Teren Sevea Named Alwaleed Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies
Islamic Studies Today 2021
Teren Sevea Named Alwaleed Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies
Teren Sevea is a scholar of Islam and Muslim societies in South and Southeast Asia. He joined Harvard Divinity School in 2020 as Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies and became Harvard’s first professor to specialize in Islam in Southeast Asia. In 2021, he was named Alwaleed bin Talal Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies. Before joining HDS, Professor Sevea earned his Ph.D. in history from the University of California in Los Angeles and served as Assistant Professor of South Asia Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. His research focuses on Indian Ocean networks, Sufi textual traditions, Islamic erotology and the socioeconomic significance of spirits. Professor Sevea’s publications include Miracles and Material Life: Rice, Ore, Traps and Guns in Islamic Malaya (2020), the co-edited volume, Islamic Connections: Muslim Societies in South and Southeast Asia (2019), and a number of book chapters and journal articles. He is also the coordinator of a multimedia project called, “The Lighthouses of God: Mapping Sanctity Across the Indian Ocean,” which investigates the evolving landscapes of Indian Ocean Islam through photography, film, and GIS technology.
