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Juli 2010

Tagung: "Theologie der Befreiung in Islam und Christentum", Katholischen Akademie Schwerte,  9.- 11. Juli 2010 und weitere Veranstaltungen von Gastprofessoren an der Universität Paderborn

In diesem Sommersemester werden zwei Islamische Theologen als Gastprofessoren an der Universität Paderborn lehren: Prof. Dr. em. Hüseyin Atay von der Universität Ankara und Prof. Dr. Farid Esack von der Universität Johannesburg. Neben regelmäßigen Vorlesungen werden beide auch an Blockterminen, Tagungen und öffentlichen Vorträgen teilnehmen - darunter die o.a. Tagung: Neben der islamischen Befreiungstheologie im südafrikanischen Kontext (Farid Esack) soll auf dieser Tagung ein Vergleich mit dem Freiheitsdenken islamischer Theologen aus dem Iran versucht werden und beide Seiten mit christlichen Entwürfen einer Theologie der Befreiung ins Gespräch gebracht werden. Das Programm der Tagung wird in Kürze auf der Homepage des ZeKK (www.upb.de/zekk) erscheinen.

Das Gesamtprogramm der beiden Gastprofessoren ist hier abrufbar

Panel: "The Political Economy of New Tourism Mobilities in the MENA Region", Third Word Congress for Middle Eastern Studies (WOCMES) - Barcelona, 19-24 July 2010

Abstract: The journal Mobilities states that contemporary "mobilities encompasse both the large-scale movements of people, objects, capital, and information across the world, as well as more local processes of daily transportation, movement through public space, and the travel of material things within everyday life. Recent developments in transportation and communications infrastructures, along with new social and cultural practices of mobility have elicited a number of new research initiatives for understanding the connections between these diverse mobilities."

In the last ten years new trends and dynamics of tourism mobilities in the MENA region have been noticed: the boom of intra-regional tourisms, the dramatic increase in intra-regional FDI in tourism services, neo-liberal urban restructuring of tourism places and spaces, the establishment of various new intraregional transportation infrastructure and so on. While numerous trends have been driven by decisions taken at the political level, others express growing profit-oriented investments strategies. For example the Libyan investments in Tunisia and Egypt are seen as result of the new political orientation of the country.

Beyond investments, the visa-issuing policies and the establishment of new transportation infrastructures reflect new strategies of tourism regulatory frameworks that need to be examined. For example, on the one hand, Iranians cannot travel to Egypt and Jordan due to visa restrictions, but they are more than welcome in the UAE, Syria and Iraq. Turkey and Lebanon have established a no-visa regime for visitors from GCC countries and Jordan.

Furthermore, new developments in communications have also elicited new intraregional connections between both migrants and tourists within and outside the MENA region. Such connections are, of course, emphatically gendered as well as structured by different ethnic backgrounds and shared heritages. These heritages bring to the fore the material nature of many tourism mobilities in terms of the movement of everyday things that become important to sustain the political economy of tourism.

This panel, thus, aims to discuss from a political economy perspective the various new tourism mobilities in the MENA region and seeks submissions that take up the above dimensions in order to explore the diverse economic, communicational, material and migrational experiences of tourism mobilities.

For participation please send a short abstract of 300 words per email to the organizers:
- Dr. Ala Al-Hamarneh - University of Mainz- Germany, a.al-hamarneh@geo.uni-mainz.de
- Professor Kevin Hannam - University of Sunderland- UK, Kevin.hannam@sunderland.ac.uk
- Professor Marcus Stephenson - Middlesex University Dubai - UAE, m.stephenson@mdx.ac

Symposium  "Re-conceptualising Gender in the Middle East", during 3rd World Congress for Middle Eastern Studies (WOCMES), Barcelona, Spain, 19-24 July 2010

The issue of gender identities in the Middle East is once again being instrumentalized as part of global and Middle Eastern geo-political struggles. From US rhetoric claiming to support Middle East women's 'empowerment' to the rise of Islamist movements and their particular emphasis on gender propriety, imagery of women and definitions of gender relations are demarcating the battle lines in the so-called war against terror.

Against this backdrop, it becomes urgent for academics to challenge this polarization in the conceptualisation of gender identities and gender relations within the Middle East and to draw attention to the multiplicity and historicity of gender in the region. This multi-disciplinary symposium will outline transformations in gender identities and relations within a diversity of spheres from political discourses to popular culture and in a variety of Middle Eastern geographic locations, including diasporic spaces, over different historical periods.

The emphasis will be on examining the concrete political, economic and social processes that give rise to changing conceptualisations of gender in the Middle East, understanding gender not only in terms of women/femininities but also in terms of men/masculinities and in recognising the intersectionality of gender identities.

Symposium papers will form the basis for a published edited volume/special journal issue. Send an abstract of your proposed paper of 300-400 words and a one-page CV/resume, by email, to: Dr Nicola Pratt, Lecturer in Comparative Politics and International Relations, University of East Anglia, Norwich England (n.pratt@uea.ac.uk and nicolachristine@yahoo.com thereafter. CFP deadline for this symposium: September 1, 2009.  For information, visit: http://www.wocmes.org/wocmes/.

10ème Conférence internationale sur l'histoire urbaine: "Les Communautés migratrices et l'espace urbain dans les ports méditerranéens, XVIIe-XIXe siècle", Gand/Belgique, 1er- 4 septembre 2010

Les propositions de papier doivent être soumises sur : www.eauh2010.ugent.be/registration entre les 1er octobre et 1er décembre 2009.

Conference: "The Foundations of Arab Linguistics - Sibawayhi and the Earliest Arabic Grammatical Theory", University of Cambridge, 3-4 September 2010

The Department of Middle Eastern Studies is organising this conference, designed to bring together Arabists, specialists in linguistics and research students to explore the foundations of the Arabic linguistic tradition and its development.

More details are available at www.ames.cam.ac.uk/news_events/foundations-arab-linguistics/

First Eritrean Workshop-conference, Kassel, Germany, 8-12 September 2010

The main objective of this conference is to facilitate a platform for the exchange of ideas and projects on Eritrean studies and for the promotion of the idea of establishing a network of scholars working on various research subjects related to Eritrea.

The program will comprise the following components:
1. Presentations of and exchange on current research topics on Eritrea (that aims at documenting the recent stage of research related to the country),
2. Presentation of selected papers and plenary discussions,
3. Working groups on future research desiderata
4. Contributions of keynote speakers on "transnational and interdisciplinary" issues in order to give an input for future research topics and for reflections on the ongoing research themes.

If you are interested in presenting a paper, please send your personal details, a working title and a short abstract of your presentation to the following email address: mosses76@yahoo.com or Mussie.tesfagiorgis@fibw.eu; Website www.fibw.eu .
Deadline for submission is May 20, 2010.

International Summer University Course "Shi'ism in the Contemporary World", Tehran, September 10-30, 2010

Imam Sadiq University (ISU) is a Tehran-based private university with a focus on human sciences. Offering a wide range of undergraduate and post-graduate courses on politics, economics, management, culture and communication, law, and Islamic theology, the ISU is ranked amongst the first-grade universities in Iran in the field of human sciences, due to its very professional and experienced faculty and elite students. The ISU is also distinguished for its unique characteristic of combining classical university programs with traditional religious studies. To maintain this goal, the ISU uses the most modern teaching methods and equipment, and more importantly, has a select faculty of graduates from top Western and Iranian universities and Islamic clerical academies.

 Located in the capital of the most populous Shi'ite country in the world, the ISU is the ideal place to explore the Shi'ite and Iranian cultures. Given the increasing need and interest among academics, scholars, and policy analysts from all over the world to learn about the content of Shi'ite beliefs, the ISU summer course provides the best opportunity for those who have a thirst to obtain first-hand and accurate knowledge about Shi'ism in general, and on the evolution of Shi'ite thought and practice in the modern world, in particular. The objective of the course is to provide the theoretical foundations for the understanding of Shi'ism in the contemporary context and promotion of Shi'ite studies in academic areas. Scholars, researchers, and students of international relations, political science, Middle East studies, geopolitics, history, social sciences, theology and religious studies, philosophy, and law are particularly encouraged to participate. The language of the course is English. All nationalities and scholars at all levels will be welcome.

Themes of the course will include "Shi'ism and contemporary methods of ijtehad," "Shi'ite approaches to Qur'an and Hadith," "modern geopolitics of the Shi'a," "Shi'ite political theory and thought," "Shi'ite social and cultural history," and "Shi'ism versus globalization" (i.e. Shi'ite understandings of modern international relations, modern economy, and modern law). Lectures will be given by a select group of experts and professors of the field in the total of 72 hours (course-works will be offered during 12 days/ 6 hours a day).

The ISU summer course participants will also have the privilege of visiting several Iranian cities (including Qom and Isfahan) on a one-week tour organized by the program. The ISU will also provide all summer course participants with proper accommodations in Tehran and during the expeditions. All costs will be included in the tuitions fee. A certificate of participation will be awarded by ISU upon completion of the course.

If you are interested, or if you have any questions and queries regarding this summer course, please contact Dr. Mahdi Ahouie, the course coordinator, at mahdiahouie@yahoo.com or summercourse@isu.ac.ir

You will then receive the application form and other information through email. The deadline for sending applications is March 1st, 2010. The ISU encourages intending applicants to apply early.

