News

We are excited to welcome Dr. Madlene Hamilton to our team as the SHARIAsource Lab & Special Projects Manager. Dr. Hamilton holds a B.S in Child and Human Development and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy from the University of Texas at Austin and a master’s degree in Educational Leadership – Policy Studies from George Washington University. She is a social scientist, with strong technical and subject-matter expertise in health and education, as well as management experience in the social sector, specializing in strategic policy analysis, mixed-methods research, program evaluation, and data innovation. She has held various positions at several academic institutions including Rice University (Postdoc), Stanford University (Academic Research and Program Officer), and George Washington University (Research) and with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (Data Specialist). “Joining PIL has really pushed me to think creatively and broadly about the use of data science and AI tools in a way that I would not have thought doable in the past. The project is forward-thinking and groundbreaking in its use of modern technology, specifically with its focus on AI translation and Arabic OCR,” says Dr. Hamilton, “The path forward for this work is exciting and PIL is charting the course for some amazing breakthroughs in the field of Islamic law and history, there is a lot that can be learned from this process and used in other disciplines.” We look forward to working together to fulfill our Program’s mission to promote research and provide resources for the academic study of Islamic law!

We are excited to share that the Journal of Early Modern History has published a review of a book from our Harvard Series in Islamic Law, Jocelyn Hendrickson’s (University of Alberta) Leaving Iberia: Islamic Law and Christian Conquest in North West Africa. The reviewer, Ana Struillou (European University Institute), calls the book a “particularly stimulating contribution to the connected histories of the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa” that “entices readers to further compare and contrast the intricacies of cross-religious relations in North Africa as well as in Spain, which has often been studied in isolation from the rest of the Mediterranean…[it] masterfully demonstrates that the histories of Iberian-born Muslims, Moriscos, and Muslims living under Christian rule in the Maghreb can benefit from being studied together.“ Read the review today and don’t forget to get your hands on a copy of the book!

Former Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer reflected on his 42-year career as a federal judge at a Harvard Law School forum on Monday, September 19th with Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and PIL Faculty Director, Professor Intisar Rabb.  The Harvard Crimson reports that “the discussion encompassed a range of legal and humanitarian issues, including prison reform and the recent flooding in Pakistan. The justices also talked about the obstacles they faced in their respective courts, such as striving to reach consensus with justices who hold different views.” Read more today and stay tuned for the recording. (PC: Julian J. Giordano/Harvard Crimson)