CALL FOR PAPERS:

Narrating the pilgrimage to Mecca: experiences, emotions, and meanings

Conveners: Prof. Dr. Marjo Buitelaar (University of Groningen) & Dr. Richard van Leeuwen (University of Amsterdam).

Date: 12 & 13 December 2019.

Venue: University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Key note speakers:

1. Professor Seán McLoughlin (University of Leeds)

2. To be announced

Respondent:

Professor Simon Coleman (University of Toronto)

Given the centrality of Mecca and the hajj in the Islamic tradition and its increasing popularity as a religious travel-destination since the nineteenth century, it seems surprising that Meccan pilgrimage – including both hajj and umra – has virtually escaped the attention of scholars on modern Muslim life. While a number of recent studies focus on the history of the hajj, particularly in colonial times, pilgrims’ personal experiences have not yet received much attention. This conference endeavors to remedy this neglect by exploring how pilgrims from different times and places in the world have narrated their experiences of the hajj and umra.

The main focus of this conference is on the pilgrims’ lived engagement with the rituals of the hajj,  Meccan space and their fellow pilgrims. It studies how pilgrims have made sense of Meccan pilgrimage by asking how their in what ways do they select from and creatively combine cultural discourses and emotional repertoires in their stories about expectations, experiences and recollections of Muslim pilgrimage ?  How do these stories relate to the wider sets of social relations, cultural contexts and power structures they are embedded in?  

Additionally, it explores the ways this engagement is informed by the various cultural discourses in which Muslims have performed the pilgrimage to Mecca and articulated their experience of it. In particular, the conference explores the ways in which the experience the pilgrimage to Mecca, most specifically but not exclusively the hajj,  has been articulated in relation to the self and society. We are especially interested in oral and written accounts on the impact of modernity on the pilgrimage experiences of individual Muslims in the period from 1850 until the present day, but  do not exclude the exploration of earlier sources and texts.

For more information:https://www.rug.nl/ggw/news/events/2019/190401callforpapers-conference-hajj

The Marie Curie ITN proposal ‘Mediating Islam in the Digital Age’ (MIDA) has been launched end of March 2019.

The MIDA-project rests on the premise that digitisation and technological innovation do have a tremendous impact on Islam, the effects of which are diverse and ubiquitous, and they are reminiscent of technical revolutions in the past such as print technology. The rapid changes that are already occurring are generating a sense of loss of control and instability among the general public, politicians, journalists, academics, and, not least, among Muslims themselves. The spread of modern digital media and new technologies of communication, production and dissemination, prompts researchers and social actors, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, to make sense of and understand these developments.

An international consortium of research institutes, universities and non-academic partners in six European countries will conduct research in the next four years and address a broad spectrum of issues related to the general theme. MIDA is coordinated by the ‘Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique’ (CNRS) in Paris.

We are now searching for young researchers for all 15 research positions within the lager project. For more information about the positions and the conditions, please check the following websites:

https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/395508.

https://www.itn-mida.org/callforposition

https://www.itn-mida.org/applicationform.

Sociology of Islam Journal: Volume 7 (2019): Issue 1 (Mar 2019)

https://brill.com/abstract/journals/soi/7/1/soi.7.issue-1.xml

·  Outside of the Law: Khomeini’s Legacy of Commanding Right and Forbidding Wrong in the Islamic Republic

By: Alexander Nachman

Reevaluating Sectarianism in Light of Sufi Islam

The Case-Studies of the Naqshbandiyya and Qadiriyya in Syria and Iraq

By: Elisheva Machlis

Beyond the Enigma of the Veil: Representation of Women’s Status in Post-revolutionary Iran by Iranian–American Memoirs 

By: Zeinab Ghasemi and Seyed Mohammad Marandi

Competing Frames of the Gülen Movement

The Case of Malaysia 

By: Saleena Saleem and Mohamed Nawab Mohamed Osman

“Theory and Practice in Amish Research”

Friday, August 2, 2019

Millersburg, Holmes County, OH

Conference hosted by the Amish & Plain Anabaptist Studies Association

Proposals are due by Friday, April 5; registration will follow.

