Originally from Pakistan,
Dr. Masood Ashraf Raja (
UrduUrdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
: مسعود اشرف راجہ) is an Assistant Professor of Postcolonial Literature and Theory at the
University of North TexasThe University of North Texas is a public institution of higher education and research in Denton. Founded in 1890, UNT is part of the University of North Texas System. As of the fall of 2010, the University of North Texas, Denton campus, had a certified enrollment of 36,067...
and the editor of
Pakistaniaat: A Journal of Pakistan StudiesPakistaniaat: A Journal of Pakistan Studies is a peer-reviewed open access academic journal established in 2009, which covers research on Pakistan-related topics. It is published triannually by the English Department of the University of North Texas and is also sponsored by the American Institute...
, a journal that he founded in 2009. Besides teaching and writing about issues of postcoloniality, globalization, and political Islam, Raja also actively participates in the public debates through his public writing on his two blogs as well as other popular and scholarly websites.
Raja moved to the United States in 1996, after ten years of service in the
Pakistan ArmyThe Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
as an
InfantryInfantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
officer. Raja graduated with a Masters in literature from
Belmont UniversityBelmont University is a private, coeducational, liberal arts university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. It is the largest Christian university in Tennessee and the second largest private university in the state, behind nearby Vanderbilt University.-Belmont Mansion:Belmont Mansion...
in 2002, and earned his Ph.D. in Postcolonial Studies from
Florida State UniversityThe Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
in 2006, where he studied with
Dr. Robin Truth GoodmanDr. Robin Truth Goodman is a Professor of Literature at Florida State University. Trained as a comparatist and as a scholar in postcolonial studies, Goodman specializes in the issues of critical pedagogy, feminism, and postcolonial theory...
. While at Belmont University, Raja was awarded the Graduate Writing Award and at Florida State he was awarded the Davis Award for Best Graduate Student and Davis Award for best dissertation in 2005 and 2006 respectively.
A strong proponent of peace, social justice, and human rights, Raja hopes to foster a better understanding between his primary culture and rest of the world.
Raja's last
monographA monograph is a work of writing upon a single subject, usually by a single author.It is often a scholarly essay or learned treatise, and may be released in the manner of a book or journal article. It is by definition a single document that forms a complete text in itself...
,
Constructing Pakistan, (Oxford University Press, 2010), is an interesting explanation of the rise of Muslim national political identity during the
British RajBritish Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
and offers an innovative explanation of the genesis of the idea of Pakistan. Raja has also published extensively in his area of study and on general academic topics in various academic journals and anthologies. Raja is also a member of the Advisory Committee (2009–12) of PMLA, the premier journal of literature and languages and was also recently elected to a five year term on the Executive Committee of the South Asian Studies Group,
Modern Language AssociationThe Modern Language Association of America is the principal professional association in the United States for scholars of language and literature...
. Besides his academic and popular writings, Raja has also actively presented his views at academic conferences as well as through public talks.
Recently, Raja has also contributed his views on various issues related to the Islamic world and Pakistan to newspapers such as the
Fort Worth Star-TelegramThe Fort Worth Star-Telegram is a major U.S. daily newspaper serving Fort Worth and the western half of the North Texas area known as the Metroplex. Its area of domination is checked by its main rival, The Dallas Morning News, which is published from the eastern half of the Metroplex. It is owned...
on a story on Osama bin Laden and to Aljazeera English on a story about the
Blasphemy law in PakistanThe Pakistan Penal Code prohibits blasphemy against any recognized religion, providing penalties ranging from a fine to death. However, in practice, it is only applied to Islam. An accusation of blasphemy commonly subjects the accused, police, lawyers, and judges to harassment, threats, and attacks...
.
Dr. Masood Ashraf Raja continues to contribute his thoughts on issues of
social justiceSocial justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
,
political IslamPolitical aspects of Islam are derived from the Qur'an, the Sunna , Muslim history, and elements of political movements outside Islam....
, and issues of
Human rightsHuman rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
and is likely to become an important voice in the field of
HumanitiesThe humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
in general and on issues related to Pakistan and the Islamic world in particular.
Publications
Raja has published extensively on issues related to postcolonial studies, political Islam, and about Pakistan and the region. Besides his academic work, Raja also writes poetry and fiction.
External links