Dr Raihan Ismail named in ABC Top 5 in Humanities

The ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences celebrates Dr Raihan Ismail receiving a 2019 Top 5 Humanities and Social Sciences Media Residency.

Dr Ismail, an ARC DECRA Fellow and lecturer from the ANU Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies, graduated with a PhD from ANU in 2013, studying attitudes towards Shi-ism among the Saudi Council of Senior Scholars. Her research covers topics across Islam and political Islam, Sunni-Shia relations, and women is Islam. In 2016, she published Saudi Clerics and Shia Islam through Oxford University Press. She was awarded the Max Crawford medal in 2018, recognising her significant achievements and talent.

Dr Raihan receiving a residency marks the second consecutive year since their launch that an academic from the College has been recognised, following Dr Liz Allen from Centre for Social Research and Methods in 2018.

The residencies, presented by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and University of Sydney, recognise the brightest starts in humanities research, giving them an opportunity to share their expertise in a time when the importance of informed voices in public debate is more important than ever.

“It is crucial, more than ever, for academics to share their research to counter narratives founded upon disinformation and misinformation. I am eager to share my research on the Middle East by looking at the forces shaping the region, especially politics and religion." Dr Ismail said of receiving the residency.

Dr Jane Connors, ABC Editorial Adviser and Top 5 co-adjudicator, describing this year’s recipients as among the nation's brightest minds and newest voices.

"The ABC has an unrivalled commitment to providing audiences with the accurate, unbiased information they need to make sense of the world around them,” Connors said.

Dr Ismail is excited at the opportunity this residency offers.

“I was very happy to be selected. This is a great opportunity for me to share my work but also enhance my ability to articulate my research with the broader public."