SOAS-Nohoudh Muslim Integration Conference 2015
Convenor: Professor M.A.S. Abdel Haleem
5 — 6 November 2015  |    Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre

CALL FOR PAPERS
Deadline for abstracts: 1 April 2015

Britain is a net host country for global migration. This has resulted in great diversity in the languages, faiths, traditions, cultural practices and identities that are represented in the multicultural fabric of British society. Current debate surrounding the issue of integration and the challenges that it presents has brought to the fore the need to re-examine the question of what constitutes an integrated and successful multicultural society.

SOAS is delighted to announce this new annual conference series on ‘Muslim Integration in Britain’, a collaboration between the Centre of Islamic Studies at SOAS and the Nohoudh Endowment for Development Studies. The Centre of Islamic Studies is an integral part of the School of Oriental and African Studies, and aims to promote scholarship and research in all areas of Islamic Studies. In addition to regular teaching and research, Centre activities include lectures and seminars, conferences, and occasional publications. The Nohoudh Endowment for Development Studies is an independent international trust, registered in the state of Kuwait, which seeks to engage with global issues facing Muslim cultures and societies. Nohoudh supports intellectual reform within Islamic thought via graduate study grants, international knowledge transfer partnerships and institutional links. This conference series has been funded by the generosity of Nohoudh.

The inaugural Muslim Integration in Britain Conference will commence with two crucial questions: what is integration?, and what is meant by Muslim integration in Britain? To this end, it aims to provide a forum for multidisciplinary research into the major issues at stake. Areas of discussion will include the historical context; integration and alienation; the role of national and international politics (civil and human rights, radicalisation and Islamophobia etc.) in the shaping of orientation and dis-orientation; normativity and diversity within the British Muslim community; and the framing of Muslim identities in Britain.

The deadline for abstracts is 1 April 2015. Abstracts of up to 500 words and a short bio (of up to 200 words) should be submitted in MS Word format by email attachment to muslimintegration@soas.ac.uk .  All applicants will be notified of the status of their proposals by 1 June 2015.

Presentations of papers should be 20 minutes long (full papers should not exceed 8,000 words and should be submitted, in full, prior to the Conference by the 1st of October), and will be followed by 5 minutes for questions.

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Call for Papers
Sociology of Islam – Reflection, Revision & Reconceptualization

Conference of the Section on Sociology of Religion German Sociological Association (DGS)  in cooperation with the Center for Religious Studies (CERES), Ruhr-University Bochum
25 – 27 June 2015

Conference Venue: Ruhr-University Bochum

From the 1980s onwards, sociological research has paid increased attention to Islam. While focussing on selected countries from the Middle East in an earlier stage, the interest has gradually shifted to Europe where Muslims have become a rapidly growing minority in many countries due to labour migration. Since then, research on Islam is steadily increasing and generates substantial empirical research results. Parallel, a political and normative discourse about Islam and Muslim immigrants can be observed in many host countries that has been intensified by the events of 9/11 and that extends into the academic realm.

We consider this situation as the starting point for a reflection on the theoretical framework. Initially, a sociology of Islam has to question the traditional foundations of Western humanities and the social sciences, e.g. its inherent orientalism. We want to face this challenge in the planned conference. Beyond the daily political problematisation of Islam, we want to deal with its social foundations and its various forms of social appearance, not only in Europe but also worldwide. The reflection of sociological concepts and theories will take centre stage. Outdated theories that have already been criticized many times, shall be reviewed – whether they are Eurocentric, based on modernisation theory or on a homogenizing cultural understanding, as all of them lead to an asymmetric consideration.

A reflected sociology of Islam also needs to reconstruct everyday life of Muslims from an empirical perspective, while examining social practices, institutions, and knowledge systems. Following Weber’s concept of sociology, a particular approach could be to explore the conduct of life and the social forms of Muslim sociality.  Finally, a global, transnational and historical perspective is analytically indispensable, simply due to migration processes. However, this leads to a series of challenges: On the one hand, it is important to look at mutual and inner entanglements of knowledge, culture and
power instead of following the idea of self-contained and homogenous Western or Islamic civilisations. On the other hand, a change of perspectives is intended: scientific observation should not any longer prioritise the focus on the effects of Islam for European societies. It should rather deepen the analysis of Muslim’s particular lifeworlds as well as the social arrangements of negotiation processes in their societies of origin and the host societies (e.g. from a legal standpoint or with regards to normative orders, the public-private relation, gender relations etc.). This includes questions of how the cultural contact changes Muslim life and everyday practices and how this takes place in other world regions, e.g., in Asia. In other words, a global perspective that includes intertwined histories and various paths of transformation is essential.

