Islamic Studies is an umbrella term for the academic study of Islam, Muslim cultures and societies, and Islamic knowledge through a variety of subject areas and perspectives.
Following recommendations from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) a team from across our subject network is working to build a national Islamic Studies network in order to:
- Support academics working in different disciplines or institutions, including those who are currently working in isolation;
- Provide opportunities to share good practice;
- Develop an enhanced picture of the provision of Islamic Studies in UK HE;
- Build on work carried out since the designation of Islamic Studies as a strategically important subject;
- Establish UK higher education as an exemplar for Islamic Studies in Europe.
We are well-placed to host this work as we have established links into discipline communities through our subject centres and have built up knowledge and contacts through work already carried out by the Subject Centres for Philosophical and Religious Studies (PRS) and Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies (LLAS).
The project is complemented by a programme to digitise Islamic studies resources which is currently being developed by the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC).