For more details, see: www.amishstudies.org

The ongoing growth of the plain people—the Amish, Mennonites, Hutterites, German Baptists, Apostolic Christians, and others—means that more and more people are encountering these subcultures in the public sphere. For this reason, those who specifically study or work with the plain people—including health practitioners, public servants, and social researchers—must continue advancing our bodies of knowledge and best practices through critical evaluation of old paradigms and introduction of new concepts. The goal of this conference is to discuss advances in theory—the conceptual understanding of the plain people—and practice—the hands-on experiences of practitioners working with the plain people. We will also explore the connection between the two, how the lessons of one can be used by the other. For the convenience of attendees, the bi-annual Amish Health Conference of the Center for Appalachia Research in Cancer Education (CARE) will be held back-to-back, on Thursday, August 1, with this conference.

Call for Manuscripts

ANUAL REVIEW OF THE SOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION
Volume 12 (Forthcoming 2021)

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM: SOCIAL-SCIENTIFIC APPROACES
Edited by
Olga Breskaya (University of Padova, Italy), Roger Finke (Pennsylvania
State University, USA) and Giuseppe Giordan (University of Padova,
Italy).

Over the past three decades, issues related to religious freedom have increasingly come to the fore. The European Court of Human Rights ruled the landmark case on religious freedom in 1993, the U.S. passed the International Religious Freedom Act in 1998, and the King of Morocco hosted a major international conference in 2016 on promoting the rights of religious minorities in Muslim majority countries. Religion and state relations, with a focus on religious freedoms, has now become a growing interdisciplinary area of study. The Religion and State project has produced three waves of data and many other international initiatives put religious freedom at the center of their studies. Scholars in political science, international relations, and judicial studies have all contributed theoretical discussions, case studies and extensive empirical analysis. Sociologists have contributed too, but they have far more to offer.
The multidimensionality of religious freedom and its rootedness in historical, socio-legal and socio-political contexts, make it an area where sociology can make significant contributions. The social and religious dynamics related to migration, the societal restrictions placed on religious freedoms, the interaction between religious social movements and religious freedoms, and the increasing visibility of religion in global politics are a few of the areas where sociology’s well-established theoretical discourse and analytical tools can complement and challenge other disciplines. We invite the authors of this volume to contribute theoretical perspectives, sociological concepts and empirical analyses that highlight the development of religious freedom as an area of study in the social sciences. Listed below are a few of the many additional areas authors might address.

1.      Theories of religious freedom in social sciences
2.      Religious freedom and pluralism
3.      Religious freedom, spirituality, and interfaith dialogue
4.      Religious freedom and secularism
5.      Cross-national studies on religious freedom
6.      Sociology of human rights and religious freedom
7.      Religious freedom and social conflicts
8.      Religious freedom and socio-economic development

Please send proposals (400 words) and a brief bio to Olga Breskaya
(olga.breskaya@phd.unipd.it
Submission of proposals: June 30, 2019
Notification of acceptance: September 30, 2019
Completed manuscripts (7,000 words): April 30, 2020

Hello everyone,

Contemporary Anthropology of Religion is the official book series of the Society for the Anthropology of Religion, a section of the American Anthropological Association. We are actively seeking proposals from emerging and senior scholars for monographs or edited volumes that contribute broadly to the anthropological study of religious experience, cultures and practice. The books in the series offer vibrant ethnography, thoughtful debate, and insightful analysis on a variety of issues relating to current theoretical or comparative issues in anthropology of religion. We are especially interested in texts that promote sustained conversation with allied fields, including medical and psychological anthropology, theology, history, and culture studies.

