Network ReOrient

In the realm of popular culture, representations of ancient Greeks and Romans abound in the West and Western adjacent societies. Classics, primarily focused on the study of Greeks and Romans, serve as Western history's foundational narrative. However, this narrative tends to create a timeline that excludes Muslim contributions and unintentionally supports the colonial-racial agenda of the West. In this intriguing episode of Radio ReOrient, Dr Marchella Ward from the Open University and Abdoolkarim Vakil from King's College, London, engage in a discussion that explores the notable similarities and differences between two academic domains: Critical Ancient World Studies and Critical Muslim Studies. This episode serves as an anticipatory introduction to the forthcoming publication titled "The Case for Forgetting Classics," edited by Mathura Umachandran and Dr Marchella Ward. Within this volume, numerous scholars come together with a shared commitment to decolonize the study of ancient Greeks and Romans. Recorded during the Bradford Literature Festival, this conversation provides a platform for reflecting on how the discourse of ancient Greco-Romans has shaped Western perceptions of history, epistemology, and identity, underwriting the exclusion of Muslimness.