UNC religious studies professor Omid Safi has been named a Carnegie Scholar and will receive a $100,000 grant to pursue research on Islam in Iran.
Safi is one of 21 national scholars chosen by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. This is the third class of Carnegie Scholars to focus on Islam. His research project is “Reforming Islam in the “Axis of Evil”: Contesting Islam in Post-Revolutionary Iran.”
Through his research endeavor, Safi aims to raise the level of American public knowledge and scholarly engagement with the role of Islam in post-revolutionary Iran, which offers a holistic view of a modern, pluralistic Muslim society. His native fluency in Persian and Arabic and deep understanding of the reformist debate in Iran today inform his work in mapping the intellectual heirs of the Iranian reform movement situated against the context reaching from Khomeini to Ahmadinejad.
The dominant themes pursued by Safi will include pluralism, hermeneutics, gender debates and democracy. His research will focus on recent and contentious debates between Abdolkarim Soroush, the current intellectual face of reform in Iran, and more conservative thinkers. He will also go through the important reformists (Kadivar, Shabestari, Ebadi, etc.), who have emerged after Soroush. Through interviews with some of the country’s most significant contemporary thinkers, Safi will bring to light the distinctive features of their writings and speeches to provide a more nuanced insight into their intellectual and religious worldviews. His research will culminate in a book that will reach both academic and public audiences.
Safi came to UNC in 2006. He is the author of the 2006 book, “The Politics of Knowledge in Premodern Islam,” and the 2003 book, “Progressive Muslims: On Justice, Gender and Pluralism.”
“This class of scholars will continue to enlighten and engage the public and become part of the national conversation about critical issues relating to Islam in this country and around the world,” said Vartan Gregorian, president of Carnegie Corporation. “We are certain their research will continue to expand and deepen the range of knowledge and understanding about Islam as a religion and about the cultures and communities of Muslim societies.”
The 2007 class of scholars reflects diverse professional, ethnic and geographical backgrounds. This year many scholars are studying the Muslim diaspora in Asia, Europe and Africa. The range of fields includes gender studies, law, religion, science, history, sociology, international relations, politics, anthropology, economics, human rights and art.
Carnegie Corporation of New York was created by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to promote “the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding.” For over 95 years the corporation has carried out Carnegie’s vision of philanthropy by building on his two major concerns: international peace, and advancing education and knowledge.
