APRIL 2006
05-07 April 2006—“Border Management in an Insecure World” (Durham, United Kingdom) 7th International IBRU conference. Topic suggestions welcome anytime. For information, contact: Ms. Michelle speak, Director of External Relations, International Boundaries Research Unit (IBRU), Department of Geography, University of Durham, DH1 3LE, United Kingdom (+44 0 191 334 1961; fax: +44 0 191 334 1962; michelle.speak@durham.ac.uk; www-ibru.dur.ac.uk).

07-08 April 2006 – “Ideology, Literature and the Arts and National Identity and Development in the Islamic World” (Villanova, Pennsylvania) The 23rd annual meeting of the American Council for the Study of Islamic Societies (ACSIS) at Villanova University. For information, contact:  Professor Michael B. Bishku, President of ACSIS, Department of History, Anthropology and Philosophy, Augusta State University, 2500 Walton Way, Augusta GA 30904-2200 (mbishku@aug.edu). 

21-22 April–“Orientalisms and the Chinese Diaspora in the Americas (Denton, Texas) Hosted by the University of North Texas. The conference will focus on the different interpretations of Orientalism that originated after the publication of Edward Said's seminal work Orientalism. It will also deal with the Chinese presence and heritage in Latin America, North America, and the Caribbean (including the Spanish-speaking, Francophone, and Anglophone Caribbean).  Submit a one-page abstract in Spanish, English, or French, dealing with any topic related to the concept of Orientalism and/or the Chinese presence in Latin America, North America, and/or the Caribbean. Send to: Ignacio López-Calvo (lopezcalvo@msn.com). For information, visit: http://www.forl.unt.edu/ChineseDiaspora.doc; or http://hispanismo.cervantes.es/agenda.asp?DOCN=63461. Call for papers deadline: April 1, 2006. Notification of acceptance: April 6, 2006.

21-22 April–“Reading Traditions, Appropriating Cultures: An Interdisciplinary Graduate Conference in Rhetorical, Literary, and Cultural Studies” (Norman, Oklahoma)  The conference aims to inaugurate and to encourage interdisciplinary dialogue that interrogates ideas and cases of culture and tradition, as well as such related concepts as identity, community, history, subjectivity, agency, etc. For information, contact: ousagesconference@gmail.com.

26-29 April 2006—Society of Architectural Historians Annual Conference (Savannah, Georgia) For information, visit: http://www.sah.org.

MAY 2006
05-07 May–“Is There a Middle East?” (New Haven, Connecticut) Papers are encouraged from political and cultural historians, social scientists, geographers, and political economists. Possible themes include: natural boundaries and linguistic, ethnic and cultural self-definition; the Middle East as a geopolitical construct; Orientalizing the Middle East and Occiendetousis revisited; the Islamic legacy as a source of legitimacy and identity; nationalism and images of the self and other; economic resources and patterns of development; popular culture as a vehicle for cultural integration or disintegration; new media and new publics; the rise of regional elites and the role of their expertise in defining the region. Send or email an abstract and a resume to: Barbara Papacoda, Council on Middle East Studies, Yale Center for International and Area Studies, PO Box 208206, New Haven CT 06520 (Barbara.papacoda@yale.edu). Call for papers deadline: March  19, 2006.

07-08 May 2006–“Imam Sadr's Economic Thoughts” (Qom, Iran) It has been a quarter of a century since Ayatollah Mohammad Baqir al- Sadr, a genius jurist and a prominent scholar in Islamic studies, was martyred. To honor this prominent figure of the Islamic World and in line with its academic mission, Mofid University is organizing a conference on Imam Mohammad Baqir Sadr’s Economic Thoughts. For information, contact: Mofid University, Mofid Square, Qom, Iran; PO Box: 37185-3611 (tel/fax: + 98 251 2932135; sadr.iec@gmail.com, or Sadr.iec@mofidu.ac.ir).

