His research examines how cultural change occurs in contexts that are perceived as un-changing - exploring how change occurs in ways that maintain cultural stability in ideas, values, and norms. Cultural reproduction is not accomplished through preservation, but instead through fluctuation. He studies this through an investigation of how Islamic law developed since the medieval era to the contemporary period, with a focus on how the contemporary interactions between Islamic law and human rights are traceable to the classical beginnings of Islamic law. He holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from New York University.