The Tokat Institute for Advanced Islamic Studies (TIAIS) is delighted to announce Professor Raissa A. von Doetinchem de Rande of the University of Chicago Divinity School as the recipient of its 2026 Article Prize for her article, “Toward an Understanding of the Qur’anic Fiṭra: Establishing a Core Conception and Tracing Significant Shifts in Interpretations of Sura 30:30.” Professor de Rande’s article explores a central ethical concept in the Quran, namely that of innate human nature or fiṭra. Moving beyond the concept as tied to an inborn awareness of religious truths, the piece traces the history of Muslim hermeneutics to show the significant diversity of meanings that have surrounded this concept. Professor de Rande’s methodology addresses lexical, ethical, and theological concerns to present Islamic discourses on fiṭra as debates that extend from the classical era of Islamic thought to the contemporary period. Her careful analysis of primary sources, informed by an awareness of ongoing discussions in the field, renders this inquiry a distinctively valuable intervention in the field of Islamic studies. The award-winning article will be published in the upcoming issue of Islamic Intellectual Traditions.
Raissa de Rande is Assistant Professor of Religious Ethics and Islamic Studies at the University of Chicago’s Divinity School. Professor de Rande received her PhD from Princeton University (Department of Religion) in 2021; in addition, she holds a BA from the University of Oxford (2012) and an MAR from Yale Divinity School (2014). Her first book, The Politics of Islamic Ethics, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2025.
