LAHORE: Topophilia of Space and Place Anna Suvorova

by Anna Suvorova

The book is a reconstruction of the historical and cultural images of Lahore, one of the oldest cities in the Indian Subcontinent. The author has chosen an interdisciplinary approach that combines the studies in cultural anthropology, literary and historical sources, art history and humanistic geography. The central point of the analysis is topophilia (lit. love of place), the term used to describe the strong sense of place or identity among certain peoples and groups. In the present book, the topophilia of Lahore is represented through interrelations of different types of urban locations, landscapes, architecture and artefacts on the one hand and human attitudes, rituals and manners and customs on the other. The author’s aim is to show how the historical and cultural developments of people build up the cultural landscape of the city and how the geographical place and space, in their turn, influence the behaviour and identity of Lahore’s citizens. Author Description Anna Suvorova is the author of several books including A Study of Urdu Romance (OUP, 2000), Muslim Saints of South The Eleventh to Fifteenth Century (London; New Routledge, 2004, 2011), Early Urdu Traditions and Transformations ( NCA Publications, 2009), Benazir A Multidimensional Portrait (OUP, 2015) and Widows and Gender, Kinship, and Power in South Asia (OUP, 2019). Since 1972, she has worked at the Institute of Oriental Studies (Russian Academy of Sciences), currently she is the Head of the Department of Asian Literatures. In 2009, she was conferred the Sitara-i-Imtiaz by the President of Pakistan for her contribution to research on Pakistani Cultural Heritage.

272 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2021

About the author

Anna A. Suvorova is a Russian Orientalist and art critic. She is bilingual in Russian and Urdu. A recognized scholar, she frequently lectures at universities all over the world.

Suvorova is the Head of the Department of Asian Literature at the Institute of Oriental Studies (Russian Academy of Sciences), Professor of Indo-Islamic culture at the Institute of Oriental and classical cultures (Russian State University for the Humanities), member of the International faculty in National College of Arts (Pakistan), fellow of Academic Advisory Board, Centre for Study of Gender and Culture (Pakistan), fellow of Royal Asiatic Society (UK).

Her areas of professional interest include: South-Asian pre-modern literature, Islam in the Indian Subcontinent, Sufism, South-Asian performing and visual arts.

For her contribution to the research of Pakistani literature and cultural heritage she has been conferred one of the highest state awards of Pakistan — Sitara-i-Imtiaz.

Reviews

[Hadi Khurram · Rating 3 out of 5]

always fighting w myself abt whether a white girl writing about lahore is better than a lack of academia overall,,,