Networks of faith and function

The emergence of Canada’s Ismaili community and early institutionalization

Bibliographic Data

ID8736249
AuthorsSahir Dewji (0000-0001-8596-5669, Independent Researcher, Canada, corresponding author)
Year2026
Volume55
Issue2
Pages169-194
Publication date2026-03-31
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueStudies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0008-4298 • E-ISSN: 2042-0587
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/00084298261420318
OpenAlexW7147738290
LanguageEN
References cited14

This article examines the settlement of Ismailis in Canada from the early 1970s through the lens of migration history, institutional development, and the evolution of jamatkhanas (“houses of prayer”) as both sacred and civic spaces. It situates this trajectory within the broader transformations of Canadian society, including the liberalization of immigration policy, the adoption of multiculturalism, and the entrenchment of religious freedoms in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Drawing on archival records, community publications, and oral histories, the study traces the community’s shift from improvised worship spaces to purpose-built Ismaili centres, highlighting how these sites function as hubs of identity, education, social cohesion, and pluralistic engagement

Charter · Citizenship · Faith · Immigration · Institutionalisation · Settlement (finance · Worship · Diaspora, migration, transnational identity · Hispanic-African Historical Relations · Islamic Studies and History

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Open DOIOpen Access