Frances Trix

About Frances Trix

Frances Trix is a fourth generation Detroiter. She grew up on an island in the Detroit River and early on was fascinated by languages and immigrant groups. She graduated from the University of Michigan in Turkish and Arabic. She began her study with Baba Rexheb, a Bektashi Sufi monk when she was 20 years old and studied with him at his Albanian monastery outside Detroit for over 25 years. Her first book, Spiritual Discourse: Learning with an Islamic Master, describes his age-old way of teaching. She also wrote his biography: The Sufi Journey of Baba Rexheb. She received her PhD. in Linguistics and taught at the University of Michigan, Wayne State University, and Indiana University. She worked with refugees from the Balkan Wars and the Syrian Civil War. Her recent books reflect her ongoing concern with forced migration--Urban Muslim Migrants in Istanbul--and the importance of welcoming in refugees--Europe and the Refugee Crisis: Local Responses to Migrants.