IIS Director Invited as Visiting Fellow by Stanford University

Professor Azim Nanji, Director of The Institute of Ismaili Studies, has been invited by Stanford University’s Department of Religious Studies to be a Visiting Fellow of Islamic Studies for its Winter and Spring terms. Professor Nanji, who has a long-standing relationship with the university, gave its Baccalaureate Address in 1995.

With the endowment of this program, Stanford is able to build on existing interdisciplinary efforts. Courses on Islam and Muslim history have been offered at the university for many years, as has instruction in languages of the Muslim world. Several Stanford faculties in history and anthropology include parts of the Muslim world in their courses and the university has significant library holdings on the modern Middle East and the Muslim world in general. Last year, Stanford also introduced a speaker series that brought leading scholars to campus for lectures and consultations.

In addition to having been Chair of the University of Florida’s Department of Religion, Professor Nanji has taught at various institutions in Canada and the United States. He has also served as Co-Chair of the Islam section at the American Academy of Religion, and as a member of the Steering Committee for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture.

At present, Professor Nanji serves on several academic and educational committees including Vice-Chair of the Madrasa-based Early Childhood Education Programme in East Africa and the Editorial Board for the new revised edition of The Encyclopaedia of Religion.

He is the author and editor of several volumes including The Nizari Ismaili Tradition (1976), The Muslim Almanac (1996), and Mapping Islamic Studies (1997). He is currently preparing the Historical Dictionary of Islam to be published by Penguin and a work on ethical issues in Muslim societies.