Ruffle, Karen

Karen Ruffle, Assistant Professor of History of Religion and Women’s and Gender Studies (UTM) and Religion (UTSG), specializes in South Asian Shi’ism. Her research and teaching interests focus on various aspects of Islam, including Muslim devotional texts, ritual practice, and gendered constructions of holiness in Shi‘ism. She has conducted field research in India, Pakistan, Iran, and Syria. Ruffle obtained her B.A. in Religion from Middlebury College and her M.A. and PhD in Religious Studies with a specialization in Islamic studies from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Her first book Gender, Sainthood, and Everyday Practice in South Asian Shi’ism was published by the University of North Carolina Press in 2011. She is currently working on two book projects, one of which focuses on gendered narratives and ritual performances focusing on Fatimah al-Zahra. The second book project examines South Asia as a sacred Shi’i landscape.