Assistant Professor, Department of South Asian Languages and Literatures

Professor Williams’ research focuses on the philological and historical study of literary and religious texts in early modern north India (ca. 1300-1800 CE)—in particular those composed in the languages now known as Hindi/Hindavi/Urdu. He is particularly interested in the relationship between the form and function of material texts—i.e. manuscripts, including their production, circulation, and use in performance—and the generic, aesthetic, and performative character of the literary and religious works that they contain. His research also touches upon more general issues of literary and visual aesthetics in both the precolonial and postcolonial periods.