Introduction

Dr Aasim Sajjad Akhtar is currently Associate Professor of Political Economy at Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad, Pakistan. He previously taught at the Lahore University of Management Sciences. He is a syndicated columnist in Pakistan’s newspaper-of-record, DAWN, and contributes regularly to The Straits Times. Alongside his academic and journalistic pursuits, Dr Akhtar has been closely affiliated with progressive political and social movements in Pakistan for over 20 years.

Dr Akhtar has published in numerous peer-reviewed journals such as Third World Quarterly, Journal of Peasant Studies, Journal of Contemporary Asia and Critical Asian Studies. He is also the author of three books, the most recent being The Politics of Common Sense: State, Society and Culture in Pakistan (Cambridge University Press, 2018).

Dr Akhtar holds degrees from Northwestern University (United States [US]), Yale University (US) and the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (United Kingdom).

Areas of Interest and Expertise

• Colonial History of the Subcontinent
• Global Political Economy
• Critical Theory
• Political Sociology