MAAS student Alia Jeraj successfully defends MA Thesis!
Congratulations to Alia Jeraj who has successfully defended her MA thesis in Asian Studies!
Alia (she & they) joined the Master of Arts in Asian Studies program in 2022 and their studies have focused on South Asian sung poetry traditions. The thesis, entitled “Grieving Together: How Muharram poetry creates liminality, allowing women to grieve,” examines the poetry recited in Northern India during Muharram, an annual period of mourning for Shi’a Muslims. Alia argues how the poetry allows women to express grief in ways that are dis-allowed in most other social contexts. Her research is based in ethnography and textual analysis.
Committee Chair Dr. Anna Stirr and members Dr. Barbara Watson Andaya and Dr. Sai Bhatawadekar, and the entire Department of Asian Studies all want to express our warmest congratulations for this major accomplishment.
Alia is an artist, writer, and educator who endeavors to find and/or create intersections between academics, art, and community. She will be presenting this research at the SPAS Conference. After graduating in May, Alia hopes to stay close to Mānoa Valley and continue their learning and making outside of academia.
