Jennifer Pruitt is an Associate Professor and historian of Islamic art and architecture in the Department of Art History, with a focus on the Arabic-speaking world in the Art History department. She received her Ph.D. from Harvard and in both research and teaching, Pruitt is driven by a central question: how do multi-faith, diverse populations in the Arabic-speaking world patronize, utilize, and respond to their built environment? Her first book, Building the Caliphate: Construction, Destruction, and Sectarian Identity in Early Fatimid Architecture (Yale, 2020), investigates the early architecture of the Fatimids, an Ismaili Shi‘i Muslim dynasty that dominated the Mediterranean world from the 10th to the 12th centuries. It argues that that architecture played a pivotal role in negotiating the kaleidoscope of religious identities in the medieval Islamic world and challenges the assumption that artistic efflorescence was a function of religious tolerance in the medieval Mediterranean. Instead, it argues that conflict and destruction played a crucial, productive role in the formation of medieval Islamic architecture.
A word from Jordan Rosenblum, Chair of the Art History Department:
The Department of Art History is thrilled that Professor Jennifer Pruitt has been awarded tenure and promotion to Associate Professor. Professor Pruitt is an accomplished scholar. Her work ranges from her masterful book, Building the Caliphate: Construction, Destruction, and Sectarian Identity in Early Fatimid Architecture (Yale University Press) to articles on modern Egyptian street art. Professor Pruitt’s courses are popular, with students especially enjoying “History of the World in 20 Buildings,” which includes an “Architectural Scavenger Hunt” assignment. Professor Pruitt is currently working on an extensive art installation at her home (aka, Halloween decorations on her front lawn).