This article is reproduced with the permission of the Winter 2007 Colloquy , the GSAS Alumni Magazine.

After anthropologist Zahra Jamal presented her doctoral research to the Islam in the West research workshop last November, one of her peers, sociology student Pete Dewan, admitted he had not fully followed her analysis. At first perplexed, they soon realized their fields employ different definitions for a term. After comparing terminology, Jamal laughed and said, “This is why interdisciplinary discussions are so valuable.”

Participants in the Islam in the West graduate research workshop: (from left) Ali Asani, professor of the practice of Indo-Muslim languages and cultures; Zahra Jamal, PhD candidate in Anthropology and Middle Eastern Studies; Daniel Glade, a Divinity School student; and Jocelyne Cesari, research associate at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies and a visiting professor at the Divinity School. Photograph taken by Susan Gilbert, GSAS Publications and Alumni Relations

The Islam in the West (IITW) research workshop draws graduate students from departments throughout GSAS and across the University. Students from a range of disciplines, including government, Islamic studies, languages, and law, who have a shared interest in Islam meet once every month to present and discuss relevant research. The workshop, made possible by gifts to the Graduate School Fund, is part of a broad IITW program in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. The initiative aims to increase knowledge of Muslim minorities in Western societies, develop cross disciplinary exchanges, and advance an increasingly important area of research.

Instituted in 1994 by GSAS, the research workshop program offers forums for graduate students to share and discuss their research. The IITW workshop not only expands participants’ understanding of Islam, it also shapes their research and provides a friendly environment to practice their presentation skills and test new ideas.

“The comments I received after my presentation in the workshop were helpful and constructive. They gave me incentive to think in new ways about issues that
are underlying my work,” said Melanie Adrian, a seventh-year GSAS student in a joint anthropology and religion program. The interactions extend beyond the formal meetings, according to Adrian, who enjoys sharing dinner with her colleagues before the workshop and exchanging regular e-mails between meetings. “There is a real sense not only of collegiality, but of group awareness and group mindfulness,” she said. “The workshop provides an open atmosphere where new ideas can be tested. That is in part what makes it so wonderful.”

Before the inception of the workshop, Ali Asani, professor of the practice of Indo-Muslim languages and cultures, constantly had students from different disciplines visiting him individually to discuss their research related to Islam. “I wished they could meet one another, but there was no forum for graduate students to do so,” he said.

In 2003, Asani decided to create such a forum with Jocelyne Cesari, a research associate at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies and a visiting professor at Harvard Divinity School.

The workshop program spawned an Islam in the West conference in 2005, drawing hundreds of students as well as some of the most prominent scholars across the country. Student Pete Dewan’s initial research presentation in the workshop has now led to a comprehensive survey project of Muslims in Boston in which several students participate. Workshop participants are also contributing to an Islam in the West encyclopedia, due to be published by Greenwood Press in 2007.

Asani sees limitless opportunities for expanding the Islam in the West program, which he views as one step toward combating widespread ignorance about Islam. Citing media stories, Asani refers to the popular misconception of a “Muslim problem.” “It reminds me of the purported ‘Jewish problem.’ It’s scary, and implies the problem lies with the Muslims and not with the structures of society — issues of racism and class and religion are embedded in all of this,” said Asani. In just three years, a small gathering of students and faculty over dinner has already led to significant opportunities for students and scholars and has positioned Harvard as a leader in a burgeoning area of inquiry. “This program has created an awareness throughout the country that Harvard is taking this topic seriously,” said Asani. “It has put Harvard on the map in this area.”

For information about supporting initiatives such as research workshops in the Graduate
School of Arts and Sciences, please contact Marne Perreault, Director of GSAS Giving,
at 617-495-1629 or marne_perreault@ harvard.edu.