Professor Syed Hasan Askari (1901-1990)

Post Graduate Fellowship Endowment

for Research Scholars, Department of History

Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan

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Aim

The primary objective of the Professor Syed Hasan Askari Post Graduate Fellowship Endowment for Pakistani Research Scholars (referred to henceforth as the Askari Post Graduate Fellowship Endowment), currently enrolled as students in Department of History, for pursing their Post Graduate Studies, is to primarily encourage academic reengagement with the impressive body of work produced on medieval and pre-modern South Asia by the late Prof. Askari.

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About Professor Syed Hasan Askari

Professor S. H. Askari (1901-1990) gained international recognition as one of the foremost authorities on the mystic literature of Indian Sufis. His knowledge of regional medieval and early modern South Asian history almost encyclopedic. Prof. Askari was unrivaled in his knowledge of original Persian sources and most learned scholar of Persian manuscripts. He blazed a trail in historical research and writing, bringing to light many unknow historical resources, unraveled new facts, provided new information that enriched the comprehension of multiple facets of the medieval history of local regions of South Asia; namely cultural, political, social & religious, and then introducing these attributes to the academic world. (Source: Available upon request).

Professor Askari authored more than 200 scholarly articles & research papers, edited historical volumes, and translated Persian manuscripts, which have been published in 21 books and hundreds of journals and proceedings. Sincere gratitude to Los Angeles based Professor Syed Hasan Askari Historiography Project, many of the relevant sources are complimentary available and extensively archived and documented online. Prof. Askaris’ rich legacy of historical writings has inspired several generations of scholars and researchers. By providing financial support for scholars and researchers, the Askari Post Graduate Fellowship Endowment will ensure that these sources are utilized for high quality research that will lead to sustained reengagement with the ideas and knowledge contained in the body of work in addition to making major contributions to the university’s research efforts.

 

 

Design

The Askari Post Graduate Fellowship Endowment will be administered as a contributory initiative wherein the Professor Syed Hasan Askari Historiography Project, Los Angeles, USA will financially support the scholar per the attested contract. The research fellow who receives the Post Graduate Fellowship Endowment will write his/her dissertation (thesis) on any aspect of Professor Askari’s work with proper citations. The Fellow shall write his thesis on a topic that pertains to the ideas and knowledge contained in the body of late Professor Syed Hasan Askari’s academic and scholarly works. The historical research and writings comprise of the following three stages.

1. Discovery of new sources and facts.

2. Projection of these sources and facts through organized writings

3. Theorizations or interpretation based on these facts or sources or reinterpretation of known facts based on new facts or new data. (The selected research fellow’s academic dissertation will be expected on this third stage of the process which is the need of the hour as the first two were covered by late Professor Syed Hasan Askari as evident by his scholarly works.  Prof. Askari belonged to the generation of historians to whom locating and unearthing new facts and sources followed by their presentation to academia was the primary task and thus covered the first two stages. Due to this reason, he has more than 200 papers published in 21 books (collected works, translations, and editions) and hundreds of journals, proceedings, newspapers and magazines. Prof. Askari considered himself as an exploratory historian and always in the search for new source material and therefore left it to other scholars and historian to further develop, theorize and interpret it. (Source: Available upon request).

 

 

Eligibility & Selection

Professor Syed Hasan Askari Post Graduate Fellowship Endowment is designed for M.Phil. or Ph.D. students of the Quaid-i-Azam University, Department of History, Islamabad, who will be only eligible for this award. Scholars who wish to compete for this award will have to submit a comprehensive proposal that will be vetted by the M.Phil. or Ph.D. committees of the Department.

The dissertation proposal submission package must include the following in pdf format:

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Dissertation Prospectus

• Abstract

• Background

• Methodologies and Issues

• Significance of the Project

• Qualifications and Timetable

 

Additional Supporting Documentation

• A curriculum vitae or resume

• A recommendation letter from a focal member of the dissertation committee that speaks to the merits of the dissertation with respect to the current state of the field and the innovation that the work entails.

 

The Dissertation Prospectus with Additional Supporting Documentation should be submitted to M.Phil. or Ph.D. committees of the Department no later than January 31st, 2023. Late submissions will not be accepted. The result for the 2023 award recipient will be announced the Department after approval from Professor Syed Hasan Askari Historiography Project, Los Angeles, USA on Feb 28th, 2023. All inquiries regarding the Professor Syed Hasan Askari (1901-1990) Post Graduate Fellowship Endowment should be directed to Department of History, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan.

In the event that one or more proposals is/are deemed of sufficient standard, the Professor Syed Hasan Askari Historiography Project, Los Angeles, USA will be invited to examine the shortlisted dissertation proposals with deliverables & timelines, and make a final determination as to who should be awarded this fellowship endowment as the sponsor from Professor Syed Hasan Askari Historiography Project, Los Angeles, USA, shall be represented on the Fellowship Committee in order to follow the selection and monitoring of the work of the Fellow. The end product of the Fellowship would be a thesis that would be preferably published in an article form in a reputable, peer reviewed local, national and international journal and / or later have the entire dissertation published in a book form.

 

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Focal Persons, Key deliverables, Schedule and Timelines

The Post Graduate Fellowship shall be managed by the History Department of QAU. This shall include the selection of the Fellow, and regular monitoring of the Fellow’s work.

At present, the Department has two specialists on medieval studies. These are, namely, Prof. Dr. Tanvir Anjum and Dr. Fouzia Farooq Ahmed. For the purpose of managing the Askari Fellowship, they will act as focal persons under the supervision of Prof. Ilhan Niaz, Chairperson, Department of History, Quaid-i-Azam University. Syed Ahmer Raza will represent the Professor Syed Hasan Askari Historiography Project, Los Angeles, USA.

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For the Department:

Prof. Ilhan Niaz, Chairperson          

Dated: 09/30/2022

 

 

For the Professor Syed Hasan Askari Historiography Project, Los Angeles, USA:

Mr. Syed Ahmer Raza

Dated: 09/30/2022 

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Links:

*Department of History, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan

1. http://hist.qau.edu.pk/2022/11/30/prof-syed-askari-post-graduate-research-fellowship/

2. http://hist.qau.edu.pk/fellowship/

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*Professor Syed Hasan Askari Historiography Project, Los Angeles, USA

1. https://www.professorsyedhasanaskari.com/fellowships