iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

KD Thompson @phdeviant.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

My print copy of our discussion forum on superstition in Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft finally arrived. Robert Blunt had a nice commentary on my article in his Afterword.

A hand holding the front cover of the academic journal Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft (Volume 21, Number 1, Spring 2026). The cover photograph depicts a wedding ceremony taking place inside a sunlit, glass-walled chapel filled with lush green foliage. A bride in a white gown and veil holds hands with a groom in a white suit before an officiant. Text at the bottom reads: "MAGIC, RITUAL, AND WITCHCRAFT / VOLUME 21 NUMBER 1 / SPRING 2026".

A photo of the contents page for Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft, Volume 21, Issue 1 (Spring 2026). It outlines a "DISCUSSION FORUM: THE USE AND ABUSE OF 'SUPERSTITION'" featuring contributions by Michael Ostling, K. D. Thompson ("Ushirikina and Misguided Beliefs: Unpacking Superstition and Socio-Religious Bias in Swahili"), Blair Alan Gadsby, Mensah Adinkrah, Tanvi Yadav, Govind Kelkar and Dev Nathan, Ata Mallick, and Leo Igwe.

The opening page of an academic article titled "USHIRIKINA AND MISGUIDED BELIEFS: UNPACKING SUPERSTITION AND SOCIO-RELIGIOUS BIAS IN SWAHILI" by K. D. Thompson (University of Wisconsin-Madison). Below the title is an epigraph quote by Malcolm Ruel. The body text begins with a discussion of the word religion, citing anthropologist Fiona Bowie.

K. D. Thompson’s contribution in this forum, in a similar vein to the above-mentioned postcolonial theorists, explores how missionaries in colonial Tanganyika attempted to steer the meaning of the Kiswahili term ushirikina away from its Arabic root shirk (conveying Islamic notions of sin) toward a meaning equivalent of English “superstition” in their denigration of African Traditional Religion. Thompson’s contribution provides a textbook example of colonial knowledge production and contestation through the politics of translation. They further demonstrate how colonial-era translation decisions now fuel intra-African discourse in which Christians levy the charge of ushirikina against both Muslims and practitioners of all that gets glossed as “traditional” in contemporary Tanzania. Thompson is not seeking to rehabilitate the concept of superstition in any way but rather tracks the work that it does in a colonial social field and later in a postcolonial context marked by various religious antagonisms. Their piece reminds us of the importance of doing genealogical work, and that the life of a category like superstition does not always unfold in a showdown between the secular rationality of development politics and the religious conventions against which those who attempt such interventions position themselves. Instead, here we see “superstition” as a prejudicial theological category at work between communities in a religiously plural context.

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KD Thompson @phdeviant.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

University of Wisconsin Press book booty (awesome perk of serving on the editorial board) 😊

A stack of six books published by the University of Wisconsin Press resting horizontally on a light wooden surface against a neutral grey wall. From top to bottom, the book spines read:
* African Science by Falen (beige spine with orange title)
* Given Up for You by White (red spine with white title)
* Religion and the Culture of Print in Modern America by Cohen & Boyer (black spine with white title)
* Spirit Wives and Church Mothers by Schuetze (purple spine with white title)
* Religious Entanglements by Maxwell (orange spine with black title)
* The Age of Sex by Decker (cream spine with black title)

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KD Thompson @phdeviant.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I’m at a singing resistance event and a little girl named Ceci made me this pizza-themed name tag. And gave me a hug!

A blank name badge label (Avery template 5144) photographed upside down, with 'KD' hand-drawn in red marker and a maroon-and-brown triangular doodle resembling a slice of pizza. A black pen rests at the top of the frame.

