Invited Presentations

2016 “Muslims & Media: Identity, Representation, and Social Effects” Doane College, April 21.

2016 “A Brief History of the Qur’an in China: Translators and Translations,” Sinophone and Middle Eastern Crossings Conference, University of South Carolina, April 16.

2016 “Muslim in Western Cinema: Patterns and Disruptions,” International Conference on Islamic Arts in Intercultural Perspective, Centre for the Study of Islamic Culture, Chinese University of Hong Kong, March 4-5.

2015 “Chinese and Muslim Modernities: Identity, Tradition, and Globalization” Midland University, December 3.

2015 “Global China and the Politics of Islam,” University of Nebraska Omaha, April 14.

2015 “Approaching the Qur’an in China,” Islam and Chinese Civilization Conference, Institute for Advanced Humanistic Studies, Peking University, April 1-2.

2015 “Mediating Islam: Representation and Muslim Identity,” Religion and Identity Symposium, Kripke Center at Creighton University, February 19-20.

2014 “The Qur’an in China: Inscriptions, Manuscripts, and Translations.” Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, October 28.

2014 “Interpreting Tradition in Islamicate Civilizations.” Islamicate Studies Symposium, University of Chicago, October 18.

2014 “The Qur’an in China: Inscriptions, Manuscripts, and Translations.” University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, September 8.

2014 “The Reconstruction of Islamic Discourses in China: An Inquiry into Scripture, Language, and Pilgrimage.” University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, March 25.

2014 Keynote Address: “Even Unto China: Interpreting Islam in Dialogue.” Association of Central Eurasian Studies (ACES), Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, March 8.

2013 “Textual Contacts, Qur’anic Journeys, and Interpretive Links.” Forms of Exchange: China and the Muslim World Conference, University of California, Berkeley Institute of East Asian Studies, Berkeley, CA, April 18-19.

2013 “The First Chinese Translation of the Qur’an: Ma Dexin’s Interpretive Hermeneutics.” Islam in Asia Seminar Series, Harvard University Asia Center, Cambridge, MA, April 17.

2013 “The Straight Path of the Dao: A Scriptural Nexus of ‘True’ Islam.” Religious Negotiations at the Boundaries Workshop, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, February 22-23.

2010 “Seeking Knowledge Even Unto China-An Intellectual History of Sino-Muslims.” Center for Asian Studies (CAS), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, March 3.

2005 “Muslims in China: A Brief History and Future Possibilities.” University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, October 26.

2005 “The Children of Abraham Walking the Yellow Earth: A Brief History of Judaism, Christianity and Islam in China.” University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, October 26.

2005 “Xinjiang in Modern China: 1945-Present.” University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, April 21.

Workshops Organized

2014 “THATCamp American Academy of Religion.” American Academy of Religion (AAR) San Diego, CA, November 21. Co-Organized with Christopher Cantwel, Michael Altman, and Jeri Wieringa.

2013 “THATCamp American Academy of Religion.” American Academy of Religion (AAR) Baltimore, MD, November 22. Co-Organized with Christopher Cantwel, Michael Altman, Jeri Wieringa, and Hussein Rashid.

2012 “Rethinking Islamic Studies Workshop: Performance and Practice in Muslim Experience.” American Academy of Religion (AAR) Chicago, IL, November 16. Co-Organized with Gordon Newby.

Conference Panels Organized

(2016) “The Digital Futures of Religious Studies.” American Academy of Religion (AAR) Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX, November 19–22.

2012 “Digital Dastan: Using New Tools to Tell Old Tales.” American Academy of Religion (AAR) Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, November 16. Co-Organized with Hussein Rashid.

2012 “The Transmission, Translation, and Transformation of Islam – An Asian Dialogue.” Association for Asian Studies (AAS) Annual Meeting, Toronto, ON, March 15-18.

2011 “The Passing of Tradition: A Philosophical Requiem for Nasr Abu Zayd, Mohammed Arkoun and Muhammad Abid al-Jabiri.” American Academy of Religion (AAR) Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA November 19-22.

2011 “Evolution of the Sino-Islamic Intellectual Tradition.” Association for Asian Studies (AAS) and International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS) Annual Meeting, Honolulu, HI, March 31-April 3.

