Islamic Studies and History
Islamic Studies and History is a research topic within Political Science and International Relations. Science Explorer counts 38k research works in it since 1950. 10.6% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.
This cluster of papers explores the politics of Islamic reform, including topics such as secularism, hermeneutics, empire, feminism, and gender equality in the context of the Middle East, with a focus on the Ottoman Empire and Iran. It delves into the complex interplay between religious traditions, modernity, and political dynamics in the region.
- Islamic reform
- Middle East
- Ottoman Empire
- Feminism
- Iran
- Secularism
- Hermeneutics
- Empire
- Gender equality
- Arab nationalism
- Research works
- 38k fractional, since 1950
- In the world top 10%
- 4.1k per year above
- Top-10% rate
- 10.6% share of its works in the world top 10%
- Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
- +62% the tick is no change
Which countries lead Islamic Studies and History research?
By volume, Türkiye and the United States publish the most (1.4k and 1.4k works in 2022–2025).
By volume, 2022–2025
- 1 Türkiye 1.4k works
- 2 United States 1.4k works
- 3 Indonesia 732 works
- 4 Pakistan 465 works
- 5 United Kingdom 460 works
- 6 Iran 440 works
- 7 Iraq 430 works
- 8 France 301 works
- 9 Germany 265 works
- 10 India 239 works
How concentrated that is
The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.
Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.
Which institutions lead Islamic Studies and History research?
By volume in 2022–2025, Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University Yogyakarta publishes the most Islamic Studies and History research, followed by International Islamic University Malaysia and University of Anbar.
By volume, 2022–2025
- 1 Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University YogyakartaIndonesia 63 works
- 2 International Islamic University MalaysiaMalaysia 63 works
- 3 University of AnbarIraq 58 works
- 4 Marmara UniversityTürkiye 55 works
- 5 Salahaddin University-ErbilIraq 54 works
- 6 Weatherford CollegeUnited States 54 works
- 7 University of TehranIran 53 works
- 8 University of OxfordUnited Kingdom 52 works
- 9 Institut Agama Islam Negeri BengkuluIndonesia 49 works
- 10 International Islamic University, IslamabadPakistan 43 works
Who are the leading researchers in Islamic Studies and History?
The most-cited researchers publishing on Islamic Studies and History include D. Thomas and Bryan S. Turner.
- 1 D. Thomas United Kingdom 3.1k citations
- 2 Bryan S. Turner United States 1.9k citations
Ranked by citations received across their whole record, among researchers with at least three works on this topic.
Where is Islamic Studies and History research done?
The largest centres of Islamic Studies and History research in 2022–2025 are Istanbul (Türkiye), Ankara (Türkiye), Tehran (Iran) and Paris (France). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Herndon and Mardin.
Largest cities, 2022–2025
- 1 Istanbul Türkiye 258 works
- 2 Ankara Türkiye 242 works
- 3 Tehran Iran 208 works
- 4 Paris France 167 works
- 5 Moscow Russia 117 works
- 6 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia 110 works
- 7 London United Kingdom 107 works
- 8 Yogyakarta Indonesia 102 works
- 9 New York United States 101 works
- 10 Islamabad Pakistan 99 works
Where it is the local speciality
- HerndonUS · 20.6 works78×
- MardinTR · 27.8 works35×
Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Islamic Studies and History than the world average.
Where is the best place to study Islamic Studies and History?
Among universities, judged by research, Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University Yogyakarta, International Islamic University Malaysia and Marmara University score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.
One dot per university in the table below. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.
| # | University | Score | Top 10% | Specialisation | Works | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University YogyakartaIndonesia | 66.7 | 9.0% | 14.0× | 63 | +1284.6% |
| 2 | International Islamic University MalaysiaMalaysia | 66.2 | 14.4% | 26.9× | 63 | +94.8% |
| 3 | Marmara UniversityTürkiye | 65.0 | 12.2% | 17.2× | 55 | +145.0% |
| 4 | University of TehranIran | 63.3 | 11.7% | 10.1× | 53 | +103.0% |
| 5 | Istanbul UniversityTürkiye | 63.1 | 7.8% | 12.5× | 42 | +202.5% |
| 6 | Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt UniversityTürkiye | 62.3 | 11.7% | 20.2× | 31 | +729.6% |
| 7 | Gulf University for Science & TechnologyKuwait | 62.3 | 33.3% | 31.5× | 10 | +37.5% |
| 8 | Sakarya UniversityTürkiye | 62.2 | 11.1% | 12.6× | 31 | +950.4% |
| 9 | University of Islamic StudiesPakistan | 61.7 | 11.4% | 124.0× | 39 | +93.3% |
| 10 | Mardin Artuklu UniversityTürkiye | 61.5 | 12.6% | 35.5× | 28 | +360.0% |
Universities only. Score blends excellence (30%), specialisation (25%), size (20%), growth (15%) and international reach (10%), 2015–2022; growth compares 2010–14 with 2015–19.
Is Islamic Studies and History research growing?
Output in 2018–2022 was 62% higher than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are Islamic Studies and History.
The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.
Which topics inside it are moving
Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.