Muslim Luther and Medieval History

Over at Cliopatra, there is a flare-up over Francis Fukuyama's comments about Islam awaiting its Luther. (Incidentally, I wonder how Catholics feel when people use Luther as a general symbol for "religion-fixer." Do we dismiss people like those who founded the mendicant orders as irrelevant?) Anyway, almost a year ago I commented on the dangers of careless comparative history involving other cultures. Naturally, being a medievalist, I suggest knowledge of distant centuries is crucial for understanding the present.

Incidentally, awhile back I was asked to what degree I felt medieval Islamicists should benefit from government programs, particularly those related to national security. Despite the fact that my dissertation has no discernable national security justification whatsoever, I received a FLAS fellowship to study Farsi next year. (btw, I declined it so as not to abandon a fairly secure PA-ship.) On the one hand, I feel perfectly comfortable with this, as I think government shoudl subsidize some cultural studies. Beyond that, however, is the fact that when you give me a fellowship, you are funding not just my specific research, but the minting of a "Middle East expert" in general.

Despite my disclaimer, career realities suggest that I will wind up teaching at a liberal arts college or similar institution as "the Middle East person," who will teach general world history surveys and upper-level courses in the Middle East, and probably Asia and/or Africa as well. UW's job placement in the general Central Asia-South Asia-Middle East orbit has been excellent, and the jobs are all at places like North Georgia College or Xavier University where you simply do not stick to the same level of narrow specialization one finds at a large research school. Check out the breadth on these profiles to see what people do in the real world. So it's not just what I publish about that you get when you fund me, but what I do in the classroom and in local outreach and media appearances, as well.