James W. Morris was born in the US in 1949. He received a BA in Civilizational Studies from the University of Chicago in 1971, and a PhD in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University in 1980, for a thesis “Ibn Masarra: A Reconsideration of the Primary Sources”. He also studied at the University of Strasbourg, the American University in Cairo, the Iranian Academy of Philosophy, and the Center for the Study of Civilizations, Tehran. He taught at the Princeton University, Oberlin College, Temple University, and the Institute of Ismaili Studies in Paris and London. He has been a guest professor at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (Paris), University of Malaya, and University of Sarajevo. He specialized in medieval Islamic philosophy, especially in the philosophy of Ibn ‘Arabī. He is a Professor of Islamic Studies in the Boston College’s Theology department and Islamic Civilization and Societies program. He is a prolific author, having written dozens of journal articles along with thirteen books, including most recently, The Reflective Heart: Discovering Spiritual Intelligence in Ibn Arabī’s Meccan Illuminations’; Orientations: Islamic Thought in a World Civilization; and The Master and the Disciple: An Early Islamic Spiritual Dialogue. He has often interviewed on current issues for the BBC and international journals and newspapers dealing with the Middle East.
https://www.bc.edu/content/bc-web/schools/mcas/departments/theology/people/retired-faculty/morris-james-w.html