We are delighted to announce that Professor Walid Saleh has been elected as Vice President of the American Academy of Religion (AAR), the largest and most prestigious international scholarly organization focused on the study of religion. He will automatically advance to the presidency in two years’ time. A professor of Islamic Studies, Saleh is the founding, and a former, director of U of T’s Institute of Islamic Studies and has received several prestigious fellowships. His research focuses on the history of the Qur’an, Qur’anic exegesis (tafsīr), Islamic intellectual history, and the reception of the Bible in Islam. He is currently completing a monograph on the history of Qur’anic interpretation and Islam.
“I am grateful for the support of the AAR membership and I am honoured to have been elected,” Saleh says. He has been a member of the AAR since 1998 and been active in various units and on the board of the Journal of the American Academy of Religion. In his platform statement, Saleh noted that “recent world events have made it very apparent that academic professional organizations like the AAR are needed now more than ever.”
The DSR chair and graduate chair, Professor Pamela Klassen, comments that "the entire department is very proud of Walid, and grateful for the honour he is bringing to the DSR, especially in our 50th anniversary celebration year." Adding his congratulations, Professor Stephen Wright, Interim Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science, notes what a testament this appointment is of Saleh's contributions to the study of religion.
Saleh’s ambitions for his AAR roles are to focus on the role of graduate students in the organization and to ensure that the needs of new starting scholars are met. In addition to improving its outreach, he wants the organization to be “inclusive and welcoming, as well as maintaining its relevance as it emphasizes the indispensable role in the academy of the study of religion.”
He is keen, too, to bring a Canadian perspective to the esteemed institution – including the pressing question of whether it is time to consider again convening the annual meeting in Canada.
About the AAR Vice Presidency
The Vice President serves a one-year term. Then, without additional elections, the Vice President automatically becomes President-Elect the next year and President the following year. The Vice President has the opportunity to profoundly affect AAR policy: during the presidential year, for example, the incumbent is responsible for making many of the appointments of members of working groups. As well as serving on the Board of Directors, the Vice President also serves on the AAR's Executive and Program Committees.
