Human Rights and Foreign Policy: 7th Joint Human Rights (Virtual) Conference

We are pleased to announce that the seventh joint international conference on human rights, on the theme Human Rights and Foreign Policy, will take place from 14 to 16 June 2020 online (hosted by the Human Rights Consortium, University of London).

In light of geopolitical rebalancing of power, challenges to human rights from a number of quarters, and waning international support for human rights, the role of human rights in foreign policy requires urgent investigation. For human rights to thrive internationally, states need to support them not only domestically but also in their foreign policies, both in their bilateral relations and multilaterally. Yet, there is significant divergence of practice. Clear challenges appear in the policies of traditional supporters of human rights. This includes actions of the Trump administration on multiple fronts, as well as European states and the EU as a whole. European policy on refugees, for example, severely threatens basic international norms. And UK support for Saudi Arabia even as it carries on a murderous war in Yemen highlights hypocrisy.

Whereas a certain set of middle powers have traditionally been supporters of human rights internationally, and have explicitly incorporated human rights into their foreign policies, emerging powers in the developing world represent a much more diverse set of actors and perspectives on human rights and international institutions which, while providing opportunities for new kinds of engagement, also pose significant challenges.

Much of the work on human rights and foreign policy has focused on one state in particular – the United States – although there is increasing focus on the European Union, and there is clearly a need for much broader investigation and analysis, and broad-based comparative studies are scarce. Thus, an overarching question for the conference is: in 2021, what does foreign policy support for human rights look like?

Potential questions to be addressed during the conference include: Read more

A World of Realms: A Long View of Diplomacy and Spatiality in the Premodern Islamic World.

Workshop

University of Antwerp – Belgium, May 20-21, 2021

Keynote speaker: Sanjay Subrahmanyam (UCLA/Collège de France)

Power in History: Centre for Political History invites papers that inquire into the spatial dimensions of diplomacy and their relation to conceptions of territoriality in the larger Islamic world, from the 7^th to the early 19^th century, as part of a two-day interdisciplinary workshop held at the University of Antwerp and hosted by the History Department on May 20-21, 2021.

Read more

Authors are cordially invited to submit scholarly articles concerned with Islamic Studies to the Iranian Journal of Islamic Studies (IJIS), which will officially launch in March 2020. IJIS is a quarterly journal of The University of Religions and Denomination (URD). This journal will also submit applications for Web of Science and Scopes after its two first issues get published.

About the Journal

The Iranian Journal of Islamic Studies is mainly concerned to help promote understanding and dialogue among the Islamic Denominations so as to help prepare the ground for peaceful coexistence and friendship among Muslims all around the world. It will be devoted to the examination of all aspects of Islam and the Islamic world. Special attention will be paid to works on Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqh), Islamic Theology (Kalam), history of Islam, politics, sociology, international relations, as well as ethics. Mr. Seyyed Abolhasan Navvab is the Editor-in-Chief of the journal. For further information on IJIS, follow this link: http://ri.urd.ac.ir/news?newsCode=951

URD already publishes the journal of Religious Inquiries, which is covered in Web of Science. For more information on this journal, follow this link: http://ri.urd.ac.ir/

For more information on URD follow this link: https://urd.ac.ir/en/index

Manuscripts submitted to this journal will be deemed as they have not been published and are not under consideration for publication elsewhere. The journal welcomes the submission of manuscripts that meet the criteria of scholarly excellence. Our review process allows the authors and researchers an opportunity to use their expertise in a number of significant ways. Please note that IJIS uses Crossref™ to screen papers for unoriginal material. By submitting your paper to this journal you are agreeing to originality checks during the peer-review and production processes.