International Conference: “The Turks and Islam”, Indiana Univ., Bloomington, IN, USA, 11 Sept. 2010
 
The Indiana University Ottoman and Modern Turkish Studies Chair will host this multidisciplinary international conference which will explore the many aspects of the Turkic-speaking peoples' interactions with Islam throughout the centuries. Scholars, independent researchers, and advanced graduate students of all disciplines are encouraged to send paper proposals (approximately 200
words) along with brief CVs to Professor Kemal Silay (tsp@indiana.edu). All papers presented at the conference will be considered for publication in an edited volume. Deadline for proposals: May 1, 2010.

The International Summer University Course: "Shi'ism in the Contemporary World",The Imam Sadiq University (ISU), Tehran, September 11-24, 2010

Imam Sadiq University (ISU) is a Tehran-based private university with a focus on human sciences. Located in the capital of the most populous Shi'ite country in the world, the ISU is the ideal place to explore the Shi'ite and Iranian cultures.

The ISU summer course provides during two weeks the best opportunity for those who have a thirst to obtain first-hand and accurate knowledge about Shi'ism in general, and on the evolution of Shi'ite thought and practice in the modern world, in particular. The objective of the course is to provide the theoretical foundations for the understanding of Shi'ism in the contemporary context and promotion of Shi'ite studies in academic areas.

 Scholars, researchers, and students of international relations, political science, Middle East studies, geopolitics, history, social sciences, theology and religious studies, philosophy, and law are encouraged to participate. The language of the course is English. Junior scholars (recent Ph.D. holders, doctoral and master students) are particularly welcome.

Lectures will be given by a select group of experts and professors of the field in the total of 32 hours (course-works will be offered during 8 days/ 4 hours a day). The titles of the lectures include: An Introduction to Shi'ism; The Evolution of Shi'ite Political Thought; The Shi'ite Approaches to Qur'an and Hadith; The Social and Religious History of Shi'ism; The Modern Geopolitics of Shi'ism; Velayat-e Faqih from Theory to Practice; Shi'ism vs. Modern International Relations; Shi'ism vs. Modern Economy.

The ISU summer course participants will also have the privilege of visiting several Iranian cities (including visits to religious schools in Qom and historical sites in Isfahan) on a one-week tour organized by the program. The ISU will also provide all summer course participants with proper accommodations in three-star hotels in Tehran and during the expeditions outside of the capital.

All costs will be included in the tuitions fee. The ISU will be committed to assist the summer course participants with obtaining their visas. However, given previous experiences, the ISU regrets that it might be rather difficult for American and British applicants to receive their visas in time. For other EU nationalities, there will be no visa problem.


Tuition fee: 1150 Euros (Including all course materials, accommodation, and expeditions during two weeks. Excluding food and travel insurances)
How to apply: Please contact Dr. Mahdi Ahouie, summercourse@isu.ac.ir or mahdiahouie@yahoo.com; URL: http://rcu.isu.ac.ir (Go to English page)
Deadline for application 30 June 2010.

International Conference "Global Media and the War on Terror", University of Westminster, London, 13-14 September 2010

The deadline for the Call for Abstracts has been extended to 28 May 2010. For more information see here

International Summer School for Doctoral and Post-doctoral Students:  “Official Religion in the Middle East: Political Opportunities and Constraints”, Orient-Institut Beirut, Lebanon, 13-19 September 2010

The summer school will explore the political behaviour of official religious actors in different political systems of the Middle East with a focus on Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey. It aims at reaching three main scientific goals:
(1) a stock-taking and analysis of the political repertoires of religious actors that operate from within the legal and semi-legal framework of their respective countries;
(2) a comparative assessment of the impact of regime structures and government policies on the political behaviour of these actors, and
(3) an assessment of the contribution of official religious actors to issues negotiated in the political arenas of their respective societies. On the level of academic cooperation, the summer school aims at helping to establish an international and interdisciplinary network of researchers working on this important, but hitherto rather neglected topic.

The summer school will bring together 15 postgraduate students (5 from Germany, 5 from other European countries, 5 from Middle Eastern countries) to be taught during seven working days in Beirut by a faculty of, all in all, 15 university professors and religious practitioners from four countries (Germany, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey).

Teaching in Beirut will take place via a daily combination of four types of classes: reading seminars (devoted to important source texts and theoretical issues); lectures (devoted to a longer presentation of a faculty member, followed by a questions-and-answers block); round-table talks with reli-gious practitioners; and student workshops (devoted to the presentation and discussion of the stu-dents’ individual research projects).

Effective travel costs of successful applicants will be reimbursed up to a maximum of 1.000 EUR per person. In addition, the program will provide accommodation (7 nights) and meals in Beirut for the duration of the summer school.

The Summer School is open to applications from postgraduate students (PhD students as well as Post-Doc students) from European and Middle Eastern countries with research projects from all fields of the humanities and the social sciences that are related to Middle Eastern Studies and have a special focus on religion and politics.  Good acquaintance with regional languages will be considered as an asset.  Applicants should be fluent in English and have at least a passive knowledge of French.

Applications should be sent to oibsummerschool@oidmg.org. Deadline for applications is June 20, 2010.

Contact: Dr. Thomas Scheffler, Orient-Institut Beirut, scheffler@oidmg.org.

Further details: http://www.orient-institut.org.

Conference: “Legitimate and Illegitimate Violence in Islam”, Exeter, UK,  13-14 September 2010

The first conference of the 3 year project “Legitimate and Illegitimate Violence in Islamic Thought” (LIVIT) will be held  at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter.  Between 2010 and 2013, the project team will be researching the history and development of justifications for violence in the Islamic intellectual tradition.  When and how have Muslim thinkers justified violent acts?  When did they refuse to justify them?  How have these justifications changed over time and what influence do these historical arguments have on the ideology of Islamic movements in the modern period?

The conference is organised by Professor Robert Gleave and Dr Istvan Kristo-Nagy.  The conference programme and registration details can be found at the project website: www.livitproject.net

International Conference ”, Berlin, 15-17 September 2010

The study of Qur’anic exegesis (tafsīr) has long been primarily considered to be an auxiliary science to the study of the Qur’an. Exegetical works have for a long time been utilized in Islamic stud-ies to understand the Qur’anic text and to study how Muslims at different times understood it. However, the study of the methods and premises of tafsir, its history and changes in the course of time, and its place in the framework of Islamic intellectual history has so far largely been neglected. The conference aims at filling this gap and at establishing the study of Qur’anic exegesis as a discrete and independent field of study.

To this end, the conference brings together renowned scholars of Qur’anic exegesis from different countries of the Middle East, Europe and America, and young scholars who have worked on different aspects of tafsīr. The conference wishes to stimulate discussion, debate and research on all aspects of the study of Qur’anic exegesis. It also aims at initiating exchange and cooperation between scholars to outline the framework of this field of study.

The conference will include papers on a variety of topics, including, among others, exegetical methods, the study of individual exegetes and their works, the problems of classification of different genres within tafsīr, and the formation and evolution of Qur’anic exegesis from its beginning to modern times. The conference papers will be published in an anthology.

To broaden the scope of the conference and to give younger scholars the opportunity of participating in this conference, we invite a limited number of papers related to any aspect of Qur’anic exegesis. Preference will be given to papers by PhD students. The conference language will be English.

Please submit your application, including an abstract of about 150-200 words and a short C.V., by 30 June 2010, preferably by e-mail. The conference paper should be ready and sent to us by 8 September 2010. Lodging will be provided, and we offer a reimbursement of travel costs for participants if their institution is not able to cover them.

Convenors and contact: Freie Universität Berlin, Institut für Islamwissenschaft, PD Dr. Johanna Pink, e-mail: jpink@zedat.fu-berlin.de or Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Seminar für Orientalistik, Dr. Andreas Görke, e-mail: info@andreas-goerke.de.

Conference: "“The Future of Faith in the Age of Globalization”, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 18-19 September 2010

Organized by: The Association of Muslim Social Scientists (AMSSUK); The Faculty of Islamic Studies in Sarajevo; and The International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT); in cooperation with HRH Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Centre of Islamic Studies, University of Cambridge; The Centre for The Study of Democracy, University of Westminster, and The Center for Advanced Studies in Sarajevo.

For information, contact:: admin.amssuk@gmail.com

Fifth International Conference on the Peoples of the Red Sea Region Red Sea V: "Navigated spaces, connected places", Institute of Arab & Islamic Studies, University of Exeter, 16-19 Sept. 2010

The MARES Project at the Institute of Arab & Islamic Studies (IAIS), University of Exeter, is delighted to host the tenth anniversary conference of the Red Sea Project series, founded by the Society for Arabian Studies. The conference will be held in the beautiful surroundings of the IAIS and city of Exeter, and will coincide with a Dhow Exhibition to be held at the Institute.

Interested scholars are invited to submit abstracts of up to 500 words to the Organising Committee on the archaeology, anthropology, ethnography, history and language of the peoples of the Red Sea region from the earliest times to the present day. The organisers particularly encourage papers addressing movement, navigation and land/seascape on the Red Sea, including:
* Maritime networks, seafaring, navigation and ports.
* Boatbuilding traditions and technologies.
* Trade and material contact across the sea.
* Sacred space and pilgrimage.
* Identity among maritime communities.

