Yi-Chia Chang
Thesis title: The Tafsīr of Hūd b. Muḥakkim al-Hawwārī (d. 290-1/903): Transmission and Historicity
PhD in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies
Year of study: 1
- Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies
- School of Literatures, Languages, and Cultures
Contact details
- Email: Yi.Chia.Chang@ed.ac.uk
PhD supervisors:
Background
Yi-Chia Chang is a PhD student at Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, the University of Edinburgh. His research interests range from Qur'an and Tafsir Studies, Hadith Studies, Ibadism (particularly in North Africa), and Kharijism. In his PhD thesis, he aims to explore the knowledge transmission and social context of medieval Ibadi Islam by analysing the earliest Ibadi Tafsir, produced by Hud b. Muhakkim al-Hawwari (d. second half of ninth century CE).
Qualifications
PhD in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Edinburgh, UK: 2025 - Present
MSc in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Edinburgh, UK: 2023 - 2024
BA in Arabic Language and Culture, National Chengchi University, Taiwan: 2019 - 2023
Research summary
Currently, I focus on my PhD project, tentatively titled "The Transmission of Ibāḍī Knowledge: A Historical Analysis of the Tafsīr of Hūd b. Muḥakkim al-Hawwārī (d. in the 2nd Half of the 3rd/9th Century)." In this thesis, I aim to explore the redaction history of the earliest Ibadi Tafsir authored by Hud b. Muhakkim al-Hawwar. By revisiting new manuscripts, reconstructing texts, and examining Ibadi and other North African historical sources, it is expected to unpack the socio-political context of knowledge transmission practice among medieval Maghribi Ibadi Muslims and how they construct their identity.
Past research interests
Besides Ibāḍism, I am also interested in the Kharijites and how they were perceived by different Muslim communities (and vice versa). My MSc dissertation and ongoing papers explore this question by analyzing antagonistic ḥadīth about the Kharijites through isnād-cum-matn analysis. This approach helps explain how these traditions contributed to the formation of the term Kharijites and what the label actually meant to mainstream Muslims. During my BA study, I am also interested in contemporary topics such as the formation of Taiwanese Muslim community and its status quo. I participated an ethnographical fieldwork project (2021-2023) in Longgang, Taoyuan to study how youth and third-generation Muslim immigrants in Taiwan perceive themselves within a "secular" society and how this alienation impacts on their piety and identity.Conference details
Chang, Yi-Chia. "The Historicity of Anti-Kharijite Hadith Traditions: An Isnad-cum-matn Analysis." Sixth Islamic and Middle Eastern Graduate Conference. National Chengchi University, February 2025.
Invited speaker
Chang, Yi-Chia. "Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri, Anti-Khariji Hadith Tradition, and Pro-Umayyad Discourse" ISIC 2025. National Chengchi University and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), November 2025.
Book Chapter
Chang, Yi-Chia. "Chapter 5: al-Nasa'i's al-Mujtaba and Prayer in Islam." In Hadith and Islamic Culture: Topics, Redaction, and Interpretation, by I-Wen Su and Yi-Chia Chang. (forthcoming)