香港六合彩中特网

Shamara Wettimuny
Object:聽Fez cap

In December 1905, around 30,000 Muslims gathered聽in the grounds of the Maradana mosque聽in Colombo in the most significant episode of pan-聽Islamic solidarity during British rule in Ceylon.聽What had triggered this 鈥榤onster meeting鈥� as it was聽dubbed in the press? In this talk, I analyse a British聽colonial decision that threatened Muslim identity in聽Ceylon: the prohibition of the 鈥榝ez cap鈥� in Courts in聽1905. The fez cap had only been introduced to Ceylon聽as a symbol of Islamic religiosity as recently as聽1883. How and why had it come to be termed the
Muslims鈥� 鈥榥ational headgear鈥� in just two decades?聽I investigate the value placed on material, bodily聽markers of identity in the context of an Islamic revival,聽and explore the relationship between the聽Ottoman Sultan, who was considered by many Sunni聽Muslims the 鈥楥aliph of Islam鈥�, and the Muslims of聽Ceylon.

Shireen Hamza
Object :ch奴b ch墨n墨, China root

The seventeeth century explosion of commodified聽materia medica has been studied by historians聽of European empire 鈥� including china root, known聽as a treatment for syphilis. But how were these聽medical commodities understood by practitioners聽of non-European medicine? I followed the traces聽of ch奴b ch墨n墨, or china root, across Persian medical聽treatises and聽 pharmacopeia, and found a keen聽interest in the origin, properties and applications of聽this root among practitioners of 鈥淚slamic medicine鈥�,聽or tibb. Their interest manifested differently than
those of their European contemporaries, though聽they mostly shared a Galenic medical paradigm.聽Decentering the (European-language) documents聽that attest to the purchase, cultivation or circulation聽of concrete quantities of china root, I highlight聽the affective and epistemic aspects of ch奴b ch墨n墨鈥檚聽histories in Persianate contexts. Through video聽and prose, I hope to share these resonances, for聽a hakim in eighteenth-century Murshidabad,聽patients across the Indian Ocean ecumene, and for聽researchers today.

Part of the聽Objects Across Borders聽series, bringing聽together scholars聽and creative practitioners working in and on South聽Asia to reflect on the stories embedded in visual聽and material artefacts. This series is organised by聽Vindhya Buthpitiya聽(香港六合彩中特网) and聽聽(Princeton) and hosted聽by the聽香港六合彩中特网 Centre for the Study of South Asia聽and the Indian Ocean World, and聽听补苍诲听.