Please send all abstracts and proposals to redseav@exeter.ac.uk before 1 March 2010. The organising committee comprises Prof Dionisius Agius, Dr John Cooper, Dr Chiara Zazzaro, Julian Jansen van Rensburg, Lucy Semaan and Ms Beata Faracik. For further information: http://projects.exeter.ac.uk/mares/conferences.htm

International and Interdisciplinary Conference: "Health, Culture and the Human Body: Epidemiology, Ethics and History of Medicine, Perspectives from Central Europe and Turkey", Mainz, Germany, 17-19 September 2010

The face of medicine is rapidly evolving: New developments in medicine, preventive and therapeutic interventions are raising novel ethical questions in societies undergoing fast demographic change at home while participating in global interactions through travel and migration. Throughout history, the perception of health and illness and the ethical assessment of medical practices have often been different between diverse value-cultures. This may affect the responses to well-established themes in medicine, such as the control of infectious diseases, attitudes towards a person’s death, or culturally specific approaches to dealing with the integrity of the human body. Consequently, these ethical considerations have given rise to complex ethical debates resulting in different legal regulations of these developments in different countries.

The international conference will focus on selected cases from Turkey, Germany, and other countries. These countries have been closely connected by substantial migration processes for some fifty years. Historically, these countries were linked by medical sciences and clinical practice. These interactions will be analysed jointly from historical, epidemiological, and ethical perspectives, paving the way for the implementation of an interdisciplinary "medicine studies" approach in the field of intercultural and migration medicine.

The chosen thematic areas are: 􀂃 infectious diseases (e.g., plague, leprosy, cholera, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS) 􀂃 the end of life (e.g., patient autonomy vs. family autonomy, advance directives, active and passive euthanasia, palliative care) 􀂃 dealing with the human body (e.g., anatomical research, organ donation, biomaterial in international studies) 􀂃 migration and medicine.

Abstracts (max. 250 words) of proposed conference papers need to be submitted by 31 January 2010, to the attention of Ilhan Ilkilic MD PhD, E-Mail: ilkilic@uni-mainz.de

Organising institutions: Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz Medical Centre (Germany) and Istanbul University (Turkey).

Further information www.healthandculture2010.de

Workshop “Arabic Pasts: Histories and Historiography”, ISMC, Aga Khan University and SOAS, University of London, 17 September 2010

Since the emergence of a major written tradition in the ninth century CE, history narrated in Arabic has been an important component of cultural patrimony. Beyond expressing Arab societies’ own reflections on their histories, Arabic historical narratives have provided reference points for communities throughout the wider Muslim world. As well as recording the past, Arabic historiography has served as a normative guide to the present, from the earliest history of the Muslim community, through key turning points in Islamic history, to the globalised debates and struggles of our own time.

We invite colleagues in different areas of the field of Arabic historiography to map the state of the field, discuss areas of current work, and explore points of divergence and intersection at this one-day workshop. The goal of the workshop is exploratory: to bring together the disparate strands of contemporary studies of Arabic historiography and to provide a forum in which future projects can be envisioned. Building on the classic areas of textual commentary and critique focused on the canonical literary corpus, a whole range of studies can be envisaged that might expand and deepen our understanding of how the past has been — and continues to be — imagined and narrated in Arabic, across time and space from the classical age to the present.

Please send abstracts of proposed papers (1 page of A4) to Dr Sarah Bowen Savant, sarah.savant@aku.edu by 14 May 2010.

Workshop convened by: Dr Sarah Bowen Savant (AKU, sarah.savant@aku.edu), Dr Konrad Hirschler (SOAS, kh20@soas.ac.uk), Dr James McDougall (Oxford, James.McDougall@trinity.ox.ac.uk)

14th International Congress of Turkish Art (ICTA), Paris, 19-21 September 2011

 Collège de France, Département d'Histoire Turque et Ottomane. Cf. http://www.14thicta-parisfrance.net/

31st German Oriental Studies Congress and 17th International Congress of the German Middle East Studies Association (DAVO), Marburg, 20-24 September 2010

On behalf of the board of the Deutsche Morgenländische Gesellschaft (DMG, German Oriental Studies Society), we kindly invite you to the 31st German Oriental Studies Congress. The Congress is convened regularly every three years. The event will take place in Marburg, September 20-24, 2010, after a 60-year break since the last Congress in this town. The decision to hold the most important congress of German Oriental Studies in Marburg has been prompted by the recent establishment of the Center for Near and Middle Eastern Studies. Now we are happy to welcome you back to this nice romantic town.

The 17th International Congress of the German Middle East Studies Association (DAVO) will be held within the frame of the German Oriental Studies Congress. 19 sections with several related fields will be represented. We expect up to 1000 participants who will have the opportunity to present their research to a wide academic public. Our Motto "Mirroring - Projection - Reflexion" emphasizes the necessity to challenge continuously contents and methods of Oriental studies.

Deadline for the registration at a reduced fee: 1 April 2010.

Deadline for the registration of papers and panels: 1 July 2010.

The congress is organized by the Center for Near and Middle Eastern Studies of the Philipps-Universität Marburg. The organizational team consists of Leslie Tramontini, Stefan Weninger and Christoph Werner

Registration and further information http://www.dot2010.de/

The registration is done by first setting up a user account. This allows you to register for a lecture or panel even at a later time; it also facilitates updating your personal data any time you like. We kindly ask you for early registration to facilitate planning the program. Please consider the scaled participation fees.

Panel: "Der Mehrwert des Literarischen",  Deutscher Orientalistentag/DAVO-Kongress, 20.-24. September 2010

Literatur ist gerade auch im Nahen und Mittleren Osten einer der wichtigsten Orte kulturellen Gedächtnisses und kreativer Verarbeitung zeitgenössischer Realitäten. Ihr Studium eröffnet Einblicke in der Forschung anders kaum zugängliche Bereiche der Erinnerung und des Erlebens, bietet Zugänge zu den Gefühlswelten von Menschen in ihren lebensweltlichen Zusammenhängen und ermöglicht so ein vertieftes Verständnis von – durchaus auch handlungsbestimmenden – Denkstrukturen, Ansichten, Emotionen.

Dennoch ist der Nahe und Mittlere Osten weithin nach wie vor “an exclusively sociological area where humanities never happen” (V.Holbrook), werden literaturwissenschaftliche Befunde im Vergleich zu den ‘harten’ Fakten der Politologen, Soziologen oder Historiker kaum ernstgenommen, und sowohl universitär als auch außerakademisch führen nah-/mittelöstliche Literaturwissenschaften ein Schattendasein. Akzeptiert werden sie allenfalls als Zulieferer oder Ergänzer.

In einer derart marginalisierten Position ist es nicht nur wichtig, die Autonomie der Literaturwissenschaften und deren Eigenwert zu unterstreichen, sondern diese auch explizit als Vorteil und ‘Mehrwert’ zu den anderen Wissenschaften in Bezug zu setzen. Ebendies macht sich das Panel zur Aufgabe. Es liefert nicht nur saubere literaturwissenschaftliche Analysen, sondern stellt diese darüber hinaus den Ergebnissen  ‘harter’ (soziologischer, politologischer, ...) Forschung gegenüber. Durchaus auch in universitätspolitischer Absicht fragt es vergleichend, was genau es ist, das man über das Lesen von Literatur besser versteht als auf anderen Wegen, wo man etwas gewinnt, in welche Bereiche sich ungleich besser vordringen lässt, usw.

Willkommen sind außerdem Beiträge, die der Marginalisierung der Literaturwissenschaften wissenschaftshistorisch nachgehen, ebenso wie solche, die Zukunftsmodelle entwerfen.

Kontakt: Prof. Stephan Guth, IKOS, Oslo, stephan.guth@ikos.uio.no

Panel: "Kriegs- und Krisenökonomien: Wirtschaftliche und soziale Auswirkungen politischer Konflikte in der MENA Region", 17. DAVO Kongress / 31. Deutscher Orientalistentag, Marburg, 20. - 24. September 2010

Beiträge werden gesucht für Panel des DAVO-Arbeitskreises "Wirtschaft im Vorderen Orient". Meldungen an die Organisatoren Christian Steiner (c.steiner@geo.uni-mainz.de), Steffen Wippel (steffen.wippel@rz.hu-berlin.de), Anja Zorob (azorob@zedat.fu-berlin.de)

Der Nahe und Mittlere Osten und Nordafrika ist wie kaum eine andere Region auf der Welt in ihrer post-kolonialen Geschichte gekennzeichnet durch zahlreiche Kriege, Krisen und Konflikte. Diese reichen weit über den scheinbar unlösbaren Konflikt zwischen Palästinensern und Israelis hinaus. Dazu zählt das von Krieg und Kriegswirtschaft geplagte Afghanistan ebenso wie der durch den Einmarsch der alliierten Truppen beinahe vollständig zerstörte und innergesellschaftlich zerrüttete Irak oder aber die Tragödie von Darfur und der seit Jahrzehnten andauernde Konflikt um die Westsahara, um nur einige der bekanntesten Schauplätze zu nennen.

Zu welchen wirtschaftlichen Auswirkungen führt ein jahrelanger Bürgerkrieg wie in Algerien? Was bedeutet eine teils über Jahrzehnte aufrecht erhaltene Kriegs- oder Gewaltökonomie in Afghanistan oder Somalia für das langfristige Entwicklungspotential eines Landes und vor allem das Leben der Menschen dort? Wie verkraften an den Irak angrenzende Staaten die durch Krieg und Besatzung verursachten Flüchtlingsströme - oder wie profitieren sie möglicherweise direkt oder indirekt davon? Wie gestaltet sich die Unterstützung des Wiederaufbaus zum Beispiel im Libanon, wer beteiligt sich daran und wie effizient werden Hilfen eingesetzt? Wie verhält es sich mit der viel beschworenen "arabischen Solidarität", wenn es um einen Schuldenerlass für die betreffenden Länder oder um die Beteiligung an der Finanzierung ihres Wiederaufbaus geht? Und schließlich wie funktioniert wirtschaftliches und soziales Leben unter Bedingungen der Besatzung oder der internationalen Administration, welche Wechselwirkungen bestehen mit fragiler Staatlichkeit oder gar Staatsversagen? Solche und ähnliche Fragen sollen in diesem Panel aus disziplinär unterschiedlicher Perspektive mit Fokus auf die wirtschaftlichen und sozio-ökonomischen Wirkungen inner- und zwischenstaatlicher Konflikte untersucht und diskutiert werden.

