Mattson Named Director
of Macdonald Center
Click envelope to email this to a friend!
HARTFORD – June 5, 2008
Dr. Ingrid Mattson, Professor of Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations, will become director of Hartford Seminary’s Duncan Black Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, effective July 1.
President Heidi Hadsell announced the appointment. Mattson has been on the Seminary faculty since 1998.
“I am delighted that Ingrid has accepted this important position,” Hadsell said. “Ingrid will work with the trustees, faculty and staff at Hartford Seminary to continue the Macdonald Center’s place as a leader in Islamic studies and interfaith relations, locally, nationally and internationally. She brings a dedication to education, an understanding of the importance of partnerships, and leadership skills to this position.”
Mattson replaces co-directors of the Macdonald Center, Ibrahim Abu-Rabi’, who has been named Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Alberta, and Jane I. Smith, who has been named Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs at Harvard Divinity School, both starting July 1.
Mattson is president of the Islamic Society of North America, the largest Muslim community organization in the United States.
The Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations is the country’s oldest center for such study. It challenges scholars, students, the media and the general public to move beyond stereotypes and develop an accurate awareness and appreciation of Islamic religion, law and culture. It is committed to the premise that through intensive study and academically guided dialogue, mutual respect and cooperation between Muslims and Christians can and must develop.
New faculty at the Macdonald Center will be Yahya M. Michot, an internationally known scholar in Islamic theological and philosophical thought, and Mahmoud Ayoub, a pre-eminent scholar in Islam and interfaith dialogue.
Michot will be Professor of Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations, effective September 1. He will edit The Muslim World journal. Ayoub will be Faculty Associate in Shi‘ite Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, starting July 1.
"Jane and Ibrahim have built a great legacy for the Macdonald Center. I look forward to continuing their good work in collaboration with my new colleagues Dr. Michot and Dr. Ayoub,’ Mattson said.
Mattson has been active in interfaith initiatives, including the release of the document “A Common World Between Us and You,” an historic outreach on the part of Muslim leaders worldwide to the Christian world. She was one of the original signatories of the document. In April, she participated on a panel with the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu at the “Seeds of Compassion” program in Seattle, WA.
She recently was appointed a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Islam-West Dialogue.
She was born in Canada, where she studied Philosophy at the University of Waterloo, Ontario (B.A. '87). From 1987 to 1988 she lived in Pakistan where she worked with Afghan refugee women. In 1995 she served as advisor to the Afghan delegation to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.
Mattson earned her Ph.D. in Islamic Studies from the University of Chicago in 1999. Her research is focused on Islamic law and society, among her articles are studies on slavery, poverty and Islamic legal theory.
At Hartford Seminary, Mattson has taught courses on the Qur’an and Hadith, Islamic law, and Islamic ethics. She is associate editor of The Muslim World and director of the Islamic Chaplaincy Program.
In her book, “The Story of the Qur’an: Its History and Place in Muslim Life,” Mattson shows the unexpected and diverse ways Muslims have related to the Qur’an over the centuries.
Hartford Seminary will celebrate its 175th anniversary in the fall. The Seminary focuses on interfaith relations, congregational studies and faith in practice.
For more information, please contact David Barrett at (860) 509-9519 or dbarrett@hartsem.edu. A photograph of Dr. Mattson is available on request.
