Asef Bayat joins the ISIM as Academic Director and the ISIM Chair at Leiden University from the American University in Cairo, Egypt, where he worked as professor of sociology and Middle East... Show moreAsef Bayat joins the ISIM as Academic Director and the ISIM Chair at Leiden University from the American University in Cairo, Egypt, where he worked as professor of sociology and Middle East Studies. He brings to the ISIM and Leiden his vast experience in the study of contemporary Muslim societies from sociohistorical and political perspectives, with social movements and social change as his central focus. Bayat's own life trajectories, educational background, professional experience, research interests, and international connections complement the scholarly areas, approach, and objectives that the ISIM pursues. Show less
Abdulkader Tayob, from the University of Cape, joins the ISIM as the ISIM Chair at the University of Nijmegen. His arrival brings with it his wealth of experience in the study of Islam from the... Show moreAbdulkader Tayob, from the University of Cape, joins the ISIM as the ISIM Chair at the University of Nijmegen. His arrival brings with it his wealth of experience in the study of Islam from the perspective of religious studies and South African politics. Tayob is particularly interested in the trends and developments in African Islam since the end of colonial rule. How have Muslims and Islamic institutions developed since the 1960s? Which interpretations of Islam, and which social and political forms, have dominated the public debate among Muslims? In spite of diversity, can one speak of an African experience of Islam? If so, what can this experience tell us about global Muslim experiences? These are the kinds of questions that Tayob will bring to the ISIM in the coming years. Show less
Annelies Moors' interest in the Middle East dates from the 1970s when she travelled extensively in Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. Having spent time with Arabic-speaking people in... Show moreAnnelies Moors' interest in the Middle East dates from the 1970s when she travelled extensively in Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. Having spent time with Arabic-speaking people in southern Iran, she decided to study Arabic. Initially she did so through an Arabic language programme at the University of Damascus. After returning to the Netherlands, she continued studying Arabic and Islamic studies at the University of Amsterdam, but soon decided to make a disciplinary move to anthropology in order to be able to work not only with texts, but also with people. Her first fieldwork brought her to the Nablus region (West Bank) where she conducted research on transformations in family relations and the division of labour in the rural areas. After graduation, she was appointed as part-time lecturer at the Department of Anthropology at the University of Amsterdam. Show less
Martin van Bruinessen initially studied theoretical physics and mathematics, only later turning to anthropology and Islamic studies. When still a student in physics, he took a number of long trips... Show moreMartin van Bruinessen initially studied theoretical physics and mathematics, only later turning to anthropology and Islamic studies. When still a student in physics, he took a number of long trips to the MiddleEast that aroused his lasting interest in the region. He then followed courses in anthropology and started learning Turkish and Persian. After a few years as a mathematics teacher, he received a research grant for fieldwork among the Kurds, which allowed him to spend two years in the Kurdish-inhabited arts of Iran, Iraq, Iran and Syria. He received his PhD from Utrecht University in 1978, with a thesis on the social and political organization of Kurdistan. One of the major themes in this thesis concerns the social and political roles of Sufi orders (especially Naqshbandiyya and Qadiriyya) among the Kurds. This work was established as one of the key texts on Kurdish society, and it was translated into various languages, including Turkish, Kurdish and Persian. Show less
On 18 September 1998, Dr Marcel Kurpershoek delivered his inaugural speech as Professor of Arabic Literature and Politics at the Department of Languages and Cultures of the Islamic Middle East at... Show moreOn 18 September 1998, Dr Marcel Kurpershoek delivered his inaugural speech as Professor of Arabic Literature and Politics at the Department of Languages and Cultures of the Islamic Middle East at Leiden University. Its title was: ‘Wie luidt de doodsklok over de Arabieren?’: Arabisme, Islam, en de Wereldbank (‘Who Rings the Death Bell on the Arabs?’: Arabism, Islam and the World Bank) and is published (in Dutch) by Leiden University. The following is a passage from his speech: Show less
