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Rabia Nadir

Rabia Nadir is an Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Media Studies, Art and Design at the Lahore School of Economics. She has a joint appointment in the Department of Environment Science and Policy Studies where she teaches courses in Urban ecology and Sustainable Urban Planning and Management.  She received her B.Arch. from Pratt Institute N.Y. in 1988 and an MPhil in Environment Science and Policy from the Lahore School of Economics in 2013.

 Her research interests focus on socio-ecological change in rural and urban settlements. She has published on social change in the small cities of Bhera and Balakot, heritage conservation and gentrification in Walled City of Lahore and migrant workers in Lahore. Her present research is focused on female migration from rural Punjab and development and change in Tharparkar.

Earlier in her career she has been a practicing architect and full time instructor at the Departments of Architecture and Interior Design at the National College of Arts Lahore.

CV

  1. Rabia Nadir, Kamal Munir, and Shafqat Hussain. "Turning Walled City Lahore into a spectacle: the unintended consequences of heritage conservation." Third World Quarterly (2025): 1-19
  2. Rabia Nadir, ‘Resisting Assimilation-Pathans in Walled City of Lahore’, Lahore Biennale Reader 02, Lahore Biennale Foundation, Pakistan, 2024.
  3. Rabia Nadir etal, Pauperization and Migration-the continuing violence of the green revolution. et al Geographien Südasiens 15, 2024
  4. Chapter ‘Absent Presence-erasure of working class presence in conservation plans for Walled City of Lahore’ in Museums and the Working Class ISBN 9780367465476S  September 17, 2021 edited by Adele Chynoweth, Routledge publication.
  5.  “Disaster and Help in Balakot-birth of a new ecology” Co-authored with Fizza Batool, Ayesha Ijaz and  Dr. Munir Ghazanfar. Lahore    Journal of Policy Studies. Vol. 8, Dec. 2019.
  6. “The Trouble with Tourism”, Dawn, EOS, October 20th, 2019  Co-authored Anika Khan and Rabia Nadir
  7. “Is Modernity Depleting Bhera?.” Co-authored with Fizza Batool and Dr. Munir Ghazanfar. Lahore Journal of Policy Studies. Vol. 6, Nov. 2016.
  8. “Reclaiming the City of the People.” The News on Sunday. 5th Feb. 2017. http://tns.thenews.com.pk/reclaiming-city-people/
  9. “Is Modernity Depleting Bhera?.” Co-authored with Fizza Batool and Dr. Munir Ghazanfar. Lahore        
  10.  Journal of Policy Studies. Vol. 6, Nov. 2016.
  11.  “Pashtuns in Lahore.” Tanqeed. Issue 10, Jan. 2016. http://www.tanqeed.org/2016/01/pashtuns-in-lahore/
  12. Handbook of Appropriate Building Design for South Punjab (2004). Published by Conservation and Rehabilitation Centre (CRC) for Global Environment Facility (GEF) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

 

CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS

Paper Presentations:

  1. ‘Storying development-narratives of development and social change in Tharparkar’, at Lahore School of Economics  conference ‘Narratives of Place- Multidisciplinary perspectives in Media Studies, Art and Design’, May 3, 2024
  2. Annual Meeting of the Arbeitskreis Südasien of the Deutsche Gesellschaft fürGeographie (DGfG), Eberswalde University of Sustainable Development  2nd February 2023. Paper presentation ‘Paupaerization and Migration, the continued violence of the green revolution’.
  3. WERN 2022 conference ‘Working environments, unruly nature – no politics of work without nature, no nature without work’, Bonn University June 8-10th 2022. Paper presentation ‘Five onslaughts and final exodus’ jointly researched with Dr. Munir Ghazanfar, Fizza Batool, Huda Javed and Human Naeem.
  4. Conference on ‘Environmental history of Lahore’, (Online) University of Southampton December 2020
  5.  ‘Disaster and Help-the birth of a new ecology’ co-authored with Fizza Batool and Dr. Munir Ghazanfar at international workshop on ‘Everyday Life in Times of Ruination’ Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) 12th March 2020 .
  6. ‘Walled city Lahore’ Centre of South Asian Studies. Cambridge University 21st May 2019
  7. “Songs of Production and Nature, Reading Production of Nature in the Poetry of Guru Nanak.” Co-authored with Huma Safdar. International Conference on “Production of Nature,” Lahore School of Economics. Dec. 2016.
  8. “Can Money Compensate? Stories from a Suburban Frontier.” Co-authored with Huda Javed. International Conference on “Production of Nature,” Lahore School of Economics. Dec. 2016.
  9.  “Walled City to Small City.” Presented at “Future Directions in Pakistan Studies” at the Centre for South Asian Studies, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Apr. 2015.
  10. “Socio-Environmental Change in Chakwal: Rifts and Shifts in Global Times.” Co-authored with Nasir Mubarek and Nameeka-tul-Nabi. International Conference on “Environment of Small Cities of Pakistan,” Lahore School of Economics. Apr. 2015.
  11. “Development and Regeneration of Walled City Lahore: Predicting the Unpredicted,” 2nd Pakistan Urban Forum, South Asian Cities Conference, Karachi. Jan. 2014.

 

Participation:

  1. Discussant at roundtable on design at Future Fest 2024 expo on technology, innovation and music 27th January 2024
  2.  Participant and presenter, Workshop on Everyday Urbanisms with Martina Reiker and AbdouMaliq Simone. LUMS  March 2018
  3. Participant and discussant, “Negotiating Space, Gender, Language, Volatilities and Hegemonies,” International workshop on conflict-induced displacement and migration in Europe and South Asia, Quaid-e-Azam University. Jan. 2017.
  4. Guest Lecturer, “Environment of Walled City Lahore,” Leadership for Environment and Development (LEAD) Pakistan, 19th Leadership Development Program. Oct. 2016.
  5. Lead Instructor, field trip to Chiniot city. Faculty mentoring workshop on Architectural History and Theory organized by the American Institute of Pakistan Studies. April 2016
  6. Participant, 2 day Workshop with Dr. Saba Mahmood ‘Recent Debates in Critical theory’, LUMS. March 2016
  7. Participant, 2 day Workshop with Dr. Barbara Harris White ‘Informality across frontiers’. LUMS march 2016 
  8. Discussant, “Asian Ecologies” conference, Lahore University of Management Sciences. Apr. 2013
  9. Session Chair, “What is the Pakistani Public?” conference, Lahore University of Management Sciences. Dec. 2012.
  10. Organizer and presenter, 4 day Workshop on Appropriate architecture for south Punjab. Conservation and Rehabilitation Centre (CRC). Multan and Bahawalpur January and March 2004.
  11. Rapporteur, “International Conference on Conservation of Heritage in Pakistan,” organized by the Ministry of Culture and the Conservation and Rehabilitation Centre. Apr. 1999.
  12. Member Organizing Committee, Arc Asia Conference  Lahore 1993

 

AWARDS

  1. Charles Wallace Trust Visiting Fellowship 2018-2019
  2. American Institute for Pakistan Studies Travel Grant 2016

 

COMMUNITY WORK

  1. Lahore Chitrkar 2001-2009
  2. Founding member and director Lahore Chitrkar a non-profit centre for the arts. Arranged numerous events and conducted children’s art programs with schools and summer camps at Lahore Chitrkar, theatre workshops, heritage walks and discussion forums on Lahore city.