[Discussion] CONF./CFP- The Challenge of Democracy in the Muslim World, April 2006, Washington DC

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From: "Ctr. for the Study of Islam & Democracy" <masmoudi@islam-democracy.org>


CONF./CFP- The Challenge of Democracy in the Muslim World, April 2006, Wash. DC

The Challenge of Democracy in the Muslim World

Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy
7th Annual Conference

April 28-29, 2006
Washington, D.C.

Call for Paper Proposals

Recent trends in democratic developments in the Muslim world indicate the
continued struggle of Muslim peoples for democracy. At the heart of the desired
democratic change are freedoms and good governance resting on effective popular
participation, accountability, and rule of law. While some Muslim countries have
taken serious strides toward democracy, e.g. Indonesia and Turkey, most others
have lagged behind. Nowadays only a minority of scholars still questions the
desirability and feasibility of democracy in the Muslim world. Yet, the record
shows that democracy has neither taken hold nor been consolidated in the Muslim
world. Why? Earlier answers have focused on essentialist cultural explanations. 
Such a discourse on democracy, or lack thereof, often takes place in a
historical and contextual vacuum. More serious works have examined the
political, economic, and social obstacles, all within the regional and
international contexts. How valuable is the theoretical discourse in explaining
the success or failure of democratization in the Muslim world? Can there be
democratic legitimacy without individual liberty?

The struggle for democratic change in the Muslim world is happening in an
international context in which the major powers are engaged in a global war
against terrorism. The paradox in this environment is that the powerful actors
in the international system, i.e. the US and EU, are calling for democratic
change in the Muslim world, yet they are enacting laws and pursuing policies
that restrict freedoms, endorse despotic rulers, and marginalize Muslim
democrats. What are the opportunities and challenges in this complex
environment?

The seventh annual conference of the Center for the Study of Islam and
Democracy, therefore, will examine the obstacles to democracy, both domestic and
international, in the Muslim world. Paper proposals are invited from prospective
participants on the following seven broad topics. Possible topics are by no
means restricted to the ones that follow but proposals must demonstrate the
relevance of their topic in general to the challenges of democracy in Muslim
societies.  Both broad theoretical approaches and specific case studies are
welcome.

 - The state of democracy in the Muslim societies/countries
 - Critical evaluation of the theoretical discourse on democratization
 - Domestic and external challenges to democracy in the Muslim world
 - Prospects for democracy in the Muslim world
 - The challenge of anti-democratic Islamist discourses
 - Gender equality, the rights of minorities, and democratization in the
   Muslim world
 - Developing new and just interpretations of Islamic principles in the 21st
   century

The Conference Program Committee Chair is Prof. Najib Ghadbian, University of
Arkansas.  Please e-mail paper proposals (between 200- 400 words), by January 1,
2006, to the Conference Coordinator, Layla Sein, at:
conference@islam-democracy.org.

For updates on the conference, please visit http://csidonline.org/.

For questions or comments about the information in this bulletin, contact Zahir
Janmohamed at zahir@islam-democracy.org.

CSID
2121 K Street NW,
Suite 700
Washington DC 20037
USA

Phone: (202) 942-2183
Fax: (202) 628-8189



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