Project on Shi'ism and Global Affairs Announces Launch of Imam Ali Research Track
On October 5th, 2023, Harvard Divinity School's Project on Shi'ism and Global Affairs launched a new research track on the Life and Legacy of Imam Ali, generously sponsored by the Jaffer Family Foundation of New York. The figure of Ali ibn Abi Talib has been simultaneously enigmatic and manifest throughout Islamic history. As the key companion, cousin, and son-in-law to the Prophet Muhammad, Ali occupied a paramount role from the very origins of Islam. Both the first Shi’a Imam–and progenitor of the line of imamate–and fourth Sunni Caliph, the legacy, memory, and centrality of Ali is a key pillar of Shi’a and Sunni Islam.
The research track will focus on various aspects of Imam Ali's life and legacy including his pivotal role in the events of early Islam, his relationship with the Prophet Muhammad, his deep impact on Islamic thought, theology and literature, and his role as a caliph and in the realm of governance, among other topics.
Speakers included Hassan Abbas (Distinguished Professor, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies), Seyfeddin Kara (Assistant Professor of Islamic Origins, University of Groningen), Sarah Mokh (PhD Candidate, New York University), Mohammad Sagha (Lecturer in the Modern Middle East, Harvard University), and Hasnain Walji (Executive Director, United Global Initiative)