Dr Iain Edgar, BA, MPhil, PhD

(email at i.r.edgar@durham.ac.uk)

Biography

Iain Edgar's research has focussed mostly on the anthropology of the imagination and particularly on culture and dreaming. His most recent study has been on the true dream tradition in Islam, and elsewhere. He has completed a study, part funded by the British Academy small research grants scheme, of the inspirational role of true dreams, al-ruya, in the motivation of militant jihad by Al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders and followers. He published a book, 'The Dream in Islam: from Qur'anic tradition to Jihadist Inspiration', in 2011 (paperback edition 2016 with a new chapter on Islamic State dreaming) with Berghahn Books, Oxford, UK. Iain has continued his study of Jihad and dreams with a new focus on Islamic State (IS) in the following articles, 'The Dreams of Islamic State', in the journal, Perspectives on Terrorism, 2015 vol.9, issue 4; another article, ‘Islamic State and Dream Warfare’ in Sustainable Security 2016, and a short piece in CREST 4 p.23 (see below) in 2017.

Wikipedia entry:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iain_R._Edgar

Media and Public Impact CV

Following my 2007 paper, 'The Inspirational Night Dream in the Motivation and Justification of Jihad', Nova Religio 2007, 11(2): 59-76, I gave more than a dozen radio interviews for different international, national and regional radio stations and press publications, including the BBC World Service. The Press Association disseminated a synopsis of my article which was published, sometimes with longer feature articles, in numerous press outlets including the Malaysian Sun, South African Times, The Independent, The Times etc. I have given lectures at the Cheltenham Science Festival 2008; UK Wellcome Trust Sleep Exhibition 2008; The Winchester Arts and Mind Festival 2009; Sarajevo, Bosnia TV; The Cheltenham Book Festival 2010; Hay on Wye Philosophy and Music Festival 2011; Washington DC workshop on 'Soft Jihad Culture' 2011; Canadian Government Academic Outreach Programme 2011 and 2012; The Norwegian International Institute for International Affairs 2012.

Further media

1. New York Magazine, November 2016
   http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2016/10/one-way-isis-sympathizers-decide-to-join-the-terrorist-group.html
2. InFocus, Bridgewater community TV interview on 'The Dream in Islam'
   https://btvaccess.viebit.com/player.php?hash=nF3VaulcEujn
3. http://www.corriere.it/extra-per-voi/2016/06/14/poesie-canti-sogni-mode-subcultura-jihad-e266f016-3259-11e6-9479-1c0658e56669.shtml
4. http://www.voanews.com/content/analysts-study-jihadists-dreams-of-the-caliphate/3127648.html
5. http://www.chronicle.com/article/The-Ties-That-Bind-Jihadists/234161/?key=04dtKjhYp0vcB4HA8V1QTmuklxkrjrpuqK2y3h3pSMxUd211RFRrV01rOWVFZ0xnNTBVdG5yUXhYbnVfM29DZ1BYWFI3cTl0SW40 

Research Interests

• Imagination and dreaming

Selected Publications

Authored book

• Edgar, I (2016). The Dream in Islam: from Qur'anic Tradition to Jihadist Inspiration. Berghahn.
• Edgar, I. (2004). Guide to Imagework: Imagination-Based Research Methods. London: Routledge.
• Edgar, I. (1995). Dreamwork, Anthropology and the Caring Professions: A Cultural Approach to Dreamwork. Aldershopt: Avebury.

Edited book

• Drackle, D. & Edgar, I.R. (2004). Learning Fields Vol.2 Current Educational Practices in European Social Anthropology. Oxford: Berghahn Books.
• Drackle, D., Edgar, I. & Schippers, T. (2003). Learning Fields Vol. 1 Educational Histories of European Anthropology. Oxford: Berghahn Books.
• Iain R. Edgar & A. Russell (1998). Anthropology of Welfare. London: Routledge.