Panel: "Die MENA-Region im Spiegel der Theoriebildung westlicher Gesellschafts-und Wirtschaftswissenschaften", DOT/DAVO-Kongress im Marburg, 20.-24.09.2010

Theoretische Entwürfe der Gesellschafts- und Wirtschaftswissenschaften im Bereich der Entwicklungs- und Transformationsforschung treten tendenziell mit einem universellen Erklärungsanspruch auf. Dieser bedarf aber einer ebenso universalen empirischen Basis. Die spezifische Empirie der MENA-Staaten hat bis heute nur marginal, und wenn, dann primär im Kontext von kulturtheoretischen und religionswissenschaftlichen Ansätzen Eingang in die westliche Theoriebildung gefunden. Umgekehrt ist die MENA-Regionalforschung immer noch tendenziell empiristisch und wenig in gesellschafts- und wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Theoriebildung eingebunden.

Ziel des Panels ist es, theoretische Ansätze im Bereich der Entwicklungs- und Transformationsforschung und regionale Empirien miteinander zu konfrontieren und mögliche Implikationen herauszuarbeiten: Inwieweit ist die westliche Wahrnehmung der MENA-Staaten eine (kulturalistisch) verengte? Welche Schnittmengen und welche Inkongruenzen zwischen theoretischen Ansätzen und empirischen Befunden sind diagnostizierbar? Bildet die MENA-Region einen empirischen Sonderfall, welcher mit der herrschenden Theoriebildung inkompatibel ist? Oder ist die Region eben auf Grund ihrer spezifischen Empirie geeignet, zu wichtigen theoretischen Bereicherungen beizutragen?

Das Panel ist noch offen für Beiträge. Abstracts im Umfang von ca. 300 Wörtern bitte möglichst umgehend, spätestens jedoch bis zum 15. April an die Koordinatorin Dr. Ingrid El Masry, CNMS Marburg (elmasry@staff.uni-marburg.de)

Panel: "Transformationsdynamiken im Irak seit 1991", 31. Deutscher Orientalistentag / 17. DAVO-Kongress, Marburg, 20. - 24. September 2010
 
Mit dem Ende des Baath-Regimes durch den Einmarsch der "Coalition of the Willing" 2003 vollzog sich eine fundamentale Zäsur der sozialen und politischen Ordnung(en) im Irak und der gesamten Region. Ziel des Panels ist es zu untersuchen, wie sich die politischen, sozialen, ökonomischen und kulturellen Strukturen im Irak der Embargozeit (1991-2003) veränderten, und dies mit den durch die Invasion vom März 2003 ausgelösten Transformationsprozessen zu vergleichen.
 
Willkommen sind Beiträge, die sich mit einem oder mehreren der folgenden Themenkomplexe auseinandersetzen:
 
- Staat, Politik und Wirtschaft: Wie setzt sich die heutige politische Klasse im Vergleich zur Embargozeit zusammen? Welche neuen lokalen, nationalen und regionalen Netzwerke politischer Macht sind entstanden, welche politischen und wirtschaftlichen Akteure konnten ihre Macht bewahren? Was sind die zentralen Faktoren, über die sich die irakische Gesellschaft definierte, klassifizierte und identifizierte bzw. es heute tut?
 
- Kultur: Welche Strategien entwickelten Kulturschaffende, um sich dem Eingriff des Machtapparates zu entziehen? Welche symbolische Ordnung versuchte der Machtapparat zu etablieren und auf welche Weise wurde diese Ordnung von Kulturschaffenden unterstützt oder in Frage gestellt? Wodurch zeichnet sich das literarische Feld nach 2003 aus und welche Kontinuitäten und Brüche sowohl hinsichtlich einzelner Protagonisten als auch Strukturen (Medien, Vereine, Verlage) sind hier zu beobachten? Wie wichtig werden seit 2003 Medien wie Fernsehen und Film gegenüber der Literatur?
 
- Religion: Welche religiös inspirierte Symbolik wurde vom Baath-Regime verwendet? Welche Konfessions- und Religionspolitik betrieb es? Welche Elemente von Religion und religiöser Symbolik fanden nach 2003 Eingang in das politische, mediale und soziale Feld, und wie unterscheiden sie sich von der Zeit vor 2003?
 
Einsendeschluss für Abstracts: 1. Juni 2010
Kontakt: Monika Hasenmüller, monika.hasenmueller@staff.uni-marburg.de

 "DAVO-Werkstattgespräche" zur Förderung des wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchses, 31. Deutscher Orientalistentag / 17. Internationaler DAVO-Kongress, Marburg, 20.-24. September 2010.

Abgesehen von ihren Betreuern verfügen die meisten jungen Wissenschaftler/innen kaum über persönliche Netzwerke in ihren Forschungsgebieten oder zu wissenschaftlichen Fachkolleginnen und -kollegen. Gerade in der Phase einer Konzeptentwicklung für Forschungsarbeiten können solche Kontakte jedoch nicht nur unschätzbare Funktionen als "Türöffner" erfüllen, sondern junge Wissenschaftler/innen mit Tipps und kritischen Anregungen bei der inhaltlichen und methodischen Gestaltung ihrer Projekte und der Literaturrecherche unterstützen. Die richtigen Kontakte zum richtigen Zeitpunkt helfen nicht nur das Gelingen eines Forschungsprojektes zu befördern, sondern auch seine Bearbeitungszeit erheblich zu verkürzen. Zu diesem Zweck wurden im Jahr 2006 in Hamburg erstmals die "Werkstattgespräche" durchgeführt. Diese stießen auf eine so außerordentlich positive Resonanz, dass das Forum nun im fünften Jahr stattfinden wird. Die Werkstattgespräche werden dieses Jahr von PD Dr. Sabine Damir-Geilsdorf (Bonn), Jun.-Prof. Dr. Anja Zorob (Berlin) und Dr. Thomas Demmelhuber (Erlangen) betreut.

Ziel: Im Rahmen von speziellen Panels des DAVO-Kongresses können Studienabschlussarbeiten und Promotionsvorhaben, die sich in der Konzeptions- oder Durchführungsphase befinden, einem fachkundigen Publikum präsentiert werden. Hier sollen gerade keine fertigen Arbeiten vorgestellt werden, sondern im Rahmen der DAVO-Nachwuchsförderung soll jungen Mitgliedern Tipps und Anregungen für ihre laufenden Arbeiten vermittelt werden. Damit soll ihnen zugleich eine Gelegenheit eingeräumt werden, sich vor einem Fachpublikum mit ihren Ideenskizzen zu erproben, ohne bereits dem Verteidigungsdruck einer abgeschlossenen Forschungsarbeit ausgesetzt zu sein. Bereits vor der Tagung werden die eingereichten Beiträge betreut, wodurch inhaltliche Brüche im Vorfeld aufgezeigt, Präsentationsunsicherheiten behoben und auf rhetorische Mängel rechtzeitig hingewiesen werden soll.

Vortragsangebote in Form von Zusammenfassungen der Forschungskonzepte (max. 400 Wörter) werden zunächst von Dr. Thomas Demmelhuber gesammelt. Sie sind per E-Mail bis zum 15. Mai 2010 an thomas.demmelhuber@polwiss.phil.uni-erlangen.de zu senden. Bitte beachten Sie den auf der Tagungshomepage für Sie bereitgestellten Leitfaden zur Erstellung der Vortragskonzeptionen. Die potentiellen Referenten/innen werden nach einer Begutachtung ihrer Konzepte bis spätestens 28. Juni 2010 über die Annahme oder Ablehnung ihrer Beiträge von den Organisatoren informiert. Sie erhalten zugleich ein erstes Feedback zu Ihren Vortragsangeboten. Aufgrund der aufwändigen Betreuung der Beiträge wird ab diesem Jahr nur noch eine begrenzte Anzahl an Vorträgen angenommen.

Kongressanmeldung: Sie sollten sich bis zum Anmeldeschluss am 1. Juli 2010 für den Kongress angemeldet haben. Spätere Anmeldungen sind mit einem Säumniszuschlag verbunden. Sollte Ihr Vortragsangebot angenommen werden, wird Ihr Vortrag von den Werkstatt-Organisatoren an das Tagungsbüro gemeldet.

Die fertigen Vorträge sind bis spätestens zum 15. August 2010 an den jeweiligen Betreuer zu senden, die den Referent/innen ggf. Verbesserungsvorschläge mitteilen werden.

Zeitrahmen der Vorträge: Da der praktische Nutzen aus Vortrag und Feedback-Runde für die Vortragenden im Vordergrund stehen soll, ist der Zeitrahmen für den Diskussionsteil nach den jeweiligen Vorträgen (15 Min.) genauso groß bemessen wie der Zeitrahmen für die Vorträge selbst.

Panel: "Körper, Sexualität und Medizin in islamisch geprägten Kulturen", 31. Deutscher Orientalistentag, Marburg, 20.-24. September 2010.

