[Bilimsel Haber] CfP: Islamic Resurgence in the Age of Globalization: Myth, Memory, Emotion (Trondheim, September 4-6, 2009)

[Onur Inal]

Islamic Resurgence in the Age of Globalization: Myth, Memory, Emotion

Call for Papers
Venue: NTNU-The Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim
Date: September 4-6, 2009

Organizers: Ulrika Mårtensson, NTNU; Itzchak Weismann, Haifa University;
Mark Sedgwick, Aarhus University.

The resurgence of Islamic sentiment starting in the later part of the
twentieth century assumed various forms, from moderate da‘wa organizations
to radical jihad vanguards. This multitude of Islamic and Islamist
discourses and modes of collective action are now being integrated, together
with the societies in which they are embedded, into the wider process of
globalization. The dramatic increase in economic, social, cultural, and
political connections across the globe, and the growing awareness that we
all live in one world, have deeply affected many Islamists’ perceptions of
Self and Other, their assessment of the nature of the challenges Islam
faces, and their modes of resistance to the hegemonic West and to local
Westernized elites.

Existing studies of the contemporary Islamic and Islamist upsurge include
social surveys of various movements, analyses of the teachings of
ideologues, and sophisticated reflections concerning their meaning and
significance. The conference seeks to contribute to this ongoing research by
adopting an interdisciplinary approach which combines two complementary
perspectives, the historical and the cultural studies approach; the latter
has in fact developed in conscious relation to globalization and its
concomitant communications revolution.

We invite interdisciplinary paper proposals dealing with the Islamic
resurgence in the late 20th and early 21st centuries from the perspective of
three key concepts: myth, memory and emotion. Myth is used here especially
in Roland Barthes' sense as a form of meta-language in which given
symbolical signs are appropriated and stripped of their original contexts,
history, and significances only to be infused with new and "mystifying"
conceptual content. Examples of myths could be the new significances
ascribed to Saladin and the Crusades, Jerusalem and Karbala, the hijâb and
the siwâq. This connects to memory (remembering and forgetting), either
collective (such as different - liberal, radical, Sufi – "remembrance" of
the legacy of al-salaf, of the Ottoman Empire, of the "orthodox" Sultan
Awrangzeb,
etc.) or private (inspired by childhood experiences, persecution of
relatives, etc). Finally, emotion refers to the social and psychological
mechanisms which motivate people to adopt religious attitudes, join Islamic
organizations and movements of various types and shades, and sometimes even
be prepared to sacrifice their lives on the path of God.


Keynote speakers are:
Dale Eickelman, Dartmouth College
Armando Salvatore, Humboldt University
Hakan Yavuz, University of Utah

It is intended that an edited volume will be published, based on the
proceedings of the conference.
Traveling expenses and accommodation for paper presenters will be covered by
the organizers, as will be an excursion to the fjords and a concluding
dinner.

Abstract proposals (maximum 400 words, with a brief CV, maximum two
sentences) should be sent by January 31, 2009 to:
Ulrika Mårtenson (ulrika.martensson at hf.ntnu.no)
Itzchak Weismann (weismann at research.haifa.ac.il)
Mark Sedgwick (mjs at teo.au.dk)
Acceptances and rejections will be notified by April 2, 2009.
We look forward to your abstract proposals!