Virtual: Polymaths of Islam: Power and Networks of Knowledge in Central Asia

The discussion is organized by the Central Asia Working Group and will feature James Pickett, assistant professor of history at the University of Pittsburgh. He will share and discuss his recently-released book, Polymaths of Islam: Power and Networks of Knowledge in Central Asia (Cornell, 2020).

James Pickett is a historian of empire and Islamic authority in Eurasia. His first book project explores transregional networks of Persianate exchange among religious scholars in Bukhara during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. His related articles also trace the cultural memory of this era as a subsequent influence on Soviet propaganda in Iran and language ideology in Central Eurasia.

Access the event via Zoom link.

The event is sponsored by the Central Asia Working Group. For all inquiries about the group, please contact Eren Tasar (etasar@email.unc.edu).