Azim Nanji
Encyclopedia
Professor Azim Nanji is a Kenya
n-born professor
of Islamic studies
. From 1998 until 2008, he served as Director of The Institute of Ismaili Studies in London, England. At present, he is the Senior Associate Director of the Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies at Stanford University. He is also on the Board of Directors of the Global Centre for Pluralism a joint partnership between His Highness the Aga Khan and the Government of Canada.
, Kenya, Professor Nanji attended schools in Kenya, Tanzania, and Makerere University
in Uganda, and received his master's and doctoral degrees in Islamic Studies from McGill University
, Canada.
Dr. Nanji has held academic and administrative appointments at various American and Canadian universities. Until 1998, he was a Professor
and Chair of the Department of Religion at the University of Florida
. Since that time he has been with the Institute of Ismaili Studies, a research institute which aims to promote scholarship and learning of Muslim
cultures and societies, with a view towards attaining a better understanding of Islam and its relationship with other societies and faiths.
In 1988 he was Margaret Gest Visiting Professor at Haverford College
, Pennsylvania, USA, and a Visiting Professor at Stanford University
, California in 2004, where he was also invited to give the Baccalaureate Address in 1995.
Professor Nanji has served as Co-Chair of the Islam section at the American Academy of Religion
and on the editorial board of the Academy’s Journal. He has also been a member of the Philanthropy Committee of the Council on Foundations and has been the recipient of awards from the Rockefeller Foundation, the Canada Council, and the National Endowment for Humanities. In 2004 he gave the Birks Lecture at McGill University.
Within the Aga Khan Development Network
, Professor Nanji has served as a member of the Steering Committee and Master Jury of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture
, and as a task force member for the Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilizations (AKU-ISMC), and continues as Vice Chair of the Madrasa-based Early Childhood Education Programme in East Africa.
In addition, he has contributed numerous shorter studies and articles on religion, Islam and Ismaili
sm in journals and collective volumes including the Encyclopædia of Islam, Encyclopædia Iranica, Oxford Encyclopædia of the Modern Islamic World, and A Companion to Ethics. He is also the Associate Editor for the revised Second Edition of The Encyclopaedia of Religion. As of 2007, he is preparing a Historical Dictionary of Islam to be published by Penguin.
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
n-born professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of Islamic studies
Islamic studies
In a Muslim context, Islamic studies can be an umbrella term for all virtually all of academia, both originally researched and as defined by the Islamization of knowledge...
. From 1998 until 2008, he served as Director of The Institute of Ismaili Studies in London, England. At present, he is the Senior Associate Director of the Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies at Stanford University. He is also on the Board of Directors of the Global Centre for Pluralism a joint partnership between His Highness the Aga Khan and the Government of Canada.
Biography
Born in NairobiNairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
, Kenya, Professor Nanji attended schools in Kenya, Tanzania, and Makerere University
Makerere University
Makerere University , Uganda's largest and second-oldest higher institution of learning, , was first established as a technical school in 1922. In 1963 it became the University of East Africa, offering courses leading to general degrees from the University of London...
in Uganda, and received his master's and doctoral degrees in Islamic Studies from McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
, Canada.
Dr. Nanji has held academic and administrative appointments at various American and Canadian universities. Until 1998, he was a Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
and Chair of the Department of Religion at the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
. Since that time he has been with the Institute of Ismaili Studies, a research institute which aims to promote scholarship and learning of Muslim
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
cultures and societies, with a view towards attaining a better understanding of Islam and its relationship with other societies and faiths.
In 1988 he was Margaret Gest Visiting Professor at Haverford College
Haverford College
Haverford College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Haverford, Pennsylvania, United States, a suburb of Philadelphia...
, Pennsylvania, USA, and a Visiting Professor at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, California in 2004, where he was also invited to give the Baccalaureate Address in 1995.
Professor Nanji has served as Co-Chair of the Islam section at the American Academy of Religion
American Academy of Religion
The American Academy of Religion is the world's largest association of scholars in the field of religious studies and related topics. It is a nonprofit member association,...
and on the editorial board of the Academy’s Journal. He has also been a member of the Philanthropy Committee of the Council on Foundations and has been the recipient of awards from the Rockefeller Foundation, the Canada Council, and the National Endowment for Humanities. In 2004 he gave the Birks Lecture at McGill University.
Within the Aga Khan Development Network
Aga Khan Development Network
The Aga Khan Development Network is a group of private, non-denominational development agencies that seek to empower communities and individuals to improve living conditions and opportunities, in sub-Saharan Africa, Central and South Asia, and the Middle East...
, Professor Nanji has served as a member of the Steering Committee and Master Jury of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture
Aga Khan Award for Architecture
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture is an architectural prize established by Aga Khan IV in 1977. It aims to identify and reward architectural concepts that successfully address the needs and aspirations of Islamic societies in the fields of contemporary design, social housing, community...
, and as a task force member for the Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilizations (AKU-ISMC), and continues as Vice Chair of the Madrasa-based Early Childhood Education Programme in East Africa.
Publications
Professor Nanji has authored, co-authored and edited several books including:- The Nizari Ismaili Tradition (1976),
- The Muslim Almanac (1996),
- Mapping Islamic Studies (1997)
- The Historical Atlas of Islam (with M. Ruthven) (2004)
In addition, he has contributed numerous shorter studies and articles on religion, Islam and Ismaili
Ismaili
' is a branch of Shia Islam. It is the second largest branch of Shia Islam, after the Twelvers...
sm in journals and collective volumes including the Encyclopædia of Islam, Encyclopædia Iranica, Oxford Encyclopædia of the Modern Islamic World, and A Companion to Ethics. He is also the Associate Editor for the revised Second Edition of The Encyclopaedia of Religion. As of 2007, he is preparing a Historical Dictionary of Islam to be published by Penguin.