We are engaged to settle a website to get the articles for blind peer review; yet, until then, this journal accepts articles by direct email. Please send your submission to Ahmad Amid, the Managing Editor; email: urdjournals@gmail.com

Human Rights and Foreign Policy

7th Joint Human Rights Conference
22-24 June 2020
University of London

Organized by:
Human Rights Consortium, University of London
Human Rights Section, International Studies Association (ISA)
Human Rights Section, American Political Science Association (APSA)
Human Rights Research Committee, International Political Science Association (IPSA)
Standing Group on Human Rights and Transitional Justice, European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR)

In light of geopolitical re-balancing of power, challenges to human rights from a number of quarters, and waning international support for human rights, the role of human rights in foreign policy requires urgent investigation. For human rights to thrive internationally, states need to support them not only domestically but also in their foreign policies, both in their bilateral relations and multilaterally. Yet, there is significant divergence of practice. Clear challenges appear in the policies of traditional supporters of human rights. This includes actions of the Trump administration on multiple fronts, as well as European states and the EU as a whole. European policy on refugees, for example, severely threatens basic international norms. And UK support for Saudi Arabia even as it carries on a murderous war in Yemen highlights hypocrisy.

Whereas a certain set of middle powers have traditionally been supporters of human rights internationally, and have explicitly incorporated human rights into their foreign policies, emerging powers in the developing world represent a much more diverse set of actors and perspectives on human rights and international institutions which, while providing opportunities for new kinds of engagement, also pose significant challenges.

Much of the work on human rights and foreign policy has focused on one state in particular – the United States – although there is increasing focus on the European Union, and there is clearly a need for much broader investigation and analysis, and broad-based comparative studies are scarce. Thus, an overarching question for the conference is: in 2020, what does foreign policy support for human rights look like?

Potential questions to be addressed during the conference include:

Are the traditional supporters of human rights internationally changing their support?
What opportunities and challenges does the emergence of new regional and global powers provide?
What are the internal and external processes which drive state support (or not) for human rights internationally?
What theoretical approaches best explain human rights foreign policies?
How do material and ideational factors influence and shape human rights foreign policies?
What role do emerging powers play in driving (or constraining) human rights internationally, and what are the similarities and differences between their positions?
How do we situate international organization actors like the European Union or the African Union which have some state-like characteristics internationally – or at least have such ambitions?
What role might sub-state political actors play in supporting human rights internationally?
How do transnational civil society networks affect state human rights foreign policies?
Are there divergences between states’ bilateral and multilateral human rights policies?
Can we identify a state of the art in empirical research on human rights-related foreign policy?

This is the 7^th in a series of joint human rights conferences sponsored by the human sections of several international professional organizations, this time co-organised with, and hosted by, the Human Rights Consortium, University of London. The formal call for papers/panels will be released in August, with the submission deadline in November. In the meantime, subscribe to the official twitter feed of the conference  (@hrjc2020) and the Human Rights Consortium twitter feed (@HRC_News) for updates.

The Association for Middle East Women’s Studies (AMEWS) is pleased to invite submissions of abstracts for an international conference on gender and women’s studies in the Middle East in the second week of March 2021 in Beirut, Lebanon, in partnership with local universities (American University of Beirut and Lebanese American University).  This is the first AMEWS conference in the Middle East.  The conference engages scholars from multiple locations in and outside of the region, on the cutting-edge topics propelling research on gender and women’s studies in the Middle East  and with populations in the diaspora. The call is open to the broad range of topics on gender and women’s studies in the social sciences and humanities: politics, economics, history, sexuality, culture, arts, digital humanities and so forth. The abstracts will be reviewed and thematically organized.  There may be invited speakers and sessions.  AMEWS expects to be able to fund the travel, accommodations and catering for the majority of the participants, with funding priority going to those residing in the Middle East.  Several products are planned, including publications and engagements with NGO’s and other local organizations committed to gender issues.  For more information about AMEWS, see: http://amews.org/  and The Journal of Middle East Women’s Studies,https://www.dukeupress.edu/Societies/journal-of-middle-east-womens-studies.  If you are interested in participating, please send an abstract (250 words) on a topic of your interest – include in the abstract why you believe this is a pressing topic.

Abstract template:
Name:
Discipline:
Affiliation :
Email:
Snail Mail:
Title of paper :
Abstract of 250 words.

Please send your abstracts to Angie Abdelmonem :angie.abdelmonem@asu.edu
The deadline for sending abstracts is  October 30, 2019.

