Dr. Nadhra Shahbaz

Dr Nadhra Shahbaz Khan is an Associate Professor of art and architectural history and serves as the Director Gurmani Centre for Languages and Literature. A specialist in the history of art and architecture of the Punjab from the sixteenth to the early twentieth century, her research covers the visual and material culture of this region during the Mughal, Sikh, and colonial periods. Her publications in international peer reviewed journals, conference papers and other research activities, especially her book titled Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s Samādhi in Lahore: A Summation of Sikh Architectural and Decorative Practices and a website (https://www.sikhvirsa.org.pk/home/) that features Sikh artefacts in the Lahore Fort’s Sikh Gallery, have successfully brought Sikh art and architecture at the forefront of Pakistan’s heritage discussions and conservation activities. This website has received the Times Higher Education Awards Asia 2022 for “Excellence and Innovation in the Arts”.

Nadhra Khan has held research fellowships at SOAS, London (Charles Wallace 2010–2011), INHA Paris (2015), Princeton University (Fulbright 2014–2015), Oxford University (Barakat Trust 2014–2015) Lakshmi Mittal South Asia Institute, Harvard (2021-2022), and the Institute for Advanced Study in Asian Cultures & Theologies, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (2023). She has also been a recipient of the highly competitive CAA-Getty International Program travel grants thrice: 2012, 2019 & 2021, the MGSHSS LUMS Annual Research Award 2019, the LUMS Faculty Initiative Funds for 2020 and 2021 and Faculty Travel Grants. Her association with the Aga Khan Cultural Service–Pakistan for their Lahore Fort project as Consultant Historian continues since 2016.

    1:00 - 1:45 PM Panel

    SUNDAY Sunday 3rd March

    Chronicling Mughal-Sikh Women: Power, Politics, And Patronage

    Location: Hall 1

    This panel will look at women lost or buried in historical narrative from the Mughal era till more recent times and the mark they left on literature, politics, architecture and other spaces. It will also explore this theme of women considered "bad" through characters like Razia Sultana, and Rabia Basri and . The idea is to celebrate these remarkable women and the impact they had on their communities, examining both historical and present-day perspectives. It explores how when viewed through a non patriarchal lens how female relationships and support has shaped history.
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