Diversifying Islamic Studies, from Southeast Asia's Margins

Islam, as a global phenomenon, cannot be fully understood without a nuanced examination of its diverse manifestations. This roundtable seeks to shift the academic focus from the conventional narratives centred around the Middle East, inviting scholars to explore the rich tapestry of Islamic cultures, histories, and practices in Southeast Asia. In their comments, the contributors propose that Southeast Asia should be central to conversations in Islamic Studies. The highly heterogeneous landscapes of Islamic Southeast Asia, and the intricate connections of the region’s Islamic communities to the west and east, compel us to acknowledge the significance of cultural, linguistic, and religious complexity in Islam more broadly. Moreover, a focus on Islam in Southeast Asia allows us to reassess established academic paradigms on religious transmission, conversion and institutional development, which remain often dominated by implicit understandings of centers and peripheries. Offering new paradigms for Islamic Studies, the contributors hope to contribute to the removal of structural barriers that foreclose the consideration of perspectives from Islamic Southeast Asia.