Shi’a History and Identity
Shi’ism is much more than simply a denomination or sect of Islam beginning with the early dispute over the successorship of the Prophet Muhammad in 11/632. As long as there has been Islam, Shi’ism has been a part of the larger Muslim body politic and provided its own theological, legal, mystical, and philosophical traditions and worldview. Shi’ism is a major contributor to world culture and civilization with a rich and varied denominational landscape internal to the faith (including Twelver, Isma’ili, Zaydi, Alevi, Alawite, and other branches) and a vast history encompassing various novel political projects, social movements, and intellectual contributions across the Middle East, North Africa, Central and South Asia, and beyond. In this research focus, the Project on Shi'ism and Global Affairs looks to explore how the history of Shi’ism has impacted contemporary dynamics across the globe and how the legacy of diverse Shi’a institutions and historical memory contributes to modern debates of identity, institutions, and ideology.
Photo caption: Esoteric Imam Ali carrying his own funeral coffin as witnessed by his sons Imams Hassan and Hussein, from a Falnama of Ja'far al-Sadiq, ca. 1550s
Related Publications
Payam Mohseni and Mohammad Sagha. 6/2022. The Hidden Imam and the End of Time: A Primer on the Mahdi, Islamic Theology, and Global Politics.Abstract
The Hidden Imam and the End of Time: A Primer on the Mahdi, Islamic Theology, and Global Politics
Marieke Brandt. 3/11/2021. “A Genealogy of Conflict: An Interior View of the War in Yemen.” Cambridge, MA: Harvard University WCFIA Project on Shi'ism and Global Affairs.Abstract
Ali Asani, Payam Mohseni, and Mohammad Sagha. 12/2021. Diversity and Unity in Transnational Shi’ism: Proceedings of the International Symposium at Harvard University (April 5-8, 2021). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Weatherhead Center for International Affairs.Abstract
Symposium on Diversity and Unity in Transnational Shi’ism - Harvard University 2021.pdf
Hassan Abbas. 3/2021. The Prophet's Heir: The Life of Ali ibn Abi Talib. New Haven: Yale University Press. Publisher's VersionAbstract
Ali Asani. 2019. “Nizari Ismaili Engagements with the Qur'an: The Khojas of South Asia.” In Communities of the Qur'an: Dialogue, Debate, and Diversity in the Twenty-First Century, edited by Emran El-Badawi and Paula Sanders, Pp. 39-56. London, UK: One World Publications.
Ali Asani. 7/2019. “Transmitting and Transforming Traditions: Salman Ahmad and Sufi Rock.” In Sufism East and West: Mystical Islam and Cross-Cultural Exchange in the Modern World, edited by Jamal Malik and Saeed Zarrabi-Zadeh, Pp. 259–272. Brill. Publisher's VersionAbstract
Related Events
Ali ibn Abi Talib and the Qur'an
Book Talk on the Nahj al-Balaghah: The Wisdom and Eloquence of Ali
Knowing the Imam Workshop
Battle of Siffin: The Intrigues Against Imam Ali's Statebuilding Project & Its Legacy in the Modern Middle East
The Maqtal of Hussain: al-Ṭabarānī's Approach to the Uprising in Karbala
The Family of ʿAlī as Political Actors: Tensions and Reflections
The Consciousness of Being: An Introduction to Imamology
