Dr. Aliyah Khan

Biography

Aliyah Khan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies and the Department of English Language and Literature at the University of Michigan. She is the Director of the Global Islamic Studies Center at the International Institute. Dr. Khan specializes in postcolonial Caribbean literature and contemporary literature about the Muslim Islamic worlds, focusing on the intersections of race, gender, and Islam in the Caribbean and the Americas. Her academic work includes the book 'Far Mecca: Globalizing Muslim Caribbean,' published by Rutgers University Press and the University of the West Indies Press in 2020. This monograph explores the literature, history, and music of Caribbean Islam, particularly in relation to Guyana, Trinidad, and Jamaica, with a focus on enslaved Muslim West Africans and indentured Indian laborers on colonial sugar plantations. 'Far Mecca' has received national recognition, including an honorable mention for the 2020-2021 Modern Language Association Prize for a book. Dr. Khan also engages with public discourse on Caribbean Islam and Muslims through various media outlets, including National Public Radio and several podcasts dedicated to Caribbean history and culture.

Research Interests