Fouzia Farooq Ahmed
Fouzia Farooq Ahmed is Associate Professor in the Department of History at Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad. Her academic career has been shaped by public sector institutions in Pakistan, beginning with a BA in Persian and Psychology from F.G. College for Women, Rawalpindi, followed by an MSc, MPhil, and PhD in History from Quaid-i-Azam University. Her PhD thesis, titled “Political Authority and Legitimacy in the Delhi Sultanate,” reflects her deep interest in the political and social dynamics of medieval South Asia.
Her research interests are broad and include Islamic history, socio-economic and religious history of medieval South Asia, Muslim intellectual thought, Muslim education, history of religions, and the history of cinema. This wide range of interests has shaped an approach to historical inquiries from multiple angles.
Since 2017, she has been serving as an Assistant Professor at Quaid-i-Azam University, where she previously held the position of Lecturer from 2007 to 2017. Her academic career also includes a brief tenure as a Lecturer at the International Islamic University, Islamabad. Some of the subjects she teaches includes “Slavery in the Medieval Muslim World,” “Governance, War, and People in Pre-Modern South Asia,” and “History of Islamic Art.” She was promoted to Associate Professor in September 2024.
Prof Ahmed's research publications include a book and several articles. She authored a book titled Muslim Rule in Medieval India: Power and Religion in the Delhi Sultanate (I.B. Tauris, 2016) and has numerous articles published in reputable journals. Notable among these are “Femininity, Power, Resistance, and Politics of Outrage: The Legend of Padmavati” and “Trust Based Relations in Delhi Sultanate Power Politics,” both published in the Journal of the Pakistan Historical Society. Her research often explores themes of power dynamics, intellectual traditions, and socio-cultural transformations within Islamic and South Asian contexts.
She is currently working on a historical novel about Amir Khusro and his times, as well as a book detailing the history of Quaid-i-Azam University from 1965 to 2019. These projects reflect her commitment to contributing to both academic scholarship and broader cultural understanding.
Prof Ahmed has presented at numerous international conferences and workshops, focusing on areas such as Islamic history, South Asian history, and pedagogical methods. This includes a workshop at the University of Nebraska, Omaha, USA, in March 2019, focusing on pedagogical methods, research collaboration, and leadership skills training.
Throughout her career, she has been recognized with several honors and awards, including the Quaid-i-Azam Medal and Chancellor Medal for achieving the highest marks in Social Sciences during her MPhil. Additionally, she was awarded an HEC indigenous scholarship for my PhD studies and served as a Carnegie Junior Research Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies from 2014 to 2016. She has also been part of the Atlas Project at OCIS, for which I was invited to work from January to June 2024.
Beyond academia, she is actively involved in community leadership and activism, particularly in the areas of child rights and environmental protection. Several of her stage dramas on these themes have been performed at national theatres, including the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA). She volunteesr with various NGOs, contributing to initiatives that support education and literacy programs.
Additionally, she is a painter, and her work has been exhibited in national-level art exhibitions for the past five years. Her diverse experiences and dedication to historical scholarship and community service reflect her commitment to advancing knowledge and fostering a deeper understanding of our shared past.
Prof Ahmed is the TORCH / All Souls Global Professor 2024 - 2025.