Planning Committee: Fatima Sadiqi, Chair; Hanadi Al-Samman, Angie Abdelmonem, Louise Cainkar, Amaney Jamal, Suad Joseph

The intellectual history of Sufism is intertwined with that of philosophy in the Islamic world. This conference will explore and re-examine the relationship between Sufism and philosophy.

From the mystical strains in the writings of Avicenna and Ibn Ṭufayl to the philosophical Sufism of Ibn ʿArabī’s school, the encounter between Islamic mysticism and philosophy has produced a rich nexus of mutual influence and rapprochement, as well as polemical engagement and debate.

Despite the extent and significance of such interactions, modern scholars in the fields of Sufism and Islamic philosophy alike have often been reluctant to venture beyond the conventional boundaries of their respective disciplines and investigate the links that tie Sufi thought to the philosophical traditions of the Muslim world. The aim of this conference is to provide a forum for a cross-disciplinary exploration and re-examination of the relationship between Sufism and philosophy. Key discussion-points include: A) Sufism’s reception of ancient and late antique philosophical traditions. When did this process begin, how did it manifest itself, and through which channels did it occur? B) Falsafa’s interaction with classical Sufism. What impact did the mystical aspects of Avicenna’s thought have on the subsequent development of Islamic philosophy? Have such aspects been over-emphasized or under-estimated? C) ‘Philosophical Sufism’ in the post-classical era. How apt is this label? To what extent did the members of Ibn ʿArabī’s school adopt or engage with theories propounded by al-Fārābī, Avicenna, Suhrawardī or the Ikhwān al-Ṣafāʾ?
Confirmed speakers include:…. Read more

The 7th International Conference on Contemporary Philosophy of Religion
Tehran, Iran, ” Kharazmi University” at 29-30 January 2019

Basics:

– Nature of Comparative Philosophy of Religion

– Possibility of Comparative Philosophy of Religion

– Methodology of Comparative Philosophy of Religion

– Presuppositions of Comparative Philosophy of Religion

– Type of Religion and its Influence on Issues of Philosophy of Religion

– Definition of Religion in Different Philosophies of Religion

Issues:

– Concept of God/Ultimate Reality/the Holy

– Arguments of the Existence of God/Ultimate Reality/the Holy

– Religious Experience and Revelation

– the Afterlife (Immortality)

– The Problem of Evil

– Reason and Faith

– Relationship between God and Nature (Universe)

– Language of Religion (Religious Language)

Time: 29-30 January 2019

Venue: Kharazmi University, Moffateh Avenue, Tehran, Iran

Conference website: http://philorconf.org/

Submissions:

Proposals of papers should consist of a title, a 300-350 word abstract, at least 3 keywords, and the author’s affiliation and email address.

Deadline for submission of abstracts: 1 December 2018

Deadline for Submission of Full Text of Speech (1500-2000 words): 31 December 2018

Notes!

– Please submit proposals (in both MS Word and PDF formats) to philorconf@gmail.com.

– After getting acceptance of the previously submitted proposal, one needs to register through the Registration tab on the left menu. In order to get information about conference’s Academic Board, Suggestions for Accommodation, Visa Application Procedure etc. please refer to the correspondent tabs on the left menu.

Please direct your inquiries to the following email address: philorconf@gmail.com

Deadline: 31 December 2018

Human Rights, Migration, and Global Governance

For Secretary-General António Guterres, who was the High Commissioner for Refugees for a decade (2005–2015) before being elected to lead the UN, one of the most pressing issues currently facing the world body is the large-scale voluntary and involuntary (forced) movement of people across borders. While 2018 marks the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, political, economic, and environmental dysfunction and collapse in their own countries has driven a record high number of people to seek a safer or better life elsewhere. Equally present especially in the West, have been counter-reactions to immigration based on political, social, economic, and security concerns. One reason the United Kingdom is leaving the European Union, with Prime Minister Theresa May triggering “Brexit”, is because of voters’ concerns over the perceived threat of uncontrollable migration. President Trump likewise won office in the US election in part by appealing to many American voters’ fears of immigrants – whether from Mexico (the ‘wall’) or from conflict zones such as Syria.

