Kimaya Saijpal Class of 2027

This summer, I worked as a research assistant for Professor Kirsten Wesselhoeft in Vassar’s Religion Department, who is currently developing a book on a surprisingly underexplored topic: a cultural introduction to Ramadan. While there are countless works on the other pillars of Islam, Ramadan has received comparatively little sustained cultural study, and that gap shaped much of my work. I shared the position with another Ford Scholar, Felix, and our collaboration became an important part of the experience. We regularly exchanged ideas, shared readings, and offered suggestions for further inquiries, making the research process all the more generative. I think we often imagine academic work as a solitary pursuit, but this summer reminded me how collaborative it can be. 

My primary focus was twofold. First, I developed an archive of creative works related to Ramadan, including poetry, visual art, music, theater, and architecture. I also identified contemporary Muslim artists whose work could contribute to a 2027 Loeb Art Center exhibition on Ramadan. The envisioned exhibition will be interactive and designed to welcome both the Hudson Valley Muslim community and broader public audiences into a multidimensional exploration of the month. I compiled this research into a detailed exhibition proposal and artist roster for the Loeb’s review.

Second, I worked with Felix on the reading list for Professor Wesselhoeft’s upcoming fall course, Religion, Violence, and Peacebuilding. This involved reviewing a wide range of literature in religious studies and peace studies, assessing both foundational and emerging works, and curating selections that aligned with the course’s pedagogical goals. We often discussed which texts best fit the course objectives and which ones—despite their reputations—were not worth including. I also integrated South Asian perspectives throughout, reflecting my own research interests. As an outcome of this collaboration, I will be teaching a week of the course in the fall on the Bhagavad Gita and Gandhi. I will be responsible for lesson planning, designing activities, and setting learning objectives, which will be an exciting early step into teaching.

Alongside these projects, I conducted more tangential research on pre-modern Ramadan writings, including instructional fasting manuals, mystical interpretations, and culinary texts. I also visited the Schomburg Center to explore the Larry Neal archives for Ramadan-related creative works. While his film treatment Ramadan Lovers unfortunately did not connect directly to my research, the process of looking through his manuscripts revealed other compelling engagements with Muslim themes in Black creative expression.

This summer was a rare chance to move between curatorial planning, archival research, and course design, all in a deeply collaborative setting. It gave me a glimpse of how ideas grow and transform—not just in classrooms or archives, but also in conversations, shared projects, and the spaces where academic work meets the public.