current residence
Portland, OR
current position
Teaching Faculty, Oregon State University
affiliations
American Academy of Religion, Islamicate Digital Humanities Network, The Mediterranean Seminar, Great Lakes Adiban Society, Grateful Dead Scholars Caucus, Popular Culture Association
Matthew B. Lynch is a scholar and educator whose research topics include religious and cultural studies, history, literature, and philosophy. He specializes in Persian medieval mystical traditions and critical Islamic studies. Currently an Instructor at Oregon State University, Matthew has also held faculty positions at Occidental College, Rutgers University, the University of the South (Sewanee), Bard College, and Guilford College.
In 2018, Matthew B. Lynch completed his Ph.D. thesis at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill under the guidance of Carl W. Ernst, Juliane Hammer, Omid Safi, Ahmad Karimi-Hakkak, and Mohsen Kadivar. His dissertation, titled: “A Persian Qurʾan?: The Masnavi-e Ma‛navi as Scripture,” explores the most famous epic work of Mowlana Jalal ad-din Rumi. Lynch argues that the production and reception of the Masnavi demonstrates that, while the Qurʾan was and is the primary scripture of Islam, there remained the possibility for other texts to take on scriptural status within premodern Islamic contexts. His argument thus demonstrates the dynamism and adaptability of Islamic teachings and practices as they are shaped by and interact with other cultural and linguistic traditions.
Dr. Lynch’s interest in the study of Mowlana Jalal ad-din Balkhi, more commonly known as “Rumi”, dates back to explorations in poetic composition and recitation while an undergraduate at St. John’s College in Santa Fe, NM and Marlboro College in Marlboro, VT. His undergraduate thesis explored the thinking of Rumi and Plato in the context of the philosophy of language. He then enrolled in the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Chicago, where he studied Islamic history, Persian language and literature, as well as translation theory and mysticism. His M.A. thesis, titled: “Unique Royalty: The Metaphor and Meaning of Kingship in Farid ad-Din ‘ Attar’s Ilahi-Name," explores discourses of power within an influential Persian, Sufi text from the late 12th century.
Dr. Lynch has several ongoing research and writing projects, including a manuscript that expands on his dissertation research, as well as a digital humanities project that will provide an online tool for the comparison of the Masnavi and the Qurʾan. He has also begun another research project on Islam, Sufism, and (counter)cultures within 20th century American cultural, religious, and musical movements from psychedelia to hip hop. Links to his C.V., publications, and other media can be found in the tabs at the top of the page.
