Walter H. Annenberg Professor of the Humanities
University of Pennsylvania
Publications
Aisha's Cushion: Religious Art, Perception and Practice in Islam
Media coverage of the Danish cartoon crisis and the destruction of the Buddhas of Bamiyan left Westerners with a strong impression that Islam does not countenance depiction of religious imagery. Elias corrects this view by revealing the complexity of Islamic attitudes toward representational religious art. Aisha’s Cushion emphasizes Islam’s perceptual and intellectual modes and in so doing offers the reader both insight into Islamic visual culture and a unique way of seeing the world.
Alef Is for Allah: Childhood, Emotion, and Visual Culture in Islamic Societies
Alef Is for Allah is the first groundbreaking study of the emotional space occupied by children in modern Islamic societies. Focusing primarily on visual representations of children from modern Turkey, Iran, and Pakistan, the book examines these materials to investigate concepts such as innocence, cuteness, gender, virtue, and devotion, as well as community, nationhood, violence, and sacrifice. In addition to exploring a subject that has never been studied comparatively before, Alef Is for Allah extends the boundaries of scholarship on emotion, religion, and visual culture and provides unique insight into Islam as it is lived and experienced in the modern world.
On Wings of Diesel: Trucks, Identity and Culture in Pakistan
Illustrated with beautiful colour photos throughout, On Wings of Diesel takes us on a journey through the fascinating world of Pakistani truck decoration. Ornately adorned and considered as moving art, these trucks – veritable roving exhibitions – depict all aspects of life and support a highly developed artisanal industry. Examining designs and motifs, the cultural significance of the practice, and the motivations of truck owners, Elias provides a unique window on Pakistan’s complex society that addresses questions of culture and religion in an accessible and exciting way.
Death Before Dying: The Sufi poems of
Sultan Bahu
These 115 poems introduce readers in English to Sultan Bahu (d. 1691), a Sufi mystical poet who continues to be one of the most beloved writers in Punjabi. Bahu, whose name translates as "With God," remains highly popular in Pakistan and India today.
This Is Islam: From Muhammad and the Community of Believers to Islam in the Global Community presents a lively introduction to a religion that has a dramatic history and plays a crucial role in the world today. Designed for people unfamiliar with Islamic beliefs, rituals, and customs, it explains the history of Islam, the importance of Islamic law, and major sects including Sunnism, Shi’ism, and Sufism.
This is Islam
Key Themes for the Study of Islam examines the central themes and concepts indispensable to an informed understanding of Islamic religion and society. This book will become the first choice for students and experts in religion from disparate fields who wish to know how Islam relates to vital concepts in religion and society today.