[Bilimsel Haber] CONF./CFP- Section on "Framed Knowledge..." at KCTOS Conf., Vienna, Dec. 2007

[Sule Tarakcioglu]

CONF./CFP- Section on "Framed Knowledge..." at KCTOS Conf., Vienna, Dec.
2007

Posted by: Munira Shahidi <munira_shahidi at yahoo.com>

KCTOS: Knowledge, Creativity and Transformations of Societies
Vienna, 6-9 December 2007

Contributions are invited to the section of the Knowledge, Creativity
and Transformations of Societies (KCTOS) Conference on:

"Framed Knowledge as an Obstacle for Creativity and Transition of the
Societies"

With abstracts or proposals, contact:

Section Chair: Munira Shahidi (Slavic University of Tajikistan)
Email: munira_shahidi at yahoo.com

Conference information: http://www.inst.at/kctos/
Section information: http://www.inst.at/kctos/sektionen_n-s/shahidi.htm

Abstract:

This is a section about contradictions of the last, 20th century
Central Asia, as one geographical area. From one hand it was a time of
really revolutionary changes in the regional system of knowledge,
creation of regional intercultural infrastructure and liberalization
of women. From the other, however, it was a time of the framed
knowledge and bolshevization of national/regional culture, which
turned off international, intercultural, multilinguistic
national/regional identity of Central Asia from integration into the
modern world. Although Central Asia along with Afghanistan and Turkey
significantly contributed Mediterranean civilization of Middle Ages,
that contribution is totally marginalized in its inner dynamic and
global significance. As a result there is a gap in the world system of
knowledge of our own days. To bridge that gap means to legalize
centrality of Central Asia for both Eastern and Western system of
knowledge, a project of Bukharian reformats of the middle 19-beginning
of 20th cc. which could not been realized at soviet period. The point
of departure for its actualization now, at post-soviet period, is
re-thinking and re-evaluating classical heritage of Central Asia known
in the names of Farabi, Ibn Sina/Avicenna, Biruni, al-Khorazmi, Omar
Khayam, Mavlana Jalaliddin Rumi, Jami, Navoi, Abdulgadir Bedil,
Behzad, Fitrat, Ayni, Lohuti in their original regional/global dynamic.

Observation of the world publications of the last decade, regarding
Central Asian potential to integrate modern world, outlines a slight
shift toward more objective perception of Tajikistan as a key-player
in reformation of the region. Legalizing Tajikistan's policy as a
continuation of its shifting empires mission (Lena Jonson. Tajikistan
in the New Central Asia. I.B. Tauris &Co.Ltd, 2006) opens perspectives
for discussion of existence of another non-imperialistic style of
thinking, formed and survived in Central Asia during the last
millennium. To initiate that discussion on international level within
the coming INST conference in December, 2007, is the goal of that section.

The system of knowledge in Tajikistan, as well as in other countries
of Central Asia, has been based on modern Russian-European educational
system, but restricted by ideological system of soviet regime, could
not provide a real transformation of its own national/regional
cultural values of pre-soviet times into modern intercultural,
international reality. Although intention to transform Bukharian
society through the reform of education was basic, fundamental
challenge of reformat movement, jadidism of the middle 19c.-beginning
of 20th c., contradiction of traditionalists and innovators was
oppressed by the communist regime of the last century. Inter-Tajik
civil war of 1992-1997 was the consequences of that oppression.
Although Peace Agreement of June, 27, 97 brought to an end an open
military contradiction of the society, that was a product of
national/international political goodwill rather, then an evidence of
transformation of the totalitarian society into civil society of the new
world.

Formation of national/regional identity of Tajiks goes in its roots to
interconnection of the Greek system of knowledge and Islam, which
improving Aristotelian fundamental idea I and the world, into the
formula I in the world, made crucial change for transition of
societies under umbrella of the common Mediterranean civilization of
Middle Ages. But marginalization of Central Asia from the history of
Mediterranean civilization, bringing back contradicting idea of the
first teacher to both Arab world and the West, created a new wave of
contradiction, in which weak powers were and still are playing a role
of intermediates. The generators of that role are NGOs, providing
transition of the societies, improving knowledge via new technology
and re-thinking Islam as civilization.

Re-vitalizing civilization core of Islam has to start from awareness
that the prayer asks from God to increase his/her knowledge (Quran,
20: 114), because this is the only way to understand the heavens and
the earth, and the alternation of night and day (Quran, 3:190-191).
Awareness was expressed in diversity of literary sources forming
Avicennian regional tradition of consequence of knowledge, in which
discussion of morality and ethics of knowledge is a base of
creativity: who has the moral rights to be the man of understanding?
What is the measure of knowledge and creativity in diversity of
societies and the world society as a whole? What are the main trends
and tendencies of creativity in classical, modern and contemporary
arts of Islamic world: Arab countries, Iran, Turkey, and Central Asia?
How they affect the art of thinking as a global phenomenon? Is there
any difference of transformation of civil societies in Central Asia
and Middle East, as a whole, from the societies of the West? Are there
really international, intercultural policies in our own, globalizing world?

Formation of the new culture of integration of the Islam world into
the new world is a phenomenon of our own days. How to promote
legalization of intercultural, international identity as a conflict
resolution phenomenon of our own days?

The section will organize conditions for discussions of these ideas,
promoting the results of discussion for publications and records of
INST in Austria (organizer of KCTOS) with the further presentation of
these publications in Tajikistan and other countries of Central Asia,
Parliament of Cultures (Ankara, Turkey) and World Congress of Middle
East Studies (Germany-Jordan).




Distrib. by: Central-Eurasia-L - Announcement List for Central Eurasian
Studies