The USPPIP project came to an end on 31st September 2019 – we are no longer maintaining this website, however it continues to represent a record of the USPPIP project’s work between 2016 and 2019. Many thanks to all who have contributed to the project over the years!
Rob Gleave, November 2019.
Welcome to the Understanding Shari’a project - This two year project addresses how Muslim legal scholars have used the idea of a perfect past to try and change the imperfect present. Islamic legal thought has always stressed the importance of previous example – legal scholars often refer to the “example of the Prophet” or “established tradition or custom” to justify a rule. This project focuses on these uses of the past, and tries to show how they are changing and how the past is being used to support legal change and reform in contemporary Muslim discourse.
Funded by HERA (Humanities in the European Research Area) under their USES OF THE PAST programme, the project team includes scholars in the Universities of Exeter, Leiden, Göttingen and Bergen and examines the uses of the past in the areas of violence, custom, gender and the state.
Details of all our activities, including workshops, conferences and publications, can be found here – and please do get in touch if you have any comments or would like to join our mailing list.
Robert Gleave, University of Exeter - Project Lead
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 649307
Latest News & Events
Marriage and Divorce in Modern Islamic Law: Workshop 23 April 2019, University of Exeter
USPPIP Project Extended to September 2019
Uses of the Past: Shari’a and Gender in Palestine and Israel - Published
Summer and Autumn Schools Report
Conference Report: Uses of the Past in Islamic Law 27th – 29th September 2018
USPPIP Project Conference Programme Announced
Congratulations! - USPPIP Postdoctoral Fellow Successes
‘Uses of the Past in Islamic Law’ Conference 27th – 29th September 2018: Panel Titles
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS – Uses of the Past in Islamic Legal Thought and Practice: Autumn School 11th – 17th November 2018
27 June 2018, Göttingen: Female Judges – experiences, successes and challenges in Palestine and Germany: Somoud al-Damiri, Palestinian Judge of the Sharia Court of Ramalllah and Prof. Maria Wersig, University of Dortmund and Head of the Female Jurists‘ Association in Germany
28-29 June 2018 “Uses of the Past: Islamic International Law and the Problem of Translation. Concepts and Applications”, University of Göttingen
Uses of the Past in Islamic Legal Thought and Practice: Summer School 8th - 14th July 2018
Congratulations! - SSRC Grant Awarded to Mahmood Kooria
Maslaha, Siyasa and Good Governance: Shari’a and Society Workshop 19th-20th April 2018
Islamic Law and Sexuality Conference 9th – 11th January 2018, University of Exeter
Governance and Violence in Islamic Law Workshop 24th November 2017
Invitation: Opening Lecture of the Conference “Gender and Sharīʿah in Muslim Legal Theory and Practice”. Göttingen University, 12th October 2017
Nordic Seminar on Islamic Legal Studies, University of Bergen, 19th – 20th October 2017
Islamic Law and Sex/uality Workshop 22nd June 2017
Customs, Culture, Shari’a and National Law
Meeting in Leiden December 2016
Ocean of Law II: Islamic Legal Crossings in the Indian Ocean World
Workshop on the Imamate traditions in South Arabia