Professor Azim Nanji is a
Kenya
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n-born
professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...
of
Islamic studies
Islamic studies refers to the academic study of Islam, and generally to academic multidisciplinary "studies" programs—programs similar to others that focus on the history, texts and theologies of other religious traditions, such as Easter ...
. From 1998 until 2008, he served as Director of The
Institute of Ismaili Studies
The Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS) is a research institute in London, United Kingdom. It aims to promote the study of Muslim cultures and societies, both historical and contemporary, in order to foster a greater understanding of their relatio ...
in London, England. At present, he is the Senior Associate Director of the
Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies
The Sohaib and Sara Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies facilitates, promotes and also serves as the central forum for interdisciplinary research and teaching in Islamic studies at Stanford University.
The program's activities and initiatives focus ...
at
Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
.
He is also on the
Board of Directors
A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...
of the
Global Centre for Pluralism
The Global Centre for Pluralism (french: Centre mondial du pluralisme) is an international centre for research, education and exchange about the values, practices and policies that underpin pluralist societies. Based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, th ...
a joint partnership between
His Highness the Aga Khan and the
Government of Canada
The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown ...
.
Biography
Born in
Nairobi
Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...
,
Kenya
)
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, ...
, Professor Nanji attended schools in Kenya,
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
, and
Makerere University
Makerere University, Kampala (; Mak) is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922. It became an independent national university in 1970. Today, Makerere University is composed of n ...
in
Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...
, and received his master's and doctoral degrees in Islamic Studies from
McGill University
McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...
, Canada.
Dr. Nanji has held academic and administrative appointments at various American and Canadian universities. Until 1998, he was a
Professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...
and
Chair of the Department of
Religion
Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...
at the
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
. Since that time he has been with the Institute of Ismaili Studies, a research institute which aims to promote scholarship and learning of
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
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 ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Haverford, Pennsylvania. It was founded as a men's college in 1833 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), began accepting non-Quakers in 1849, and became coeducational ...
, 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
The American Academy of Religion (AAR) is the world's largest association of scholarly method, scholars in the List of academic disciplines, field of religious studies and related topics. It is a nonprofit member association,
serving as a profes ...
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 Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The second-oldest major philanthropic institution in America, after the Carneg ...
, the
Canada Council
The Canada Council for the Arts (french: Conseil des arts du Canada), commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown corporations of Canada, Crown corporation established in 1957 as an arts council of the Government of Canada. It acts as the fede ...
, and the
National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...
. In 2004 he gave the Birks Lecture at McGill University.
Within the
Aga Khan Development Network
The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is a network of private, non-denominational (de jure) development agencies founded by the Aga Khan that work primarily in the poorest parts of Asia and Africa. Aga Khan IV succeeded to the office of the 49t ...
, Professor Nanji has served as a member of the Steering Committee and Master Jury of the
Aga Khan Award for Architecture
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) 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 Muslim societies in the field ...
, and as a task force member for the
Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilizations
Aga Khan University is a non-profit institution and an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network. It was Founded in 1983 as Pakistan's first private university. Starting in 2000, the university expanded to Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, the United Ki ...
(AKU-ISMC), and continues as Vice Chair of the
Madrasa
Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...
-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
Isma'ilism ( ar, الإسماعيلية, al-ʾIsmāʿīlīyah) is a branch or sub-sect of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor (imām) to Ja'far al-Sa ...
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.
References
*
External links
1995 Baccalaureate Address at Stanford University 2004 Birks Lecture at McGill UniversityThe Great Lecture Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nanji, Azim
Kenyan Ismailis
Kenyan emigrants to the United Kingdom
Stanford University staff
British Islamic studies scholars
Makerere University alumni
McGill University Institute of Islamic Studies alumni
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Kenyan people of Asian descent