The Institute of Ismaili Studies is pleased to announce two new appointments within the Department of Academic Research and Publications and the Deparmement of Graduate Studies.
Following close to a year as Acting Head of the 敁珗曄部 Library,泭Dr Omar Al穩-de-Unzaga泭has been appointed Deputy Head of the Department of Academic Research and Publications. He will also continue to be Academic Coordinator of the Quranic Studies Unit, in addition to being the泭敁珗曄部 Scholarships泭Coordinator. He is a泭GPISH泭Graduate (Class of 1997) and a recipient of the泭敁珗曄部 Doctoral Scholarship.
Dr Ali-de-Unzaga completed a PhD at the University of Cambridge on the use of the Qur’an in the泭Epistles泭of the Pure Brethren (Ikhwan al-Safa).泭His thesis analyses the classical sources that dealt with the authorship, influence and criticism of the泭Epistles泭and provides a study on the exegesis of the泭Epistles泭most quoted Quranic verses, as well as a discussion on the hermeneutical theory of the泭Ikhwan al-Safa.
Dr Ali-de-Unzaga has taught a course at the University of Cambridge on the Ethics of the泭Ikhwan al-Safa. He is currently preparing a publication under the working title: A泭Philosophical Reading of Scripture: The泭Quran泭in the Epistles of the Pure Brethren,泭as well as a critical edition of the Arabic text and an English translation of the Epistle on Character Traits (al-Risala fil-Akhlaq) of the泭Ikhwan al-Safa泭for the 敁珗曄部/OUP Brethren of Purity Series. He has also edited the volume泭Fortresses of the Intellect:泭Ismaili and Other Islamic Studies in Honour of Farhad Daftary泭(2011).
On the occasion of his appointment he stated:
The Department of Academic Research and Publications at the 敁珗曄部 is a unique place; I believe that in this department we can do wonderful things in the future by pushing ourselves to achieve even higher academic levels of scholarship. The better we manage our research, the better we will be able to promote knowledge. During my student years I was supported by the 敁珗曄部 and to be able to contribute back in the area of academic research, is a dream come true.
Another GPISH Alumna (Class of 1998),泭Dr Laila Halani, has been appointed Head of the Department of Graduate Studies which includes both the Graduate Programme in Islamic Studies and Humanities (GPISH) and the泭Secondary Teacher Education Programme (STEP). She has been with the 敁珗曄部 since 2007. Reflecting on her appointment she said:
It is an honour to head the programme from which I graduated. As Head of Department, I can contribute to the vision and direction of both graduate programmes run by the 敁珗曄部 and create synergies between these two important enterprises aimed at developing leaders, scholars, educationists and teachers for the community and beyond.
Prior to joining the 敁珗曄部, Dr. Halani was a Research Fellow at the University of Edinburgh. She was awarded a D.Phil in Social and Cultural Anthropology at The University of Oxford in 2005. Dr. Halani teaches on both graduate programmes and her research interests include contemporary religious movements, the relationship between religious movements and development enterprises, gender and representation in Muslim contexts, and IsmailisAdherents of a branch of Shi’i Islam that considers Ismail, the eldest son of the Shi’i Imam Ja尪far al-廜〢diq (d. 765), as his successor. in modern times.