Seit Mitte der 1980er Jahre ist international in den Kultur- und Geisteswissenschaften ein verstärktes Interesse an dem Forschungsgegenstand "Körper" zu beobachten. In zahlreichen Disziplinen, angefangen von der Anthropologie und Psychologie über Literatur- und Religionswissenschaft bis hin zu Kunst- und Sozialgeschichte, entstanden Studien zu körperbezogenen Themen. Hierbei wurde deutlich, wie stark Körperwahrnehmungen und Körperkonzepte von Kulturen und Diskursen determiniert sind. In den auf die islamischen Länder bezogenen Orientwissenschaften liegen bereits einzelne Untersuchungen zu Körperauffassungen vor, doch ist das Potential, das dieses Paradigma bietet, hier noch keineswegs ausgeschöpft.

Das geplante Panel soll Raum für Vorträge bieten, die sich aus unterschiedlicher Perspektive mit Körpererfahrungen, -kulturen, -diskursen und -techniken in islamisch geprägten Kulturen der Vergangenheit und Gegenwart befassen. Es sollen sowohl der gesunde und der kranke, der junge und der alte, der schöne und der hässliche, der reine und der unreine als auch der verstümmelte, der reparierte und der tote Körper in den Blick genommen werden.

Besondere Aufmerksamkeit soll in dem Panel auch dem Thema der Geschlechtlichkeit des Körpers gewidmet werden. Als wie verschieden wurden und werden Frauen und Männer in den verschiedenen Diskursen betrachtet? In welchem Maße bestimmt das Geschlecht die Auffassungen vom Körper? Wie wurden sexuelle Attraktion und Interaktion zwischen Körpern durch wissenschaftliche Deutungen rationalisiert? Und auf welche Weise wurden und werden Körper künstlich verändert, um sie bestehenden Geschlechternormen und -idealen anzupassen?

Ein auf den Körper bezogenes wissenschaftliches System, das in den islamischen Ländern lange Zeit besonders wirkmächtig war und zum Teil heute noch fortbesteht, ist die graeco-arabische Medizin. Es soll gefragt werden, welche Körperbilder und -auffassungen in diesem Rahmen kultiviert wurden/werden und in welchem Maße sie auf andere Körperdiskurse und -kulturen innerhalb und außerhalb der islamischen Welt ausgestrahlt haben.

Einsendeschluss für Abstracts: 1. Juni 2010 an Prof. Dr. Patrick Franke, Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg, Islamwissenschaft, Mail: patrick.franke@uni-bamberg.de

Eintägiges Panel: "Spiegelungen, Reflexionen und Rezeptionen der Gestalt Fürst Pücklers und seiner Orientreisen", 31. DOT / 17. DAVO-Kongress,  Marburg 20. - 24. September 2010

Im Hinblick auf das 130. Todesjahr Hermann Pücklers, in dem ein Symposium geplant ist, wird das Panel vorbereitend ein Forum bieten, Forschungen aus unterschiedlichen Fachgebieten zusammenzuführen. Gezielt soll ein interdisziplinärer Dialog über die kulturhistorischen Hintergründe, das Werk Pücklers und die Auswirkungen seiner Orientreise stattfinden. Dabei sind all diejenigen aufgerufen, die sich dem Thema aus einer literaturwissenschaftlichen, kunsthistorischen, historischen, soziologischen, politischen, wissenschafts- oder sammlungsgeschichtlichen Perspektive nähern. Eingeladen sind insbesondere Forscher aus den Gebieten der Germanistik, Religionswissenschaft, Arabistik, Kunstgeschichte, Geschichte, Politologie, Ägyptologie, ihre Forschungen zu präsentieren.

Folgende Fragestellungen und Schwerpunkte sollen im Panel angesprochen werden:
- Die Perzeption Pücklers Orientreisen in Deutschland und im Orient
- Pücklers Beziehungen während und nach den Orientreisen von überregionaler Bedeutung für die Orientrezeption in Europa
- Pücklers Reflexionen der Orientreisen in seinen Schriften und Briefen
- Pücklers Bedeutung für die Orientalistik bzw. die Orientreiseliteratur aus dem 18. / 19. Jh. als wissenschaftshistorische Grundlage
- Die Reiseliteratur als historische Quelle
- Pücklers Religions-/Islamverständnis und -rezeption
- Die Schloss- und Parkanlagen von Bad Muskau und Branitz im Spiegel der Orientreisen

Bewerbungen mit einem aussagekräftigen Abstract und einem kurzen CV sind bis 20. Juni per mail erbeten an: pataki@uni-leipzig.de. Bitte beachten Sie, dass die Anmeldefrist für die Teilnahme am DOT am 01. Juli abläuft! Wir möchten den offiziellen Rahmen des DOT für eine Zusammenkunft mit Workshopcharakter und in Vorbereitung auf das Symposium 2011 nutzen.

Für Rückfragen wenden Sie sich bitte gerne an die Organisatoren der Tagung: Wenke Krestin wenke.krestin@eurient.info; Zita Á. Pataki pataki@uni-leipzig.de; Christine Smers smers@gmx.de

Eighth International Days of Studies Jean Monnet: "Health systems in transition: the current and future regulations in the European Union and its Mediterranean Neighborhood", Hammamet, Tunisia, 23-24 September 2010

Active structure of the intercultural dialogue in the Mediterranean area1, the Jean Monnet Chair in Comparative Regional Integration (University Montesquieu-Bordeaux IV) organizes with the partnership of the University of Sfax, in Hammamet (Tunisia) this multi-field conference.

For further information contact Bernard Yvars, Chair Jean Monnet, University Montesquieu-Bordeaux IV, http://IntegEco.u-bordeaux4.fr , yvars@u-bordeaux4.fr

Fifth International Conference on Social Science Research, New Orleans, LA  23-25 September 2010

This interdisciplinary conference will draw together faculty members, researchers, and professionals from the social sciences, and provide them with the opportunity to interact with colleagues from the same field and from related fields. Cross-disciplinary submissions are particularly encouraged as is participation by international scholars. The disciplines represented will include: Anthropology, Area Studies (Asia, Latin America, Europe, etc.), Communication, Criminology, Economics, Geoscience, Gender Studies, History, International Studies, Political Science, Policy/Public Administration, Psychology, Race/Ethnic Studies, Sociology, and Urban Studies.

Participants are welcome to submit a paper proposal to present either a 30-minute paper presentation, or to jointly present a 90-minumte colloquium session.

Proposal Deadline is 1 July 2010. Information: http://conference-alert.net/view.php/710030/145728 and http://www.socialscienceconf.net

Conference: “Reappraising the Iran-Iraq War Thirty Years Later”, London, 23-24 September 2010

Organized by the London School of Economics International History Department, LSE IDEAS, and LSE Global Governance.

For information, contact: ideas.Middleeast@lse.ac.uk.

Eighth Nordic Conference on Middle Eastern Studies Conference on  "Middle Eastern Connectivities",  Bergen, 24-26 September 2010

The conference  is organised by The Nordic Society for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies (NSM). NSM organises a Nordic and international conferences every three years. The conferences are open to all scholars in Middle Eastern studies in the humanities and social sciences.

With this conference is intended a focus on the relationship between the peoples and groups within the Middle East and the outside world. The conference will emphasize translocal relations and its effects on social, cultural, educational, religious and other transformations. Furthermore, the conference will highlight issues of trans-regional relations and exchanges to and from
the Middle East and Africa, Asia and Europe both historically and in the present. The conference aims to explore the cultural, political, religious and social changes resulting from these connectivities.

Four keynote speakers confirmed: Professor Judith Tucker (Georgetown University), Professor Jørgen Nielsen (University of Copenhagen), Professor Sabry Hafez (University of Qatar),
Professor Zachary Lockman (New York University).

Deadline for submission of abstracts to bergen2010@smi.uib.no: 15 January 2010. Deadline for registration: 1 March 2010.

Further information: www.uib.no/smi/en/activities/conference-middle-eastern-connectivities

Second Conference of the Institute of Coptic Studies, Cairo, 26-29 September 2011

The conference theme is open for all proposals including - and not limited to - historical, geographical, archeological, social, artistic, practical, musical, industrial, conversation and reservation issues, intangible and oral issues, ethnical  legal issues, as well as comparative studies etc. The languages of the conference are English and Arabic.

Please send your abstracts as soon as possible and directly to the Organizing Committee via e-mail: instituteofcoptic@yahoo.com, instituteofcoptic@hotmail.com. Any questions or inquires should also be sent to the same e-mail address mentioned above. CFP deadline: July 31, 2010

Symposium: "The Risale-i Nur: Knowledge, Faith, Morality and the Future of Humanity", Istanbul, 3-5 October 2010

The Symposium is organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Science and Culture. The Risale-i Nur collection is a six-thousand-page commentary on the Quran written by Bediuzzaman Said Nursi in accordance with the mentality of the age.

Abstracts for the papers should be submitted to the Symposium Secretariat no later than 28 February 2010. For further information see http://www.nursistudies.com/ (English) or contact symp2010@iikv.org.

International Conference: "Muslims and Political Participation in Europe", Copenhagen, 6-8 October 2010

Papers are invited for an international conference to be jointly organized by:
- the EurIslam network, based at the University of Strasbourg - http://www.eurislam.info/index_EN.html
- Centre for European Islamic Thought (CEIT), at the University of Copenhagen - http://www.teol.ku.dk/english/dept/ceit_eng/

The conference was originally planned for April 2010 but had to be postponed due to the closure of air traffic by volcanic ash.

