Initiative on Contemporary Islamic Societies receives $156,000 grant

Harvard’s interdisciplinary Initiative on Contemporary Islamic Societies, led by Vehbi Koç Professor of Turkish Studies Cemal Kafadar, was recently awarded a $156,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation. The grant enables Kafadar, Research Associate Derya Honça, and Harvard Law School’s Wertheim Fellow Emran Qureshi to develop a collaborative research network exploring peace, coexistence, and conflict in Muslim-majority and Muslim-minority countries spanning Europe, the Middle East, and South and Southeast Asia. The research network, to be launched during a conference in fall 2011, will bring together scholars whose expertise in particular geographic, religious, social, and political contexts contributes to a broader understanding of pluralism and human diversity across Muslim societies. The initiative is housed at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies.