and community interest in the work to make it more sustainable as a project moving forward?
14:00 to 15:00 Breakout session (4 groups)
15:00 to 15:30 Afternoon tea
15:30 to 17:00 Concluding plan for publication, public engagement and future projects
17:00 to 18:00 Networking
18:00 to 20:00 Pickup from the conference venue and moving towards Buddhist Temple followed by Vietnamese dinner at Phuoc Hue Vietnamese Buddhist Temple (16195 SW 184th St, Miami, FL 33187, United States)
End of the conference

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