A Brief History

The Duncan Black Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations is the country’s oldest center for such study. The Macdonald Center embodies Hartford Seminary’s long-term commitment — begun in 1893 — to the study of Islam and Christianity and the complex relationship between the two religions throughout history and in the modern world.

The Macdonald Center challenges scholars, students, members of religious institutions, community groups, the media and the general public to go beyond stereotypes and prejudices and develop a profound 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.

The Macdonald Center is an academic unit within Hartford Seminary dedicated to scholarly research, teaching and publication. The Center is responsible for the Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations component of the Seminary’s nationally acclaimed Master of Arts degree program. The Seminary also offers a Graduate Certificate in Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations and has an Islamic Chaplaincy program to train and certify institutional chaplains. Macdonald Center faculty are responsible for instruction in the study of Islam and Christian-Muslim relations concentration of the Doctor of Philosophy degree program.

Under the Seminary’s aegis, the Center edits the bi-annual scholarly journal, The Muslim World, which reaches subscribers in 65 countries. The Muslim World is dedicated to the promotion and dissemination of scholarly research on Islam and Muslim societies and on historical and current aspects of Christian-Muslim relations. 

Complementing its rigorous academic work, the Macdonald Center is actively engaged in community service through Hartford Seminary’s educational outreach and professional consultations activities.

It also sponsors lectures and programs each semester, as well as the biennial Willem Bijlefeld lecture in Islam and Christian-Muslim relations. In these ways, the Center works to promote understanding between the two faiths and to foster mutual tolerance in local, national and worldwide communities.

More information on the history of Hartford Seminary and the Macdonald Center:

A History of Hartford Seminary’s Muslim Mission
By Alexis Rankin Popik for the Hog River Journal, Summer 2005

A Century of Arabic and Islamic Studies at Hartford Seminary
By Willem A. Bijlefeld for The Muslim World, April 1993

Partnerships and Resources
The work of the Macdonald Center is enhanced by various institutional partnerships. As part of the Seminary’s joint doctoral program with the University of Exeter, Macdonald Center faculty guide and supervise the work of students studying Islam and Christian-Muslim relations.

The M.A. concentration is strengthened through cooperation with the Department of Religion at Temple University in Philadelphia. The Macdonald Center enjoys a special cooperative arrangement with the Office of Interfaith Relations of the National Council of Churches of Christ USA, and works with several local and national Muslim organizations. Hartford Seminary is an active participant in the Connecticut Council for Interfaith Understanding.

In addition to these resources, scholars and participants in the Macdonald Center’s programs can take full advantage of the Hartford Seminary Library, roughly half of whose 60,000 volumes focus on Islamic studies and the historical relationship between Christians and Muslims.

The Library also houses special research collections, including 1,600 Arabic Islamic manuscripts, 1,300 volumes of the Arabian Nights in various languages and editions, and a collection of medieval European literature on Islam.

Study Tour
Every other year, the Macdonald Center in consultation with the President and Dean organizes an international study seminar. These seminars provide participants with a rare opportunity to meet Muslim, Christian, Jewish and other religious leaders in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and elsewhere and to learn about local efforts at inter-faith cooperation.

We will soon post more information about the Study Tours.