Beginning in 1997, The Institute of Ismaili Studies has awarded Doctoral Scholarships to outstanding students whose research and work complements the larger research goals, activities and mandate of the IIS. This year’s three recipients, all alumni of the Institute’s Graduate Programme in Islamic Studies and Humanities, are Arif Jamal (Canada; Class of 1997), Nacim Pak (Iran; Class of 2002) and Marodsilton Mubarokshoeva (Tajikistan; Class of 2003).

Arif Jamal will be undertaking doctoral work in the Faculty of Laws at University College London (University of London). His research will look at developing a framework for accommodating secularity and religiosity in the legal system of Muslim societies. As part of this work, Arif has been invited to spend the 2003-04 academic year as a Visiting Researcher with the Islamic Legal Studies Program at Harvard Law School.

Nacim Pak will begin her Doctoral studies in the Anthropology of Media from September 2003 at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). Her research will focus on the employment of mass media, particularly cinema, in understanding and promoting religiosity in Shi‘i contexts such as Iran. She will also be exploring ways in which such media can be used in education.

Marodsilton Mubarokshoeva will conduct her DPhil research at the University of Oxford’s Department of Educational Studies where she will explore the theoretical foundations, expressions and historical background to Muslim traditions and the future of higher education.

The 12 previous recipients of IIS Doctoral Scholarships have combined their academic interest in Islam with disciplines including Philosophy, Education, Islamic Studies, Anthropology, Literature, Political Science and Islamic Art. Many of these recipients have also contributed their knowledge, skills and time to various programmes and activities of the IIS or its affiliated institutions. Among the earlier recipients, the following are fulltime members of the IIS Faculty: Dr Zulfikar Hirji, Fahmida Suleman and Omar Ali de Unzaga (the latter two from Autumn 2003).

For more information on doctoral and dissertation writing scholarships as well as previous recipients of these programmes, please go to the Doctoral Scholarship Programme page.