Congratulations on completing your TMF Starting Grant project, Eirik Hovden!!

Islamic law (sharia) was established in the 7th century, but how changes actually occur in Islamic law is little known and researched. In the CanCode project, which Eirik Hovden led from 2020 to 2025, he and his research group sought to improve understanding of changes in Islamic legal texts. Since the project deals with both language and religion, it was anchored at the Department of Foreign Languages and the Department of Archaeology, History, Culture Studies and Religion(AHKR). In the project, researchers have studied processes of change in Islamic law based on two concepts: canonization and codification. These concepts are used in slightly different ways in academic debates, but both focus on the selection and validation or authorization of knowledge, values, and legal rules. The group has studied various examples, such as Muslim migrants in Scandinavia today, Islamic law in the West Indies at the end of the 19th/beginning of the 20th century, pre-modern Zaydi Yemen, and the Middle East today.In addition to Hovden, three researchers, one post-doc and two PhD students were part of the research group, and another researcher (Nurul Huda Mohd Razif) chose Hovden as her mentor for a European mobility project under the Marie Sklodowka Curie program.Several international researchers participated in the project’s seminars, conferences, and workshops and contributed to several publications on the project’s results. The collaboration was also important for Hovden in order to develop an application for a Norwegian Center of Excellence (SFF) in 2025.

 

The research group has gained visibility in the media. For example, the project’s postdoctoral fellow and Middle East expert Olav Elgvin was interviewed by Morgenbladet several times, and Eirik Hovden (expert on Yemen) was interviewed by Dagens Næringsliv, among others. Hovden also gave a number of lectures, including the university’s Medieval Research Cluster. Hovden and his UiB colleague Alexandros Tsakos also contributed to the celebrations surrounding the 750th anniversary of the Landslova in 2025 with an article on the global context of the Landslova on the website of Vestland County Council.Through their work, Hovden and the group have also managed to revive the research tradition of Islamic law in Bergen and the bachelor’s degree program in Arabic.In his final report to the foundation, Hovden advises new Starting Grant applicants to budget for a staff resource who can help with the organization of events, seminars, websites, and other communication initiatives. Hovden was also very glad about the community of other TMF Starting Grant holders he found in the TMF-UIB career program.Hovden was appointed associate professor in April 2025.  

How does Islamic Law change? Canonization and Codification of Islamic Legal Texts (CANCODE)

Project leader: Eirik Hovden, UiB

Host departments: Department of Foreign Languages and Department of Archeology, History, Cultural studies and Religion

Funding period: 2020-2025

TMF contribution: 9.9 MNOK