Zubair Torwali

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Zubair Torwali
Born
Bahrain, Swat, Pakistan
EducationMaster’s degree(s) in English Literature & Political Science (University of Peshawar)
OccupationsResearcher; Writer; Activist; Educator; Linguist
Organization(s)Idara Baraye Taleem-wa-Taraqi (IBT) – Founder & Executive Director
Known forPreservation & revitalization of endangered/minority languages (esp. Torwali); civil society leadership; human rights activism
Notable work
  • Muffled Voices: Longing for a Pluralist & Peaceful Pakistan (2015)
  • Torwali Alif Be Te (2007)
  • Torwali English Dictionary for Students (2023)
AwardsHellman/Hammett Grant (2012)

Zubair Torwali is a Pakistani linguist, educator, and community activist, based in Bahrain, Pakistan, active for preserving and promoting Pakistan's Dardic cultures and languages. He has authored and overseen several works about the Torwali people and their culture. [1] He is also a researcher and public speaker. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Torwali graduated from Jahanzeb College in Swat, Pakistan, and completed his master's studies at the University of Peshawar. [5] He serves as the editor of "We Mountains", a magazine covering the culture of the Pakistani Himalayas, in addition to being the founder of Idara Baraye Taleem-o-Taraqi (I.B.T), an organisation promoting the rights of marginalised language communities of northern Pakistan. [6] As a writer, he has authored several research papers and articles including those in Pakistani English dailies and weeklies. [7]

Torwali is a member of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, a Fellow of Japan's 2013 Asian Leadership Fellow Program and was shortlisted for the International Bremen Peace Award 2015. [3] Torwali is also a Public Peace Prize laureate "…for his extraordinary commitment to giving a voice to the unheard by helping increase literacy in the indigenous people of Northern Pakistan". [8] He was awarded the 2012 Hellman-Hammett Grant by Human Rights Watch." [9] In 2021, I.B.T. whose Director is Zubair Torwali was chosen for the Linguapax International Award.

Works

Books

Academic journals

Articles

References

  1. "We Have Words like Everyone: A Roundtable Discussion with Six Poets from Poems from the Edge of Extinction". Modern Poetry in Translation. 15 January 2020. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  2. "Zubair Torwali | Language, Culture and Justice Hub | Projects | Ethics Center | Brandeis University". Brandeis.edu. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  3. 1 2 Stiftung die Schwelle. "Voices of the unheard in Pakistan: Zubair Torwali". Schwelle Foundation. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  4. Aeon:24th June 2022:How Dardistan became one of the most multilingual places on earth.
  5. "Zubair Torwali – Language, Culture and Justice Hub" . Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  6. "Zubair Torwali – Language, Culture and Justice Hub" . Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  7. "The Languages of Northern Pakistan – Criterion Quarterly". Criterion-quarterly.com. 26 December 2019. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  8. "Zubair Torwali | The Public Peace Prize Website". Publicpeaceprize.org. 21 September 2019. Archived from the original on 10 April 2019. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  9. Acumen on January 20, 2017 (20 January 2017). "Meet Our 2017 Regional Fellows". Acumen. Retrieved 21 April 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. Usman, Noah (22 June 2021). "Linguistic Diversity in Pakistan". www.americanpakistan.org. American Pakistan Foundation. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  11. Torwali, Zubair (24 June 2022). "How Dardistan became one of the most multilingual places on Earth". Aeon. Sam Haselby. Retrieved 14 July 2024.