The global governance and human rights issues in this contemporary era are manifest and complex. The Sustainable Development Goals will be impossible to achieve in the context of state failure, political conflicts, major climate disruptions, and mass population displacements. The rights of citizens also must be balanced against the rights of those fleeing persecution and desperation; more often, the latter are disregarded as populist movements refocus national discourses away from cosmopolitan ideals. These complex ‘wicked problems’ present severe contemporary challenges for the institutions, as well as the idea (and ideals), of global governance.

We welcome proposals for individual workshop papers and full workshop panels addressing the following themes related to these dynamics, as well as other proposals related to topics of the United Nations, global governance and human rights:

>  Is support for global governance institutions, and for global human rights norms, declining as a result of resurgent populist movements?

>  Has support for the international refugee regime declined?….. Read more

Alchemy was a widespread practice in the Islamicate world that was taught from early on to the 19th/20th century. In spite of its popularity attested to by historical references as well as the wealth of alchemical manuscripts that have come down to us, the study of Arabo-Islamic alchemy has been neglected for the last decades. Only recently have we seen a renewed interest in the field, giving rise to a number of publications.

Among its extensive collection of Oriental manuscripts, Gotha Research Library also houses a significant number of alchemical manuscripts (for the Gotha alchemical manuscripts in Arabic see Siggel, Katalog der arabischen alchemistischen Handschriften Deutschlands, vol. 2, Berlin 1950). The workshop aims at bringing together established and younger scholars working on alchemy and providing them with the opportunity to engage directly with the alchemical manuscripts of the Gotha collection. The exploratory character of the workshop refers not only to the direct engagement with the Gotha collection, but also extends to the field of Arabo-Islamic alchemy more generally. Possible questions to be discussed are: Which aspects of alchemy have received significant attention, what aspects deserve to be addressed more in the future? Which theoretical assumptions and methods have guided the research on alchemy, what theories and methods are relevant for future research? What are the current challenges in studying the alchemy of the Islamicate world and how could they be overcome?

We invite papers from a variety of disciplines (for ex. philology, philosophy, history of science, history of religion, art history, paleography), on all aspects of alchemy, for example….. Read more

The Thousand Year School of Shīa: Kūfa, Ḥilla, Najaf, Al-Aḥsā, Baḥrain, Jabal āmil , Aleppo, Esfahan and Qum

“Shīa studies” nowadays is in the focus of interdisciplinary studies of many academic centers, research institutes and scholars. For this reason, and considering the importance of the exchange of ideas and approaches in Shi’a Studies, the Iran-House in Germany is calling for a two-day seminar on Shia studies entitled “The Thousand Year School of Shīa: Kūfa, Ḥilla, Najaf, Al-Aḥsā, Baḥrain, Jabal āmil , Aleppo, Esfahan and Qum.” With the aim of fostering the exchange between researchers and experts, the organizer would like to present the latest discussions and research outcomes on the following topics by experts:
۱. Historical Shia studies: •  From Shaykh Tūsī to Allāma ḥillī •  From Allāma ḥillī to Ākhund Khurāsānī (Author of Al-Kifaya  From Ākhund Khurāsānī up to date.
۲. Development of Shī’ite jurisprudence (Fiqh) by the founding of the Uṣūlī School by Allāma Waḥīd Bihbihānī in Karbala.
۳. The Science of Uṣūl of the Shiites
۴. Ethics (اخلاق) in the thinking and the spiritual attitude of the Shia
۵. The Shi’ite Seminaries (حوزه) and their teaching methods; Developments and diversities.
۶. Shi’ite Quran interpretation
۷. Permanent legacy of the Shia (manuscripts and their reach)
۸. Societal and political developments of Shia from the Tobacco boycott (Mīrzā Shīrāzī and Seyed Jamāl al-Dīn) to this day.
The conference will take place from October 6 – 8, 2017 in Berlin, after that you would have the opportunity to visit Frankfurt Book Fair. The conference languages are English, Arabic, and Persian.

E-mail: iranhaus@irankultur.com

Deadline: October 6, 2017