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Postcolonial Dreams Conference

  • Friday, April 4, 2025 (All day)
  • Saturday, April 5, 2025 (All day)

April 4th ARCH 108 / April 5th Houston Hall 218


Please join us to celebrate the distinguished careers of Professors Suvir Kaul and Ania Loomba on the occasion of their dual retirement from the University of Pennsylvania. “Postcolonial Dreams” (aka “Kauloomba Fest”) is a conference-fête that gathers new and life-long colleagues, students, comrades, family, and friends to bear witness to the enormous contributions Suvir and Ania have made and the infectious conviviality they bring with them everywhere—to their scholarship, their activism, and their communities across numerous cities, countries, and continents.

Over the course of 1.5 days, we will host three panels, a mystery screening of a recent documentary film, and of course (in true Suvir and Ania fashion) many meals and libations. Guest speakers include David Alff, Laura Brown, Jonathan Burton, Vikrant Dadawala, Jean Howard, Jisha Menon, Sal Nicolazzo, Rovel Sequeira, and Emily Weissbourd.

 

 

 

Welcome

April 4, 10:30am, ARCH 108

Margo Crawford (University of Pennsylvania)

Chi-ming Yang (University of Pennsylvania)

 

Early Modern Studies

April 4, 11:00am-1:00pm, ARCH 108

Moderator: Melissa Sanchez (University of Pennsylvania)

Speakers: Jean Howard (Columbia University), Jonathan Burton (Whitter College), Emily Weissbourd (Lehigh University)

 

18th-Century Studies

April 4, 2:30pm-4:30pm, ARCH 108

Moderator: Michael Gamer (University of Pennsylvania)

Speakers: Laura Brown (Cornell University), David Alff (SUNY-Buffalo), Sal Nicolazzo (University of California, Davis)

 

Film Screening + Discussion

April 4, 5:00pm-7:00pm, ARCH 108

Bakirathi Mani (University of Pennsylvania)

 

Postcolonial & South Asia Studies

April 5, 10:00am-12:00pm, Houston Hall 218

Moderator: Abdulhamit Arvas (University of Pennsylvania)

Speakers: Jishan Menon (Stanford University), Vikrant Dadawala (York University), Rovel Sequeira (University of Michigan)

 

Concluding Remarks

April 5, 12:00pm, Houston Hall 218

Sara Kazmi (University of Pennsylvania)

David L. Eng (University of Pennsylvania)

Presented by Department of English, Asian American Studies, Annenberg CARGC, Cinema and Media Studies, Comparative Literature, GSWS, South Asia Center, and South Asia Studies

Artwork by Aamer Mumtaz, sketch of Ania and Suvir (2025); Sliman Mansour, "Olive Field" (2020)