History and Mission
The Comparative Muslim Societies Committee was formed in the spring of 2001 in an effort to promote the comparative study of Muslims and Muslim societies between and across the boundaries of traditional area studies programs. The Committee serves as a forum for faculty and students on campus who are engaged in the study of various aspects of Muslim culture, society, history, etc. in Muslim majority communities, e.g., Africa, the Middle East, South Asia and Southeast Asia, as well as in Muslim minority communities, e.g., the United States, Europe, and China. We seek to encourage comparison internally within the world of Islam and externally between the Muslim and non-Muslim world.
The Committee sponsors a monthly discussion group for graduate students and faculty, co-sponsor informal brown-bag lunches with other programs on campus and organize a formal lecture series. As a general theme for the lecture series, we have chosen the topic, "Muslims and Movement", i.e., the movement of people, ideas, aesthetic forms, information, etc. from one part of the Muslim world to another and from the Muslim world to the non-Muslim world. What are the consequences of these movements on Muslims and their societies? What are the consequences on non-Muslim societies?