Palgrave Macmillan books are distributed to universities worldwide and are available as printed and e-books. We are also pleased to accept proposals for Palgrave Pivots. This short format (20,000-50,000 words) provides accelerated publishing on topics of special interest.

https://www.palgrave.com/gp/series/14916
http://www.palgrave.com/pivot

Please forward this call to your networks too. Potential authors are encouraged to correspond with one of the series editors, Don Seeman (Emory University) and Hillary Kaell (Concordia University), before submitting proposals for review.
dseeman AT emory.eduand hillary.kaell AT concordia.ca

Dear Colleagues,

The latest issue of  Identities: Global Srudies in Culture and Power is now available to browse and download online. Visit tandfonline.com/GIDE to explore the whole issue, or click on the links below to read the articles.

Dear Colleagues,

Hope you are doing well. We are going to organise an international conference on Rohingya crisis in Bangladesh at North South University, Bangladesh. Please find the call for paper attached and below. 

Apology for cross posting

CALL FOR PAPERS

Title of Conference: “International Conference on the Rohingya Crisis in Bangladesh: Challenges and Sustainable Solutions”

Venue:  North South University, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Date: July 27-28, 2019

The influx of a large number of Rohingya population into Bangladesh over last few years has become a critical concern for both the host and international communities. Many of the incidents of forced displacement and migration remain underexplored or understudied, leaving searches for sustainable solutions to those issues at a dearth. The multifarious issues associated with the Rohingya influx into Bangladesh such as social, cultural, political, legal, health and environment require a comprehensive understanding to develop a durable solution for overcoming the crisis.

From both humanitarian and national security perspectives, it is imperative that if the on-going mechanisms function properly, the displaced Rohingya people would get their rights back. The rights don’t necessarily mean only the repatriation of those who have been displaced but also ensuring their citizenship rights and living in their land with all fundamental rights and dignity. On the other hand, Bangladesh has been bearing a heavy burden of a huge Rohingya population. In such a context, the questions remain: How long will these displaced and stateless people stay in their temporary shelters in Bangladesh? What are the prospects of a safe repatriation of Rohingya people? Will Myanmar take them back and give their rights and allow them to live with dignity? How significant is the local and global response to this crisis? Does the Rohingya crisis pose a direct threat to national and regional security? What are the socioeconomic challenges both host and the Rohingya communities face in the shelter areas? What types of health hazards may arise in the Rohingya camps? How vulnerable are the women and children in these camps? What are the environmental impacts in the camp areas? How can the on-going peacekeeping and peacebuilding efforts lead to a durable conflict resolution? In order to develop sustainable solutions to the Rohingya displacement crisis, both the intellectual and the development community need to find answers to the above questions. At present, it is evident that an immediate solution is far from a reality, as on-going negotiations have been futile and the repatriation of the dislocated Rohingya population to Myanmar has not been forthcoming. Considering this uncertainty, both the host and Rohingya communities may face further complex situations, where some of the options may not be effective at all. Therefore, a rigorous and comprehensive analysis of all the facets of the Rohingya crisis is essential in order to find a practical solution before it is too late.

Under this backdrop, Center for Peace Studies (CPS), the Department of Political Science and Sociology (PSS) and South Asian Institute of Policy and Governance (SIPG) of North South University (NSU), Dhaka, Bangladesh are organizing an international conference on “Rohingya Crisis in Bangladesh: Challenges and Sustainable Solutions” on July 27-28, 2019 in collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

CONFERENCE THEMES

The conference committee is inviting papers from scholars, researchers and graduate students across the globe to critically assess the whole issue and to develop sustainable policy recommendations in the broader thematic areas outlined below. However, the conference committee may consider papers that focus on the Rohingya crisis but fall outside of the following thematic areas:

 Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution

 National and Regional Security

 Forced Displacement and Human Rights

 Socio-cultural Problems and Dimensions

 Economic Impacts

 Physical and Mental Health Issues of Rohingya people

 Environmental Impacts and Remedy

 Legal Issues Associated with Rohingya Crisis

 Rohingya Language, Literature, and Culture

 Rohingya Identity and Historical Perspectives

 Gender and Vulnerability

ABSTRACT SUBMISSION

A 300-word paper abstract, along with a short biography of 200 words, should be submitted by April 30, 2019. Abstracts should be written in English using Times New Roman font and submitted in MS Word doc/docx format. Notifications on decisions about acceptance of paper abstracts will be given by May 15, 2019. Selected papers will be published in an edited book and a peer-reviewed journal. The papers should be properly referenced with APA style.

Please visit www.northsouth.edu/rohingya-2019 for abstract submission and other information regarding the conference.

IMPORTANT DATES 

Deadline for Abstract Submission

April 30, 2019 

Notification of Abstract Acceptance

May 15, 2019 

Early Bird Registration Deadline

May 30, 2019 

Regular Registration Deadline

June 15, 2019 

Deadline for Full Paper Submission

July 15, 2019 

Call for Papers

Deadline for submitting abstracts 15 May 2019

Regime-Critical Media and Arab Diaspora:  Challenges and Opportunities post-Arab Spring

An interdisciplinary conference hosted by

‘Mediatized diaspora (MEDIASP): Contentious Politics among Arab Media Users in Europe’

Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies,

University of Copenhagen, Denmark, 

5-6 September 2019

Keynote speakers: Naomi Sakr, Myria Georgiou, Tourya Guaaybess, Carola Richter

The research project ‘Mediatized diaspora (MEDIASP): Contentious Politics among Arab Media Users in Europe’ at the University of Copenhagen is pleased to announce the call for papers for a two-day conference on regime-critical media – produced in or outside the Middle East and North Africa – and their users in diaspora.

After the Arab Spring, political developments in the Arab countries have varied from sustained civil war in Syria and Yemen to fragile political democracy in Tunisia; from successive regime changes in Egypt to regime maintenance in Bahrain; and from ongoing uprisings in Sudan to “successful” pressure against the regime to resign in Algeria. These developments have a direct impact on the conditions for regime-critical and politically mobilized media and for Arab diasporas living outside the Arab world. Regime-critical media have faced new restrictions and challenges in the Middle Eastern and North African countries post-Arab Spring, letting several media to move to other countries. Likewise, the situation of political activists either still living in the Middle East or in diaspora has greatly changed and their contributions have taken on a new significance.

Hence, the overall questions are: how do regime-critical media produced for the Middle Eastern or North-African audiences meet new challenges and opportunities? How do Middle Eastern and North-African diaspora groups mobilize politically and engage in transnational political activities? How does the audiences’ use of regime-critical media influences political action formation in diaspora?

We invite conference papers that examine the regime-critical media produced both in and outside the Middle East, and/or how media practices of Middle Eastern and North-African political activists in diaspora contribute to political transformation. The conference aims at exploring and discussing the potentially wide variations in regime-critical media and the Arab diasporas’ practices of using them. Both theoretical and empirical contributions are welcome. 

The conference welcomes papers on any of the following – or allied – topics or themes:

Regime-critical media in the Middle East and North African countries:

–        The history (and developments) of Arab critical media

–        Politicization of critical media after the 2011 Arab Spring

–        Social media in light of political repression

–        Critical media coverage of social movements

–        Critical media censorship and ownership

–        The performing of conflict by critical media

–        Violence and affective media events

–        Audio-visual modalities of critical media

–        Art, creativity, alternative features of critical media

–        Virtual mobility and glocality of critical media

–        The legal framework of Arab media

–        The future of Arab critical media

Political activism and media users of regime-critical media:

–        Media practices in the diaspora

–        Media and migrationhood

–        Practices of citizen journalism

–        Political activism in digital media

–        Cyber activism post-Arab Spring

–        Transnational media practice

–        Mediatized negotiations and contestations of current developments

–        Connective and collective action formations

–        Electronic armies (committees) on social media

Abstract Submission

The deadline for submitting proposals for individual papers is May 15. Please submit a title and abstract of about 250 words, in addition to your name, institutional affiliation and contact information.

