Ismail Fajrie Alatas

Ismail Fajrie Alatas is an Associate Professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies and History at New York University's College of Arts and Science. He holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology and History from the University of Michigan, an M.A. in History from the National University of Singapore, and a B.A. (Hons.) in History from the University of Melbourne.

His research focuses on the history and anthropology of Islam in Indonesia, examining transregional connections between Indonesia and the Indian Ocean World, particularly Arabia. Key themes include religious authority, Sufism, pilgrimage, and spatiality. His first monograph, What is Religious Authority?, redefines authority as a product of social relations and articulatory labor. His current project, Spatial Religion, explores pilgrimage and religious geography linking Indonesia and Yemen.

Alatas has received prestigious fellowships, including from the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute and the Social Science Research Council. His courses span Islamic societies, Sufism, pilgrimage, and modernity. He actively engages with issues of mobility, secularism, and spatial politics in Islamic contexts.

• Education:
  • Ph.D., University of Michigan, Anthropology and History
  • M.A., National University of Singapore, History
  • B.A. (Hons.), University of Melbourne, History
• Awards:
  • Fellow, Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought
  • Transregional Research Junior Scholar Fellowship (SSRC)
  • Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship
• Research Interests: Islamic Law, Sufi Ontologies, Pilgrimage Routes, Semiotics of Space, Temporality