About Gandhara Chair

Introduction

The Gandhara Chair has been established at University of Wah to foster academic scholarship on the art and cultural history of the Gandhara region from an interdisciplinary perspective. To pursue its objectives, the Gandhara Chair will undertake independent and collaborative research and will organize conferences, seminars, lectures and training workshops. It will also publish booklets, brochures, maps, and audio/video material to generate resources for public education and promotion of heritage tourism of Gandhara. It will also hold art, craft and photography exhibitions and festivals to create heritage awareness among students and faculty of UW as well as general public. The Gandhara Chair will also create institutional linkages with foreign and national universities, museums, and research institutions.

About the Chair

Nadeem Omar Tarar has been appointed as the Gandhara Chair at the University of Wah. He holds an MSc. Anthropology Degree from Quaid-e Azam University, Islamabad and MA Critical Theory and Cultural Studies from University of Nottingham, UK. He holds a Ph.D. in Art History and Theory, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia and Post-Doctoral Fellowship, Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture, MIT, USA. He has worked as a Post-Doctoral Researcher at the School of Oriental and African Studies, (SOAS), London. He has served as the Executive Director, Center for Cultural and Development, Islamabad and a founder member of Gandhara Resource Center Pakistan. Previously, he worked for the government, as the Director, National College of Arts, NCA, Rawalpindi. He has also been Associate Professor and Director Post-Graduate Program, Communication and Cultural studies, NCA Lahore. He is the honorary Vice President of the Council of Social Sciences Pakistan and serves as the ICOM Pakistan’s Board Member for 2021-2024.

Publications

He is a prolific writer and public speaker. He has published in Economic and Political Weekly, International Journal of Art and Design Education, and Journal of South Asian Studies. His recent book is titled The Colonial and National Formation of the National College of Arts, Lahore, c 1870-1960: DE-scripting the Archive, (Anthem Press, UK). His forthcoming book titled, Ruled by the Pen: Colonialism, Culture, and Education in Punjab, is to be published by the National Institute of historical and Cultural Research, Islamabad. The first ever tourist map of Buddhist sites all over Pakistan has been produced by Dr. Nadeem Omar Tarar in sponsorship with the University of Wah.