The project ‘The Global Landscapes of Muslim Lives: Latin American and Caribbean Intersections’ aims to extensively document and analyse Muslim life in Latin America, the Caribbean and their diasporas. To this end, ethnographic research, i.e. research aimed at understanding human behaviour and social structures in everyday environments, is being conducted in various countries in order to shed light on local communities and their transnational networks. One focus is on investigating the interactions between local everyday life and the global movements of people, capital, ideas and technologies in order to examine the dynamics of Muslim life in American regions. Around 100 interviews and life stories will be used to document everyday practices, affiliations, migration experiences and social networks. At the same time, different geographical, social and economic contexts will be compared in order to identify patterns, differences and connections.
Based on these investigations, 15 to 20 detailed profiles of Muslim communities will be created, which will serve as the basis for academic and science journalism publications. In addition, the project strengthens a field that has been little researched to date by involving postdoctoral researchers, organising colloquia and promoting international cooperation, in particular with the Latin America and Caribbean Islamic Studies Association (LACISA). The results will then be made available to a broad public – including conferences, digital resources, anthologies, journal articles, and a monograph as the central project publication.
Funding framework and duration
DFG funding for the University of Bayreuth amounts to approximately €377,000 plus a 22% programme allowance, while AHRC/UKRI funding for the University of Edinburgh amounts to £440.775 (approximately €503.000); the project, which begins in January 2026, will run for 36 months.
Lectures planned
An initial lecture by Dr. Chitwood on Puerto Rican Muslims will take place in early 2026 (time and location to be announced). On 16 January, Dr. Chitwood will give a lecture at the University of Bayreuth on ‘Beyond Mosques and Madrasas: Insights into the Material Realities of Marginalised Muslims in America’.
Contact for scientific information:
Dr. Ken Chitwood
Lecturer in Religious Studies with a focus on Contemporary Islamic Cultures, University of Bayreuth
Phone: +49 (0) 152 282 69943
E-mail: Kenneth.Chitwood(at)uni-bayreuth.de
