Prof Marcia Hermansen

Prof Marcia Hermansen is an American scholar of Islam originally from Canada. She currently serves as a professor and the director of Islamic World Studies at Loyola University Chicago. Prof Hermansen earned her PhD in Arabic and Islamic Studies from the University of Chicago, where her graduate training included intensive study of Arabic, Persian, and Urdu languages in their respective countries. Her academic expertise encompasses a wide range of topics within Islamic studies, including Sufism, Islamic thought, Muslims in America, the works of Shah Waliullah, Islam and Muslims in South Asia, and women’s roles and gender perspectives in Islam. Notably, Hermansen herself is a practicing Muslim.

One of Prof Hermansen’s notable areas of research is modern Sufi movements, where she distinguishes between “Perennial Movements,” which view Sufism as part of a broader, timeless spirituality, and “Hybrid Movements,” which emphasize adherence to Islamic tradition. Using metaphors such as a garden and flowering plants, she explores the diversity of contemporary American Sufi groups. Her studies also extend to Muslim youth culture and identity, particularly in the context of post-9/11 America.

Prof Hermansen has authored several significant works in the field of Islamic studies, including “The Conclusive Argument from God: Shah Wali Allah of Delhi’s Hujjat Allah Al-Baligha” published by Brill in 1996 and “Shah Wali Allah’s Treatises on Islamic Law” by Fons Vitae in 2011. She has also co-edited works such as “Muslima Theology: The Voices of Muslim Women Theologians” with Ednan Aslan and Elif Medeni (Peter Lang, 2013), “Islam and Citizenship Education” with Ednan Aslan (Springer, 2015), and “Religious Diversity at School: Educating for New Pluralistic Contexts” with Ednan Aslan (Springer, 2021). These publications reflect Hermansen’s commitment to exploring and promoting understanding of various aspects of Islam and its interactions with contemporary society and culture.