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KD Thompson @phdeviant.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Join us Aug. 19 for an online Idea Exchange on Pedagogies of Language Destandardization. Bring your assignments, activities, questions, and ideas as we think collectively about language justice in teaching. Free and open to all. #LanguageJustice #Pedagogy #Raciolinguistics

Flyer for an online event titled Idea Exchange: Pedagogies of Language Destandardization. The event will take place on Wednesday, August 19, at 3:00 p.m. Central Time via Zoom. The virtual coffee hour invites educators, students, and scholars to share assignments, classroom activities, and teaching approaches related to language, standardization, linguistic inequality, and language justice. The goal is to exchange practical ideas for bringing critical perspectives on language into pedagogical practice. The discussion will be moderated by Jonathan Larson, Assistant Professor of Education at Grinnell College and a member of the LSJ Working Group. The event is free and open to all interested participants.

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KD Thompson @phdeviant.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Upcoming event: Queer & Trans Muslim Experiences of Faith and Identity Across Borders, a space to explore religion, gender, sexuality, migration, & belonging. All genders, orientations, & faith backgrounds welcome. 28 Aug, 5PM Eastern. Register: tinyurl.com/yn335jpa

Flyer for “Queer and Trans Muslim Experiences of Faith and Identity Across Borders.” The flyer features a green and white color scheme with the themes “Religion, Gender, Sexuality, Migration, Belonging.” It invites participants to a welcoming space for exploring faith, identity, and belonging across borders, emphasizing that all genders, sexual orientations, and faith backgrounds are welcome. The event takes place on Friday, August 28 at 5:00 p.m. at Glad Day Lit, 32 Lisgar Street, Toronto. The flyer includes logos for OCASI’s Positive Spaces Initiative, Glad Day Lit, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, along with contact information and a registration link.

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KD Thompson @phdeviant.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Spotted in a Kenyan bookstore ☺️

Someone’s holding a copy of Gendered Lives in the Western Indian Ocean: Islam, Marriage, and Sexuality on the Swahili Coast (edited by Erin E. Stiles and Katrina Daly Thompson), in front of a bookshelf in a bookshop. The cover shows a henna-decorated hand with red bangles against an orange fabric background.

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KD Thompson @phdeviant.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

I wish my feet could look like this forever

A person’s two feet resting on a gray surface, both decorated with intricate henna designs of similar age but different types. The upper foot displays reddish-pink henna with floral and butterfly patterns across the top and ankle. The lower foot shows warm brown henna with large floral and scroll designs along the ankle and foot. The person is wearing jeans, and a beige textile is visible in the background.

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KD Thompson @phdeviant.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

Pleased to publish with my graduate student Lilian Abunga in Assessing Language Proficiency Around the World (Wiley, Jan 2027). Our Swahili assessment chapter will be in this landmark volume. Pre-order at wiley.com. Code AJK26 for 20% off until October.

Book announcement for Wiley’s “Assessing Language Proficiency Around the World,” edited by Antony John Kunnan and Cecilia Guanfang Zhao, with Assistant Editor Coral Yiwei Qin. Publication January 2027. ISBN 978-1-394-34517-5. Includes promotional code AJK26 for 20% off pre-orders through October 5, 2026. Book cover features abstract colorful design in orange, blue, and purple.

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KD Thompson @phdeviant.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

New book coming soon 📖 The Autonomous Language Learning Toolkit (Routledge): research‑based tools for autonomous language learners, mentors, and educators. Cover reveal below 👇

Illustrated book cover showing a large pink brain filled with interlocking gears in blue, green, yellow, and navy, adjusted by a large wrench held by a human figure. The imagery suggests problem‑solving and learning processes. Text reads: “The Autonomous Language Learning Toolkit: A Guide for Learners, Educators, and Mentors” by K.D. Thompson and Adeola Agoke, published by Routledge.

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KD Thompson @phdeviant.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

It’s library book booty day again.

A pile of library books on top of a keffiyeh

SOUTH AFRICAN KEYWORDS
NICK SHEPHERD & STEVEN Robins

Ann Oakley SEX, GENDER & SOCIETY

Desai & MASQUELIER
CRITICAL TERMS FOR THE STUDY OF AFRICA

SWAHILI-ENGLISH DICTIONARY

A HANDBook OF THE SWAHILI LANGUAGE

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KD Thompson @phdeviant.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

Today, the WI Democratic Muslim & Jewish Caucuses are standing together for Salah Sarsour, a Milwaukee neighbor jailed far from his family. This is interfaith witness.

