The fourth Mahomedali Habib Distinguished Lecture on Pakistan was delivered by Dr. Jonathan Mark Kenoyer, eminent archaeologist and leading authority on the ancient Indus Valley civilization
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY: The 4th Mahomedali Habib Distinguished Lecture on Pakistan was hosted by the Institute for South Asia Studies at UC Berkeley as part of the Berkeley Pakistan Initiative on Sunday evening. The lecture, titled “The Indus Civilization: Changing Perspectives on Regional Origins, Diverse Character, and Complex Legacy”, was delivered by one of the world’s most respected archaeologists and leading authorities on the Indus Valley Civilization, Dr. Jonathan Mark Kenoyer.
Mr. Ali Habib, member of Habib University’s (HU) Board of Governors, attended the event to represent the Habib family, which sponsors the annual Mahomedali Habib Distinguished Lecture on Pakistan. Mr. Wasif Rizvi, President of HU, represented Habib University.
The featured speaker, Dr. Kenoyer, is a professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Wisconsin Madison. He has been excavating with the Harappa Archaeological Research Project at the ancient city of Harappa in Pakistan since 1986, and currently co-directs the project. Dr. Kenoyer has also authored or co-authored several important books on ancient South Asia, most well-known among which is “Ancient Cities of the Indus Valley” (Oxford, 1998). He has also curated exhibits on the Indus Valley civilization and acted as consultant for others.
In his lecture, Dr. Kenoyer examined the factors that led to the emergence of urban societies in the region known as the Indus Valley. He spoke of recent discoveries which highlight the differences between the different urban societies that emerged in the region, explaining how each settlement’s characteristics were influenced by local environments and socio-economic and political developments.
The Mahomedali Habib Distinguished Lecture on Pakistan is an annual event at UC Berkeley sponsored by the Habib family. The lecture honors the legacy of the founder of the House of Habib, whose many business achievements are matched in scale by his family’s dedication to philanthropy and social service. Through this lecture series, the Habib family aims to improve and diversify conversations about Pakistan in the United States as well as create opportunities for US and Pakistan-based scholars to dialogue.
Past speakers at the Mahomedali Habib lecture series include Professor Chistophe Jaffrelot, Senior Research Fellow at CERI at Sciences Po (Paris); Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa, independent Pakistani political and defense analyst; and Asma Jahangir, eminent Pakistani lawyer and human rights activist.
