معرفی
Felicitas M. Opwis is Associate Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at Georgetown University, where she also chairs the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies. Her scholarship investigates the historical development and theoretical underpinnings of Islamic law, with particular attention to the interplay between legal thought and its broader intellectual, social, and political environments.
Education
- Ph.D., Islamic Studies — Yale University
- M.A., Islamic Studies — Universität Freiburg
- B.A., Islamic Studies — Universität Tübingen
Research Focus
Opwis’s work centers on Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) and the evolution of legal theory. She explores how Muslim jurists balance the need for legal change with fidelity to scripture, examining concepts such as maslaha (public interest) and maqāṣid al-sharīʿa (the purposes of Islamic law). Through comparative analysis she traces how these principles shift across historical periods and interpretive communities.
Featured Publications
- Maqaṣid al-Shariʿah
- Syllogistic Logic in Islamic Legal Theory: al-Ghazālī’s Arguments for the Certainty of Legal Analogy (Qiyās)
- Ibn ʿĀshūr’s Interpretation of the Purposes of the Law (Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿa): An Islamic Modernist Approach to Legal Change
While the text does not enumerate specific grants, awards, or doctoral advisees, Opwis’s dual role as Associate Professor and Department Chair underscores her active leadership in the field.
