Speaker

Dr Toby Matthiesen, University of Bristol

Chair

Dr Rita Langer, University of Bristol

Abstract

In this talk, Toby Matthiesen will introduce his recent book. Based on a synthesis of decades of scholarship in numerous languages, The Caliph and the Imam: The Making of Sunnism and Shiism (Oxford University Press, 2023), is the first truly global and longue durée history of Sunni-Shii relations. Moving chronologically, his book sheds light on the many ways that it has shaped the Islamic world, outlining how over the centuries Sunnism and Shiism became Islam’s two main branches, and how Muslim Empires embraced specific sectarian identities. Focussing on connections between the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East, it reveals how colonial rule and the modern state institutionalised sectarian divisions and at the same time led to pan-Islamic resistance and Sunni and Shii revivalism. It then focuses on the fall-out from the 1979 revolution in Iran and US-led military interventions. As Matthiesen shows, however, though Sunnism and Shiism have had a long and at times antagonistic history, most Muslims have led lives characterised by confessional ambiguity and co-existence. Tensions arise when sectarian identity becomes linked to politics. In this talk, Matthiesen will outline his motivations for writing the book as well as some of the challenges he faced in the process. He will furthermore explain how the book contributes to and departs from earlier work and how it can contribute to discussions of religion and politics more broadly, especially in the early modern and modern periods. 

Bio 

Toby Matthiesen is Senior Lecturer in Global Religious Studies with reference to Islam and the Middle East at the University of Bristol. He works on the history and politics of Global Islam and the Middle East, with a focus on the Gulf Region. His research often involves multi-archival work and fieldwork, and the use of primary sources in Arabic. His first book, Sectarian Gulf: Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the Arab Spring That Wasn’t (Stanford University Press, 2013), analysed the impact of the Arab Spring on the Gulf States. His second book, The Other Saudis: Shiism, Dissent and Sectarianism (Cambridge University Press, 2015) dealt with the relationship between Shia Muslims and the Saudi state and was based on research in Saudi Arabia and hitherto unused Arabic archives. His third book, The Caliph and the Imam: The Making of Sunnism and Shiism (Oxford University Press, 2023), is a global and longue durée history of Sunni-Shii relations. He currently works on a modern history of the Gulf Region and the role of religion in international relations.

The talk will be followed by a Q&A and a small reception of drinks and nibbles. 

All are welcome!