Dr Aessandro Cancian
Biography
Dr Alessandro Cancian is a Research Associate in the Qur'anic Studies unit at The Institute of Ismaili Studies, London. He completed a PhD at the University of Siena in Anthropology, concentrating on the Cultural Anthropology of Muslim Societies and the Anthropology of Religion, with a work on the Shi'i theological colleges (hawza 'ilmiyyas) in Syria. He obtained an MA in the History of Iran at Ca’ Foscari University, Venice concentrating on Religious History and Literature of Iran and Persianate Cultures; Shi’ism, Sufism and Zoroastrianism between Iran and South Asia. Dr Cancian completed his BA in Oriental Languages and Cultures at Ca’ Foscari University, Venice. He is also a review editor for the Journal of Shi’a Islamic Studies and has edited and published articles and papers, contributed book chapters and encyclopaedia entries and lectures. Dr Cancian’s areas of expertise and interest includes the intellectual history of Shi'ism, Shi'i Sufims in early modern times andthe anthropology of Islam, Shi'ism and modern Iran.
"Patina, essenza o genere letterario? Il paradigma della povertà nei collegi teologici dell'Islam sciita", in G. G. Filippi (ed.), Il concetto di uomo nelle società del Vicino Oriente e dell’Asia Meridionale, Venezia: Cafoscarina, 2011, pp. 41-54. (Patina, Essence or Literary Genre? The Paradygm of Poverty in the Theological Seminaries of Shi'i Islam").