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Zubair Torwali

Researcher, Writer and Minority Language Activist
Executive Director, Idara Baraye Taleem-o-Taraqi
Swat, Pakistan
[email protected]

Hailing from Bahrain, Swat — the Switzerland of Pakistan — I am a researcher, author, protector of minority languages; social, cultural, civil society and human-rights activist; writer, columnist, blogger, journalist, voice of the unheard; and a powerful voice for the rights of all the marginalized linguistic communities of north Pakistan.

I founded a local civil society organization, Idara Baraye Taleem wa Taraqi (IBT),  in 2007 in my native town of Swat. Since then I have been successfully leading the organization. It was a CBO with few young men and the first civil society organization in upper Swat. It is an organization for, by and of the indigenous nations of northern Pakistan.

I led it successfully, and it has now become an effective platform for the preservation, promotion and revitalization of endangered languages and cultures. This organization has also been working on education with a focus on education for girls. Since its inception in 2007, the organization has successfully implemented 17 projects on inclusive education, adult literacy, language and culture documentation and promotion, forest conservation and human rights.

I am a prolific writer, too. I have authored and co-authored a number of books in English, Urdu and in my native language, Torwali. I authored the book “Muffled Voices: Longing for a Pluralist and Peaceful Pakistan.” It is on languages, cultures, education, extremism and peace. The book was published in 2015 and has since been sold in Europe, the United States and other countries. I co-authored the book “Paradise” with award-winning Singaporean photographer Edwin Koo. It is on my native Swat valley and covers the resilience of the people amidst the Taliban insurgency (2006-09) and the floods of 2010. I have also written books on Torwali poetry and literature.

In addition, I write columns, blogs and features in The News International, Dawn, The Express Tribune, Daily Times, Pakistan Today and in the weekly Friday Times, besides a number of online magazines on social justice, language policy, linguistic and cultural rights, education and peace. I also write in Urdu for online magazines and newspapers. The major themes of my newspaper writings are education, culture, languages, peace, human development, social injustices, language polices, enlightenment, development and climate change.

I am an avowed activist for the cultural and linguistic rights of the linguistic minorities of North Pakistan, social justice, education, human rights protection and gender equality. As a public speaker, I frequently present papers on languages, cultures, education and climate change in international conferences, and I also speak at various forums in Pakistan. I am frequently invited to seminars, literature festivals, conferences and talk shows to speak on languages, cultures, education, climate change and forest conservation. I am also involved in the social mobilization of the linguistic minorities of Pakistan.

Research Interests

  • Education
  • Language in education
  • Culture and history (oral, folklore, Dardic, subaltern and postcolonial studies, peace and harmony)
  • Modernity and globalization and their impacts on culture and language
  • Sociolinguistics

Publications

  • Torwali, Zubair (2023 December). “Torwali-English Dictionary for Students.” Idara Baraye Taleem wa Taraqi (IBT), Bahrain Swat, Pakistan.
  • Torwali, Z. (2023, May 8). Chapter 17 using children’s native language repertoire to develop literacy materials: Early writing in Torwali. Brill. https://brill.com/display/book/9789004544185/BP000018.xml  
  • Torwali, Zubair (June 222). “Mother Language Education: The Torwali Multilingual Education  Model” https://criterion-quarterly.com/mother-language-education-the-torwali-multilingual-education-model/ 
  • Torwali, Zubair (June 2022) “The Polyglots of Dardistan” Aeon Magazine .
  • https://aeon.co/essays/how-dardistan-became-one-of-the-most-multilingual-places-on-earth 
  • Torwali, Zubair (Dec 2021), “The Dards, Dardistan and its linguistic tapestry” Bi-annual research journal, “Pashto” V. 50, Issue 662, Pashto Academy, University of Peshawar, Pakistan. Link: http://www.pashto.org.pk/index.php/path/article/view/233 
  • Torwali, Zubair (Sept.2021), “Attempting Inclusive Education” in the book ‘Reforming School Education in Pakistan & The Language Dilemma” by Zubeida Mustafa, Published by Paramount Books (Pvt.) Ltd., Karachi Pakistan. https://paramountbooks.com.pk/product/reforming-school-education-in-pakistan-the-language-dilemma 
  • Torwali, Zubair. (June 2021), “My Dardistan and its linguistic tapestry’ Criterion Quarterly,  Vol. 16, Issue. 2. https://criterion-quarterly.com/my-dardistan-and-its-linguistic-tapestry/
  • Torwali, Zubair. (Apr. 2021). “The Torwali Multilingual Education Model”, Academia Letter, Link: https://www.academia.edu/47515025/The_Torwali_Multilingual_Education_Model
  • Torwali, Zubair. (Apr 2021), ‘Culture and music of Dardistan’ Criterion Quarterly. Vol. 16, Issue. 1 https://criterion-quarterly.com/culture-and-music-of-dardistan/
  • Torwali, Zubair (2021). (ed) ‘Surbuland’ a research book in Urdu on the sociology, languages, histories and cultures of High Asia.
  • Torwali, Zubair (2021) (Translated Torwali poetry book “Inaan’ into Urdu.
  • Torwali, Zubair (2021) ‘Preserving and Promoting the Endangered Languages of North Pakistan in a Digital Age’. The SDC Anthology 2020 by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Pakistan. https://sdpi.org/sdpiweb/publications/files/SDC-Anthology-2020.pdf
  • Torwali, Zubair (2020) ‘Education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, over the last two decades’  Vol. 15, Issue 4. Criterion Quarterly, Islamabad. https://criterion-quarterly.com/education-inkhyber-pakhtunkhwa-pakistan-over-the-past-two-decades/      
  • Torwali, Zubair (2020) “Adapting the Multilingual Assessment Instrument for Narratives (MAIN) to Torwali”. ZAS Papers in Linguistics 64 (August):241-48. https://doi.org/10.21248/zaspil.64.2020.583.
  • Torwali, Zubair (2020), Countering the challenges of globalization faced by endangered languages of North Pakistan, Language Documentation and Description journal Volume 17. http://www.elpublishing.org/itempage/181
  • Torwali, Zubair (2020) Compiled Torwali -English Dictionary for students—online
  • Torwali, Zubair (2020)  Torwali-Urdu-English talking dictionary online edition 
  • Torwali, Zubair (2020) Torwali -English Dictionary for students—online
  • Torwali Zubair (2020). Torwali-Urdu-English talking dictionary online edition 
  • Torwali, Zubair (2019). Anonymous poems of Torwali translated in English for the book, ‘Poems on the Edge of Extinction: An Anthology of Endangered Languages’. (ed) Chris McCabe. London. 
  • Torwali, Zubair (2019) Early Writing in Torwali, London: Routledge, Book chapter 
  • Torwali, Zubair (2019). Revitalization of Torwali music and culture, WeMountains, Swat
  • Torwali, Zubair (2018) . Language Revitalization — A Case Study of Torwali. Criterion. Vol. 12. Issue 4. Islamabad
  • Torwali, Zubair (2018). Strengthening Language and Identity a Case of Torwali Language. Dimension Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Issue# XIII, pp. 21-39
  • Torwali, Zubair (2017). Bahadar’s Almanac, Langscape Magazine, Vol. 6. Issue 2. p. 42–46, Terralingua, Canada 
  • Torwali, Zubair (2017). Language Revitalization: a Case Study of Torwali. Criterion Quarterly. Vol. 12. Issue. 4. Islamabad 
  • Torwali, Zubair (2017). Reversing Language Loss through an Identity Based Educational Planning: The Case of Torwali language, Eurasian Journal of Humanities Vol. 1. Issue 2, p 23–39. Malaysia 
  • Torwali, Zubair (2016). The Issues of Linguistic Diversity in Pakistan’s Education Policies. Criterion Quarterly. Vol. 11. Issue. 4. Islamabad
  • Torwali, Zubair (2016). Land and Forest Governance in Swat. Criterion Quarterly. Vol. 11. Issue 3. Islamabad 
  • Torwali, Zubair (2016). Threats and Revival of Endangered Music. Criterion Quarterly. Vol. 11, Issue. 1. Islamabad 
  • Torwali, Zubair (2015). Muffled Voices: a longing for a pluralist & peaceful Pakistan. Lahore: Book.  Multilines Publishers 
  • Torwali, Zubair (2015). Vestiges of Torwali Culture. Idara Baraye Taleem-o-Taraqi (IBT), Swat 
  • Torwali, Zubair (2015). The Ignored Dardic Culture of Swat. Journal of Language and Culture. https://academicjournals.org/journal/JLC/article-abstract/CBBA2D553114 
  • Torwali, Zubair (2015). The Ignored Dardic Culture of Swat. THAAP Journal, p. 161–174. Lahore 
  • Torwali, Zubair (2015). The Ignored Dardic Culture of Swat. Criterion Quarterly. Vol. 10. Issue. 1. Islamabad 
  • Torwali, Zubair (2012). Malakand Division: Conflict, Floods and Response. Criterion Quarterly. Vol 7, Issue 2. Islamabad 
  • Torwali, Zubair (2012). Inaan: Torwali classic poetry. Book. Idara Baraye Taleem wa Taraqi (IBT), Swat 
  • Torwali, Zubair (2008). Torwali Alphabet Book. Idara Baraye Taleem-o-Taraqi (IBT), Swatv

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