Andrea Stanton

Associate Professor, Islamic Studies and Digital Religion; Senior Associate Dean

Faculty

Sturm Hall, 2000 East Asbury Avenue Denver, CO 80208

What I do

I am Associate Professor of Islamic Studies and Chair of the Department of Religious Studies. I am also an affiliated faculty member at the Center for Middle East Studies at DU's Korbel School for International Studies.

Specialization(s)

Islamic studies, Middle Eastern history, digital religion, digital Islam, media and politics, media history

Professional Biography

I obtained my MA and PhD in Middle Eastern history from Columbia University, and my BA in history and in religion from Williams College. My research agenda follows two tracks: 20th century Middle Eastern history, focusing on intersections between mass media forms and national or social identities, and 21st century Islam, focusing on intersections between contemporary media forms (mass and individual), state interests, and personal piety. My religious studies research areas are thus in digital Islam, digital religion, and lived religion. At DU, I teach a range of Islamic studies courses, including: Introduction to Islam, Islam in the United States, Islam and Gender, Islamic Empires, and Common Figures in the Bible and Qur'an. Like my other RLGS colleagues, I also do quite a bit of community engagement and public outreach, giving numerous public talks each year.

Degree(s)

Ph.D., Middle East History, Columbia University, 2007

Professional Affiliations

American Academy of Religion
Middle East Studies Association
American Historical Association
Syrian Studies Association

Media Sources

Radio France International

Research

My degree is in Middle Eastern history, and my position at DU is in Islamic studies, so my research interests have proceeded along two primary tracks: 20th century Arab-world media history, with a continuing focus on nation building and technology; and contemporary manifestations of piety among Muslims in the United States and the Middle East, with a particular focus on intersections and amplifications through technology, including apps and websites.

Areas of Research

radio history

media history

contemporary Islam

digital religion

national identity

personal piety

digital Islam

sound studies

Key Projects

Radio and Decolonization: Bringing Sound into 20th Century History
Supporting JDP Faculty and Students of Color
Teaching Connected Histories of the Mediterranean
Religion and Peacebuilding: Public Talk Series
Religion in the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains
Interfaith Youth Core
Religion and Peacebuilding: Public Talk Series
University of Denver (CO): Expanding Core Strengths in Middle East Studies

Featured Publications

Stanton, Andrea. “Locating Palestine's Summer Residence: Mandate Tourism And National Identity.” Journal of Palestine Studies 47, no. 2, (2018): 44-63.

Stanton, Andrea. “Islamic Emoticons And Religious Authority: Emerging Practices, Shifting Paradigms.” Journal of Contemporary Islam, (2017).

Stanton, Andrea. “The Search For A Young Imam Begins Now: Imam Muda And Civilizational Islam In Malaysia.” In Religion And Reality Tv Faith In Late Capitalism. Routledge. 2018. https://www.routledge.com/Religion-and-Reality-TV-Faith-in-Late-Capitalism/Einstein-Winston-Madden/p/book/9781138681286.

Stanton, Andrea L. “Can Imperial Radio Be Transnational? British-Affiliated Arabic Radio Broadcasting In The Interwar Period.” History Compass 18, no. 1, (2020): https://doi.org/10.1111/hic3.12602.

Stanton, Andrea. This Is Jerusalem Calling: State Radio In Mandate Palestine. Austin, USA: University of Texas Press. 2013. 260.

Stanton, Andrea. “Celebrating Muhammad's Birthday In The Middle East: Supporting Or Complicating Muslim Identity Projects?” In Identity Discourses And Communities In International Events, Festivals, And Spectacles . Palgrave. 2014.

Kaneva, Ndezhda S., and Andrea Stanton. “An Alternative Vision Of Statehood: Islamic State's Ideological Challenge To The Nation-State.” Studies in Conflict & Terrorism 46, no. 5, (2023): 640-658. https://doi.org/10.1080/1057610X.2020.1780030.

Stanton, Andrea L. “Saudi Arabia's Ministry Of Hajj Apps: Managing The Operations And Piety Of The Hajj.” Journal of Religion, Media, and Digital Culture, (2020).

Presentations

Stanton, Andrea. “Hajj And Umrah In The Covid Era: Digital And Governmental Responses” Islamic Responses To Covid-19: Authority And Religiosity In #Muslim Communities And Digital Worlds, virtual, University of Wales, Trinity Saint David, 2021.

Stanton, Andrea, and Nadezhda Stancheva Kaneva. “Understanding The "State" In Islamic State: Mediated Articulations Of The Caliphate's State Ideology” Imagined Borders, Epistemic Freedoms, Boulder, Center for Media, Religion, and Culture, University of Colorado, Boulder, 2020.

Stanton, Andrea. “Beyond News And Propaganda: Cultural And Entertainment Programming On The Bbc's Arabic Service” Middle East Studies Association Annual Meeting, virtual, 2020.

Awards

Kathleen Connolly-Weinert Leader-of-the-Year Award, Theta Alpha Kappa
Outstanding Faculty Member Award, Joint Ph.D. Program Student Association