ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 237
Birgit Krawietz, Kai Kresse, Hermann Kreutzmann, Nadja-Christina
Schneider, Angela Ballaschk, ancl Sonja Eising were my cherished col-
leagues and friends in Berlin. With Islam and George, our dream project
of Zukunftsphilologie is now fully realized and making strides in the
world. They made possible a tumultuous intellecfual journey during
the three years I taught at Freie Universitat Berlin's Islamwissenschaft.
I want to thank Nicholas Dirks and Janaki Bakhle for welcoming me
to Columbia as one does a family member. Their support has meant
everything. Anupama Rao, Rashid Khalidi, Mark Mazower, Matthew
Connelly, Marc Van De Mieroop, Karl Jacoby, Pamela Smith, Adam
Kosto, Sheldon Pollock, ·Sudipta Kaviraj, Mahmood Mamdani, and
Brinkley Messick became colleagues, mentors, and friends. The De-
partment of History, the dean of social sciences, and the Graduate
School for Arts and Sciences at Columbia all gave immense material
and intellectual support for my scholarship and research-including
the Junior Research Fellowship, the Manuscript Workshop, and the
Lenfest Junior Faculty Grant. My amazing colleagues at Fayerweather
Hall helped me through hundreds of matters. These include Patrick
McMorrow, Andrew Leung, Najila Naderi, Sharee Nash, Patrice Turner,
Sia Mensah, and Patricia Morel. I thank them for their kindness and
their professionalism.
In Uch, Syed Shahbaz Ali Bukhari and his brother, the late Wajid
Ali Bukhari, were my hosts and guides. This work is indebted to
them, as am I. My gratitude to Professor Mushtaq Husain, Dr. Gh-
ulam Lakho, and Professor Shamsad Soomro of Sind University Jams-
horo, who spoke with me and helped me through various questions
regarding Sind's history. My thanks to Mohammad Moosa Bhutto,
Mohammad Ali Diplai, Syed Ali Mir Shah, Zameer Raja, and Humayun
Naseer for helping and guiding me during my fieldwork in Karachi,
Thatta, and Hyderabad. The staff at Punjab University Library (Oriental
Section), Quaid e Azam Library, Dayal Singh Library in Lahore, and
the National Archives in Islamabad were extraordinary professionals.
The staff at"British Library and Stadt Bibliothek Berlin were exemplary.
I thank them for their help and support.
Sharmila Sen glimpsed the book in a few conversations, asked
me to push myself out of my comfort zone, and provided her support
for this project. Her professional and personal care has left an indelible