Andrea Stanton
Associate Professor, Islamic Studies and Digital Religion; Chair, Religious Studies; Director, Middle East Center
What I do
I am Associate Professor of Islamic Studies and Chair of the Department of Religious Studies. I am also an affiliated faculty member at the Institute for Comparative and Transregional Studies at the Korbel School.
Specialization(s)
Islamic studies, Middle Eastern history, digital religion, media and politics, media history
Professional Biography
I obtained my MA and PhD in Middle Eastern history from Columbia University, and my BA in history and in religion from Williams College. My research agenda follows two tracks: 20th century Middle Eastern history, focusing on intersections between mass media forms and national or social identities, and 21st century Islam, focusing on intersections between contemporary media forms (mass and individual), state interests, and personal piety. My religious studies research areas are thus in digital Islam, digital religion, and lived religion. At DU, I teach a range of Islamic studies courses, including: Introduction to Islam, Islam in the United States, Islam and Gender, Islamic Empires, and Common Figures in the Bible and Qur'an. Like my other RLGS colleagues, I also do quite a bit of community engagement and public outreach, giving numerous public talks each year.
Degree(s)
- Ph.D., Middle East History, Columbia University, 2007
Professional Affiliations
- American Academy of Religion
- Middle East Studies Association
- American Historical Association
- Syrian Studies Association
Media Sources
Research
Coming to the University of Denver entailed shifting from a history to a religious studies department, which has encouraged my research agenda to develop and broaden. My research interests have proceeded along two primary tracks: 20th century Middle Eastern history, with a continuing focus on nation building and technology; and contemporary manifestations of piety among Muslims in the United States and the Middle East, with a particular focus on intersections and amplifications through technology, including apps and websites.
Areas of Research
radio history
media history
contemporary Islam
digital religion
national identity
personal piety
Key Projects
- Radio and Decolonization: Bringing Sound into 20th Century History
- Supporting JDP Faculty and Students of Color
- Teaching Connected Histories of the Mediterranean
- Religion and Peacebuilding: Public Talk Series
- Religion in the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains
- Interfaith Youth Core
- Religion and Peacebuilding: Public Talk Series
- University of Denver (CO): Expanding Core Strengths in Middle East Studies
Featured Publications
Stanton, Andrea. “Locating Palestine's Summer Residence: Mandate Tourism And National Identity.” Journal of Palestine Studies 47, no. 2, (2018): 44-63.
Stanton, Andrea. “Islamic Emoticons And Religious Authority: Emerging Practices, Shifting Paradigms.” Journal of Contemporary Islam, (2017).
Stanton, Andrea. This Is Jerusalem Calling: State Radio In Mandate Palestine. Austin, USA: University of Texas Press. 2013. 260.
Stanton, Andrea. “Celebrating Muhammad’s Birthday In The Middle East: Supporting Or Complicating Muslim Identity Projects?” In Identity Discourses And Communities In International Events, Festivals, And Spectacles . Palgrave. 2014.
Stanton, Andrea L. “Saudi Arabia’s Ministry Of Hajj Apps: Managing The Operations And Piety Of The Hajj.” Journal of Religion, Media, and Digital Culture, (2020).
Presentations
Stanton, Andrea. “Hajj And Umrah In The Covid Era: Digital And Governmental Responses” Islamic Responses To Covid-19: Authority And Religiosity In #Muslim Communities And Digital Worlds, virtual, University of Wales, Trinity Saint David, 2021.
Stanton, Andrea. “Managing The Piety And The Business Of Hajj” Rocky Mountains & Great Plains Regional Meeting Of The American Academy Of Religion , Omaha, NE (Creighton University), Rocky Mountains & Great Plains Regional Association of the American Academy of Religion, 2019.
Stanton, Andrea, and Susan Pessin. “The Du Religious Inclusivity Initiative” Denver Country Club, Denver Eclectics, 2019.
Stanton, Andrea, and Susan Pessin. “Muslim, Jew, Immigrant: Fear Of Others In The Us Today” Du All Campus Lecture, Davis Auditorium, Sturm Hall, DU Discoveries Week, 2019.
Stanton, Andrea, and Nadezhda Stancheva Kaneva. “Understanding The “State” In Islamic State: Mediated Articulations Of The Caliphate’s State Ideology” Imagined Borders, Epistemic Freedoms, Boulder, Center for Media, Religion, and Culture, University of Colorado, Boulder, 2020.
Stanton, Andrea. “Good Conduct Through Radio Listening: Bbc Arabic And The Fear Of Italian Propaganda” Middle East Studies Association Annual Meeting, San Antonio, 2018.
Stanton, Andrea. “Beyond News And Propaganda: Cultural And Entertainment Programming On The Bbc’s Arabic Service” Middle East Studies Association Annual Meeting, virtual, 2020.
Awards
- Kathleen Connolly-Weinert Leader-of-the-Year Award, Theta Alpha Kappa
- Outstanding Faculty Member Award, Joint Ph.D. Program Student Association
