Masood Ashraf Raja (

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' postcolonial literature Postcolonial literature is the literature by people from formerly colonized countries. It exists on all continents except Antarctica. Postcolonial literature often addresses the problems and consequences of the decolonization of a country, especia ...

and theory at the

University of North Texas The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public research university in Denton, Texas. It was founded as a nonsectarian, coeducational, private teachers college in 1890 and was formally adopted by the state 11 years later."Denton Normal School, ...

. He is also the editor of '' Pakistaniaat: A Journal of Pakistan Studies'', an open access journal that he founded in 2009.

Early life and education

Raja moved to the United States in 1996, after ten years of service in the Pakistan Army as an

Infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

officer. Raja graduated with a Masters in literature from

Belmont University Belmont University is a private Christian university in Nashville, Tennessee. Descended from Belmont Women's College, founded in 1890 by schoolteachers Ida Hood and Susan Heron, the institution was incorporated in 1951 as Belmont College. It be ...

in 2002, where he 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. Raja earned his PhD in postcolonial studies from Florida State University in 2006, where he studied with Robin Truth Goodman.

Career

Besides teaching and writing about issues of postcoloniality, globalisation, 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's monograph, ''Constructing Pakistan'', (Oxford University Press, 2010), is an interesting explanation of the rise of Muslim national political identity during the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was him ...

and offers an innovative explanation of the genesis of the idea of Pakistan. Raja has published extensively in his area of study and on general academic topics in various academic journals and anthologies. Raja is a member of the Advisory Committee (2009–12) of PMLA, the premier journal of literature and languages and was elected to a five-year term on the Executive Committee of the South Asian Studies Group, Modern Language Association. Besides his academic and popular writings, Raja has actively presented his views at academic conferences as well as through public talks. Raja has contributed his views on various issues related to the Islamic world and Pakistan to newspapers such as the ''

Fort Worth Star-Telegram The ''Fort Worth Star-Telegram'' is an American daily newspaper serving Fort Worth and Tarrant County, the western half of the North Texas area known as the Metroplex. It is owned by The McClatchy Company. History In May 1905, Amon G. Carter ...

'' on a story on Osama bin Laden and to Aljazeera English on a story about the

Blasphemy law in Pakistan The Pakistan Penal Code, the main criminal code of Pakistan, penalizes blasphemy ( ur, قانون ناموس رسالت) against any recognized religion, providing penalties ranging from a fine to death. According to the US Commission on Interna ...

. Having won a million dollar grant from the US State Department, Raja is the Director of a partnership program between the University of North Texas and the National University of Modern Languages in Islamabad. Raja continues to contribute his thoughts on issues of

social justice Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, Equal opportunity, opportunities, and Social privilege, privileges within a society. In Western Civilization, Western and Culture of Asia, Asian cultures, the concept of social ...

political Islam Political Islam is any interpretation of Islam as a source of political identity and action. It can refer to a wide range of individuals and/or groups who advocate the formation of state and society according to their understanding of Islamic pri ...

, and issues of human rights.

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. Raja's most recent book ''ISIS: Ideology, Symbolics, and Counter Narratives'' provides a thorough discussion of the ideological roots of ISIS. *'' ISIS: Ideology, Symbolics, and Counter Narratives'' . Routledge, 2019. *'' The Religious Right and the Talibanization of America''. Palgrave-Macmillan, 2016. *''Critical Pedagogy and Global Literature: Worldly Teaching''. (Co-edited with hillary Stringer and Zach VandeZande) Palgrave-Macmillan, 2013. *''The Postnational Fantasy: Nationalism, Cosmopolitics and Science Fiction''. (Co-edited with Jason W. Ellis and Swaralipi Nandi). McFarland Press, 2011. *''Constructing Pakistan: Foundational Texts and the Rise of Muslim National Identity 1857-1947''. Oxford University Press, 2010.

References

External links

Pakistaniaat: A journal of Pakistan Studies, Editor

Postcolonial Space
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raja, Masood Ashraf Living people American bloggers American educational theorists 21st-century American historians American literary critics American political writers American academics of Pakistani descent Pakistani bloggers Pakistani emigrants to the United States Pakistani educational theorists 21st-century Pakistani historians Pakistani literary critics Pakistani political writers Postcolonial theorists Islam and politics 1965 births People from Rawalpindi District Florida State University alumni University of North Texas faculty Pakistani expatriates in the United States