Mission Statement

The Centre's mission is to encourage the academic study of Muslim societies and cultures. Thanks to the generous support of donors and Simon Fraser University's Burnaby Mountain Matching Grant Program an endowment fund has been created to support conferences and workshops, an annual public lecture series, distinguished visiting scholars, undergraduate and graduate scholarships, expansion of library holdings, facilities for visiting academics, international exchange programs and field schools, and a summer language institute for the study of Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Urdu.

The Centre for the Comparative Study of Muslim Societies and Cultures will support the following activities to develop a dynamic program of international significance.

DISTINGUISHED VISITING SCHOLAR

A distinguished Visiting Scholar will spend a period of time on campus to guide a graduate seminar, organize the annual forum, and engage in outreach activities.

CONFERENCE ON COMPARATIVE STUDIES IN MUSLIM CULTURE AND SOCIETY

The Centre, working with the distinguished Visiting Scholar, will coordinate an annual academic conference featuring accomplished international scholars who will address topics pertinent to the mandate of the Centre.

ANNUAL PUBLIC LECTURE SERIES

The Centre will offer a public lecture series desgined to faciliate public understanding of developments within the Muslim world.

LANGUAGE PROGRAMS

Recognizing the importance of primary language research and study at the undergraduate and graduate level, the Centre will work to facilitate the study at SFU of such languages as Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Urdu.

STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS

Student scholarships for undergraduate and graduate studies will be offered for study in an area appropriate to the mandate of the Centre and the interests of the student.

EXPANSION OF LIBRARY HOLDINGS

The Centre will enhance the SFU library holdings in a number of languages of Muslim peoples. This will build on the success of the library's Special Collections, which, through donations of funds and materials, has received over 1,000 Persian language books in the last three years.

FACILITIES FOR VISITING ACADEMICS

Facilities will be provided to visiting academics and independant scholars who wish to pursue research on Muslim societies and cultures.

INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE PROGRAMS AND FIELD SCHOOLS

Working with SFU International, the Centre will encourage the expansion of relevant exchange programs and the creation of new field schools to increase the participation of SFU graduate and undergraduate students.

NEWSLETTER

The Centre will publish a newsletter to promote its outreach, teaching and research activties, encourage dialogue, and recognize volunteer and philanthropic support.

FROM THE DIRECTOR

The Centre for the Comparative Study of Muslim Societies and Cultures was established in 2006 at Simon Fraser University. It builds on the University’s nationally recognized Middle East and Islamic Concentration in History, the Drs. Fereidoun and Katharine Mirhady Lecture in Iranian and Persianate Studies, and on a growing interest across disciplines in Muslim societies and cultures.  The mission of the Centre is to encourage the academic discussion and public understanding of the cultures and societies of Muslim peoples of the past and present.  By focusing attention on the diversity of these cultures and societies rather than on the unity of Islam, the Centre encourages the shift in analysis from that of a single religious ideascape defined by Islam to a more complex view of Muslims as agents in the construction of their own history.

I am pleased to report that the Centre has moved very quickly to fulfill its overall objectives through the sponsoring of conferences and lectures, the establishment of a summer school, the funding of scholarships and researchships, the provision of facilities for visiting scholars and researchers, and the growth of an important library collection.  Indeed, in the three years since its founding, the Centre has sponsored one film festival, two summer schools, two art exhibits, two concerts, five conferences (the proceedings of two are in press), and thirty-three lectures; received the donation of some six thousand Arabic, Persian, and Urdu books; granted its first Graduate Student Travel Scholarship; and hosted its first two Visiting Professors. 

I am grateful for your support as we work together to make our Centre one of the premier research locations in the world.  The Centre thanks its benefactors over the last three years and invites others to explore partnership opportunities as we move forward.

Yours sincerely,

Derryl MacLean, PhD

Director, CCSMSC