Rethinking Jihad: Ideas, Politics and Conflict in the Arab World & Beyond
Call For Papers
The call for abstracts for this conference has now closed. However, it is included below for information purposes only.
Successful abstracts will be included in the delegate packs.
Call for Papers:
Especially since 11 September 2001, the notion of 'jihad' has assumed centre-stage in public and academic discourses on Islam, Muslims, and the Arab world, particularly as a byword for terrorism and violence. But clearly jihad has meant different things to different people at different times, whether as theory, as action or as metaphor. As a timely exploration of this diversity, the Centre for the Advanced Study of the Arab World (CASAW) is convening a major international conference on the subject of jihad in its multiple dimensions.
The conference has three overarching goals. The first is to bring together academics and others from a variety of disciplines and specialisations to generate an in-depth discussion of jihad in its practical, theoretical, historical, juridical and symbolic dimensions. It is hoped that by drawing on a diversity of perspectives (methodological, historical and geographical) the conference will contribute to a deeper and more critical understanding of jihad. The second goal is to reflect critically on the importance of jihad, however defined, to the study of the Arab and Islamic worlds: to what extent is jihad a useful analytical concept? Have students of Islam and the Arab world minimised or overstated its importance? How should jihad be located in future research agendas? Finally, the conference will seek to engage with the broader knowledge community and explore current understandings and representations of jihad within policy and media circles internationally. It will critique these representations, as well as explore ways in which academics might contribute to an improved understanding and contextualisation of jihad in public discourse.
The conference will combine keynote addresses and panel discussions over three days at the University of Edinburgh.
Paper proposals for panels are invited from scholars and graduate students in all fields of the humanities and social sciences, including area studies, history, religious studies, political science, law, international relations, anthropology, cultural studies, comparative literature, and sociology. Papers addressing the topics detailed below are particularly encouraged, but we aim to make the conference as inclusive as possible. As such, any proposal dealing with jihad (broadly defined), or related topics will be welcome.
1. Jihad in History
How has jihad evolved in the centuries since the Qur'an, both doctrinally and in practice? What factors have influenced this evolution? Are the ideas and political actions associated with jihad unique to Islam, or representative of more general religious and political developments? To what extent do particular readings of jihad in Islamic history inform contemporary debates and practices?
2. Jihad Theory
How much consensus has there been among Muslim intellectuals about jihad? What are/have been the main areas of convergence and disagreement? How central is, or has been, the issue of jihad to Muslim theological and intellectual discourses? Papers may also discuss the role of, or potential for, interfaith dialogue on the issue of jihad.
3. Jihad and Martyrdom
What is the relationship between these two categories, and how central has the idea of martyrdom been to jihad? Papers engaging with this theme could also compare notions of martyrdom in other religions.
4. Jihad in non-Muslim Majority Societies
How has jihad been interpreted and practiced in non-Muslim majority societies? How does this compare to the role of jihad in the Arab and Islamic worlds? How do transnational intellectual, institutional and cultural links influence the way Muslims in the West conceptualise jihad?
5. Jihad, Language and Popular Culture
What is/has been the resonance of jihad within language? How have its meanings and associations shifted over time? How has jihad been represented at the level of popular culture, including within literature, poetry, the press, television and film?
6. Jihad and Social and Political Action
What has been the role of jihad in political mobilisation and activism? What have been the links between ideas and action? How has jihad informed or been reflected in social practice?
7. Non-Muslim Approaches to Jihad
How have academic, media and policy communities shaped public perceptions of jihad in non-Muslim majority contexts? To what extent have ideas on jihad shaped perceptions of Islam, Arabs and Muslims more generally? How are jihad and related topics taught as part of Middle East or Islamic studies programmes in universities and can this be improved?
8. States, Law and War
To what extent does jihad function as an international legal or normative framework? How compatible is it with international law? What are/have been the relationships between jihad, violence, terrorism and war? How have shifting conceptions of authority affected jihad? How has globalisation impacted on jihad as theory and as practice?
Depending on funding, a contribution toward travel and/or accommodation may be available.
Proposals should consist of a 300-word abstract and indication of current affiliation, title and position (e.g. student, lecturer, etc.)
Abstracts will be judged by a panel on the basis of theoretical or empirical originality, coherence of argument and relevance.
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