Naveena Naqvi

Naveena Naqvi is an Assistant Professor specializing in Persianate Islamic Cultures of South Asia at the Department of Asian Studies within the Faculty of Arts at the University of British Columbia. She earned her PhD from UCLA in 2018 and previously held a postdoctoral fellowship at Yale University during 2018-19.

Her research focuses on early modern and modern South Asia, particularly the Persianate world from the 13th to 19th centuries. Her work examines non-courtly writers in regional contexts under early colonial rule, with broader interests spanning the history of political Islam, gender and sexuality studies, and Hindustani music. Dr. Naqvi's scholarly publications have appeared in prestigious journals such as The Indian Economic and Social History Review and History and Theory.

Dr. Naqvi's research explores the political imaginings and legal regimes crafted by autonomous Afghan soldiers, scholars and scribes in early colonial North India. Her work reveals complex networks of power and knowledge production that existed outside traditional courtly centers, offering fresh perspectives on South Asian history during periods of major political transition.

Her research has been supported by significant funding, including an SSHRC-Insight Development Grant, the UBC Hampton New Faculty Grant, and the Dean of Arts Faculty Research Award. She is also a member of the Balzan Seminar, a research cohort of Islamic History scholars led by Michael Cook at Princeton University.

Dr. Naqvi teaches courses including ASIA428: Mughal India, ASIA330: Muslims in Modern India, ASIA491(R): India and the Persianate World, and ASIA 310A: Afghan History. She actively invites applications from prospective MA students interested in Persianate history and early colonial rule in South Asia, demonstrating her commitment to mentoring the next generation of scholars in her field.