Summer School MUSLIMS IN THE WEST

Call for Applications 

The Chair of Islamic Studies at the University of Erfurt is pleased to announce the 13th International Summer School MUSLIMS IN THE WEST which will take place from 13th – 27th August 2014 at the University of Erfurt.

Fifteen young scholars from countries with significant Muslim populations will participate in this cultural encounter together with students from the University of Erfurt.

Ever since its involvement in the “Dialogue with Islam”, an academic activity initiated by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in 2002, the University of Erfurt has been actively engaged in the increasingly socio-politically relevant debates on “Islam and the West”. In this context, the Summer School, financially supported by the DAAD, contributes to mutual acceptance and understanding. Besides the creation and consolidation of a permanent basis for a dialogue, the goal of the project is to provide the possibility to directly experience the pluralistic structure of Islam in the European context, and to point out the well-advanced mutual interlacing, not only between Muslims and non-Muslims, but also among Muslims themselves. 

The Summer School will focus on four topics: It will start with the analysis of historical encounters and mutual perceptions between Muslims and “Christian Europe”. The second topical complex will deal with the European Union, its structures, goals and proclaimed values. Particular emphasis will be laid on the role of religion in the self-perception of the EU and its positioning vis-à-vis Islam. The third part will be devoted to the presence of Muslims in the European public sphere in areas of education, law, and political participation with a focus on the image of Islam in mass media and its development.

The interaction between Western states, majority and minority populations will be discussed on the basis of selected case studies (Bosnia-herzegovina, France, Germany, Great Britain, The Netherlands, USA). The last topical complex will approach the relationship between religion and violence.

The educational part of the Summer School will be accompanied by a rich cultural programme and excursions to Weimar and Berlin. Please visit our homepage for regularly updated schedules and further information (http://www.uni-erfurt.de/religionswissenschaft/islamwissenschaft/summer-school/).

Participants will receive a grant that will cover a part of their travel and accommodation expenses.
Besides a careful preparation of selected texts in advance, each participant is expected to contribute to the workshops on the spot. The working language is English. Applicants must be under the age of 27 and must have graduated before the beginning of the Summer School.

To start the application process, please send your CV and a statement of motivation (400 words) to:
Chair of Islamic Studies, University of Erfurt, Nordhaeuser Str. 63, 99089 Erfurt,Germany.

phone: +49 - (0)361 - 737 - 4100/4114; fax: +49 - (0)361 - 737 – 4109 ;

c/o Ines Scheidt (muslims-in-the-west@uni-erfurt.de) ref: Muslims in the West.

Applications should be submitted in English, by 15 February 2014.

Once the selection process is completed, the participants will be given further instructions.