Soon to be scholar!

Not so fast, Michael Miller. History and MESAAS have the best courses of all time, according to Saaleh Baseer. Read on to find out why. 

Name, School, Major, Hometown: Saaleh Baseer, General Studies, History, Fremont, CA

Claim to fame: You might me know as the guy who’s always talking about colonialism and/or Pre-Partition India, or shaking a leg at South Asian or Middle Eastern dances, or doing Adaab (a greeting common to the Mughal elite where you raise your right hand in front of your nose and bend your head) to strangers.

Where are you going? Somewhere in the Orient.

What are 3 things you learned at Columbia and would like to share with the Class of 2021:

1) Don’t take Political Science classes. Explore the History and Mesaas departments. Most people major in Political Science because they have a strong interest in politics. But what most people don’t realize is Columbia’s Political Science department does not do justice nor acknowledge histories that extend beyond the twentieth century which is especially crucial in understanding modern politics in South Asia and the Middle East. Plus, can you really understand modern-day politics without situating Edward Said and Orientalism?

2) Don’t settle when it comes to friendships— maintain healthy relationships but realize that you deserve the best not only when it comes to education but also people. You’re not meant to be friends with everyone nor is everyone meant to be friends with you.

3) Challenge every narrative possible. Coming here I took many things to be ideal and necessary; nation-states, borders, homogenous religious identities. But the MESAAS/History department does a really good job of explaining why we shouldn’t accept everything that modernity has given us. Remember there’s another side to narratives that are taught and ingrained in us: there would be no Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice without British colonies in the Caribbean. When we look at history on a macro level, it’s easy to believe that the world is progressively getting better. But for a long time, the progression was only existent for the West, and was grounded in their exploitation of the East. Also, History does not repeat itself, nor does it rhyme.

“Back in my day…” People actually knew who the Bacchanal artists were before they performed.

Justify your existence in 30 words or fewer: Even if I had an endless amount of words with which to justify my existence, I’d still need more.

What was your favorite class at Columbia? The Worlds of Mughal India with Manan Ahmed— I changed my major from Political Science to History after taking it. He immediately starts off by pushing back against the narrative that Political Theory can only be written by white men (Hobbes, Machiavelli, et. al)— just because Mughal political theory isn’t what we commonly believe political theory to be doesn’t mean it’s not as useful. Why do we view empires through a “rise-and-fall” lens? Why do we only allow Western ideals to inform our ideas of governance? There were among many of the thought-provoking questions posed in this class. Also, the final was a review on Jodha Akbar or Mughal-e-Azam which is amazing.

Would you rather give up oral sex or cheese? What would the respected Islamic Scholars have to say about this?

One thing to do before graduating: Visit Malcolm X’s memorial at the Audubon Theatre and Ballroom on 165th and Broadway. It’s eerie how much what Malcolm X said rings true today and it’s filled with murals of him and his quotes.

Any regrets? Not taking Punjabi and Farsi classes here!

Standing tall via Saaleh Baseer