Moot highlights idea of self, Sufism

LAHORE: Multiple events, including paper presentations and panel discussions were held on the third day of the conference ‘Gender, Piety and Secularity: Conversations with Saba Mahmood (1962-2018)’ at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) here Tuesday.

In his paper ‘The Anthropocosmic Self in Pakistan’s Sufi Tradition’ Dr Noman Baig from Habib University presented a preliminary idea of the self from a Sufi philosophical perspective.

While observing that ‘One of the old age questions that still intrigues modern disciplines is: how do I know myself?” Dr Noman said the concept of self was one of the fundamental ideas in social science and humanities which had inspired philosophical exploration and sparked debate among scholars and thinkers.

According to Dr Noman, there are certain concepts if properly understood could help us illuminate our existence. ‘It is pertinent to mention that organised by the LUMS Mushtaq Ahmad Gurmani School of Humanities & Social Sciences, the conference is being held to honour the memory of the late anthropologist Saba Mahmood. The conference marks five years since Prof Saba passed away. The conference comprises lessons, workshops, and discussions with speakers talking about research influenced by Prof Saba's work. The conference will conclude with a special tribute to Prof Saba at Alhamra today (Wednesday).