The LSE Majlis: Reviving the Eastern Intellectual Tradition

By: Mahliqa Ali

Photography By: Haris Ahmed

Reviving a legacy that shaped the paths of nations, the LSE Majlis was founded this academic year to promote critical discourse and cultural exploration through debates and discussions on politics, culture, and philosophy.

The Majlis has roots in a historical tradition established in the 1890s, when South Asian students at Cambridge in 1891, then Oxford in 1896, formed debating and discussion societies for topics such as Indian independence from British rule and the partition of South Asia. The Majlis gained prominence due to the integral role they played in providing a forum for key intellectual figures such as Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Indira Gandhi, Solomon Bandaranaike, and Amartya Sen to engage in critical thought and develop their philosophies.

The Majlis was a broadly anti-imperial organisation, inviting speakers such as Lord Chelmsford, former Viceroy of India, to debate with regarding his imposition of martial law in Punjab to suppress protests against British rule which led to massacres. These critical conversations were key to shaping the future leaders of South Asian countries and naming the countries themselves; it was at Majlis meetings that the name of the new state of Pakistan was developed after liberation from British colonisation and the resulting partition.

The Majlis expanded their focus throughout the 1950s until the 1970s beyond the South Asian subcontinent, concerning themselves with liberation wars in Algeria and Vietnam due to their commitment to self-determination across the world. However, the society lost momentum in the 1970s, as the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, and resulting Bangladeshi and Pakistani separation, provoked divisions among South Asian students.

The term ‘Majlis’ derives from the Arabic word meaning ‘place of sitting’. As Islam spread across Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa, the word Majlis developed to refer to ‘gatherings’ in Azerbaijani, Bengali, Farsi, Hindi, Turkish, and Urdu. It is this rich tradition that the LSE Majlis aim to rekindle in London, the cultural capital of the world.

During their first term as an active society, the LSE Majlis have hosted debates on the partition of India, colonial reparations, and Western feminism. Integrating academic and political engagement with more relaxed cultural events, they have welcomed speakers such as Palestine-focused journalist Myriam François, and Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on Palestine in collaboration with the Grimshaw club and Palestine society. Their socials have included a traditional chai social, and a calligraphy workshop where attendees could learn Arabic, Persian, and Urdu calligraphy. 

Discussing his motivations to revive this society, the founder and president of the LSE Majlis, Aadam, told The Beaver: “I was very dissatisfied with the overall corporate culture. It seemed like everyone was going to university to get a degree, solely as a mechanism by which they could access the business world. We’re in a university that’s an amazing hub of intellectuality and academia, and people aren’t paying enough attention to it.’’

He adds, “Universities like LSE have produced some of the most prominent public intellectuals who took their academic theories beyond university to make groundbreaking change in the real world. I wasn’t seeing that at the university, and I felt there was an impetus for it.”

Aadam explains that debate has always been intrinsic to academia, but he felt that this form of academic engagement had been lost at LSE. He therefore wanted the LSE Majlis to be a platform for students to come and talk about real-world contemporary issues and abstract, more philosophical questions, to both hone their personal skillset and improve culture at LSE.

“Majlis fulfils the desire for students to come and explore the intellectual backgrounds underlying their cultures.”

Key to this intellectual engagement are the debates, which have seen remarkable success. Zahra, Co-head of Debates for the Majlis, reflects on the unexpectedly large turnouts: “They’ve been even more successful than I imagined they would be. Not to downplay all of our hard work, but we are a new society, so I didn’t have huge expectations in terms of attendance.” Zahra was pleasantly surprised by the excellent reception, commenting that “with each new event we get larger crowds with even more enthusiasm”.

“Our debate on Western feminism was one of our biggest turnouts for any of our events. I printed around 40 ballots to give to attendees to vote and I had to print more because so many more people came than expected. Our audience keeps increasing and I think that’s a testament to how successful they are – people keep coming back and bringing their friends,” observes Zahra.

