Teaching and Study of Islam in Western Universities

Public interest in the religion of Islam and in Muslim communities in recent years has generated an impetus for Western Universities to establish an array of Institutes and programs dedicated to the study of Islam. Despite the growth in number of programs dedicated to this study, very little attention has been paid to the appropriate shape of such programs and the assumptions that ought to underlie such a study.

The Teaching and Study of Islam in Western Universities attempts to address two central questions that arise through the teaching of Islam. Firstly, what relation is there between the study of the religion of Islam and the study of those cultures that have been shaped by that religion? Secondly, what is the appropriate public role of a scholar of Islam? After extensive discussion of these questions, the authors then continue to address the wider issues raised for the academic community having to negotiate between competing cultural and philosophical demands.

This edited collection provides new perspectives on the study of Islam in Western Institutions and will be an invaluable resource for students of Education and Religion, in particular Islamic Studies.

Paul Morris is Professor of Religious Studies at Victoria University of Wellington where he holds the UNESCO Chair of Interreligious Understanding and Relations in New Zealand and the Pacific. Recent publications include: New Rights New Zealand: myths, moralities and markets (2005); Lloyd Geering Reader: Prophet of Modernity (2007); Religion in New Zealand Schools (2009), Religious Diversity in the New Zealand Workplace (2011).

William Shepard completed his PhD at Harvard and taught religious studies at Cornell College (Iowa, USA) and the University of Canterbury (Christchurch, New Zealand) until retirement. His main research interest is modern Islamic ideologies. He has authored a textbook, Introducing Islam (Routledge, 2009), as well as other books and articles.

Toni Tidswell is a Senior Research Fellow in the Office of the Deputy Vice Chancellor Research, and an Adjunct Research Fellow with MCCA at Curtin University, Australia.

Paul Trebilco is Professor of Theology in the Department of Theology and Religion, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. His publications include Jewish Communities in Asia Minor (1991); The Early Christians in Ephesus from Paul to Ignatius (2004); Self-designations and Group Identity in the New Testament, (2011).