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  • On Kandahar Street: Afghan migration to Singapore and the British Straits Settlements in the mid to late nineteenth century

On Kandahar Street

Building on research conducted while on sabbatical at the Asia Research Institute at the National University of Singapore in 2017–8, this project explores the presence of Afghans in Singapore in the mid to late nineteenth century by taking Kandahar Street in the cosmopolitan Muslim Kampong Glam district as a starting point.

Did the name Kandahar Street refer to Afghans who lived in Singapore, or was it a reference by the colonial administration to British campaigns or other in Afghanistan? In either case, what do we know about Afghans in Singapore, and the region at the time? The research raises questions regarding the role of migrant traders, the colonial police, transported convicts, Haj pilgrims, nomads, cameleers, internal migration in British India. It also bears on the role of the East India Company in the legal trade of opium in Singapore, and in battles in the Middle East.

Project timeframe

2019 publication 

Location country

Singapore

Project findings and impact 

Book launch at Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) 2018. Speaker at first KLF-London in 2017, Royal Festival Hall. Reviews in Karachi media. 


Editorial reviews:

“This wonderful volume offers a vivid palimpsest of perspectives that brilliantly unpack how urban violence structures people’s lives and relations in both contested and contradictory ways. It will undoubtedly become ‘the’ reference point for understanding Karachi, as well as a model for exploring other violent cityscapes around the world.” —Dennis Rodgers, Professor of International Development Studies, University of Amsterdam

“A mesmerising read, presenting original, provocative prose about a city that defines Pakistan in more ways than one…Khan has done a phenomenal job of weaving together the themes in these brilliant essays.’ —Professor Hassan Abbas, Chair of the Department of Regional and Analytical Studies, National Defense University, Washington, D.C.

“This unusual book does full justice to a dynamic, diverse and troubled metropolis. Each chapter brims with insight, knowledge and affection for Karachi, and sensitive portraits of its residents. Khan’s volume strikingly depicts how violence, spectral and real, frames Karachi life, from ethnic fissures and poetry to masculine labour and alcohol.’ — Thomas Blom Hansen, Professor of Anthropology, Stanford University.

“Karachi, currently numbering over 23m people, is projected to be the world’s largest city by 2030. Khan has marshalled leading authorities to examine from different disciplinary perspectives why violence is integral to the city’s workings...’ — Francis Robinson, Professor of the History of South Asia, Royal Holloway University of London.

Media reviews in Dawn, Herald, The Friday Times.Yusuf, Ahmed. 2017. “Karachi Conversations”. Dawn, 13 August 

“a conversation between the gods of scholarly writing on Karachi.”
Academic reviews- Urban Geography 2017 “It covers a huge gap in the body of knowledge on peculiarities of Asian cities” (2017 online, Sana Iqbal) 

Research team

Dr Khan, Nichola

Output

2019 publication

Project partners

National University of Singapore (Asia Research Institute)- Visiting Associate Fellowship (Nov2017-Jan 2018) 
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