Muslim American Dissent and U.S. Politics Before and After 9/11

Edward E. Curtis IV, IUPUI

Edward Curtis is the Millennium Chair of the Liberal Arts and professor of religious studies and American studies at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). A student of U.S. history, Islamic religion, and the African diaspora, he is the author or editor of six books, including the two-volume Encyclopedia of Muslim-American History (2010), The New Black Gods: Arthur Huff Fauset and the Study of African American Religions (2009), and Black Muslim Religion in the Nation of Islam, 1960-1975 (2006). His most recent monograph, Muslims in America: A Short History, was named one of the best books of 2009 by Publishers Weekly.  His scholarship has also appeared in the Journal of the American Academy of Religion, American Quarterly, and Religion and American Culture.

A former NEH Fellow at the National Humanities Center, Dr. Curtis has been awarded Carnegie, Fulbright, and Mellon fellowships. He is founder of the African American studies program at Trinity University in San Antonio, a former AmeriCorps Interfaith campus supervisor, and the director of the IUPUI Summer Abroad in Jordan program. With Prof. Sylvester Johnson of Northwestern University, he recently co-founded the Journal of Africana Religions.

Since 9/11 Edward Curtis has lectured frequently in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East about the role of Islam and Muslims in U.S. history and contemporary affairs. He has also contributed interviews and articles on the subject to the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New York Daily News, National Public Radio, and the Immanent Frame, among other media outlets. A native of Southern Illinois, he holds a doctorate in religious studies from the University of South Africa, a master’s in history from Washington University, and a B.A. in religion from Kenyon College.

This event is sponsored by the John C. Danforth Center on Religion & Politics.