Risi Chu

Project title: Early Islamic Historiography: A Study of al-Wāqidī’s Kitāb al-Maghāzī

Project Summary: 

My name is Churis, though appearing as Risi Chu on my ID and email. I hold a BA in Arabic Language and Literature from Beijing Foreign Studies University and an MPhil in Islamic Studies and History from the University of Oxford. Currently, I am pursuing a PhD at King’s College London as part of the Leverhulme Doctoral Scholarships Programme Knowledge Orders before Modernity.

Under the supervision of Dr. Edward Zychowicz-Coghill, my research explores early Islamic historiography, focusing on al-Wāqidī’s (d. 207 AH/ 823 CE) application of isnāds (chains of transmission) in his Kitāb al-Maghāzī (Book of the Raids), one of the oldest extant compilations

of early Islamic military expeditions. Rather than scrutinising the historicity of the narratives, my research examines al-Wāqidī’s transmitting and editorial techniques to explore his dual role as both an adherent to and a challenger of two established frameworks of the early Islamic knowledge hierarchy: the primacy of Ḥadīth over historiography, and the preference for orality over writing. I seek to argue that al-Wāqidī reinforced these frameworks through applying Ḥadīth methodology in historiography and participating in oral transmission yet daringly challenged them by innovating historiographical methods and committing oral materials to writing. Ultimately, this project serves as a case study to shed light on how Medieval Muslim scholars both upheld and reshaped Islamic intellectual hierarchies.

Additionally, I am collaborating with the Kitab Project team at Aga Khan University to apply machine learning to extract and analyse isnāds from digitised Arabic texts. This approach significantly enhances my research efficiency by automating labour-intensive tasks and expanding the scope of sources examined, bridging historical inquiry with digital humanities. I welcome connections with fellow researchers at risi.chu@kcl.ac.uk.