Democratic Party of Wisconsin Muslim and Jewish Caucuses Condemn ICE Detention of ISM President Salah Sarsour
We are the Muslim and Jewish Caucuses of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. We do not always agree; we hold that in honesty and without apology.
Today, we are united in condemning the detention and planned deportation of Salah Sarsour — President of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee. Salah is a husband, father, grandfather, and Wisconsin neighbor for over 30 years.
Today he sits in a jail in southern Indiana, far from his family and community, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio claiming Salah "poses an adverse consequence to foreign policy considerations."
With this White House's policies of open bigotry, it is clear that Salah was targeted for political motivations based on being a Palestinian-American and his advocacy for his community.
We decry the Trump Administration's continued detention, which they justify with character attacks designed to villainize him and pit our two communities against one another.
This is not justice.
We say clearly, together: this is wrong, and we will not be silent.
We come together in a rare moment from a place of shared faith. Both of our traditions - regardless of nationality, religion, or politics — are created in dignity and deserving justice.
The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "All mankind is from Adam and Eve; an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab."
The Jewish concept of b'zelem Elohim - that every person is created in the image of God - demands that we see the divine dignity and worth in Salah Sarsour. When that is lost, every person's freedom is threatened.
The First Amendment protects the speech that power finds inconvenient, for everyone. When the government uses its authority to silence voices it disagrees with — as in the cases of Mahmoud Khalil, Rumeysa Ozturk, and Salah Sarsour — it is an unconstitutional attack on all of our freedoms.
Nothing is more American, more Jewish, or more Muslim than b…

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KD Thompson @phdeviant.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

Grateful for another Eid celebration with friends at the home of @govevers.wisconsin.gov — inshallah he’ll be vetoing SB446 later this week & safeguarding free speech in Wisconsin.

The neoclassical white façade of the Wisconsin Governor’s Executive Residence, featuring tall fluted columns, a grand portico with a hanging lantern, an arched transom window above the entrance, and steps with black iron railings, photographed from below against a blue sky with wispy clouds.

A navy blue button pinned to a cream knit sweater, reading ‘VETO’ in gold text above a megaphone icon, with ‘AB 446 / SB 445’ printed along the bottom, worn at an Eid reception for Wisconsin’s Muslims at the Wisconsin Governor’s Executive Residence.

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KD Thompson @phdeviant.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

Calling all queer Muslims over the age of 18! Reem is conducting research associated with The Ayah Project to construct a Queer Muslims needs assessment to better understand the experiences and needs of queer Muslims across the U.S. If you are interested, email ritani2@wisc.edu for more information!

A purple promotional flyer for ‘A Queer Muslim Needs Assessment’ by Reem Itani, UW–Madison, featuring three polaroid-style photos of Pride demonstrators holding signs reading ‘Trans Muslims Are Everywhere’ and ‘Imaan LGBTQI Muslims.’ The flyer lists four bullet points: one 30-minute interview, one 6-minute survey, completely anonymous, and email ritani2@wisc.edu for more info.

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KD Thompson @phdeviant.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

Issue 94:1 of the Journal of the American Academy of Religion is now out, and an image from my article is on the cover! 😊 doi.org/10.1093/jaar...

Cover image
ON THE COVER: Amina Sadiki, a member of Wadau wa Radio Nuur (The Patrons of Radio Nuur), posing with her radio after an interview with K.D. Thompson in Tanga, Tanzania, July 2024. Photograph taken and provided by K.D. Thompson. In "A Woman Is Not Created Mute: An Ethnography of Gender and Voice on Islamic Radio in Tanga, Tanzania," published in this issue of the JAAR, K.D. Thompson explores how Muslims navigate theological and social constraints on women's participation in Islamic radio, theorizing
"voice" as both acoustic and symbolic, showing how involvement with Islamic radio can simultaneously reinforce and reconfigure gender norms, and arguing that women's vocal presence on Islamic radio constitutes a form of religious agency that is neither wholly resistant nor wholly compliant but situated within evolving moral and institutional frameworks.