2010 “Strangers in a Strange Land: Foreign Muslim Scholars in the Middle East.” Middle East Studies Association (MESA) Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA, November 18-21.

2010 “And Among His Signs… is the Diversity of Tongues and Colors: Non-Arabic Qur’anic Engagement.” American Academy of Religion (AAR) Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA, October 30-November 1.

2007 “Self-Representation/Misrepresentation: Muslims in the Chinese Cultural Context.” American Academy of Religion (AAR) Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA, November 17-20.

Conference Participation

(2016) “How to Introduce Digital Humanities in Religious Studies.” American Academy of Religion (AAR), San Antonio, TX, November 19–22.

(2016) “Reimagining Islam as a Dao: The Virtues of the Sage Muhammad.” Society for Asian and Comparative Philosophy (SACP), Honolulu, HI, June 2–5.

2015 “New American Muslim Cinema: A Transnational Critique of Hollywood.” American Academy of Religion (AAR), Atlanta, GA, November 21–24.

2015 “‘For People Who Understand’: Chinese Translation as Interpretation of the Qur’an.” American Academy of Religion (AAR), Atlanta, GA, November 21–24.

2015 “For God and Country: Muslims in Cinematic Iraq.” International Conference on Religion & Film, Istanbul, Turkey, May 21-24.

2015 “Interpretations of Heritage: Muhammad Abid al-Jabri (1936-2010) on ‘Tradition’.” American Academy of Religion (AAR), Rocky Mountains – Great Plains Regional Meeting, Omaha, NE, March 20-21.

2014 “The Chinese Science of Arabic Letters: Figurations of Muhammad as the Perfect Human.” American Academy of Religion (AAR), San Diego, CA, November 22–25.

2014 Presider, “Making Muslim American Musics.” American Academy of Religion (AAR), San Diego, CA, November 22–25.

2014 “Imagining the Real Image of Islam: Nacer Khemir’s Desert Trilogy.” International Conference on Religion & Film, Omaha, NE, April 10-12.

2013 “Lessons Learned: Digital Technologies in the Religious Studies Classroom.” THATCamp American Academy of Religion (AAR), Baltimore, MD, November 22.

2013 “Social Media in the Classroom.” THATCamp American Academy of Religion (AAR), Baltimore, MD, November 22.

2013 Presider, “Media of Muslim Public Morality.” American Academy of Religion (AAR) Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD, November 23-26.

2013 “The First Chinese Qur’an: Exegesis through Translation.” The Qur’an: Text, Society & Culture, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, November 7-9.

2013 “Language, Hermeneutics, and Scripture: Translating the Qur’an in Chinese.” Association for Asian Studies (AAS) Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA, March 21-24.

2012 “Islam in the Age of New Media: Digital Tools for Teaching and Learning.” American Academy of Religion (AAR) Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, November 17-20.

2012 “The Four Teachings Harmonious as One: The Orchestration of Sino-Islamic Discourse.” Association for Asian Studies (AAS) Annual Meeting, Toronto, ON, March 15-18.

2011 “The Scions of Tradition: Interpretations of Heritage.” American Academy of Religion (AAR) Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA, November 19-22.

2011 “Divine Principles for Reviving the World-Ma Dexin’s (1794-1874) Contribution to Islamic Thought.” Association for Asian Studies (AAS) and International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS) Annual Meeting, Honolulu, HI, March 31-April 3.

2011 “Illuminating the Light of the True Scripture Early Chinese Translations of the Qur’an.” American Academy of Religion (AAR), Rocky Mountains – Great Plains Regional Meeting, Denver, CO, March 18-19.

2010 “The Truth of the Attainments from the Hajj Pilgrimage-An Illustration of Ma Dexin’s Middle Eastern Journey.”  Middle East Studies Association (MESA) Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA, November 18-21.

2010 “The Treasure of the Heavenly Scripture-Engaging the Qur’an in China.” American Academy of Religion (AAR) Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA, October 30-November 1.

2010 “The Apogee and Perigee of the Chinese-Islamic Colloquy: The Theology, Terminology and Geography of Ma Fuchu.” American Academy of Religion (AAR), Western Regional Meeting (WECSOR), Tempe, AZ, March 13-5.

