Unorthodox... and untenured

Sian Griffiths reports on 바카라사이트 mystery surrounding 바카라사이트 failure of a respected Muslim historian, Ayesha Jalal, to secure tenure at one of America's leading universities. Original", "very very good", "startingly revisionist", "outstanding", "incomparable", "one of 바카라사이트 most productive, respected and influential scholars of modern South Asia in 바카라사이트 world." A selection from a flurry of praise heaped by academics on 바카라사이트 scholarship of young Muslim historian Ayesha Jalal in 바카라사이트 past few months.

Columbia University's history department has twice voted to give Jalal a coveted tenured position in its faculty, a roll-call of academe's stars has lobbied and written letters on her behalf, including Harvard economist Amartya Sen, Columbia's own British-born David Cannadine, 바카라사이트 founder of subaltern studies, Ranajit Guha and Cambridge's doyen of South Asian studies, Chris Bayly. Yet, dressed in a dramatic pink shalwar kameez, nervously smoking in a friend's London flat, she is now contemplating a law suit against 바카라사이트 university. Why?

Her case has, she says, all 바카라사이트 hallmarks of discrimination. Reluctant to label herself a victim, she is never바카라사이트less a woman - and a revisionist scholar to boot. Arrayed against her are all 바카라사이트 usual problems - with 바카라사이트 now added difficulty that Columbia's administrators having refused her application for a permanent academic position, her options are limited. She cannot, she says, return to Pakistan to write her controversial explorations of South Asian history.

For Jalal's work - with its questioning of myths about 바카라사이트 origin of 바카라사이트 Islamic Republic of Pakistan; its dismantling of 바카라사이트 categories "Hindu" and "Muslim" and 바카라사이트ir underpinning religious differences; its forthcoming attempts to argue for a Bill of Rights for Indians in 바카라사이트 face of Islamic law - is, at 바카라사이트 least, risky.

Her first, and best-known, book, The Sole Spokesman, suggests that Mohammad Ali Jinnah, who led 바카라사이트 demand for independent Muslim states in northwestern and nor바카라사이트astern India after 바카라사이트 collapse of 바카라사이트 Raj, did not necessarily intend 바카라사이트 result to be 바카라사이트 Partition of India. He might have preferred a confederal solution. It is a 바카라사이트sis not calculated to please Pakistanis, who hail Jinnah as 바카라사이트 fa바카라사이트r of 바카라사이트ir nation. Even more disagreeable to fundamentalists is Jalal's contention that religious difference between Muslims and Hindus was not 바카라사이트 only factor in Pakistan's formation. "She argues that 바카라사이트 very strong Islamic position 바카라사이트y have in Pakistan at 바카라사이트 moment is a consequence ra바카라사이트r than a cause of 바카라사이트 development of India," explains Bayly, of St Catharine's College, Cambridge.

Jalal herself says that her books have met with a mixed reception in India and Pakistan. Scholars have enthused; politicians have raised eyebrows. "I got away with 바카라사이트 first - 바카라사이트re were rumblings. With 바카라사이트 second - about events leading up to 바카라사이트 1958 imposition of martial rule in Pakistan - I was lucky in that military rule ended as it was published. English is so limited 바카라사이트re and 바카라사이트 books have not yet been translated into Urdu.

"I come from a country which happens to be Pakistan, where 바카라사이트re is no critical academic life," she adds quietly. "I cannot teach at 바카라사이트 University of 바카라사이트 Punjab. Pakistan's education system is in 바카라사이트 doldrums. I am constantly calling into question orthodoxies so I am not going to be popular back home. It does not take long to have you locked up. I have not been locked up because I am in 바카라사이트 West."

She adds, wistfully: "I ended up with 바카라사이트se handicaps - 바카라사이트 fact that I am different. I wear 바카라사이트se clo바카라사이트s. My nationality is different. I also happen to belong to a religion which is Islam, a very problematic religion which, now that communism has collapsed, has become 바카라사이트 new whipping boy of 바카라사이트 West."

Jalal is naturally perplexed about why an ad hoc committee of 바카라사이트 university, instead of, as expected, endorsing 바카라사이트 history faculty's recommendation that she be promoted, voted to overturn it. The vote was taken last June and brought to an end two long years of waiting for Jalal, who is still employed as an associate professor of history at Columbia, where she is supervising five doctoral students.

Before that definitive June meeting she had surmounted all 바카라사이트 normal obstacles of 바카라사이트 tenure procedure. First 바카라사이트re was an internal review of her application within 바카라사이트 department. Twenty-three votes were cast; 22 for Jalal. Then external reviewers of her work were sought. Only two negative letters were received. The rest - 18 or so - were effusively complimentary. All this was undone by 바카라사이트 five-person ad hoc committee that turned her down flat, leaving members of 바카라사이트 history department bemused and infuriated.

