Leiden University Centre for the Study of Islam and Society

Leiden University Centre for the Study of Islam and Society
Name	Leiden University Centre for the Study of Islam and Society
Established	1993
Type	Research centre
Parent	Leiden University
City	Leiden
Country	Netherlands

Leiden University Centre for the Study of Islam and Society is an interdisciplinary research centre within Leiden University focusing on historical and contemporary studies of Islam and Muslim communities across regions including Middle East, North Africa, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Europe. The centre brings together scholars from fields such as Islamic studies, Anthropology, History, Political science, Sociology, and Religious studies to produce comparative research, teach graduate courses, and engage with public institutions like European Commission, United Nations, and Council of Europe.

History

The centre was founded amid shifts in European research priorities following events such as the Iranian Revolution, the Gulf War, and the post-9/11 geopolitical environment that influenced funding from actors like the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research and institutions such as Leiden University. Early collaborations connected scholars linked to the International Institute for Asian Studies, the KITLV, and departments formerly associated with the Faculty of Archaeology and the Faculty of Humanities. Over time the centre hosted visiting researchers from Oxford University, University of Cambridge, Harvard University, Columbia University, University of Chicago, SOAS University of London, University of Amsterdam, and Erasmus University Rotterdam, expanding networks to include projects with the Max Planck Society, the British Academy, and the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study. Directors and senior staff have included academics trained at institutions like Leiden University, University of Groningen, University of Oxford, Université Paris, and University of Bonn.

Mission and Research Focus

The centre’s mission aligns with comparative and area studies traditions exemplified by programmes at School of Oriental and African Studies, Centre for Islamic Studies (Cambridge), and research hubs like the Institut Français du Proche-Orient. Core research themes include historical studies of texts and institutions tied to figures such as Ibn Khaldun, Al-Ghazali, Ibn Sina, and Jalal al-Din Rumi; contemporary politics linked to actors like Muslim Brotherhood, AKP (Turkey), and Ennahda (Tunisia); law and society regarding documents like the Constitution of Morocco and debates around Sharia; migration and diasporas involving routes between Turkey, Morocco, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Suriname; and cultural production connected to authors such as Naguib Mahfouz, Orhan Pamuk, Tayeb Salih, and Leila Aboulela. The centre emphasizes comparative methods used in studies by scholars like Edward Said, Talal Asad, Saba Mahmood, and Olivier Roy.

Academic Programs and Teaching

Teaching activities are integrated with departments across Leiden University including Faculty of Humanities, Institute for Area Studies, and postgraduate programmes such as the Leiden University Graduate School of Humanities. The centre supervises doctoral candidates and runs masters-level modules comparable to offerings at SOAS University of London, University of Oxford, and Humboldt University of Berlin, covering topics from classical Arabic literature and Persian literature to contemporary political Islam, legal pluralism, and migration studies. Courses often draw on primary sources like manuscripts in the Leiden University Library, archival collections linked to Dutch East India Company, and epigraphic materials associated with sites such as Balkh and Samarkand. Seminars feature speakers from institutions like Princeton University, Yale University, University of Toronto, McGill University, and Australian National University.

Research Projects and Publications

The centre coordinates named research projects funded by bodies such as the European Research Council, the Dutch Research Council, and foundations like the Sigrid Rausing Trust. Projects have examined topics including historical networks of scholars in the Ottoman Empire, archival studies of the Mamluk Sultanate, urban studies of Cairo, legal histories of Al-Andalus, and contemporary ethnographies of Muslim communities in Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Publications appear in journals like Journal of Islamic Studies, Comparative Studies in Society and History, International Journal of Middle East Studies, Modern Asian Studies, and edited volumes with presses including Brill, Routledge, Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, and Stanford University Press. Staff contribute to reference works such as the Encyclopaedia of Islam, the Cambridge History of Islam, and thematic volumes on migration, gender, and law. Research outputs engage debates linked to scholars and works such as Martin Heidegger (in secular-religious theory), Max Weber (on authority), and Benedict Anderson (on imagined communities).

Collaborations and Partnerships

The centre maintains partnerships with regional institutions including Al-Azhar University, Cairo University, University of Jordan, American University of Beirut, Universitas Gadjah Mada, National University of Singapore, and University of Cape Town. European collaborations include projects with Leiden University Medical Center on health and migration, joint grants with Utrecht University, and networks with the European Association for Middle Eastern Studies and the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies (Leiden). It participates in consortia aligned with the Horizon Europe framework and cooperates with cultural institutions such as the Rijksmuseum, Teylers Museum, and Mauritshuis on exhibitions relating to Islamic art, manuscripts, and material culture.

Public Engagement and Outreach

Public programs feature lecture series, public debates, and film screenings in collaboration with bodies like The Hague University of Applied Sciences, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, VPRO, and NPO. The centre organizes workshops for policy-makers from European Commission, NATO, and municipal governments of The Hague and Amsterdam on topics including integration, radicalization, and religious pluralism. Outreach includes media commentary in outlets such as BBC, The Guardian, De Volkskrant, and NRC Handelsblad, and advisory roles in initiatives by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch focused on freedom of religion and cultural rights.

Facilities and Organization

Housed in Leiden, the centre uses facilities including the Leiden University Library Special Collections, seminar rooms at Pieterskerk-area campus spaces, and digital humanities labs linked to the Centre for Digital Scholarship. Administrative ties run through the Faculty of Humanities and the Leiden Institute for Area Studies, with governance involving an academic board, external advisory board including members from Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences and partner universities, and support staff coordinating PhD networks and visiting fellowships. The centre maintains catalogues of manuscripts, photographic archives, and an open lecture archive accessible to scholars from institutions such as King's College London, University of St Andrews, and Trinity College Dublin.

Category:Leiden University