11-14 May 2006–“Historiography and Ideology: Architectural Heritage of the ‘Lands of Rum’” (Cambridge, Massachusetts) The annual Harvard Aga Khan symposium to be held at the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Organized by Professor Gülru Necipoglu of Harvard University and Dr. Sibel Bozdogan of the Boston Architectural Center. Sponsored and presented by the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Art and Architecture at Harvard University. Lecture titles and details to be announced this fall. For information, contact: Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture, Harvard University, Sackler Museum, Room 412, 485 Broadway Street, Cambridge MA 02138 (617 495-2355; fax: 617 496-8389; agakhan@fas.harvard.edu; www.fas.harvard.edu/~agakhan/index2.html).

15-18 May 2006—“British and US Imperialism” (Kingston, Ontario, Canada) Papers are invited on any aspect of British and/or American imperialism in Africa, the Caribbean, Central America, and the Middle East (from the 18th C-present). Proposals welcome from all disciplines. Particularly are welcome contributions that compare and/or contrast British and US policies, practices and legacies. Send 300-word abstract to: empire@post.queensu.ca. Conference website available in April: http://post.queensu.ca/~empire.

18-20 May 2006—“Ethnic Life Writing and Histories” (Pamplona, Spain) 5th Annual MESEA - The Society for Multi-Ethnic Studies: Europe and the Americas. For information, conact: MESEA’s Program Director, Yiorgos Kalogeras, Department of English, Aristotle University, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece (kalogera@enl.auth.gr;  www.mesea.org/).

26-28 May 2006—“The Law of Waqf” (Cambridge, Massachusetts) A conference in 3 parts: I. Origins to Ottoman-Era Maturity; II. Modern State Control and Nationalization; III. Contemporary Regeneration. Organized by the Islamic Legal Studies Program of Harvard Law School and Randi Deguilhem of the Institut de Recherches et d’Etudes sur le Monde Arabe et Musulman (IREMAM) in Aix-en-Provence. The conference will be held in three stages, organized chronologically, which capture three distinct eras of waqf up to modern times. The first stage “Origins to Ottoman-Era Maturity” will be held this coming May 2006 at Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Subsequent stages are titled “Modern State Control and Nationalization” and “Contemporary Regeneration.” For more information, contact Peri Bearman (pbearman@law.harvard.edu).

JUNE 2006
11-16 June 2006– Second World Congress for Middle Eastern Studies (Amman, Jordan) The Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies (RIIFS) is pleased to announce that it has been chosen to organize and host the Second World Congress for Middle Eastern Studies (WOCMES-2). Initiated by the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA), the First World Congress was organized and hosted by the University of Mainz in 2002 and attracted over 2000 scholars, experts and students from around the globe. It involved the participation of the European Association for Middle Eastern Studies (EURAMES), the British, French, Italian and German Middle East studies associations (BRISMES, AFEMAM, SeSaMO and DAVO) and other similar organizations in North America, the Middle East and the 14 other member countries of EURAMES. RIIFS now extends its own invitation to all of the institutions and organizations that took part in the First World Congress and requests that they inform their members about WOCMES-2 and consider how they may contribute to its success. In particular, RIIFS asks that they begin coordinating their 2006 activities with the WOCMES-2 Secretariat in the autumn of 2004, organizing panels, workshops, symposia and major conferences under the WOCMES-2 umbrella.
      This invitation also applies to other associations, research centres, university departments, international organizations and institutions which did not take part in the First World Congress, but which are involved in the study of the Middle East, North Africa and the Muslim states of Central Asia in addition to those areas of the world directly or indirectly affected by developments in these regions. Calls for papers from individual scholars will be sent out in 2005.
     Local and international media and high-ranking decision-makers involved in political, economic and cultural spheres are also expected to attend the Second World Congress and to disseminate, in the months that follow, the new ideas and interpretations that they encounter there. The working language of the congress will be English, with some French and Arabic.
      Because the Second World Congress will actually take place in the Middle East, the cultural program is expected to be particularly rich. Organizers are presently considering two book fairs (Arabic/International) involving book-sellers, publishers and authors; exhibitions of modern Arab art by Jordan’s national and local galleries; other exhibitions related to various aspects of Middle Eastern studies; a film festival with panel discussions; and concerts featuring musicians from across the Arab world. The timing will also be advantageous since the weather will be pleasant and many academics will be on their summer break, leaving them with ample time to explore Jordan’s well-known tourist attractions (such as Petra, Jerash, Madaba and Mount Nebo), as well as those in neighbouring countries, during their visit to the region.
    For information, contact: WOCMES-2 Secretariat, Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies (RIIFS), PO Box 830 562, Amman 11183, Jordan (962 6 4618051; fax: 962 6 4618051;academic@wocmes2.orgwocmes2.org; www.riifs.org). Call for papers deadline: February 28, 2006.

