Nathan French

Education

• Ph.D., Religious Studies,  University of California, Santa Barbara
• M.A., Islamic Studies, Washington University in St. Louis
• B.A., Centre College

Teaching

Housed in the Department of Comparative Religion, Dr. French teaches courses on various topics related to Islamic Studies, Middle East Studies, and comparative approaches to law and violence.

Within the Department of Global and Intercultural Studies, Dr. French is affiliated with International Studies and the Middle East and Islamic Studies minor.

He also serves as the Director for the Miami in Oman and UAE study abroad program.

Research Interests

Dr. French's research interests closely parallel his teaching interests. His research background is in Islamic law, Islamic legal theory, Islamic theology, and contemporary Middle East history. Within these, Dr. French's research explores how contemporary Jihadi-Salafi movements, such as al-Qa'ida and ISIS, appropriate and re-interpret Islamic law and theology for their sociopolitical projects.

His monograph, And God Knows the Martyrs: Theodicy, Violence, and Asceticism in Jihadi-Salafism, was released with Oxford University Press in 2020. He is currently researching projects on the events of September 11, 2001 and is working on a new monograph, An Everyday Jihad, exploring the mundane aspects of jihadist legal literature.

Areas of Expertise

• Islamic law (sharīʿa)
• Histories and theories of jihad
• Islamism; religion and politics
• Religion and violence

Professional Recognition and Affiliation

American Academy of Religion

Middle East Studies Association

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• Comparative Religion
• Global and Intercultural Studies