Shaiq Ali is a PhD scholar at the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and an MA English graduate from Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. His doctoral project aims to study the Urdu periodical, Paisa Akhbar (1887-1924), in late colonial India in order to trace the transformations in the Muslim public sphere in relation to print cultures and colonial policies of the time, and in response to the notion of Pan-Islamic ummah. His research interests include Print Culture Studies, South Asian and Muslim literatures. He also takes an interest in creative writing.