20-23 June 2006—“Hierarchy and Power in the History of Civilizations” (Moscow, Russia) 4th International Conference organized by the Center for Civilizational and Regional Studies in cooperation with the Institute for African Studies (both under the Russian Academy of Sciences). For information, contact the Conference Secretaries: Ms. Anastasia A. Banshikova and Ms. Svetlana V. Kobzeva, Center for Civilizational and Regional Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences, 30/1 Spiridonovka St., 123001 Moscow, Russia (7 095 291 4119; fax: +7 095 202 0786; civ-reg@inafru.ru; http://civreg.ru; http://inafr.ru).

JULY 2006
4-6 July 2006—“The Global Gulf” (Exeter, United Kingdom)  An interdisciplinary conference on the Gulf region (Arabia, Iran, Iraq) and its historical and contemporary connections with the wider world.  Proposed panel topics include: the Gulf and the Islamic World, the Gulf and Asia, the Gulf and the West, the Gulf and Europe, Gulf regional relations, foreign communities in the Gulf, and research on the Gulf.  For more information, contact: J.Onley@exeter.ac.uk; or visit: www.huss.ex.ac.uk/iais/research/gulf.htm  J

07-08 July 2006–“The Art and Material Culture of Iranian Shiism” (Oxford, United Kingdom) Despite the numerous studies of Iranian art and material culture, covering architecture, object studies, flat art and photography, very little work has been published on the subject of Shiite art per se. For information, contact: Professor James Allan at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford OX1 2PH, UK or to:  Pedram Khosronejad (pedram.khosronejad@orinst.ox.ac.uk).

13-16 July 2006—“Poetry and Politics” (Stirling, Scotland) A Conference at the University of Stirling, Scotland. Poets and speakers to include Moniza Alvi, Eavan Boland, David Dabydeen, Linton Kwesi Johnson, David Norbrook, Tom Paulin, Deryn Rees-Jones, Jo Shapcott, and the Norton keynote speaker, Adrienne Rich. Visit: www.poetryandpolitics.stir.ac.uk  for further details and announcements; or contact: Poetry and Politics Conference, University of Stirling, Stirling, Scotland, FK9 4LA. Conference organizers: Glennis Byron, John Drakakis, Andrew Sneddon.

AUGUST 2006
03-05 August 2006–6th Biennial conference on Iranian Studies (Oxford, United Kingdom) Organized by the International Society for Iranian Studies (ISIS), Iran Heritage Foundation (IHF) and the London Middle East Institute (LMEI). The conference will take place immediately after the Centenary Conference on the Iranian Constitutional Revolution, which will be organized by the Iran Heritage Foundation and the University of Oxford and held 30 July–02 August 2006 at Oxford. Up-to-date information on the Sixth Biennial Conference will be available at www.iranianstudies.net and at www.iranheritage.org. The conference will be held at SOAS, and participants should contact the Iran Heritage Foundation (info@iranheritage.org) if they require an invitation in order to obtain a visa for entry into the United Kingdom or if they wish to make arrangements for accommodation at student halls of the University of London.

03-06 August 2006–“New Perspectives on Religion and Theatre: A Debut Panel” (Chicago, Illinois) The Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) annual conference. This debut panel is sponsored by ATHE’s Religion and Theatre Focus Group and provides a unique forum for exploring the various historical, theoretical, and practical intersections of religion and theatre.  For information, visit: www.athe.org.

