Bruce Lawrence appointed as Visiting Al-Qasimi Professor in Islamic Studies

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Bruce Lawrence of Duke University as the first holder of the position of Visiting Al-Qasimi Professor in Islamic Studies from January to March 2019.  The Institute is also pleased to announce Professor Miriam Cooke, Braxton Craven Professor of Arab Cultures at Duke University as Honorary Research Fellow from January 2019.

Professor Lawrence is the Nancy and Jeffrey Marcus Humanities Professor Emeritus in the Department of Religious Studies, Duke University, North Carolina.  He has made a fundamental contribution to the field of Islamic Studies for over 4 decades with research across many areas, including the history of Islam in South Asia, Sufism and contemporary Muslim belief and practice.

Whilst Visiting Al-Qasimi Professor in Exeter, Bruce will contribute to the work of the Centre for the Study of Islam in the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, giving lectures and participating in seminars and workshops.  A full programme of CSI activities can be found here.

He will deliver the Al-Qasimi Lecture in Islamic Studies:

"Is There a Discernible Islamic(ate) Civilization?"

1700, Wednesday 16th January 2019, Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter

Professor Lawrence will also be organising a workshop in late March (details to follow) linked to his current research projects.

The Visiting Al-Qasimi Professor in Islamic Studies scheme brings internationally renowned scholars in the field of Islamic Studies to the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter for a period of 3 or 6 months.  The post holder carries out a defined piece of research in Islamic Studies, and contributes more generally to the research life of the Centre for the Study of Islam.  The next application round (for the academic year 2020-21) will be announced in March 2019.