Das, Poulami

Poulami Das is a PhD student in the Department for the Study of Religion at the University of Toronto.  She completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s in History from Presidency University (Kolkata). She also completed an M.Phil in Modern History from the University of Calcutta. Her dissertation focuses on the ghāzī cult in Bengal (present day Indian state of West Bengal and Bangladesh) and how the role of material culture and the built space of the dargāh (shrines) shape contemporary cultural memory for communities of practice today. The broader themes of her focus include Muslim material practices, cultural memory, and anthropology of pilgrimage. She is presently exploring sources that include Persian ta’rīkh and Sufi poetry and discourses written in a variety of languages, including Persian, Bangla, and Awadhi. She is also interested in understanding the influence of Persian literary culture on medieval Bangla. Additionally, she is curious about the Persian world’s intricacies and the multifaceted layers of Islamic art and architecture.