I am a Visiting Instructor Professor of Religious Studies at Kenyon College and a doctoral candidate in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. My research focuses on Islamic material and visual culture, embodiment, and emotions. My dissertation examines Halal consumption in Philadelphia using a combination of ethnographic and digital humanistic methods in order to understand how Islamic traditions, racialization, and the exigencies of urban life give halal consumer goods their purchase. The project speaks to issues of class, race, and authority, while showing how Islamic traditions are formed by non-elite Muslims through everyday embodiment. In addition to my dissertation, I have ongoing research projects on popular Islamic art in the US, the affective dynamics of basketball in Muslim communities, and postcolonial and racialized affects. Digital humanistic praxis is a core component of my work.