Please send your abstracts or any enquiries to mediasp@hum.ku.dk.

A selection of accepted papers will be published in a special issue in Journal of Arab & Muslim Media Research in April 2020 (Volume 13, Issue 1).

Key dates 

–        20 March 2019 – Call for papers is announced

–        15 May 2019 – Deadline for submitting abstracts

–        22 May 2019 – Notification of accepted abstracts

–        4 August 2019 – Deadline for registration

–        1 September 2019 – Deadline for full paper submission, 7500 words

–        5-6 September 2019 – The conference takes place in Copenhagen

–        6 October 2019 – Deadline for paper submission after revisions

–        3 November 2019 – Peer reviewer’s feedback will be send to author

–        1 December 2019 – Deadline for submission of final paper

The conference does not cover travel or accommodation costs for the participants.

Conference host  

The host of the conference is the research project ‘Mediatized diaspora (MEDIASP): Contentious Politics among Arab Media Users in Europe’. You can read more about the project here: https://ccrs.ku.dk/research/centres-and-projects/mediatizeddiaspora/

The project has its home at the Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies (language, religion and society), University of Copenhagen.

For more information about the conference, please contact the organizing committee at mediasp@hum.ku.dk. The organizing committee consists of Dr. Ehab Galal, Dr. Thomas Fibiger, Dr. Mostafa Shehata, and PhD-fellow Zenia Yonus.

Call for Manuscripts

ANNUAL REVIEW OF THE SOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION
Volume 12 (Forthcoming 2021)

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM: SOCIAL-SCIENTIFIC APPROACHES
Edited by
Olga Breskaya (University of Padova, Italy), Roger Finke (Pennsylvania
State University, USA) and Giuseppe Giordan (University of Padova,
Italy).

Over the past three decades, issues related to religious freedom have increasingly come to the fore. The European Court of Human Rights ruled the landmark case on religious freedom in 1993, the U.S. passed the International Religious Freedom Act in 1998, and the King of Morocco hosted a major international conference in 2016 on promoting the rights of religious minorities in Muslim majority countries. Religion and state relations, with a focus on religious freedoms, has now become a growing interdisciplinary area of study. The Religion and State project has produced three waves of data and many other international initiatives put religious freedom at the center of their studies. Scholars in political science, international relations, and judicial studies have all contributed theoretical discussions, case studies and extensive empirical analysis. Sociologists have contributed too, but they have far more to offer.
The multidimensionality of religious freedom and its rootedness in historical, socio-legal and socio-political contexts, make it an area where sociology can make significant contributions. The social and religious dynamics related to migration, the societal restrictions placed on religious freedoms, the interaction between religious social movements and religious freedoms, and the increasing visibility of religion in global politics are a few of the areas where sociology’s well-established theoretical discourse and analytical tools can complement and challenge other disciplines. We invite the authors of this volume to contribute theoretical perspectives, sociological concepts and empirical analyses that highlight the development of religious freedom as an area of study in the social sciences. Listed below are a few of the many additional areas authors might address.

1.      Theories of religious freedom in social sciences
2.      Religious freedom and pluralism
3.      Religious freedom, spirituality, and interfaith dialogue
4.      Religious freedom and secularism
5.      Cross-national studies on religious freedom
6.      Sociology of human rights and religious freedom
7.      Religious freedom and social conflicts
8.      Religious freedom and socio-economic development

Please send proposals (400 words) and a brief bio to Olga Breskaya
(olga.breskaya@phd.unipd.it)
Submission of proposals: June 30, 2019
Notification of acceptance: September 30, 2019
Completed manuscripts (7,000 words): April 30, 2020