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- Religion, Race, and Concepts of Difference in the Modern Middle East Call for papers:
Funded by the European Research Council, this workshop proposes to untangle the foregoing concerns by attending to the problem of religion, race, and concepts of difference in the modern Middle East. What will bring the papers together is not necessarily an interest in “race” and “religion” as such but more so the question of concepts of difference raised by these two essential terms in scholarship on the Middle East.
Proposals from across disciplinary perspectives are welcome, but we are especially interested in contributions that engage with the history of concepts of difference across the nineteenth- and twentieth-century Ottoman Empire and post-Ottoman Middle East. Examples of possible topics include but are not at all limited to:
- The transformation (or persistence) of concepts of difference rooted in terms like the Arabic jins, the Turkish millet, and so forth.
- The colonial racialization of Islam, Judaism, Eastern Christianity, and other traditions.
- Theoretical reflections on the relationship between race and religion in Middle Eastern contexts.
- The relationship between the classificatory practices of the late-Ottoman state, or the nation-states that emerged after its collapse, and the subjectivities of the peoples over whom they have ruled.
- The historical experience of communities from the Middle East as they encountered new concepts of difference upon migration to regions like North America.
- Anthropological considerations of modes of belonging in Middle Eastern contexts in relation to the categories of European social science.
Participants will be expected to pre-circulate papers of approximately 4,000-5,000 words, due by 1 June 2024. Each paper will be the focus of collective, seminar-style discussions over a two-day workshop, which will also bring together a wider set of colleagues working in Oxford. It is intended that these papers will be the basis for the publication of a collection of journal-length articles as part of a special issue on race, religion, and difference in the Middle East. Further details of publication will follow to participants.
To apply:
Proposals should include the following:
1. A brief (one-page max) statement of interest in the subject of the workshop;
2. A title and abstract of no more than 250 words for the proposed paper; and
3. A copy of your CV
Please send all the above as a single PDF file to the following address: movingstories@history.ox.ac.uk
**The deadline for all proposals is 7 March 2024**
All proposals will be reviewed by a small committee, and participants will be invited shortly thereafter.
Travel and accommodation:
At least two nights’ accommodation in Oxford will be provided for all participants. Travel expenses will be covered up to a limit, with preference given to early career researchers.
Please direct questions to:
Dr. Henry Clements
Research Associate, “Moving Stories: Sectarianisms in the Global Middle East” ERC-funded project
Junior Research Fellow, Jesus College
Faculty of History, Oxford University
(henry.clements@history.ox.ac.uk)
TBA
