Jacquelene Brinton

I received my M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Virginia in August of 2009 in the Department of Religious Studies with a specialty in Islamic Studies. I am currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Kansas. My manuscript: “Preaching Islamic Renewal: Religion and Authority in Modern Egypt” is currently under review at the University of California Press. The book focuses on the famous Egyptian television preacher and exegete Muḥammad Mitwalli Sha'rāwī. My main areas of interests within the discipline of Islamic Studies are: The role of the ‘ulamā’ in contemporary Islam, preaching, popular religion, and media and religion. My research is focused on the role authoritative discourse plays in ensuring the continuity of religious traditions. Specifically, how media preaching has helped the Egyptian ‘ulamā’ communicate religion as socially and historically relevant, and how technology aids this process. In my next book I will examine the hermeneutics of digitized religion by considering how new media affects the production and reception of religious texts.