The conference will focus on the following overlapping and interlocking dimensions (these are not to be understood as exclusive of related themes):
1. The processes and realities of Muslim participation in local and national politics: Voting patterns and representation in local and national assemblies; the place of Islam as an identifying factor – do candidates highlight or marginalize their ‘Muslimness’ (and what is ‘Muslim’ in this context?); the relationship between Muslim and ethnic identities in the political processes.

2. Internal Muslim debates about political participation in Europe: Attitudes of Muslims to the democratic processes; views for and against political participation in non-Muslim society; who can/should represent Muslims, or are there other priorities?
3. Public discourses about Muslim participation; political participation as a method or consequence of integration; state policies regarding Muslim political participation; relationship between participation and citizenship; is Muslim participation welcomed or contingent on privatizing the faith?

Scholars wishing to present a paper should send an abstract and a brief CV to the address below as soon as possible and not later than 1 September 2010. Authors of accepted papers will have the costs of their accommodation in Copenhagen covered but will need to cover their own travel costs.

Consideration is being given to publishing the papers after the conference. Participants who wish to have their papers considered for publication should be prepared to send the full text of the paper to the organizers by 27 September 2010.

Paper abstracts and CVs should be sent to: ceit@teol.ku.dk

International Conference: “Engaging the Middle East: A Year after the Cairo Address”, Tufts University, Medford, MA, 14-15 October 2010
 
The conference is organized by the Fares Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies, Tufts University.  It brings together academics and policy makers to discuss the challenges the United States faces in the Middle East today and if President Obama’s policy of engagement has worked.
 
 For further information see http://farescenter.tufts.edu/events/conferences/

Conference: "New Media | Alternative Politics: Communication technologies and political change in the Middle East and Africa", Cambridge, 14 - 16 October 2010

The spread of digital technologies in the Middle East and Africa has generated the view that 'new media' open up political spaces for dissent, activism and emancipation. This conference offers an opportunity to critically reassess these assumptions. "New media, alternative politics" will bring together researchers, academics, activists, journalists and policy makers to discuss whether and how new media empower an alternative politics and mobilise political change.

We welcome proposals for papers or presentations from researchers, activists, practitioners, policymakers and academics from all disciplines.
We are happy to consider proposals for presentations in a variety of formats in addition to the traditional format of academic conference papers. These could include presentations via Skype, podcasts, slideshows, short films or posters.

To apply please send abstracts of not more than 300 words to Anne Alexander (raa43@cam.ac.uk) by 31 July 2010.

Full details at www.crassh.cam.ac.uk/events/1323/

Jahrestagung der Gesellschaft für Arabisches und Islamisches Recht e.V., Leipzig 15.-16.Oktober 2010

Die Tagung findet in Kooperation mit dem Centre for Area Studies (Das Centre for Area Studies wird gefördert vom BMBF) statt. Die Veranstaltung steht unter dem Rahmenthema "Rechtstransfer in die, aus der und innerhalb der arabischen Welt".

 Die wissenschaftlichen Beiträge beschäftigen sich mit verschiedenen Rechtsbereichen (Zivilrecht, Familienrecht, Strafrecht, Wirtschaftsrecht) und behandeln historische und aktuelle Rechtsentwicklungen arabischer Länder.

Am 16. Oktober, wird vor allem die rechtliche Situation in den Golfländern im Mittelpunkt stehen. Die Tagung beginnt am 15. Oktober um 13:45 Uhr im Orientalischen Institut der Universität Leipzig, Schillerstraße 6, 2. Etage, Raum S 202, 04109 Leipzig. Die Teilnahme ist kostenfrei. Anmeldungen sind bis zum 15.9.2010 an folgende Adresse zu richten: GAIR c/o Orientalisches Institut, Universität Leipzig, Schillerstraße 6, 04109 Leipzig.

Jewish Muslim Student Conference in Israel and Palestine: "Know Thy Neighbour", Jerusalem, 17-22 October 2010

A six day international conference involving enriched and dynamic interactions between university students who are passionate about the situation in the Middle East.

The conference is organised by students from Bar Ilan University in Israel - a religious university with an open-minded approach. The conference, the first of its kind in the world, aims to bring over fifty Israeli Jewish and Muslim students together for six days of discussion, debate and coexistence.  The conference will include fields trips to places of interest, educational seminars and simulations, debates and panels, first-hand interaction with the locals from both sides and social events.

“It isn’t about politics, it isn’t about brainwashing, and it isn’t about apologizing,” - “it’s about bringing together fifty students who are strong enough to look past their differences of opinions to shatter stereotypes, with belief that uncovering the truth will give both sides the ability to bring us closer to real dialogue".

Further information http://ktn.co.il/

 Internationales Symposium "Religionen und Weltfrieden. Zum Friedens- und Konfliktlösungspotenzial von Religionsgemeinschaften“, Osnabrück, 20. bis 23. Oktober 2010

Das Symposium wurde mit der Zielsetzung konzipiert, die wissenschaftliche und  öffentliche Diskussion zum Thema Religionen in Gewaltkonflikten stärker auf deren friedensfördernde und friedensstiftende Wirkungselemente zu lenken und damit neue Impulse und alternative  Perspektiven für Friedens- und Konfliktforschung sowie für ein  interkulturelles Miteinander zu bieten.

Behandelt werden u.a. die Themenbereiche Gewalt im Islam und im Judentum. Zu den Referenten gehören Hans Küng (Stiftung Weltethos Tübingen), Ayse Kadayifci-Orellana,
(American University Washington),  Udo Steinbach (Centrum für Nah- und Mittelost-Studien, Universität Marburg) und Tariq Ramadan (Oxford University).

Veranstalter sind die Deutsche Stiftung Friedensforschung, der Wissenschaftliche Rat der Osnabrücker Friedensgespräche und der Forschungsverbund Religion und Konflikt.

Weitere Informationen unter www.religionenundweltfrieden.de. Ansprechpartner an der FEST ist Dr. Markus Weingardt.

Conference: "The Personality Cults of Modern Dictators", Institute for Germanic and Romance Studies, University of London, 21-23 October 2010

Almost all modern dictators are the subject of personality cults that are highly organised even if they often also rest on spontaneous contributions. By creating a narrative of exceptionality around an individual they harness support and help consolidate a regime. The forms cults take depend on national traditions and histories, patterns of gender relations, and the existence or otherwise of an articulated civil society. In this sense, they are cultural as much as political phenomena. The highly specific nature of each cult means that comparative work is rare. The aim of this conference is to compare different aspects of many cults of personality, and, by so doing, raise new hypotheses of research and lay the foundations for new potential interdisciplinary collaborations.

Proposals for papers of twenty minutes are invited on European, Central and South American, African, Middle Eastern, and Asian dictators. Contributions are welcomed from historians, political scientists, sociologists, specialists in film, literature, photography and the press, as well as scholars with an interest in gender, performance and leadership. Papers may treat aspects of one or more personality cults.

Proposals should be between 300 and 500 words long. Offers of papers should be sent by 1 June 2010 to one of the organisers: Christopher Duggan (c.j.h.duggan@reading.ac.uk), Stepen Gundle (s.gundle@warwick.ac.uk) and Giana Pieri (g.pieri@rhul.ac.uk). The programme of the conference will be published in July 2010.

Symposium: „Network Politics: Objects, Subjects and New Political Affects“, Ryerson University, Toronto Canada, 22-23 October 2010

A Symposium co-sponsored by the AHRC funded “New Configurations of Network Politics” project at Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge UK, and the Infoscape Centre for the Study of Social Media, Ryerson University, Canada

In the network age, the question of political agency is becoming increasingly troublesome, with a pressing need to reflect upon how collective distributed networks as well as non-human actants re-define the field of the political.

This symposium will investigate what counts as a political object or subject, and how such objects/subjects circulate and are controlled in the context of developing critical approaches to networked politics.

The symposium seeks to build upon object-oriented philosophy, which has shifted the language of coding and programming into the domain of ‘tool-being’. In so doing a correlate possibility of a ‘web’ of subject-oriented objects emerges, opened up by hyper-personalized web services and control techniques that shape and recombine pseudo-subjects from the bio-political detritus of data-mining software and algorithmic protocols. In the face of such new assemblages, what sites, actants, and tactics potentially reinvent new political affects?

The symposium welcomes interventions on related questions and topics that answer or complicate the notion of the ‘objects’ and ‘subjects’ of network politics. The symposium seeks paper proposals that touch upon the following set of themes:
- Theories and case studies of object/subject-oriented politics
- Networking of political artifacts: politicizing “participatory culture”
- New epistemologies for networked politics
- Politics 2.0: personalization, customization and surveillance
- Activist platforms and recursive publics

Paper proposals (400 words): due 2 August, 2010

Please email proposals to Network Politics Project or directly contact  Jussi Parikka  and/or Joss Hands. For other inquiries about the event please contact Greg Elmer.

International Conference "The World of Islam: History, Society, Culture", Moscow, 28-30 October 2010

The Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RUDN) and the Mardjani Foundation for Research and Cultural Programs in cooperation with the Institute of Asian and African Studies of the Lomonosov Moscow State University and Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography of the Russian Academy of Sciences (St. Petersburg) are organizing this International Conference.

Please contact us for further information about the conference: fond@mardjani.ru

2e Colloque international : « Alter et ego » : de la conscience de l'altérité à la construction d'une identité dans la littérature arabe contemporaine", Université Nancy 2, 29-30 octobre 2010

Les propositions de communications doivent comporter : titre de la communication, résumé de 15 à 20 lignes, 3 mots clés et les données permettant l'identification de l'auteur. Elles doivent être envoyer avant le 15 janvier à Laurence Denooz, laurence.denooz@univ-nancy2.fr et Xavier Luffin, xluffin@ulb.ac.be

International Conference on Eurasian Economies, Istanbul,  4-5 November 2010

The International Conference on Eurasian Economies <http://www.eecon.info/> aims at bringing together academicians and decision makers involved in research about Eurasian countries in a forum to discuss current and future economic and social issues of the region.

