Iain R. Edgar

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Iain R. Edgar
Born	Iain Ross Edgar (1948-06-06)6 June 1948 Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England
Died	22 May 2021(2021-05-22) (aged 72)
Alma mater	University of York Durham University Keele University
Known for	Imagework, Anthropology of Dreams, Dreams and Islam, Anthropology of Education
Children	2

Iain Ross Edgar (6 June 1948 – 22 May 2021) was an English social anthropologist at Durham University. He was an expert in the field of dreams and dreaming, and a specialist in altered states of consciousness and mental health. Starting his career in social work, Edgar received a PhD from the University of Keele, where he studied under Ronnie Frankenberg. His thesis Dreamwork, Anthropology and the Caring Professions: A Cultural Approach to Dreamwork discusses a wide range of psychodynamic possibilities and develops a method to work with dreams within a professional care environment.

Edgar was born in Southend-on-Sea to parents Fred, a dentist, and Margery (née White). Edgar went to boarding school at Bedford School and subsequently took a gap year to hitchhike. He studied philosophy at the University of York, graduating in 1970. He trained in social work, practiced in Aberdeen, and lectured at Northumbria University. He would then switch his focus to anthropology, going on to complete a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) at Durham University in 1986 and a PhD at Keele University in 1995.^[1]

Edgar was a pioneer in the area of imagework methods. In his 2004 book, A Guide to Imagework: Imagination-Based Research Methods (Routledge),^[2] he identifies several techniques for producing data about identity, belief and society through the exploration of people's imaginative resources.

Beginning in 2002, Edgar researched the role and function of the dream in Islam. He focussed on Sufi dreaming, Istikhara. In 2011, he published The Dream In Islam: From Qur'anic Tradition to Jihadist Interpretation.^[3] This book contributes to the understanding of the importance of dreams within both textual Islam and in every day Muslim life. Edgar extended his analysis to contribute to a better understanding of the ways that jihadi groups used dreams to justify and determine specific actions. Edgar argued that Islamic State fighters relied, at least in part, on dreams as a window into the future, and to help them make decisions when they lacked complete information.^[4]

Edgar published on education in social anthropology in Europe as well as broader primary and secondary education in Pakistan. With Stephen M. Lyon, he edited a book on education in Pakistan which covered secular, religious, state and private educational settings (see Lyon and Edgar 2010).^[5] He co-edited two volumes on education in social anthropology. The first, with Dorle Dracklé and Thomas K. Schippers, concentrated on the history of education in social anthropology,^[6] while the second, co-edited with Dorle Dracklé, addresses contemporary practices in teaching social anthropology in Europe.^[7]

Edgar had two children with his ex-wife Anna. He retired to his home in Alum Waters, where he was neighbours with Gwynned de Looijer.^[1]

• Edgar, Iain 2011. The Dream in Islam: From Qur'anic Tradition to Jihadist Inspiration. Oxford: Berghahn Books.
• Edgar, I.R. 2004. Guide to Imagework: Imagination-Based Research Methods. London: Routledge.
• Iain R. Edgar 1995. Dreamwork, Anthropology and the Caring Professions: A Cultural Approach to Dreamwork. Aldershopt: Avebury.

• Lyon, Stephen M. & Edgar, Iain R. 2010. Shaping a Nation: An Examination of Education in Pakistan. Karachi: Oxford University Press.
• Drackle, D. & Edgar, I.R. 2004. Learning Fields Vol.2 Current Educational Practices in European Social Anthropology. Oxford: Berghahn Books.
• D. Drackle, I. Edgar & T. Schippers 2003. Learning Fields Vol. 1 Educational Histories of European Anthropology. Oxford: Berghahn Books.
• Iain R. Edgar & A. Russell 1998. Anthropology of Welfare. London: Routledge.

• thedreaminislam.co.uk
• dur.ac.uk
• asdreams.org