James Pollard
About
South Asia Center, FLAS Fellow, Summer 2025 (Urdu)
Jimmy Pollard is an undergraduate student at the University of Washington majoring in South Asian Languages and Cultures with a minor in Voice. As a FLAS Fellow in Urdu, his research examines the intersection of jihad and yoga, exploring how these traditions articulate ideas of spiritual discipline, ethics, and engagement with the world across Islamic and Indic contexts.
Integrating language study, translation, and performance, he aims to deepen cross-cultural understanding through both scholarship and artistic practice. He plans to pursue graduate study at the University of Washington, continuing his advanced Urdu training and expanding his research on the philosophical and cultural intersections between yoga and jihad.