Hale Inanoglu

Adjunct Faculty

Sociology: Sociology of religion, Muslims in the US, diaspora, gender.

Dr. Hale Inanoglu is a qualitative sociologist of religion whose research examines how religious selves are made in contemporary America. Drawing on research with Muslim communities, congregations, and religious organizations, she explores how people cultivate religious commitments, navigate questions of authority and belonging, and orient their lives toward moral and spiritual ideals. Her research interests include religious learning, gender, social media, diaspora communities, and religious self-formation. Her current work focuses on Muslim college students and the role of community, guided learning, and digital media in shaping religious commitment.

Selected Publications

Inanoglu, Hale. 2025. “Moral Careers of Muslim College Students: How I Became a Better Muslim through TikTok.” Review of Religious Research, Special Issue: American Muslims Beyond 9/11. https://doi.org/10.1177/0034673X251348214

Coe, Deb & Hale Inanoglu. 2025. “Post-Pandemic Realities.” Religions, Special Issue: Emerging Trends in Congregational Engagement and Leadership. https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/6/782

Inanoglu, Hale. 2020. “Gender in the Making of Pious Subjectivity.” In Research on the Social Scientific Study of Religion, Vol. 31. Brill. https://brill.com/view/title/59188

Expanded Publication List

Inanoglu, Hale & Deb Coe. 2025. Unique Challenges for Congregational Leaders in the National Capital Area. Religious Workforce Project, Lewis Center for Church Leadership, Wesley Theological Seminary. https://www.churchleadership.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Unique-Challenges-for-Congregational-Leaders-in-the-National-Capital-Area.pdf

Coe, Deb & Hale Inanoglu. 2024.
“What Clergy Leaders Wish They Had Been Trained to Do and Why it Matters.”
Religious Workforce Project Report. PDF
🔗 https://religiousworkforce.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/What-Clergy-Leaders-Wish-They-Had-Been-Trained-to-Do-And-Why-it-Matters.pdf

Inanoglu, Hale. 2023.
“Types of Call Stories among Religious Workers: Part One.”
Religious Workforce Project. Link
🔗 https://religiousworkforce.com/demographics/types-of-call-stories-among-religious-workers-part-one

Inanoglu, Hale. 2023.
“Remaining Relevant in a Post-Christian and Urban Culture.”
Religious Workforce Project. Link
🔗 https://religiousworkforce.com/black-church/remaining-relevant-in-a-post-christian-and-urban-culture

Inanoglu, Hale. 2023.
“Insights Learned from Interviewing Agnostics Who Go into Ministry.”
Religious Workforce Project. Link
🔗 https://religiousworkforce.com/demographics/insights-learned-from-interviewing-agnostics-who-go-into-ministry

Inanoglu, Hale. 2021.
Review of Gendered Morality: Classical Islamic Ethics of the Self, Family, and Society by Zahra Ayubi.
The Maydan
🔗 https://themaydan.com/2021/02/book-review-gendered-morality/

Inanoglu, Hale. 2019.
Review of Keeping it Halal: The Everyday Lives of Muslim American Teenage Boys by John O’Brien.
The Maydan
🔗 https://themaydan.com/2019/03/book-review-keeping-it-halal-the-everyday-lives-of-muslim-american-teenage-boys-by-john-obrien-reviewed-by-hale-inanoglu/

Inanoglu, Hale. 2018.
Review of Muslim Cool: Race, Religion, and Hip Hop in the United States by Su’ad Abdul Khabeer.
The Maydan
🔗 https://themaydan.com/2018/01/book-review-muslim-cool-race-religion-hip-hop-united-states-suad-abdul-khabeer-2/

Courses Taught

SOC 120 Globalization and Society
SOC 208 Introduction to Race and Ethnicity
SOC 308 Race and Ethnicity in a Changing World
SOC 215 Gender and Society
SOC 315 Contemporary Gender Relations
COMM 302 Media Theory

Education

PhD in Public Sociology, George Mason University, VA, USA, 2020
M.Sc. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason University, VA, USA, 2012
M.A. in Philosophy, Bogazici University, Istanbul, Turkey, 2000