American Studies in the Post Pandemic Era: Reflections on Higher Education in the U.S. and Pakistan and Considerations for Future Collaboration

Abstract

This paper examines the significance of American Studies in universities in Pakistan, and the role these programs might play in the coming years. The paper places a specific focus on how higher education and cross-cultural partnerships might be impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. American Studies in Central and South Asia developed most significantly following periods of conflict and war. They grew from a desire to foster bilateral relations and to promote stable transnational relations. Likewise, Central and South Asian nations, in which there has been a significant investment in American Studies as well as ongoing support for corresponding partnerships, we have seen increasingly stable relationships with the U.S. It will be argued in this paper that the post-pandemic-era will pose significant challenges similar to those in previous post-war-periods. The pandemic has intensified significant longstanding problems in higher education and education more broadly such as disparities in student access to learning and inequalities to access to educational opportunity. The impact of the pandemic has created an increased need for cross-cultural collaboration through research and academic exchanges. Universities will need to address the economic, social, and civic impact of the pandemic through partnerships, collaborative research, and supportive relationships. Specifically American Studies in Pakistan and Pakistani Studies in the U.S. offer an opportunity for both countries to address specific aspects of the impact of the pandemic.