Matriculated September 2020<\/p>\n
Contemporary practices and cultural politics of youth in urban Pakistan<\/span><\/p>\n Aizaz is interested in exploring the emergent, subterranean forms of political practices adopted by Pakistani youth. He hopes to study how Lahori youth push the boundaries of socially acceptable behavior and seek to escape (and in the process reshape) society\u2019s increasingly restrictive standards by engaging in activities such as: fashion, social media, illicit dating, and substance use. Some of the key questions defining Aizaz\u2019s research are: What is the political potential of \u201cfun\u201d in the Islamic Republic? To what extent do such \u201cfun\u201d activities empower Pakistani youth to push the multifarious restrictions that diminish and limit their lives? And what does it mean, subjectively, for these youth to reclaim power over their bodies, selves, and create alternative spaces?<\/p>\n Prior to beginning a PhD program at Boston University in 2020, Aizaz served as a research assistant at Lahore University of Management Science (LUMS), where he researched on youth subcultures in Lahore. He also obtained a bachelor\u2019s degree in Economics with a minor in Socio-Cultural Anthropology from LUMS (2015-2019), where his undergraduate thesis titled, \u201cThe Presentation of Black Magic in Pakistan,\u201d examined the intersections of black magic and mental health among young men in Lahore.<\/p>\nAbout<\/h3>\n
Awards & Grants<\/h3>\n