10-13 August–“Perils and Promises of Globalization:  Difference, Resistance and Possibility (Louisville, Kentucky) The 69th annual meeting of the Rural Sociological Society (RSS).  Conference information: http://ruralsociology.org/annual-meeting/2006/index.html. Program questions, Patricia Allen at: 2006rss@ucsc.edu; general questions, Edie Pigg at: ruralsoc@missouri.edu.

SEPTEMBER 2006
08-10 September 2006—“Lawful and Unlawful Violence in Islamic Law and History” (Cambridge, Massachusetts) The V International Conference on Islamic Legal Studies will take place at Harvard Law School. For information regarding the program and attendance, access www.law.harvard.edu/programs/ilsp or contact ilsp@law.harvard.edu. The International Society for Islamic Legal Studies (ISILS), set up in October 2004, is the formal organizer of these triennial ILS conferences. Membership in ISILS is for a three-year period, the first period comprising the years 2005-2007. Membership is $60 ($30 for full-time students, with proof of full-time student affiliation). To become a member of ISILS, which will allow one to attend and vote in the ISILS Business Meeting at each conference and will allow for a reduction of the conference registration fee, please send a cheque or money-order for the relevant amount to: ISILS, c/o Peri Bearman, Harvard Law School, Islamic Legal Studies Program, Cambridge MA 02138 (pbearman@law.harvard.edu).

22-23 September –“Space and Time in World Politics and International Relations” (Moscow, Russia) The 4th Russian International Studies Association (RISA) Convention Suggested topics: What is the meaning of “Modernity” in world politics and international relations and how “modern” are they?; What makes contemporary politics global? How is its unity in space and time achieved?;  Is the dynamics of spatial and temporal changes in the contemporary world subject to influence?; What is the significance of geopolitical factors in contemporary world politics?; What new fields of world politics are being born as a result of globalization – transnational, supranational, geo-economic, cross-cultural, etc.?; When and how do the “windows of opportunity” for radical changes in world politics appear?; What are the possible scenarios of global political dynamics?; Do cycles exist in world politics?; What are the spatiotemporal parameters of contemporary international crises?;  Is there a common vector of global political development?; What role does simultaneity of political processes play in the development of today’s world?;  What is the place of Russia and other countries (regions) in contemporary spatial and temporal system of political coordinates?; How can countries that are on different stages of development interact and understand each other?; How does the temporal factor affect the processes of foreign policy planning and taking decision-making in the context of the acceleration of changes? What are the spatial and temporal configurations of modern international organizations, alliances, coalitions? For information or to register, contact: Russian International Studies Association, Prospect Vernadskogo 76, Moscow, Russia 117454 Moscow (7495 434-9332; fax: 7495 434-9179; risa@mgimo.ru; http://convention2006.risa.ru). Call for papers deadline: April 15, 2006.

29 September 2006—“Between Jihad and McWorld: Voices of Social Justice” (Ashtabula, Ohio) Kent State University Ashtabula is now accepting  proposals for papers, exhibitions, artwork, photography, and panel discussions regarding themes and ideas from Dr. Benjamin Barber’s Jihad vs. McWorld. Dr. Barber will deliver the conference’s keynote address. Proposals may be sent to: Carol Murray, Social Justice Committee, Kent State University Ashtabula, 3300 Lake Rd. West, Ashtabula OH 44004 (cmurray@ashtabula.kent.edu; www.ashtabula.kent.edu/Campus/socialjusticeconference.cfm). Call for papers deadline: March 20, 2006.

OCTOBER 2006
06-08 October–“
Russia and Eurasia in World Context: A Dialogue with East Asian Studies” (Princeton, New Jersey) The Eurasia Program of the Social Science Research Council, in Partnership with Princeton University’s Institute for International and Regional Studies (PIIRS), East Asian Studies Program, and Russian and Eurasian Studies Program, invites applications of a 3 day dissertation development workshop. Up to 12 graduate students and six faculty discussants will attend. Graduate students from social science disciplines and the related humanities at any state of the dissertation process are eligible. Applicants need no possess expertise in both area studies contexts, but should work within one or the other area studies field. Submit: 5-page, double-spaced summary of the dissertation project, addressing how the topic speaks to, or can benefit from, this particular perspective; one letter of academic recommendation from the applicant’s primary advisor and a CV. If selected, participants will be required to submit a 15-25 page dissertation chapter or writing sample, due September 8, 2006. For detailed information on application procedures and eligibility requirement, visit: www.ssrc.org/programs/eurasia/title8_dissertation_workshops; Eurasia@ssrc.org. Application deadline: April 24, 2006.

