23/08/2026
Book Symposium on 'Terrorism in Question: Decolonizing Anthropology and the Study of Islam' by Dr. Irfan Ahmed.
How do state power, law, and media construct the label of "terrorism"? Rather than asking the standard question—"Who is the terrorist?"—Prof. Dr. Irfan Ahmad's work poses a foundational decolonial query: "Who needs the category of the terrorist?"
In his latest work, Terrorism in Question: Decolonizing Anthropology and the Study of Islam, Prof. Ahmad offers a ground-breaking critique of post-9/11 counterterrorism discourses. By examining how state institutions deploy the label of terror, his scholarship shifts our focus away from orientalist depictions and toward the structural power configurations that produce them.
Centre For Bengal Studies is hosting a Book Symposium to discuss this vital work and its implications for modern anthropology and political theory.
Invited Panelists:
Dr. Irfan Ahmad, Professor of Anthropology and Sociology, Ibn Haldun University
Dr. Aisha Ghani, Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Religious Studies, University of Minnesota
Dr. Tanzeen Doha, Visiting Assistant Professor of Global Studies, Colby College
Dr. Abhik Bhattacharya, Assistant Professor, Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts, Symbiosis International University
Moderator:
Mahmud Naeem, Graduate Teaching Fellow and PhD Student, Ibn Haldun University
Date: Sunday, August 30, 2026
Platform: Zoom (Online Event)
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83418649477?pwd=dJBvu4gjsvQ5mnoYyhHGyNz4pp7bz2.1
Meeting ID: 834 1864 9477
Passcode: 175554
Time:
9:00 PM — Bangladesh (BST)
8:30 PM — India (IST)
6:00 PM — Türkiye Time (TRT)
11:00 AM — US Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
You're cordially invited to join and participate in this discussion.