Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK

Description

Launched in 2005, the Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK has grown to become the leading academic institution for research and teaching about Islam and Muslims in Britain.

Cardiff has one of the oldest and most diverse Muslim populations in the UK. Some of the earliest mosques were founded in the city in the early 20th century. Today, there are over 45,000 Muslims in Wales, nearly half of whom live in Cardiff itself (2011 UK Census). This makes Cardiff an ideal location for learning more about the history and contemporary situation of Muslim communities in Britain.

Based in the School of History, Archaeology and Religion, the Centre has a strong and positive relationship with the local Muslim community. Local Muslims form part of the Centre’s Advisory Group. The Centre aims to be an accessible, vibrant, and inclusive hub of learning about Islam in Cardiff and South Wales, for Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

The Centre has a strong track record of undertaking interdisciplinary research on a wide range of subjects connected to the lives of Muslims in Britain.

In recent years the Centre's research has included work on:

• Muslim chaplaincy
• the religious nurture and education of Muslim children
• Islamic environmentalism
• the intersection of religious ‘courts’ with civil family law.

The Centre specialises in qualitative social scientific/anthropological methodology, and emphasise active collaboration with research participants so that the issues of concern to British Muslim communities themselves are addressed. This is evident through doctoral research projects, as well as externally funded work sponsored by academic research councils such as AHRC/ESRC and charities such as BGCI.

Since its launch in 2005, the Islam-UK Centre has attracted over £4.6M in research funding from academic research councils, charities, and private donors. The Jameel Scholarship Programme supports MA, PhD and postdoctoral researchers working on a range of topics.

While many of the Centre’s researchers have been based in the UK, there have also been visiting international scholars from Italy, the USA, and Poland. The Islam-UK Centre is at the cutting edge of research in the emerging field of ‘British Muslim Studies’, and now has an international reputation as the leading centre of excellence for the study of Islam and Muslims in Britain.

Offers funding

No, this infrastructure does not provide funding.

Founding year

2005

Contact details

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University affiliation(s)

Cardiff University
Cardiff