20-22 October 20063rd Biennial Urban History Conference (Phoenix, Arizona) The conference deals with all urban topics. For information, contact: Janet.Bednarek@notes.udayton.edu.

20-22 October 2006–Islamic Philosophy Panels
Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy (SAGP), Society for the Study of Islamic Philosophy and Science (SSIPS) and Association of Chinese Philosophers in America (ACPA) invite proposals for the International Conference on Ancient and Medieval Philosophy at Fordham University on October 20-22, 2006. Panel proposals due on April 1, 2006 or individual proposals on Islamic philosophy are due on June 1, 2006 are to be submitted to Shalahudin Kafrawi skafrawi@moravian.edu. For proposals in other areas, consult Parviz Morewedge pmorewed@gsp-online.org or Anthony Preus apreus@binghamton.edu. Call for panels deadline: April 1, 2006; Call for papers deadline: June 1, 2006.

 

27-29 October 2006–Muslim Identities: Shifting Boundaries and Dialogues” (Hartford, Connecticut) The 35th Annual Conference of the Association of Muslim Social Scientists (AMSS), cosponsored by the Hartford Seminary. Possible themes include: Muslim identities in historical, textual or empirical research; religious, social, cultural and political dimensions of Muslim social identities; constructions of the Muslim subject in colonial, neo-colonial, and post-colonial encounters; good Muslim/bad Muslim: Identity Politics in the Post-9/11 Era; divergent discourses and the construction of Muslim subjectivities: traditional and/or modern perspective essentialism/anti-essentialism in Muslim identity construction; epistemological and ontological perspectives: textual narrations of self/identity/community; the complex relationship between texts, contexts, and human agency in the Construction of Islamic Norms Authoritative Identities: Exegetical Practices and Gendered Interpretations; contesting boundaries: gendered/sexual identities; indigenous and diasporic articulations of identity, community, nation: authenticity, hybridity and belonging Muslim youth and identity politics; marginality and the politics of resistance; transnational pan-Islamic identities and solidarities: re-examining the Ummah; Collective Identities and political praxis: Muslim social and political movements; boundaries and social control: regulating and policing identities; identity and representation: media characterizations and Muslim Identities; religious Manichaeanism: persistence of orientalist and emergence of neo-orientalist constructions of self/other and civilizational dialogues; and identities of faith: challenges of and possibilities for interfaith dialogue and collaboration post-modernism and the crisis of identity. Abstracts (250 words) are due May 15, 2006.  Accepted papers must be submitted by September 15, 2006. Send abstracts (250 words) and papers to Conference Coordinator, Ms. Layla Sein: conferences@amss.net. Conference Chair: Dr. Jane Smith, Hartford Seminary. For details about AMSS and conference updates, visit http://www.amss.net. Call for papers deadline: May 15, 2006.

MAY 2007
23-28 May 2007–“Crossing Jordan” (Washington DC) 10th International Conference on the History & Archaeology of Jordan (ICHAJ). This conference will focus on the many peoples and their cultures who “crossed Jordan” from the earliest times to the present and on the conservation of Jordan's heritage. Hosted by the George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs located at 1957 E Street, Washington, D.C. Organizing Institutions: The American Center of Oriental Research and The Department of Antiquities of Jordan in cooperation with: The American Schools of Oriental Research, Boston and The American Schools of Oriental Research in Canada. Notice will be sent when website becomes available. For the sake of planning, the organizers would appreciate a preliminary indication of your interest in attending.  Please send an email message to the ACOR Amman office at acor@go.com.jo. For information, contact: ACOR, PO Box 2470, Amman 11181, Jordan or ACOR, 656 Beacon Street, 5th Floor, Boston, MA 02215-2010. Call for papers deadline: September 15, 2006.