Chapter in book

• Edgar, I & de Looijer, G (2017). The Islamic dream tradition and jihadi militancy. In Jihadi Culture: The Art and Social Practices of Militant Islamists. Hegghammer, T Cambridge University Press.
• Edgar, I. & Henig, D. (2010). The Cosmopolitan and the Noumenal: A Case Study of Islamic Jihadist Night Dreams as Reported Sources of Spiritual and Political Inspiration. In United in Discontent: Local Responses to Cosmopolitanism and Globalization. Theodossopoulos, D. & Kirtsoglou, E. Oxford: Berghahn Books. 64-82.
• Edgar, I. (2009). A Comparison of Islamic and Western Psychological Dream Theories. In Dreaming in Christianity and Islam: Culture, Conflict, and Creativity. Bulkeley, K., Adams, K. & Davis, P. New Brunswick, USA.: Rutgers University Press. 188-199.
• Edgar, I. (2004). Imagework in Ethnographic Research. In Working Images; research and representation in ethnography. Pink, S., Kurti, L. & Afonso, A. London: Routledge. 90-106.
• Edgar, I. (2004). Imagework method and potential applications in health, social sciences and social care research: journeying with a question. In New Qualitative Research Methodologies in Health and Social Care Research. Rapport, F. London: Routledge. 123-138.
• Edgar, I. (2003). Line-ups. In Strategies for Teaching Anthropology. Rice, P. & McCurdy, D. Prentice Hall. 3: 1-4.
• Edgar, I.R. (1996). The tooth butterfly: rendering a sensible account from the imaginative present. In After Writing Culture. James, A., Hockey, J. & Dawson, A. London: Routledge. 71-85.

Journal Article

• Edgar, Iain (2015). The Dreams of Islamic State. Perspectives on Terrorism 9(4): 72-84.
• Edgar, I. (2008). Overtures of Paradise: Night Dreams and Islamic Jihadist Militancy. Curare: Journal of Medical Anthropology 31(1): 87-97.
• Edgar, I. (2007). The Inspirational Night Dream in the Motivation and Justification of Jihad. Nova Religio 11(2): 59-76.
• Edgar, I. (2006). Encountering the 'true dream' in Islam a journey to Turkey and Pakistan. British Academy Review (9): 7-9.
• Edgar, I. (2006). The ‘true dream’ in contemporary Islamic/Jihadist dreamwork: a case study of the dreams of Taliban leader Mullah Omar. Contemporary South Asia 15(3): 263-272.
• Edgar, I. (2004). A War of Dreams? Militant Muslim Dreaming in the Context of Traditional and Contemporary Islamic Dream Theory and Practice. Dreaming 14(1): 21-29.
• Edgar, I.R. (2003). Encountering the dream: intersecting Anthropological and Psychoanalytical Approaches. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research 3(2): 95-101.
• Edgar, I.R. (2002). Invisible Elites: Authority and the Dream. Dreaming 12(1): 79-92.
• Edgar, I.R. (2000). Cultural dreaming or dreaming cultures? The anthropologist and the dream. KEA: Zeitschrift fur Kulturwissenschaften 13: 1-20.
• Edgar, I.R. (1999). Dream Fact and Real Fiction: The Realisation of the Imagined Self. Anthropology of Consciousness 10(1): 28-42.
• Edgar, I.R. (1999). The Imagework Method in Social Science and Health Research. Qualitative Health Research 9(2): 198-211.

Newspaper/Magazine Article

• Edgar, I. (Published). After Islamic State: The Place of Night Dream Inspiration and Propaganda. CREST Security Review 22-23.
• Edgar, I. (2008). The 'true dream' in contemporary Islamic/Jihadist dreamwork a case study of the dreams of Mullah Omar. Dreamtime 25(1): 4-6, 34-36.
• Edgar, I. (2008). The inspirational night dream in the motivation and justification of Jihad. Left Curve (32): 27-34.

Other (Digital/Visual Media)

• Edgar, I. (2016). Islamic State and Dream Warfare. Sustainable Security

Show all publications

Research Groups

• Anthropology of Health
• Social Anthropology

Research Projects

• The Inspirational Night Dream in the Motivation and Justification of Jihad

Related Links

• Radio interview - Robert Moss' radio programme interviewing Iain Edgar on dreams and Islam