Advancing and Diffusing Knowledge on Muslim-Americans

Faculty:

Sponsors:

  • Carnegie Corporation of New York

Start Date:

End Date:

  • Completed

Advancing and Diffusing Knowledge on Muslim-Americans

This grant supported the advancement and diffusion of Dr. Read's research on Muslim American political incorporation. As a Carnegie Scholar, she has spent the past two years examining this issue and is eager to share her findings with a broader audience than is traditionally reached through academic outlets. To this end, she proposes to partner with Duke University and use the funds for web development and strategic outreach and communication. The overarching goal is to translate Dr. Read's academic findings into a language that is easily accessible to a broad audience, including educators, policy-makers, journalists, and individuals, both here and abroad. Dr. Read's work speaks directly to the widespread concern over the compatibility of Islam and democracy. By comparing Muslim Americans to other immigrant and religious groups, she has shown that their experiences are no different from earlier immigrant arrivals, including Italians, Jews, and Japanese. She has also shown that their political values and behaviors are no different from other Americans today, including Evangelical Christians. This information is not available to most Americans, but it needs to be. The second and equally important part of the project is outreach and communication - making both the research and the website visible, both locally and globally. This will also involve working closely with the Office of News and Communications to publicize the website via major search engines and other outlets, hiring a publicist to reach venues that are beyond the scope of the communications office. Dr. Read will also work with non-profit organizations, such as the Arab American Institute Foundation, to make the work visible in policy arenas.

Last updated on June 3, 2020