Deadline for submission of abstracts;  30 June 2010.

Papers at the conference may be presented in English, Turkish or Russian. Each paper must be accompanied by an English title and an English abstract.

Abstracts in English must be submitted directly to the conference website at http://www.eecon.info. The abstract submission deadline is 30 June 2010. Notification of acceptance of abstracts will be sent out on 15 July 2010. Final papers (in English, Turkish or Russian) are due on 10 September 2010.

We are looking forward to your contribution to the conference and hope to see you in Istanbul.

Interdisciplinary Research Workshop: "Regionalism and Authoritarianism in the Contemporary Arab World", Princeton University, 15-16 November 2010

Organised by the Institute for the Transregional Study of the Contemporary Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia (TRI). Deadline for proposals 9 July 2010. Contact: Thomas Pierret (tpierret@princeton.edu) and  Benjamin White (bw5@princeton.edu)

Colloque: "Les marges périurbaines en Tunisie et en Méditerranée. Entre stratégies d'appropriation, soutenabilité et nouvelle urbanité", Faculté des Sciences Humaines et Sociales de Tunis, Unité de recherche ECONURBA, 17 et 18 novembre 2010

Ce colloque tente de réunir des chercheurs géographes et des spécialistes en sciences humaines et sociales ainsi que des praticiens de la sphère de l'aménagement du territoire.

Date limite des propositions de communication 29 mai 2010. http://calenda.revues.org/nouvelle16399.html

Panel: “Foreign Muslim Students and/or Scholars in the Middle East from the 17th to 19th Centuries”, MESA Conference, San Diego, November 18-21, 2010

The panel could address topics revolving around the pilgrimage, extended study at religious institutions, collection of textual resources, or others topics.

The broad issues that the organizer would like the panel to address are:

1) Why they traveled and how it affected them (socially, personally, commercially,  intellectually, etc.)? 

2) How were they treated/viewed by their host neighbors and colleagues?

3) What outcome did this journey produce for them upon their return to their home country?

If you are interested in presenting a paper please contact Kristian Petersen, Near & Middle Eastern Studies Program, University of Washington, kristian-petersen20@mac.com

The final panel submission is due on 15 February 2010

Fourth International Conference "Social Sciences: Practical Solutions for Societal Issues", College of Social Sciences, Kuwait University, 29 November-1 December 2010

The conference shall serve as a forum for facilitating meetings with specialists and experts from around the world; exchanging ideas in different fields of social sciences; discussing practical solutions for societal issues; and supporting national plans for developing societies. The conference also provides an opportunity to initiate critical thinking, share various cultural experiences and confront the challenges of the new millennium through cooperation, coordination, and utilization of social science concepts.

The conference is open to anyone who has interest in any field of social sciences, such as sociology, social work, anthropology, psychology, geography, political sciences, and library and information science. The conference has tracks that will appeal to researchers, specialists and experts in universities, academic and professional institutions in government and private sectors, and non-profit organizations. The Committee would like to invite those who are interested in participating in the conference's activities to submit professional and academic papers before 30 June 2010.

Further information www.css.kuniv.edu/index.php/english-v/183-practical-solution-for-societal-issues.html

Dezember 2010

Colloque: "Vulnérabilité, Équité et Créativité en Méditerranée", Aix en Provence, 2 et 3 décembre 2010

Colloque organisé par le Pôle développement durable et territoires méditerranéens. Information http://www.pole-developpementdurable.univ-cezanne.fr, rubrique « Réservation colloque »

Colloque international : "Les territoires sahariens au XXIème siècle : développement, gouvernance et identities", Oran, les 6-8 décembre 2010

Dans le cadre du Projet de coopération PHC-Tassili n° 07.MDU.710 CRASC – ThéMA. Les propositions de communication sont à adresser, avant le 15 juillet 2010, uniquement par mail à l’adresse suivante : colloquesahara@gmail.com

Cf. http://iremam.univ-provence.fr/spip.php?article582

Third International Arabic Linguistics Symposium, Alexandria University, Egypt, 11-12 December 2010

The Arabic Linguistics Society and Alexandria University are pleased to announce this symposium. Papers are invited on topics that deal with theoretic and applied issues of Arabic Linguistics.

Research in the following areas of Arabic linguistics is encouraged: linguistic analysis (phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics), applied linguistics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, discourse analysis, historical linguistics, corpus linguistics, computational linguistics.

Deadline for receipt of abstracts: July 15, 2010.

Information: www.foa.edu.eg/ALS2010/

"MediterráneoS: International Conference of Junior Researchers in Mediterranean and Near Eastern Languages and Cultures", Madrid, 13-15 December 2010

The Conference seeks to provide a transverse and interdisciplinary framework of discussion and reflection on the intellectual and cultural production of the Mediterranean and the Near East, from its earliest stages to the present. More precisely, this meeting pursues the analysis of the different political, religious and social trends of thought, material culture and artistic, literary and linguistic expressions brought together in this geographical area, highlighting the scope of this blend of traditions within different space-time surroundings.

 We warmly welcome proposals regarding the following topics and guidelines:

- Commercial and economic activity,
- Orthodoxies and heterodoxies,
- Artistic expressions and material culture;
- Political processes and theory
- Language, literature, textual criticism, hermeneutics;
- Transmission of knowledge and history of science.

We encourage junior researchers in the fields of Humanities and Social Sciences, as well as recent PhD´s (with thesis completed within 5 years prior to event) to participate. Papers should not exceed 20 minutes and may be read in Spanish or English.

Please submit abstracts (300-500 words maximum, including keywords and reference to chosen topic in mail subject), and a brief CV to mediterraneos.abstracts@gmail.com, no later than July 12, 2010.

Januar 2011

International Conference: "Tropics of Travel. 4. Homes", Université de Liège, Belgium, 13-15 January 2011

Project Leaders: Frédéric Bauden (Université de Liège), Aboubakr Chraïbi (INALCO, Paris), Antonella Ghersetti (Università Ca' Foscari, Venezia), Wen-Chin Ouyang (SOAS, London)

The Conference is part of a wider project that takes the form of four international symposia.
The final part of the Project looks at the ways in which travel may revise notions of self, community and home, and inscribe into the journey of homecoming significance of ontological and epistemological dimensions.

.       In what ways do tourism and relatively long sojourn 'abroad' produce divergent articulations of subject and community?
.       Is it possible to speak of 'migration' as we know it today in the pre-modern context?  How would modern knowledge gained in studies of massive populations movements refine our understanding of travel and homecoming in pre-modern eras?
.       Is the shape of home necessarily drawn by homesickness and nostalgia?
.       What role does alienation abroad play in the imaginings of home?
.       What meaning do the differing experiences of travel and residence abroad inscribe on the journey of homecoming, therefore, home?  What becomes of home?  Is return possible?  What are the possible trajectories of homecoming?
.       How is travel remembered, thought of and reinterpreted? Are there dreams or nightmares about travel?  Or are there simply memories?  How do these various forms of remembering shape travel writing?
.       When does 'home' become 'exile'?
.       How does 'travel' mediate between alternative visions of community?
.       What role does travelling material culture play in individual, communal and cultural transformations?
.       Is it possible to speak of 'cosmopolitan' culture and economy in the pre-modern world?  What impact does that have on notions of travel and definitions of home?

Those who wish to participate are kindly requested to send an abstract of no more than 500 words or one A4 page (double-spaced) to Frédéric Bauden (f.bauden@ulg.ac.be) before the end of March 2010.

The official languages of the conference will be English and French.  However, papers written in another European language will be accepted for publication in the Proceedings of the Conference.

Februar 2011

Workshop: "New Voices, New Media, New Agendas? Pluralism and Particularism in the Middle East and North Africa",  Zentrum Moderner Orient, Berlin, 9-11 February 2011

Since the 1970s, an increasing number of non-Arab and non-Islamic voices in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have been calling into question the homogeneity of the Arab world. Agents of marginalized ethnic, religious and denominational groups are struggling for the recognition of their languages and cultural particularities, and they are challenging established representations of identity politics as pursued by the state. At the same time, the agents of new social movements such as feminist groups, youth groups and human rights organizations are standing up for political pluralism, equality and democracy.

The scope of the claims and demands of all these voices is widely diverse, ranging from tuition in oppressed languages, to a women's quota in the parliament, to participation in governmental decision-making or to the radical reorganization of political power.

Agents for social change use traditional mass media (newspapers, radio and TV) and new media (websites, blogs, chat rooms) in order to canvass their ideas. The media function both as a key tool and as a platform of identity politics.

During recent decades the media in the MENA region have been the focus of a wide range of academic approaches. Whether analysing the traditional mass media or the new media, researchers are concerned with political decision-making, social change, war and conflict, religion, collective identity, nationalism and regionalism and globalization.  Other studies raise questions about issues such as media ethics and the sociology of media production and consumption.

This workshop aims to bring together researchers dealing with pluralism, identity politics and the power of the media in the Middle East and North Africa. We seek to compare representations such as concepts, images, narratives or symbols as applied to the media in order to assert, confirm or question meaning and belonging. We wish to privilege voices offering alternatives to the dominating narratives of the hitherto ruling elites and take a closer look at the agendas of these voice and the interests behind when it comes to propagating pluralism and particular interests.

