The Pluralism Project at Harvard University

Dr. Ellen McLarney

Duke University
Local Islams

"Local Islams" is an introduction to Islamic communities in North Carolina and their diverse spaces, practices, and ethnicities. The course will strive to develop students' knowledge and experience of Islam - complementing the study of its fundamental principles with an understanding of specific practices. It will also bring students into contact with the African American Muslim community and immigrant groups of various ethnic backgrounds. For Muslim students, this provides an opportunity to foster relationships between local communities and Duke. For those with little or no experience with the religion, this communication and collaboration will humanize and demystify Islam.

"Local Islams" will examine how civic and religious roles converge in communal spaces, schools, local businesses. We will be particularly interested in how religion shapes the identities of immigrant groups, but also how religion breaks down ethnic barriers and collapses distinctions of class, race, and nationality. We will look at the relationships between Iranian, Arab, South Asian and Southeast Asian communities, as well as the nature of their interaction with African American Muslims. One of the questions the course poses is: what does it mean to be a Muslim American? A significant body of work in the field explores this issue, of local and global, national and transnational identities. The course will also critically examine the persistence of divisions and differences, a crucial aspect to the diversity of any community. We want to especially explore differing conceptions of gender roles, how these transform in different contexts and in response to varying pressures.