This thesis investigates the emergence and development of Muslim Chaplaincy at Princeton and Rutgers universities. It seeks to answer three questions: (1) How did university-based Muslim Chaplaincy develop? (2) What roles did Muslim Chaplains play? and (3) Why did university administrators hire and sanction Muslim Chaplains? The thesis explores these questions by examining the decision making processes of administrators through in-depth case studies based on observations, document analysis, and 64 interviews with current and former Muslim Chaplains, University Chaplains, Muslim student leaders, faculty members, alumni, and other administrators. The case studies are prefaced by a description of the national context for campus Muslim Chaplaincy based on 36 interviews with religious life professionals at 21 other colleges. My research suggests that Muslim Chaplaincy at Princeton emerged through the advocacy of Christian University Chaplains; in contrast, at Rutgers the role was created by a local community organisation and sanctioned by student affairs professionals. Campus Muslim Chaplains played a variety of roles. For Muslim students, they provided religious, pastoral, advisory, educational, programmatic, and liaisonal support. They also served other university constituents and local community members. Administrators at both institutions had multiple rationales for hiring and sanctioning Muslim Chaplains: to advance social justice for Muslim students, to provide an educational benefit to non-Muslim students, to remain competitive with peer institutions, to overcome histories of exclusion, and to avoid potential crisis situations. The goal of this study is to make two contributions to knowledge. In terms of its subject, this thesis provides the first empirical case studies of Muslim Chaplaincy in American higher education and frames these cases within the national context. In terms of theory, this study aims to develop an understanding of the administrative rationales behind the creation of Muslim Chaplaincies. It does this through the application of the political, cultural, and adaptive sociological models of the university. In particular, it draws on the concepts of institutional isomorphism and risk mitigation/management as explanations for the emergence of Muslim Chaplaincy.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:595954 |
| Date | January 2013 |
| Creators | Kassam-Remtulla, Aly |
| Contributors | Mills, David |
| Publisher | University of Oxford |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:3dfee661-1b66-4570-a808-19aaee5c04f9 |
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