 In doing so we will ask how new these claims and ideas actually are. Pluralism is often a keyword among agents belonging to hitherto marginalized groups. However, does this term in some cases serve merely as a pretext to enforce particularistic interests at the expense of others? It can also be asked to what extent demands for religious freedom are connected to attempts to maintain structures of gender-based injustice. Another question to be discussed in the workshop is whether the new media are by definition a positive development, as so often claimed. How far do they constitute a means to foster ideas of political pluralism?

For discussing these and related questions in a cross-regional and comparative way the workshop seeks to bring together researchers from the fields of regional studies, media studies, political science, social anthropology, cultural studies, Islamic studies and history.

The workshop aims to contribute to a comprehensive understanding of identity politics and social change in the MENA region. We invite researchers to submit abstracts (250 words) and a brief biography (100 words) by 1 April 2010. Papers to be presented at the workshop shall be submitted by 15 December 2010. The workshop is organised by the Zentrum Moderner Orient Berlin (www.zmo.de) and the SFB 640 at the Humboldt University Berlin (www.sfb-repraesentationen.de)

The Workshop is organized by the Zentrum Moderner Orient in cooperation with SFB 640 at the Humboldt Universität zu Berlin,  Zentrum Moderner Orient. Contact: Dr Andrea Fischer Tahir and Sophie Wagenhofer, Email: Media_Workshop@gmx.de.

März 2011

Workshop: "Language, Literacy & Authority in Islamic Societies", Stanford University, March 3-4, 2011

The Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies at Stanford University invites submission of paper abstracts for a workshop which is a joint project of the Abbasi Program and the Middle East –Mediterrranean Studies Program at Sciences Po in Paris. Travel and lodging arrangements for the workshop participants will be provided.

The workshop will focus on the processes underlying the social construction of authority in Islamic societies and the way those processes have been affected by issues of language and the development of literacy from 17th century and onwards in the context of peripheries as well as the core regions (specifically, West Africa, the Caucasus, South Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Middle East).

Please submit a brief abstract by 1 September 2010.

For further information see http://islamicstudies.stanford.edu/CfP0311.pdf  or contact Dr. Burcak Keskin-Kozat at burcak@stanford.edu

Colloque : "Vieillissement de la population dans les pays du Sud : Famille, Conditions de vie, Solidarités publiques et privées. État des lieux et perspectives",  Meknès, 17-19 mars 2011

Les propositions peuvent être envoyées par courrier électronique à l'adresse colloquedemeknes@univ-tours.fr avant le 30 septembre 2010. Les propositions sont à envoyer à l'adresse mail suivante : colloquedemeknes@univ-tours.fr sous la forme d'un fichier intitulé : NomAuteur_Meknes2011.doc

Cf. : http://sites.google.com/site/colloquemeknes/

17th Annual Conference of the Economic Research Forum (ERF): “Politics and Economic Development”, Antalya, Turkey, 20–22 March 2011
 
The organizing committee invites scholars engaged in research about the ERF region (the Arab countries, Iran and Turkey). Conference provides a unique
opportunity for researchers from the region to interact with one another and with international researchers. It also provides a venue for the presentation of multiple research papers, both in the plenary and parallel sessions, followed by stimulating discussions and feedback. In addition, the conference features special events, the presentation of selected research projects and celebrates excellence in research.
 
An honorarium of $2,000 will be paid for selected papers. ERF will cover the cost of travel to and lodging in Antalya for one presenter of each paper.
 
Submissions for presentations can be made under the following areas:
1. Macroeconomics
2. Finance
3. International Economics
4. Labor and Human Development
5. Microeconomic and Sectoral studies
6. Institutional Economics/Governance
 
The deadline for submitting proposals of papers is May 10th, 2010.
Conference URL:
http://www.erf.org.eg/cms.php?id=conferences_details&conference_id=38

International Symposium: "Arab World Diasporas and Migrations", Georgetown University's Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, 21-22 March 2011

The symposium is dealing with the subject of migrations and diasporas to, from, and within the Arab world. We define the Arab world geographically and welcome contributions about non-Arab communities in the Arab world.

The themes we seek to address include, but are not limited to the following:
- Migrations to and from the Arab world in historical perspectives (18th-20th centuries).
- Twentieth and twenty-first century migrations into and from the Arab world to Europe, North America, Latin America, Africa, Asia and Australia.
- Patterns of voluntary and forced migrations within the Arab world including those driven by famine, conflict, ethnic or religious persecution, and economic, environmental, labor and educational factors.
- Incentives and effects of emigration (labor markets, environmental pulls and pushes, educational opportunities, changing social structures/customs, health, tourism, etc).
- Integration of diaspora communities into host communities/countries (religious, cultural, social, political or economic, etc).
- Cultural production by and about diaspora and migrant communities

The goal of the symposium is for scholars to present original unpublished research. Presenters will be asked to submit their revised papers for publication in an edited volume. Please submit a formal abstract (no more than 500 words) and a CV (no longer than 4 pages) by email to Ms. Maggie Daher (mad35@georgetown.edu). The abstract should also include information on methodology and sources.

Deadline for receipt of material is August 15, 2010. Participants will be notified of their acceptance by September 15, 2010. Travel and hotel expenses will be paid for invited participants.

April 2011

Second Islam Graduate Research School: „Islam and Muslims in a Plural World: the Local and the Global in the Middle East, Europe and North America“, Damascus,  4-15 April 2011

Organized by:
- The Danish Institute in Damascus
- Centre for European Islamic Thought, University of Copenhagen
- The New Islamic Public Sphere Programme, University of Copenhagen
- Department of Near and Middle East Civilizations, University of Toronto

Applications are invited from graduate students working on their Masters or PhDs for up to 12 places on a research ‘master class’ to take place at the Danish Institute in Damascus. The research school will be staffed by four senior academics, one from each of the organizing institutions. Each participant will submit a research paper in advance, which will normally be a draft chapter from their thesis/dissertation, plus an overall outline of the research project identifying the topic, main research questions, theoretical and methodological issues and a tentative chapter outline.

 The programme will take place over two weeks and will consist of four elements:

- Workshops led by a staff member in which each participant will have an extended session to present and discuss the pre-submitted papers.
- Four plenary sessions at which each of the staff members will present current research-in-progress for open discussion.
- A series of discussion meetings with significant and interesting local researchers and personalities of relevance to the field.
- Excursions to sites and institutions of interest within and outside Damascus.

 For further information see http://islam.ku.dk/english/Grad_research_school_notice.pdf/

12th  Mediterranean Research Meeting, near Florence (Italy), 6 - 9 April 2011.

The Mediterranean Programme of the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at the European University Institute (Italy) has issued a Call to Direct a Workshop for this Mediterranean Research Meeting.

Applications must be submitted electronically by 1 March 2010.

All relevant details are available on the Mediterranean Research Meeting web page 

Workshop: "Pre-Modern Attachment to Lands in the Islamic Middle East and North Africa", 12th Mediterranean Research Meeting, Florence, Italy, 6-9 April 2011

Scholars of nationalism and historians of the modern Middle East and North Africa assume that the countries and national movements of these regions are entirely modern phenomena, the result of European ideas and the colonial partitions of the 19th and early 20th centuries. This workshop is inspired, instead, by a growing body of scholarship that demonstrates the strength of attachments to lands or territories—among them, but not limited to, al-Maghrib (Morocco), Misr (Egypt), Bilad al-Sham (Syria), Filastin (Palestine), and Bilad al-Akrad (Kurdistan)—among peoples of the pre-modern Middle East and North Africa.

The implications of this research are wide ranging and touch upon academic debates about pre-modern and modern loyalties as well as on the nature of the impact of Europe on the creation of the states of the modern Middle East and North Africa in addition to currently contentious issues as the roots of Palestinian and Kurdish nationalisms and the fragmentation of Iraq following the U.S. invasion of 2003.

We envision assembling a group of scholars of pre-modern attachments to lands or territories who study Muslim as well as non-Muslims of the “Islamicate” Middle East and North Africa. Our period of interest extends from the 9th century CE to the beginning of the 19th century.Though the majority of scholars invited to participate in this forum
will have pre-modern areas of expertise, we are also interested in participants whose focus is modern and who demonstrate an interest in pre-modern antecedents to modern loyalties.

Workshop Directors: Dr. Steve Tamari, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, USA : stamari@siue.edu and Dr. Okasha El Daly, Qatar Museums Authority, Qatar : oeldaly@qma.org.qa

More information online here

Deadline for papers: 15 July 2010

September 2011

Sixth International Conference: "Middle Eastern and North African Popular Culture", Vienna, Austria, 7 - 10 September 2011

The Institute of Oriental Studies at the University of Vienna and the University of Oxford, UK, are organising this Conference. One of the objectives  is to debate both the continuing cultural specificities of the peoples and cultures of the region, as well as the effects of globalisation in bringing more contact and convergence between them.

Outline proposals for papers should be submitted by email to popcult.orientalistik@univie.ac.at by 1 February 2011.

Further information: http://orientalistik.univie.ac.at/kongresse-und-symposien/popular-culture-conference

DAVO-Sekretariat: Zentrum für Forschung zur Arabischen Welt (ZEFAW)
Geographisches Institut | Universität Mainz | 55099 Mainz
Tel.: 06131 / 39-22701 oder -23446 | Fax.: 06131 / 39-24736
mail: davo@geo.uni-mainz.de | web: http://davo.uni-mainz.de