Jonathan Brown

Jonathan Brown is Professor and Chair of the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies at Georgetown University, where he holds the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Chair of Islamic Civilization. His scholarship examines Islamic intellectual history with focus on hadith studies, Islamic law, and social ethics.

Research areas:

• Historical development of hadith literature
• Interpretation of Islamic legal traditions
• Historical and theological perspectives on slavery in Islam
• Modern reinterpretations of Islamic texts

His publications explore challenges in interpreting Islamic texts across different historical periods and cultural contexts, including contemporary debates on religious authority and social justice. Professor Brown is editor-in-chief of the Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Law.