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