Hassan Asif, a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Information, explores the interaction between digital media, remix culture, and Islamic devotional music in Pakistan. His research contributes to understanding how digital media and technology intersect with religious and cultural practices to facilitate new forms of meaning-making. His fellowship research project is titled Remixing Devotion: An Exploration of Digital Media Practices in Pakistan. Hassan is one of our 2024-25 Chancellor Jackman Graduate Fellows.
What are your main research interests and what excites you most about them?
My research explores how digital media shapes sense-making practices within diverse communities, particularly religious ones. I am especially excited by how digital spaces enable communities to remix, reinterpret, and creatively express devotional practices, challenging traditional boundaries and opening new possibilities for meaning-making and belonging.
What project are you working on at the JHI and why did you choose it?
I am currently wrapping up my dissertation, Remixing Devotion: An Exploration of Digital Media Practices in Pakistan, based on ethnographic fieldwork mostly done in Lahore and Karachi. I am looking at how digital platforms and remix culture are changing traditional Islamic devotional poetry, or naat. Using data from live mehfil performances, conversations with naat khwaans and digital creators, and exploring the technologies behind these practices, I investigate how remixing devotional content influences religious identities, community relationships, and social norms. What draws me to this topic is how it sits right at the boundary between the underground and mainstream Islamic media spaces, which connects nicely with this year's JHI theme of undergrounds/underworlds.
How has your JHI Fellowship experience been so far?
My time at JHI has been truly wonderful. On a practical note, the office space has been a real lifesaver, especially since becoming a parent recently—I needed somewhere quiet and focused to work on my dissertation. But beyond logistics, I have felt deeply inspired by the fellows and the variety of perspectives and projects shared during our Thursday lunches around the annual theme. The staff here are incredibly supportive, and the field trips have also been really eye-opening. Honestly, I wish every PhD program could offer an environment like this!
Why do you believe the humanities are important?
I think the humanities matter because they remind us of what it means to be genuinely human. With the rapid rise of technology, AI reshaping our everyday lives, and corporations increasingly influencing what we value, it's easy to feel disconnected from ourselves and each other. Humanities help us develop empathy and critical understanding—qualities we really need right now. My own research constantly balances these concerns, navigating the technical alongside the human. It’s sometimes discouraging to see technology elevated above everything else, but I have realized we need to remember where we are coming from, not just obsess about where we are headed, or else we risk losing sight of who we really are.
Can you share something you read/watched/listened to recently that you enjoyed/were inspired by?
Given my interest in digital subcultures broadly, I avidly follow diasporic South Asian media on YouTube, especially daily vlogs depicting authentic, unfiltered narratives of struggle, belonging, and personal transformation. One vlogger I particularly enjoy is called Middleclass Usman, a 16-year-old from Lahore who courageously relocated alone to Japan to study and build a future. His videos feel refreshingly real compared to algorithmically curated content, and it's fascinating how the simple cellphone has democratized storytelling. Additionally, I regularly tune in to global radio broadcasts using a mobile app called RadioGarden, which has an interactive globe interface that allows me to instantly explore radio stations from any country. I am also deeply engaged with following varieties of digital religious content—it’s endlessly intriguing to witness faith being mediated through digital channels.
What is a fun fact about you?
I love listening to music generally and am obsessively passionate about creating playlists. I have carefully curated playlists for every mood, weather condition, time, and city I have visited—covering everything from Norwegian black metal to Madchester beats and beyond. Each playlist becomes its own sonic journal of sorts.