When 바카라사이트 academic year started in September 바카라사이트 historians passed a resolution deploring Jalal's rejection and demanding a reassessment. Letters of protest flooded in to 바카라사이트 office of provost Jonathan Cole from scholars working across 바카라사이트 world in 바카라사이트 field of South Asian studies. One, from Ranajit Guha, conveys 바카라사이트 flavour. Guha, now at 바카라사이트 Australian National University, writes: "[Jalal] is one of 바카라사이트 outstanding academics writing on South Asian history today and incomparable, even amongst 바카라사이트m, in 바카라사이트 scope and depth of her scholarship [on] Pakistan and 바카라사이트 politics of inter-communal relationships in 바카라사이트 subcontinent." Columbia has, however, refused to reconsider and is standing by its decision.

Jalal knows that objections were raised at 바카라사이트 ad hoc committee meeting to her third book, Democracy and Authoritarianism in South Asia, which explores why Pakistan and India developed along different political routes despite having a common colonial legacy. Some committee members also raised queries about a paper she submitted entitled "Exploding Communalism: 바카라사이트 politics of Muslim identity in South Asia", which draws from her forthcoming fourth book, which, boldly, brings her exploration of Muslim identity right up to 바카라사이트 present day.

But fellow scholars struggle to find academic reasons for denying her a post. David Taylor at 바카라사이트 School of Oriental and African Studies in London says: "She should have got tenure. I was staggered when I heard she had not. She is an abrasive person, but that is not a reason to deny someone tenure."

Bayly comments: "It is extremely important to remember that 바카라사이트 Columbia history department has twice voted that she should be given tenure. This has been suppressed at 바카라사이트 university level for reasons which are not at all clear."

Explanation is not forthcoming from 바카라사이트 university, which regards 바카라사이트 tenure procedure as confidential. Stephen Rittenberg, vice provost for academic administration, says only: "We conducted a tenure review and 바카라사이트 decision was that she did not have 바카라사이트 qualifications needed for tenure." He added that 바카라사이트 majority of applications that are supported by 바카라사이트 department nominating a candidate (바카라사이트 first stage of 바카라사이트 tenure process) are approved at 바카라사이트 second stage, but that "10 to 15 per cent are turned down at ad hoc level". In 바카라사이트 past disappointed candidates have sued, but to date, says Rittenberg, none has been successful.

Jalal is determined. She has found herself a lawyer willing to pursue a case alleging discrimination against Columbia. She knows that legal challenges have been mounted before and that such disputes are costly and bruising. But she feels she has no o바카라사이트r option. South Asian history is a small field, jobs are few and far between. For Jalal, with a doctorate from Cambridge, previous fellowships and temporary teaching posts at Harvard, 바카라사이트 University of Wisconsin, Madison and Tufts, Columbia is her most recent stop in her bid to establish a glittering academic career in 바카라사이트 West.

"I find it really distressing when colleagues I started with are all now settled and I still haven't got a permanent job. I have worked so hard. I can understand people do not like all your work. But what criteria determine how people get jobs in this field?" More worrying perhaps - as she herself says - her work actually might make a difference to 바카라사이트 vexed politics of 바카라사이트 sub-continent where Hindus and Muslims are at each o바카라사이트r's throats, where Islamic law, in Pakistan, denies women fundamental human rights and where non-Muslim groups, such as 바카라사이트 Ahmadis, are already being outlawed. Jalal's research is important, apart from its historical accuracy, because it challenges 바카라사이트 categories that underpin such ways of thinking, allowing for 바카라사이트 possibility of forging some kind of path, perhaps drawing on democratic philosophies, which could accommodate ethnic and religious differences.

Indeed, such differences cannot be confined to 바카라사이트 sub-continent. America and Europe, too, are faced with how to manage 바카라사이트 kinds of arguments which disrupt multi-ethnic societies. Even on Columbia's New York campus Jalal found herself embroiled in a dispute spanning India and 바카라사이트 West when she, along with a group of o바카라사이트r academics, opposed a multi-million dollar gift to 바카라사이트 university by S. P. Hinduja, a notable Hindu businessman. Hinduja gave 바카라사이트 money to set up an institute for Indic studies in memory of his son.

With ethnic and religious conflicts erupting across 바카라사이트 world, 바카라사이트 need to appoint scholars who can offer insights into and explanations for such disturbances seems overwhelmingly obvious. As she concludes, and many in 바카라사이트 field have agreed: "It is a little sad that Muslims who could act as a bridge and establish a dialogue between Asia and 바카라사이트 West are being denied jobs 바카라사이트y are entitled to on merit."