Ali Usman Qasmi
Institution: Lahore University of Management Sciences
Born and raised in Lahore, Ali Usman Qasmi is a historian of modern South Asia. He has published extensively in his area of expertise, including two monographs - Questioning the Authority of the Past: The Ahl al-Quran Movements in the Punjab, and The Ahmadis and the Politics of Religious Exclusion in Pakistan (winner of Karachi Literature Festival Peace Prize). Along with several journal articles and chapters in academic works, he has co-edited three volumes, including Muslims Against the Muslim League: Critiques of the Ideas of Pakistan. He has previously been the recipient of the Newton International Fellowship for postdoctoral research. Since 2012, Qasmi has been teaching history at the LUMS University's School of Humanities and Social Sciences.
His latest book is titled Qaum, Mulk, Sultanat: Citizenship and National Belonging in Pakistan (Stanford University Press, 2023).
Reflections Upon “Civilizationisms”
My interest in civilizationalism is distinguishing it from nationalism as a new form of affective ascription to an imagined, glorious past of the nation. While nationalism typically revolves around the pursuit of statehood or traces its roots to ancient epochs, civilizational discourses – still rooted in history – represent a contemporary narrative infused with a peculiar distortion of decolonial theory framed in the rhetoric of moral sovereignty.
By distinguishing civilizationalism from nationalism, I seek to clarify the nuances between the two ideologies and highlight how the former diverges from conventional nationalist narratives. My project looks at these decolonial moral languages as a form of politics that is profoundly anti-liberal and articulates and justifies a regressive social order in the name of positing a subaltern authenticity or decentring Europe. In other words, I look at how right-wing ideologues weaponize the liberating aspects of the decolonial theory.
By uncovering these dynamics, my research endeavors to contribute theoretical frameworks for understanding the evolving nature of nationalist ideologies to advance understanding of contemporary political dynamics, particularly within the intersections of nationalism, decolonial theory, and right-wing politics.