CFP: The fourth 'New Frontiers in Islamic Studies'

CFP: The fourth 'New Frontiers in Islamic Studies'                                 German-Israeli Summer School - Berlin 09/14

Freie Universität Berlin (Research Unit Intellectual History of the Islamicate World) and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (The Institute of Asian and African Studies, The Nehemia Levtzion Center for Islamic Studies)

15.09.2014-19.09.2014, Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin
Deadline: 01.04.2014

Freie Universität Berlin (Research Unit Intellectual History of the Islamicate World) and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (The Institute of Asian and African Studies, The Nehemia Levtzion Center for Islamic Studies) solicit applications for:

The fourth NEW FRONTIERS IN ISLAMIC STUDIES German-Israeli Summer School, funded by the Einstein-Stiftung, Berlin

The transmission of ideas between religious communities in the medieval world of Islam, 15-19 September 2014 at Freie Universität Berlin

Jews, Christians, and Muslims, the educated elite as well as uneducated masses, had Arabic (and at times Persian) as their common language and therefore naturally shared a similar cultural background. Often reading the same books and all speaking and writing in the same language, they created a unique intellectual commonality in which an ongoing, constant exchange of ideas, texts, and forms of discourse beyond communal barriers was the norm. This characteristic of the medieval world of Islam - which created what has aptly been described as a "whirlpool effect" or a "crosspollination" - requires that the study of the intellectual tradition of any of the three monotheistic religions disregard religious borders and that the one-dimensional perspective that still prevails in modern research be replaced by true multi-dimensionalism. The same applies for the so-called "Eastern Question", i.e., the Muslims' interaction with the intellectual traditions of the East, i.e., Iranian, Indian, Central Asian and perhaps even further East, and the people who transmitted and developed them. The purpose of the School will be to familiarize the student participants with an integrative approach to the historiography of intellectual developments in the medieval, post-medieval and early modern period. Such a methodology requires first of all that the various intellectual histories be read together in order to analyze the ways in which their thought was formed and fashioned. Only such an integrative
approach can allow us to fully grasp the various multidimensional flows of ideas and their respective transformation. In addition to the philosophical/theological analysis of the material in question, the
social aspects of the transmission of writings particularly beyond communal barriers shed an important light on the ways in which these processes of transmission took place. Through a number of exemplary
topics, this methodological approach will be presented to theparticipants.

Convenors: Prof. Sabine Schmidtke (Freie Universität Berlin), Prof.Reuven Amitai (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem) 
Cordinator: Ronny Vollandt

For further information and application please see http://www.ihiw.de/w/e/summerschool/ or contact Ronny Vollandt (ronny.vollandt@fu-berlin.de)

Applications, which should include CV, brief statement on current research project, and letter of motivation, will be accepted until 1 April 2014.

Quelle: http://hsozkult.geschichte.hu-berlin.de/termine/id=23647

CFP: The Making of Jerusalem

CFP: The Making of Jerusalem: Constructed Spaces and Historic Communities 

Calouste Gulbenkian Library of Armenian Patriarchate
03.07.2014-04.07.2014, Jerusalem
Deadline: 15.12.2013

The Calouste Gulbenkian Library of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem invites scholars to apply to participate in the  Conference "The Making of Jerusalem: Constructed Spaces and  Historic Communities" taking place on 3-4 July 2014 at the Armenian Patriarchate in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is one of the most contested cities around the world with a rich and complex history. With its web of sacred sites, quarters, and neighborhoods, it represents a polyglot of historical communities. Today's Jerusalem is a testament to its temporal, physical and demographic transformations over the centuries. The purpose of this conference is to explore various aspects in the making of the city while focusing on historic communities and their concept of - and relationship with - space (be it sacred or secular).

We encourage inter-disciplinary approaches from different fields such as history, the social sciences, art, literature, religious studies and different area studies, particularly Armenian Studies and its actual and
potential interplay with various disciplines as well as other area studies.

The conference aims to remain true to the different temporal phases in the history of Jerusalem while putting the emphasis on the Early Modern and Modern periods, including the contemporary period. That is to say,
we are particularly interested in the post-1517 era, using the Ottoman conquest of the city as a starting point.

Topics and themes might include:
- Transformations of Jerusalem's quarters
- Cross-cultural interaction among the different historical communities
- Tradition of pilgrimage to the sacred sites
- Representation of the Holy City and its communities in texts and literature
- Inter-communal relationships and plurality: coexistence and conflict
- Ethnic, religious and social boundaries
- Shared sacred sites and their management
- Marginalized communities and neighborhoods in the making of the city
- Refugees and their relationship with existing communities
- Impact of wars (e.g. WWI, WWII and others) on communal dynamics
- Emergence of nationalism(s) and its association with or impact on Jerusalem.

If you would like to participate in the conference, we kindly ask you to submit a title, an abstract (400-500 words) and your short biography (200 words) by 15th of December 2013, to our email address:
jerusalem-conference@gulbenkian.pt.

Papers will be selected by the Conference Organizing Committee and its Advisory Board, comprised of an international group of scholars. The languages of the Conference are English and French. If your paper is
selected, you will be asked to submit a draft essay of 6,000-8,000 words by 1 June 2014. The drafts will be circulated among Conference participants in advance. The intention is to publish the Conference
proceedings as an edited book.

The accommodation and flight costs of Conference speakers will be covered.

The Conference is supported by the Armenian Communities Department of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon, and the St. Sarkis Charity Trust, London.

Organizing Committee:
- Boris Adjemian, Bibliothèque arménienne de la Fondation Nubar (UGAB, Paris)
- Annick Asso, Associate Professor, Paul Valéry University-Montpellier III, Institute of French Studies for foreigners, Chair of Literature
- Bedross Der Matossian, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- George Hintlian, independent scholar, Jerusalem
- Fr. Norayr Kazazian, Calouste Gulbenkian Library, Jerusalem
- Claude Mutafian, Docteur de l'Université Paris I
- Razmik Panossian, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Portugal
- Anna Sirinian, Alma Mater Studiorum, Università di Bologna
- Talin Suciyan, Post-Doctoral Researcher at Chair of Turkish Studies,Institute for Near and Middle Eastern Studies, Ludwig-Maximilian University (Munich).

Quelle: http://hsozkult.geschichte.hu-berlin.de/termine/id=23641