Call for panels: Islam in Africa - Historical and Contemporary Processes of Islamisation and Re-islamisations => Deutsche Version siehe Download am Ende der Nachricht => Version française voir download ci-dessous Joint conference of the Swiss Society Middle East and Islamic Cultures and the Swiss Society of African Studies, 24-25 April 2015 in Bern (Switzerland) An estimated 500 million Africans or roughly 45% of the total population on the African continent is Muslim and many countries are predominantly Muslim or have significant Muslim populations. However, there is a huge diversity within Islam. The conference aims to explore the dynamics behind this diversity. It is interested in both historical and contemporary processes of islamisation and re-islamisations in Africa and their consequences. Earlier examples include economic and cultural exchanges in Northern and Eastern Africa and the Horn that were triggered by trade and frequently pre-dated contact with Europeans. These exchanges had significant impacts, among other, on the political sphere, education, science, and everyday practices. Beyond these earlier examples and their transformations, there are both transnational and domestic contemporary processes. They include adapted trade flows, investment and banking relations or development aid. Among the consequences are reform movements, but also (violent) political change. These forms of change have different social effects depending on gender, age, social class and other markers of difference. Other processes of islamisation and re-islamisation are based on migration and cultural flows based on the internet, media or popular culture, again having distinct effects on the micro, the meso and the macro level. The organizers welcome papers by anthropologists, archaeologists, historians, geographers, sociologists, political scientists, researchers in Islamic studies and other related disciplines with a focus on the following sub-themes of the conference: Panel 1: Islam et enjeux de pouvoirs / Islam und Politische Macht / Islam and Power Organizer: Daniel Künzler, University of Fribourg ([email protected]) Keynote: Muriel Gomez-Perez, Université Laval The diffusion of Islam is closely related to questions of power. It is linked to diverse and ambiguous processes such as the emergence of (early) elites, social reform projects, the collaboration with or the resistance to colonial domination and postcolonial governments. Furthermore, forms of religious revitalization with its influences on popular lifestyles and institutions (re-)shape the socio-political order and its underlying power struggles and games, both in support of dominant groups or as a challenge to them. This panel welcomes papers that analyse historical and contemporary developments and transformations of the political space. Papers may focus on the (re-)negotiation of policies and polities or on politics. We welcome contributions that address cross-cutting issues related to the above themes such as gender, youth, social movements, political parties, media, human rights, violence, legal or spatial aspects. Panel 2: Islam and economics / Islam und Wirtschaft / Islam et économie Organizer: Thomas Würtz, University of Berne ([email protected]) Keynote: Steffen Wippel, University of Erlangen and ZMO Berlin Trade was a major factor for the diffusion of Islam in Africa. Especially trading across the Sahara desert was for centuries in the hand of Muslim tribes. Merchandise were spices, salt, gold and ivory as well as manuscripts and slaves. Later on Sufi communities combined Islamic forms of spirituality with economic matters. The most prominent example for this connection may be the activities of the Muridiyya community in Senegal with regard to peanuts farming. Investments are nowadays done in the primary sector (land grabbing), the secondary sector (raw materials) and the tertiary sector (tourism, Islamic Banking). All these activities taken together with development cooperation contribute at different degrees to the re-islamisation in African countries. Recent scholarship focussed on the role of former workers on huge farms how converted to Islam and spread their newly adopted faith in their local village communities. In this panel we would like to welcome all, who can contribute to the diffusion of Islam and religious revitalisation in connection with trade or other economical activities. Panel 3: Islam et transformations des cultures matérielles et immatérielles/ Islam and change of material and immaterial cultures / Islam und Wandel der materiellen und immateriellen Kultur Organizer: Anne Mayor, University of Geneva ([email protected]) Keynote: Timothy Insoll, University of Manchester Islam has been progressively adopted in Africa in different time periods and through different modalities. This caused and continues to cause important changes in domains as different as architecture, funeral rites, art and handicraft, clothing and eating practices, not to mention music and popular culture. Historically, the diffusion of Islam accompanied the development of long-distance exchange networks and the large-scale settling-down of people, processes that structure societies until now. For the cultural heritage of African societies, islamisation signified also the abandon, consented or under constraint, of sacred places, funeral rituals and objects used for the cult of ancestors, or even the delocalisation of entire villages. All this contributed to the transformation of the cultural spheres of both converted individuals and societies. Processes of re-islamisation touch these questions even more radically and concern also societies that have been Muslim for a long time. This is exemplified by the recent destruction of manuscripts and mausoleums of Muslim saints or by the canon used for the generalised reconstruction of mosques that differs from the canons used for the ancient mosques of Sahelian Africa. This panel assembles papers that contribute to our knowledge about both historical and contemporary processes of islamisation and re-islamisation and its consequences, as well as the material and immaterial transformations they caused in African societies. Panel 4: Imagined communities Organizer: Thomas Herzog, University of Berne ([email protected]); Elisabeth Bäschlin, University of Berne ([email protected]) Keynote: Brian J. Peterson, Union College New York The diffusion of islamic religiosity and practices in Africa participates in the multiple processes of identity construction in the past and in the present (islamisation and “re-islamisation”) In this panel we would like to welcome all contributions which deal with the field of interaction of Islamic religiosity and the construction of identity. We understand “identities” as constructions in the sense of Benedict Anderson („Imagined communities“,1983), as a product of religious, ethnic, cultural and national ascriptions and self-ascriptions. Currently religion is in the focus of self- and external perception and is discussed as such. One of our concerns is to widen the perspective and to include other relevant aspects (culture, history, tradition) and processes (ethnicizing). Possible issues of discussion could be: Which Islamic forms and practices existed and exist? Which syncretisms have developed? How did and do African societies react to islamisation/re-islamisation? Which forms of interaction did/do exist between different religious groups? Which part in group-narratives has Islam? Paper proposals: Papers for all panels may be submitted and presented in English, French or German. However, we strongly encourage presenters to use English slides to support understanding. Paper proposals of approx. 200 words should be submitted to the organizer of the appropriate panel before November 30th 2014 and additionally include name and institutional affiliation of the author(s). Download: Call for panels (D/E/F) -- Distributed by the Centre for African Studies Basel for the Swiss Society for African Studies SGAS/SSEA sagw.ch/africa
Posted on: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 07:51:47 +0000
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