Welcome from Director for the Center for Global Islamic Studies
I am very pleased to become the new director of Center for Global Islamic Studies (CGS) and work to develop the center and programming about Islam and Muslim societies at the University of Florida. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the outgoing, founding director, Terje Ostebo for all of his efforts in building CGIS during his directorship.
As some of you know, I am quite new to UF, having joined the Department of Religion in January 2017 from Leiden University and the University of Amsterdam. I am a scholar of Islam and Muslim societies in Africa and its diaspora, having conducted extensive research in West Africa and elsewhere. In addition, I have broadly comparative interests in Islam in global context both historically and in the contemporary period, as reflected in my publications and past programming activities. As the new director of CGIS, I look forward to working with the center’s advisory board, affiliated faculty, students, the Gainesville community, and broader public on programming. I also welcome feedback on past events and ideas for new initiatives and speakers to invite to UF. In the coming weeks I will convene a meeting of the center’s advisory board. During the fall semester I also hope to be able to meet CGIS-affiliated faculty and students I have not yet been able to meet.
I look forward to getting to know you and working with you through the center.
Best wishes,
Benjamin Soares
Director, Center for Global Islamic Studies
Professor, Department of Religion & Center for African Studies
University of Florida
https://religion.ufl.edu/faculty/core/benjamin-soares/