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KD Thompson @phdeviant.bsky.social · 14/03/2026

CFP for @americananthro.bsky.social panel on ethnographic work from the Swahili Coast/East Africa. Themes: memory, authority, belonging, verge-like moments. Send title + 300-word abstract to kd.thompson@wisc.edu by 1 April. Open to scholars at all stages. Join us! @afaa-africananthro.bsky.social

Call for Papers for a panel "On the Verge: Ethnographic Worlds Along the Swahili Coast and Beyond."

We invite paper submissions for a proposed panel at the 2026 American Anthropological Association Annual Meeting. Our panel brings together ethnographers working along the Swahili Coast and across East Africa whose research explores lives lived in moments of transition, tension, anticipation, or emergence. We are especially interested in scholarship that examines how people articulate meaning, identity, authority, and belonging as they navigate shifting social, political, ecological, and moral landscapes.

The 2026 theme, On the Verge, speaks to thresholds—political, environmental, technological, and affective. Across East Africa and the wider Indian Ocean world, communities confront climate precarity and its tipping points; reconfigured mobilities and global realignments; transformations in media, religion, gender, and kinship; and evolving forms of state power, economic possibility, and collective imagination. These conditions make the coast and hinterland sites where endings and beginnings hinge on one another, and where ethnography must dwell in the unstable space in between.

This panel asks:

How do people along the Swahili Coast—and in East Africa more broadly—live, narrate, theorize, and navigate such verge-like conditions?

We welcome papers that engage one or more of the following (non-exhaustive) themes:

Memory, history, and the poetics of belonging
Gender, authority, and emergent forms of Islamic or Christian practice
Indian Ocean mobilities, diaspora, and transoceanic imaginaries
Media worlds, sound, and communicative politics
Climate precarity, ecological knowledge, and coastal futures
Race, biopolitics, and the shifting terms of global power
Everyday negotiations of state authority and institutional fragility
Fiction, storytelling, and narrative ethnography as analytic tools

The panel will include the following papers:

• Rachel Maina, University of Wisconsin–Madison — On the Verge of Memory: Narrating Swahili‑Chinese Identity through Ethnography and Fiction

This paper examines how residents of Siyu, in Kenya’s Lamu archipelago, narrate Chinese ancestry through intersecting oral histories, fragments of memory, and literary representation. By pairing ethnographic interviews with The Dragonfly Sea, Maina shows how Swahili‑Chinese identity emerges not as fixed lineage but as a narrative practice through which communities reinterpret Indian Ocean histories to negotiate belonging in the present.

• K.D. Thompson, University of Wisconsin–Madison — “Our Jamvi Has Pens and Papers”: Metapragmatic Authority and Women’s Islamic Pedagogy on the Swahili Coast

This paper analyzes how women broadcasters on Radio Nuur in Tanga, Tanzania, transform a feminized domestic speech genre—conversation on the jamvi—into a platform for public Islamic pedagogy. Through metapragmatic labor, strategic vocal stance, and the crafting of a discursive sitara, Thompson shows how domestic communicative authority is scaled into the public sphere while navigating the institutional limits placed on women’s religious voice.

We welcome additional ethnographically grounded papers from scholars at any career stage whose work touches the Swahili Coast, mainland East Africa, or related transoceanic worlds. We especially encourage submissions from graduate students, early‑career scholars, and researchers based in East Africa.

To submit:

Please send a paper title, 300‑word abstract, affiliation, and contact information to

📧kd.thompson@wisc.edu

by 1 April 2026.

If you have questions about fit or wish to discuss your idea, please reach out. We look forward to building a vibrant conversation on verges, thresholds, and emergent futures across the Swahili and East African worlds.