Aadam also mentions the Majlis’ role in engaging with Eastern philosophies within a Western academic institution with a Eurocentric curriculum. “There was a module I came across in first year which focused on historical and global perspectives on philosophy, but the course didn’t look at any Islamic philosophers. I was shocked by this because most scholars agree that if it wasn’t for Islamic philosophers, then the Renaissance, Reformation, Enlightenment eras of philosophy wouldn’t have happened–it was Arabic scholars who were heavily involved in the initial translation of many foundational Greek texts,” Aadam explains.

“One key purpose of the Majlis is to address the problem of eurocentrism in academia. For example, our debate on Western feminism explored critiques of the so-called normative, correct way of liberating women, and alternative forms of female empowerment. We also hosted an Oxford professor specialising in Islamic economics to discuss what an Islamic economy might look like,” he adds.

Many minorities have not had the power to represent themselves, as history and dominant media narratives are written by those who have held the power to do so. Therefore many South Asians and Middle Easterns have found themselves subject to inaccurate and dehumanising Orientalist portrayals. The LSE Majlis offers an avenue for people to represent the cultures that they come from on their own terms. 

For Ibrahim, the Vice President of the LSE Majlis, the society’s meetings are a space for “South Asian people to control narratives about themselves, and for people who appreciate those cultures, whether they are from those backgrounds or not, to immerse themselves in the culture.” 

“South Asians and Middle Easterns at LSE aren’t one homogenous group. We’re separated by nation, by culture, by class, by race, by religion, by whether we grew up in those countries or whether we’re members of the diaspora. What the LSE Majlis attempts to do, and I think has done well so far, is cater to a broad audience. Even when having discussions about tough topics such as partition, and reparations, what we can all agree on is that we have the right to have these discussions–this mutual respect fosters community,” says Ibrahim.

He adds, “We’re a space that welcomes people to express their own opinions. I think that’s necessary, especially within an under-politicised university. Ironically, this is a Political Science university, but LSE is apparently an ‘apolitical institution,’ and you see many people behaving apolitically. We’re saying that politics has its place in cultural discussion, but that doesn’t have to be a dividing line. We can be unified by our differences.”

Ibrahim further reflected on how incorporating people from the diaspora and people who grew up in South Asian countries creates a unique environment and opportunity to embrace your roots. “This really allowed me to appreciate a culture I was previously not as connected to. I met fellow members of the diaspora, who had the same experience as me of trying to connect to our culture while balancing being British. Whilst LSE is so rich in diversity, we often don’t champion that diversity, so we aim to create a space that does that.”

‘’There is beauty in every culture, so don’t be ashamed of it. People of the diaspora specifically have lots of experiences with this. Many international students embrace their culture because they grew up in those countries where they were immersed in it, and it’s so valuable to have that variety of perspectives,’’ explains Ibrahim. 

Zahra comments,“Growing up, I realised there’s no point in being ashamed of who I am and where I’m from. You might as well embrace it, and joining Majlis has really allowed me to take control of my identity, involve myself in the community, and make friends with people who want to explore their culture in the same way.”

Similarly, Aadam reflected on feeling disconnected to his culture as a third-generation immigrant. “My grandfather came to the UK from Pakistan in the early 1960s, I’ve grown up not being able to speak Urdu, I went to a traditional British school in North London, and I was one of the only Muslims in my year,” explains Aadam.

He adds, ‘’Since founding the Majlis, I’ve learnt a lot on a personal level, especially speaking to international students who were born and raised in South Asia. There’s such a beauty to South Asian culture that I never saw before. Whether it’s in the language, the food, the academic aspect, there’s so much cultural richness to the region that I never fully appreciated. And now I truly believe it’s one of the most special places on the planet.”

In Ibrahim’s words, ‘Too many people of the diaspora are afraid of embracing their culture, or in their attempt to assimilate they completely strip anything away from themselves that’s related to their heritage. So the Majlis message is to be proud of where you come from, and share it with the world.” 

Mahliqa discusses the new South Asian society on campus, the LSE Majlis, exploring the eastern intellectual tradition they seek to revive, their role in addressing eurocentrism in the curriculum and the overly corporate culture at LSE, and their fostering of South Asian community on campus.

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