Against this background, the Section for the Sociology of Religion of the German Sociological Association cordially invites to submit abstracts on the reflection about the sociology of Islam. We equally welcome theoretically and empirically based contributions, which allow further theoretical and methodological reflection.

Contributions on the following topics are particularly welcome:

• - Papers on Muslim everyday reality as well as on the social appearance of Islam in European and non-European contexts (concerning religious identity and institutions as well as faith, everyday practices, and conduct of life)
• - Papers which examine how knowledge systems, cultural codes, and institutions of power are shaped by Muslim actors and how they affect them
• - Papers about the patterns of sociality, solidarity, and civility in  the countries of origin and their alteration as a result of migration – Papers concerning the sphere of political action, especially questions of political integration, religious education and citizenship
• - Papers on Muslim practice in the public and in legislation; especially about the effects of Islam’s public perception from a perspective of visibility and “public observation”. What does this mean for Muslims, for their everyday life, identity processes, practice of religion, right to privacy, and religious freedom, anti-discrimination, and gender equality?
• - Papers examining Islamic based gender orders, their linkage with power and institutions and their renegotiation in the process of migration as well as the impact of Western gender specific stereotypes and ethnic discrimination

Confirmed keynote speakers: Bryan Turner and Georg Stauth.

Deadline: Please submit abstracts by 30 January 2015 to all organizers. The abstracts should not exceed one page.

Organization:
Christel Gärtner: cgaertner@uni-muenster.de
Levent Tezcan: levent.tezcan@rub.de
Heidemarie Winkel: heidemarie.winkel@mailbox.tu-dresden.de

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Conference on Islam in Russia
Thursday, October 15-16, 2015
Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
http://daviscenter.fas.harvard.edu/events/conference-islam-russia

Call for Paper Proposals

The Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University invites submissions of paper proposals for an international conference on Islam in Russia.

Islam in Russia takes many forms, from the Tatars’ moderate EuroIslam to traditional Sufism in the Caucasus to the radicalized Salafi ideas found among a minority of young Muslims throughout the country. These different Muslim identities interact with a state that has in recent years come to be increasingly dominated by ethnic Russian and Orthodox Christian identities. At the same time, the strengthening of the Russian state has led it to increase its influence on Muslim religious practices and the everyday lives of Russian Muslims.

The Crimean crisis of 2014 has again highlighted the significance of Islam in contemporary Russia. The Russian government tried to mobilize state-supported Muslim organizations to sway Crimean Tatars to its side. This strategy was consistent with Moscow’s long-standing practice of co-opting religious groups by appointing a state-sanctioned representative. Since the time of Catherine the Great, Islamic authorities were expected to promote interpretations of Islam that supported the state. Needless to say, attempting to co-op believers into supporting a particular religious interpretation runs the risk of alienating those who disagree with the official interpretation. The resulting power struggles have played an important role in shaping Muslim identity in Russia in the post-Soviet period.

This conference will focus on what it means to be a Muslim in Russia today and how these meanings are reflected in Russian political life. Conference participants will examine the variety of Muslim identities in modern Russia and also consider the evolving role of Muslims in Russian history.

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Call for Papers: Social Science History Association Religion Network

Social Science History Association 2015 Annual Conference

Baltimore, Maryland, November 12-15, 2015

Conference Theme: “Pluralism and Community: Social Science History Perspectives”

SUBMISSION DEADLINE IS FEBRUARY 14, 2015

The Religion Network of the Social Science History Association invites proposals for papers, panels, and book sessions for the 40th annual meeting of the Social Science History Association in Baltimore, Maryland, November 12-15, 2014.  We also are looking for volunteers to serve as panel chairs and discussants. 

The SSHA is the leading interdisciplinary association for historical research in the US, providing a stimulating venue for explorations of how social processes unfold over time. The Religion Network serves as the home within the organization for scholars interested in religious history, religious mobilization, religious change, and religion’s effect on social and political processes. Our network is interdisciplinary and cross-national in scope, and embraces all scholarship that examines how religion intersects with other social processes in historical perspective.

