Debate
Roundtable Discussion: Reorienting Islamic Studies in Asia
- Ali Altaf Mian, Francesca Chubb-Confer, Farzana Haniffa, Guangtian Ha, Jaclyn A. Michael, Nor Ismah, Teren Sevea, Verena Meyer, Yang Yang
- Date
- Thursday 13 June 2024
- Time
- Explanation
- Please register below
- Location
- Online via Zoom
While Asian Muslims comprise a majority of the global Muslim community both historically and today, Islam is not often thought of as an Asian religion or tradition. Asian Islam tends to be overlooked, excluded, or considered derivative of a supposedly normative and authentic Islam, defined as Middle Eastern or Arabian. In this online event, speakers will discuss and evaluate these dynamics through a launch of “Centering Islamic Studies in Asia,” a recently published special issue in the International Issue of Islam in Asia (Vol. 4:1-2).
The issue spotlights new research on Asian Islam by authors around the globe. Using diverse methods, they draw on Asian practices to reassess key categories, conclusions, and questions in the study of Islam. These include the nature of Muslim centers and peripheries, the role of ambiguity in religious expression, the importance of the visual arts to identity formation, the gendered dimensions of legal authority and practice, the role of languages other than Arabic in constructing the Muslim community, and how modern Muslim welfare organizations and women’s pious fashion serve the aspirational goals of individuals and communities. In so doing, the authors argue Islamic studies has much to learn from Asian perspectives and that Asia is an exceptional place from which the field can conceptualize Islamic traditions in broader terms.
The launch will take the format of a discussion among the editors and contributors on their respective articles, and there will also be time for questions and comments from the audience.