Re-Imagining Ibadi Islam in the Western Indian Ocean

As part of Stanford Global Studies’ annual thematic focus on the Indian Ocean, the Abbasi Program is pleased to present this lecture by Professor Kimberly Wortmann. Based on her research for her upcoming book manuscript, Professor Wortmann will discuss the growth of Ibadi Muslim institutions in Eastern Africa since the Zanzibar revolution of 1964 that deposed the islands’ last Afro-Arab sultan. It will examine the role that contemporary religious institutions founded by Omani-Ibadis in the United Republic of Tanzania such as mosques, schools and charities play in the diaspora’s ongoing claims to belonging in the region.

Co-sponsored by Center for African Studies, African American Studies and Stanford Global Studies.

Bio: 

Kimberly Wortmann is an Assistant Professor in the Study of Religions at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. Her research lies at the intersection of Islam, East African cultures and societies and Indian Ocean Studies.