We encourage the participation of graduate students and recent PhDs as well as more established scholars from a wide range of disciplines and departments. Graduate students are eligible to apply for financial support to attend the annual meeting (see http://www.ssha.org/grants). Further details about the association, the 2015 annual meeting, and the call for proposals are available on the SSHA website: www.ssha.org.

The deadline for paper and/or panel submissions is February 14th, 2015.
We welcome and encourage papers and panel proposals on a wide array of issues related to the historical study of religion and society. While complete panel proposals (consisting of 4-5 individual papers, a chair, and a discussant) are preferred, we also seek out high-quality individual paper submissions. Panels and papers may address the topics below, or any other relevant and related topic examining religion in a historical context:

• · Religious Pluralism and Community
• · Religion, Ethnicity, and Nationalism
• · Empire, Missions, and Global Religious Encounters
• · Religious Minorities and the Public Sphere
• · Religion, Education, and Diversity
• · Secularization and Secularism
• · Religious Identities
• · Religion, Science, and Medicine
• · Religion and Law
• · Religion and Genocide

Please use the SSHA’s web conference management system to submit your papers and panel proposals. Paper title, brief abstract, and contact information should be submitted at http://prod.sshaconference.org/people/login. Please do not hesitate to contact the Religion Network representatives with any questions, comments, or for help with submissions.

Thank you, and we look forward to a stimulating set of panels at this year’s SSHA meeting.

Ates Altinordu (atesaltinordu@sabanciuniv.edu)

Damon Mayrl (dmayrl@clio.uc3m.es)

Sam Nelson (scnelson0@gmail.com)

Philip Gorski

SSHA Religion Network Representatives

The post Conference CFP: “Pluralism and Community: Social Science History Perspectives” appeared first on ISA Research Committee 22.

Centre for Research in Social sciences and Humanities

http://www.socialsciencesandhumanities.com

is inviting paper/panel proposals for

Second Interdisciplinary Conference on Religion in Everyday lives to be held in

Vienna, Austria, 21-22.03.2015.

Conference venue: ***** Hotel Le Meridien Wien, Opernring 13-15, A-1010, Vienna, Austria (Room Happy Green)

Religion is often discussed through the eyes of secularisation theory; however, there is no agreement on what secularisation is, or to what extent religion is present in our present lives even though religion is as influential as ever. Whether we understand secularisation as a decline of religious beliefs, privatization of religion, or as differentiation of the secular spheres and emancipation (Casanova 2006; Berger 2001), we still have to ask ourselves to what extent religion shapes our present lives. Many scholars believed religion will eventually loose importance and that societies will face decline of religious beliefs, but by the end of the 20^th century many changed their views and acknowledged that secularisation theory does not work, and that religion is as important as ever (Berger, 1999). Nonetheless, we can agree with a view “religious communities have survived and even flourished to the degree that they have not tried to adapt themselves to the alleged requirements of a secularised world” (Berger, 1999: 4).

Recently, scholars also advocated that religion emerges in times of crisis such as, for example, events in the Middle East, breakup of former Yugoslavia, economic crisis, etc. It is questionable whether we can truly discuss secularisation as a phenomenon, or we should simply turn our attention to the notion of religion in all of its aspects, and try to increase understanding of this complex phenomenon.

We are inviting papers from social sciences and humanities that address religion and its influence on our present reality, and its growing importance.

Papers are invited (but not limited to) for the following panels:

• Secularisation vs sacralisation
• Methodology in researching religion
• Spirituality
• Pilgrimage
• Religious practices
• Religion and culture
• Religion and the media
• Religious subjectivity
• Material religion
• Religion and childhood
• Religion and critical theory
• Religion and discrimination
• Religion and identity
• Religion and education
• Religion and belonging
• Religious Anti-Semitism
• Studies in Judaism
• Religion and the Idea of Europe
• Religion and ethnicity
• Studies in Islam

Prospective participants are also welcome to submit proposals for their own panels.

Submissions of abstracts (up to 500 words) with an email contact should be sent to Dr Martina Topić

(martina@socialsciencesandhumanities.com) by 10 March 2015.

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