2010 “A Précis of Sino-Islamic Thought: The Sources of Islam in China.” University of Colorado, Boulder, Asian Studies Graduate Association (CUBASGA) Conference, Boulder, CO, February 27.

2010 “Contemplating the Secrets of the Universe Gathering in the Desert: Understanding Islam through the Films of Nacer Khemir.” Islam and the Media Conference, Boulder, CO, January 7-10.

2009 “Sino-Islamic Hermeneutics: Contours of the Chinese Muslim Intellectual Tradition.” Southwest Conference on Asian Studies (SWCAS), Austin, TX, October 16-17.

2009 “Trodden Paths of the Devout Generations: Legitimizing Prosopography and Models of Exemplary Conduct.” Interdisciplinary Student Conference on Near and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, May 14.

2009 “The Oneness of Being in the Ten Thousand Things-An Islamic Neo-Confucian Explanation of wahdat al-wujud.” American Academy of Religion (AAR), Pacific Northwest Regional Meeting, Tacoma, WA, April 24-26.

2008 “Translating the Akbari Tradition: Ibn ‘Arabi in the Han Kitab.” Western Conference for the Association of Asian Studies (AAS), Boulder, CO, September 12-14.

2007 “The Seven Subtleties of the True Heart: A Spiritual Physiology by Wang Daiyu.” American Academy of Religion (AAR) Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA, November 17-20.

2007 “The Central Asian Sources of Chinese Islamic Literature.” Central Eurasian Studies Society (CESS) Annual Conference, Seattle, Washington, October, 18-21.

2007 “From Prophet to Sage: Muhammad in the Han Kitab.” Eighth Annual Colorado University East Asian Graduate Association (CUEAGA) Conference, Boulder CO, April 13-14.

2007 “The Utmost Sage: A Chinese Muslim Investigation of Muhammad.” American Academy of Religion (AAR), Western Regional Meeting (WECSOR), Berkeley, CA, March 24-26.

2006 “The True Heart of Selflessness: Wang Daiyu’s Explanation of the Heart.” Third Meeting of Nanjing University-Harvard-Yenching Forum for Dialogue between Chinese and Islamic Civilizations, Kunming, Yunnan, China, June 16-18.

2006 “Asserting Islam: Textual Authority in the Development of Scripture Hall Education.” Seventh Annual Colorado University East Asian Graduate Association (CUEAGA) Conference, Boulder CO, April 14-15.

2006 “Reciprocal Realities: The Muslim Literati of Ming-Qing China.” American Academy of Religion (AAR), Rocky Mountains – Great Plains Regional Meeting, Colorado Springs, Colorado, March 24-25.

2006 “The Islamic Self in Chinese Garb: An Early Technique for Conserving a Chinese Islamic Identity.” Asia Research Institute 4th Graduate Workshop, National University of Singapore, 18-20 January.

2005 “Out of Bounds: Uyghur Identity in China and Abroad.” Western Humanities Alliance 24th Annual Conference, University of Arizona, October 20.

2005 “Usurping the Nation: The role of leaders in the Uyghur nationalist movement.” Central Eurasian Studies Society (CESS) Annual Conference, Boston University, October 2.

2005 “Spiritual Legitimacy: Causes of Factional Violence Within the Chinese Naqshbandiyya Tariqa.” 17^th Annual Nicholas Poppe Symposium on Central/Inner Asian Studies, University of Washington, May 14.

2005 “The Naqshbandiyya Tariqa Across Asia.” American Academy of Religion (AAR), Rocky Mountains – Great Plains Regional Meeting, Denver, Colorado, April 8-9.

2005 “Shifting Sands: Transforming Understandings of the Uyghur Identity Past and Present.” Sixth Annual Colorado University East Asian Graduate Association (CUEAGA) Conference, Boulder CO, March 4-6.

2005 “Beyond the Frontier: Chinese Borders and Uyghur Nationalism.” Second Annual Russian and East European Studies Graduate Student Conference at the University of Pittsburgh, February 25-6.

2005 “Zhongguo Jihad: Chinese Muslims and the Global War on Terror.” Third Annual Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities, January 13-16.