Lecture Series
ISITA organizes monthly talks during the academic year, organized around three distinct lecture series.
To receive notifications of upcoming talks, join ISITA's email list.
Timbuktu Talks - New Books and Research
The Northwestern-UIUC Timbuktu Talks series combines earlier iterations of Islamic Africa talk series at both ISITA and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Center for African Studies to form the premier speaker series in the field of Islam in Africa. Talks are held on a monthly basis, and alternate between online events and in-person/hybid talks at Northwestern University in Evanston and UIUC in Urbana-Champaign. This series provides a platform for authors of recently published books or emerging scholars in the field to share their research.
The series is led by Zachary Wright, Professor of Liberal Arts at Northwestern University in Qatar, and Mauro Nobili, Professor of History at UIUC.
To view upcoming events in this series, please visit ISITA's events calendar feed.
Recent book talks hosted by ISITA include:
October 15, 2025
Kimberly Wortmann, Society of the Righteous: Ibadhi Muslim Identity and Transnationalism in Tanzania
January 15, 2026
Wendell Marsh, Textual Life: Islam, Africa, and the Fate of the Humanities
Watch the recording of Marsh's talk on ISITA's YouTube channel.
Spiritual Luminaries of Islamic Africa
A series of presentations shedding light on the renowned scholars, saints, teachers, activists, and other inspirational figures - historical and contemporary - of Muslim Africa. The presentations explore the lives, work, and impact of these figures, and their connections to broader spiritual and intellectual traditions of Islamic Africa.
To view upcoming events in this series, please visit ISITA's events calendar feed.
Recent talks in this series include:
October 16, 2025
Farah El-Sharif, Unearthing "The Yemeni Sword": An Early 20th Century Sufi Polemic
February 4, 2026
Shaykh Muhammad Shareef: Uthman dan Fodio and the Illuminated Esoteric School of the Fodiyawa
Watch the recording of Shareef's talk on ISITA's YouTube Channel.
April 23, 2026
Samiha Rahman: Black Muslim Freedom Dreams: Sufism and Islamic Learning in West Africa and America
Works in Progress
A lunchtime forum for Northwestern faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students to present their works in progress, especially early-stage work, and receive feedback from colleagues and peers.
If you are interested in presenting at this forum, please reach out at isita@northwestern.edu.
Recent talks in this series include:
October 16, 2025
Umar Yandaki (PhD student, History): The Cursed Gate: Kofar Kwaya and Other Discursive Landscapes of Islam in Katsina, 1450-1805