Establishment of British Association for Islamic Studies
News summary
We are pleased to announce that planning is underway for the formal establishment of a British Association for Islamic Studies (BRAIS), following on from the work of the Islamic Studies Network.
The association will be a learned society and professional organisation focused on enhancing research and teaching about Islam and Muslim cultures and societies in UK higher education. It will provide a forum for academic exchange for scholars with an interest in any aspect of Islam and the Muslim world (including non-Muslim majority societies), and will act as an umbrella organisation for members working in a wide range of disciplines and geographical interest areas.
The association is currently overseen by an interim steering group. At a meeting of the steering group in October 2012 it was decided that for the first five years the association’s administrative base will be at the Alwaleed Centre for the Study of Islam in the Contemporary World at the University of Edinburgh. Steering group members also confirmed the following as interim officers for the British Association for Islamic Studies:
- Co-Chairs: Shuruq Naguib, University of Lancaster and Ayman Shihadeh, SOAS
- Secretary: Hugh Goddard, University of Edinburgh
- Treasurer/Membership Secretary: Edward Phillips, University of Greenwich
- Web Officer: Chris Allen, University of Birmingham
The association is planning an inaugural conference in Edinburgh on 5-6 September 2013. For further information please visit www.brais.ac.uk or contact brais@ed.ac.uk.
