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Muslims, Societies, and Cultures

As one of Al-Mahdi Institute’s six specialist research areas, Muslims, Societies and Cultures examines Islam as a lived tradition and explores the social, cultural, and intellectual dynamics of Muslim societies. The research foregrounds the ways in which ethical and philosophical ideas shape – and are shaped by – religious practice and lived experience. While Islam and Muslim communities form the principal focus, the research area also accommodates comparative studies of other religious and cultural contexts, especially where these intersect with or relate to Muslim life and thought.
 
The research area is primarily concerned with understanding religion as it is lived and practised within diverse social and cultural settings, engaging with religion as a performed phenomenon rather than as abstract theology or speculative philosophy. Its scholars investigate how Muslims navigate moral, social, and cultural realities across multiple contexts, contributing to broader understandings of faith, identity, and practice in contemporary societies.
 
Guided by its Research Lead, the area hosts conferences, workshops, seminars, publications, and visiting fellowships, providing a vibrant forum for collaboration and exchange. Its aim is to foster rigorous and contextually grounded research on Muslim societies while encouraging dialogue that situates lived Islam within the wider study of religion and culture.
Research Lead

Dr Muhammed Reza Tajri

Muhammed Reza Tajri, PhD (2023), Lancaster University, is Lecturer in Arabic and Research Lead for Muslims, Societies, and Cultures. With a background in traditional Islamic studies, his academic work focuses on sociological approaches to Muslim communities. He studied at the Ḥawza ʿIlmiyya of London, The Islamic College, and Middlesex University, before further training in Damascus. He later completed MA’s in Islamic Studies (London) and Islam in Contemporary Britain (Cardiff). His doctoral research examined evolving perceptions of Shīʿī religious authority on British university campuses, and his interests include Muslims in Europe, contemporary Shīʿism, identity, authority, and gender.

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