Usha Sanyal

Who is Usha Sanyal?

Usha Sanyal is a scholar and historian specializing in Asia. Her PhD dissertation concerned the Islamic legal scholar Ahmed Raza Khan Fazil-e-Barelvi, founder of the Barelvi movement. Later published in book form, it is often cited by historians writing about India and Islam. She is currently researching Barelvi madrasas, “traditionalist” reformist women, especially those of the Ahl-i Sunnat or Barelwi movement, through the study of the “Sunni Bihishti Zewar” and related texts; and Al-Huda International and the Ahl-i Sunnat movement.

The daughter of Indian diplomat B.K. Sanyal and Vina Sanyal, she was raised in India, Laos, and Argentina, eventually studying at Loreto Convent, Tara Hall, Shimla and Jesus and Mary College. She is married and has two children. Dr. Sanyal is a part-time Lecturer in History at Queens University of Charlotte, NC, USA.