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KD Thompson @phdeviant.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

“Africa is not what it is because of what it is like. Africa is what it is because of what the world is like, and vice versa. So we study Africa to understand the world.” — Elísio Macamo

A sepia-colored globe showing Africa. Photo by James Wiseman on Unsplash

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KD Thompson @phdeviant.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

Speaking at tonight’s Muslim faculty & staff Iftar on Ramadhan’s lessons for non-Muslims.

KD Thompson, a person with an asymmetrical haircut and pink hair, wearing an abaya and prayer beads, standing at a podium and speaking into a microphone.

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KD Thompson @phdeviant.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

Reading The Book of Eights after suhur (as one does) and found this little guy drawn in the margins.

Simple line drawing of a cartoon figure on a white background, positioned in the lower right. The figure has a round bald head, large round eyes, two large ears, and a small curved mouth

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KD Thompson @phdeviant.bsky.social · 04/01/2026

Yesterday I had the beautiful experience of seeing one of my graduate students get married and welcoming her new husband to our extended family. May they be blessed with many years together!

Black and white photo of three people posing in front of a metallic fringe curtain backdrop with large balloons above. A man in a dark suit with tie and glasses sits on the left. A person in a light-colored textured sweater with dark beaded necklaces and glasses stands in the center. A woman in a patterned dress with pearl necklace, decorative brooch, and glasses sits on the right holding a bouquet.

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KD Thompson @phdeviant.bsky.social · 30/12/2025

I learned today that my friend of more than 20 years, Barnabas Kiwambo, has passed away in Tanzania. Mungu amlaze peponi.

A person wearing a blue sweater over a white collared shirt, white pants, and dark shoes stands in front of a multi-tiered fountain with bronze or brass-colored metalwork.

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KD Thompson @phdeviant.bsky.social · 21/12/2025

I’m 50 today, and last night I had a big party with lots of friends, colleagues, students, and family. Life is good. ❤️

A round cake on a black plastic base, Red piped frosting text in the center reads “Happy 50th KD!”

KD photographed from the chest up against a dark patterned backdrop. They are wearing rectangular dark-framed glasses and long dangling earrings. Their hair is blonde on one side and magenta on the other side, styled short. They wear a black top with studded or beaded shoulder details and a thin silver necklace. They are holding a large black glittery number “50” decoration in front of their torso. Their mouth is open in a smile showing teeth.

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KD Thompson @phdeviant.bsky.social · 18/12/2025

search your camera roll for hell

An Easter basket with a container of Hello Kitty noodle soup on top.

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KD Thompson @phdeviant.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

I finally braved the cold to pick up my library book booty.

A horizontal stack of five academic books on a wooden surface, each with visible library labels. Titles include ‘The Conscious Style Guide,’ ‘Muhammad and the Believers,’ ‘New Media in the Muslim World,’ ‘The Ethical Soundscape,’ and ‘Intercultural Communication: A Layered Approach.’

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KD Thompson @phdeviant.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

The harvest is ready! I’m particularly pleased with how many of my images contain alt text. (Tip: change your settings so that Bluesky won’t let you post an image without alt text.)

A word cloud titled “Most Used Words” displays terms in varying sizes to reflect frequency. Dominant words include “book,” “morning,” “students,” “wisconsin,” “language,” “free,” “religion,” “stillhappening,” and “swahili.” Smaller words like “semester,” “africa,” “muslim,” “coffee,” “review,” “learned,” and “2025” suggest themes of education, regional focus, and daily life.

A circular emoji chart titled “Top Emojis” on a black background shows a diverse mix of expressive faces, symbols, and colored squares. At the bottom, usage stats read: Total: 95, Unique: 26, Per Post: 0.18.

A circular progress chart titled “Image Posts” shows that 96% of images include alt text. The orange ring dominates the circle, with a small black segment representing the remaining 4%. Below, it reads “All Posts” and “83% above average,” highlighting strong accessibility performance.

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KD Thompson @phdeviant.bsky.social · 28/11/2025

Post-thanksgiving smiles with several of my grad students

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