Governing Diversity: Engaging with a Complex World

The Aga Khan University (International) in the United Kingdom, in collaboration with the Ismaili Centre and the Aga Khan Museum, offers a face-to-face short course on Governing Diversity: Engaging with a Complex World.

This course examines how different kinds of states have treated diversity among their subjects. Looking at case studies ranging from the Romans and the Mughals to modern states in Europe and North America, it invites us to ask how far different kinds of subject expected to see themselves represented in the state and what kinds of ethnic or religious hierarchies the state endorsed. It also asks us to think about how different social groups functioned internally: how did their leaders manage the balancing act between the demands of the state and those of their community? How did they gather and spend revenues? And how did they secure the boundaries of their community against outsiders? The course will also include a study session at the Aga Khan Museum and a reflection on the course from the perspective of the local Ismaili community: does history offer lessons or models that can be used in the present day?

Learning outcomes:

• Evaluate the utility of different kinds of technical vocabulary to analyse group behaviour
• Compare the experience of minorities in different contexts
• Analyse the interaction of legal policy, demography and political systems in the experience of minorities
• Combine art historical evidence with written evidence to develop a holistic model of cultural interaction

Draft Agenda

Course faculty:

Professor Philip Wood

Prof. Philip Wood is a course lead for this short course. Dr. Wood studies West Asia before and after the Arab conquests (roughly 400-900CE). He is particularly interested in the history of Christian communities in Syria and Iraq, and in the formation and preservation of group identities more broadly. His books have analysed Syriac speaking Christian groups in the later Roman Empire, the Sasanian Empire and the Abbasid Caliphate. He has recently published *The Imam of the Christians: The World of Dionysius of Tel-Mahre, 750-850* (Princeton, 2021), and, alongside Professor Leif Stenberg, *What is Islamic Studies? European and North American Approaches to a Contested Field* (Edinburgh, 2022).

Professor Shahzad Bashir

Prof. Shahzad Bashir is dean, Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations, Aga Khan University (International) in the United Kingdom. His most recent books are the Open Access multi-modal digital monograph A New Vision for Islamic Pasts and Futures (MIT Press 2022) and The Market in Poetry in the Persian World (Cambridge 2021). He is currently working on the possibility of theorising history via photography and a cultural history of knowledge in India circa 1750–1850.

Dr Ulrike Al-Khamis

Dr. Ulrike Al-Khamis is the Director and CEO of the Aga Khan Museum. She has over 20 years of experience as a curator and senior advisor for museum and cultural projects, collaborating with institutions such as the National Museums of Scotland and Glasgow. More recently, Dr. Al-Khamis served as Co-Director of the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation and Senior Strategic Advisor to the Sharjah Museums Department in the United Arab Emirates.

Ms Erfa Alani

Erfa Alani is the Inaugural Executive Director of Small Business Centres Ontario, where she leads a network of 54 centres supporting entrepreneurs across the province. A seasoned public sector strategist, she also helped found Invest Ontario, the province’s investment attraction agency, where she served as its first Chief of Staff.

Her career spans international development, trade negotiations, and institutional transformation—including work with the Aga Khan Development Network in Sub-Saharan Africa and as a Canadian representative in trade talks with the European Union, the United States, and Mexico.

A former refugee, trained lawyer, and widowed mother of two, Erfa brings a deeply personal understanding to questions of identity, pluralism, and governance. She has advised on inclusive economic policy, led cross-cultural negotiations, and championed ethical leadership across sectors. Her academic work explores the intersection of happiness, trust, and pluralism in sustainable development.

Erfa is a graduate of the International Waezeen Training Program. Known for her systems-level thinking and disarming storytelling, Erfa closes this program by offering an Ismaili perspective on governing diversity—inviting reflection on the inherited language of faith, the burden and beauty of difference, and what it means to live our history forward.

Faiza Damji-Karim

Faiza Karim is a skilled educator and researcher with extensive experience in adult education and curriculum development. Faiza holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and History, a Bachelor of Education, and a diploma as an Intervenor for Deaf-Blind Persons. She also earned a Master of Arts in Teaching from University College London's Faculty of Education and Society, as well as a Master of Arts in Education specialising in Muslim societies and civilizations. Faiza recently completed the Postgraduate Research Fellowship at the Institute of Ismaili Studies; her research explored "The Sense of Belonging Among Queer Ismaili Muslims in Canada: A Qualitative Study on Belonging and Community." Guided by a commitment to inclusion and empowerment, Faiza’s work bridges academic excellence and practical application.

Note:

• The programme fees cover course materials and refreshments. Participants are responsible for all other expenses, including but not limited to flights, accommodation, meals, insurance, and additional personal costs.
• Please note that the course fees are non-refundable.In the event of a Canada visa refusal, failure to receive a timely visa response, or inability to secure a visa appointment, 50% of the payment will be refunded only after providing the evidence.
• For any enquiries, please contact at shortcourse.ismc@aku.edu.

Course fees:

Professionals £350

The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) Agencies £300

Students £250