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Cfp: Islam and Religious Norms in the Public Sphere (Berkeley) |
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Islam and Religious Norms in the Public Sphere
The iGov-Institutions and Governance Program
(http://www.igovberk eley.com) of the University of California, Berkeley
(with the support of Professor Christopher Kutz) and the Robert Schuman
Center of the European University Institute (with the support of
Professor Olivier Roy) are funding a series of papers on Islam and
Religious Norms in the Public Sphere. The papers will be presented
during 2 workshops (one in Florence and one in Berkeley) and will be
published as working papers on the network website together with policy
briefs. This is a call for proposals for papers.
Context
From the ban of minarets in Switzerland, to the question of crucifixes
in public schools in Italy, to the English High Court ruling on Jewish
identity in the case of admission to an orthodox Jewish high school: the
sacred has emerged into secular democratic politics.
This “return to the sacred” encompasses both a re-emergence of religious
norms and ideas into public sphere and, as a result of globalization, an
increasing disconnect between religious norms and regional cultural markers.
In our post-9/11 world, the media has focused on ‘newly’ discovered
Muslim populations in the West, often casting this religious group in
ethnic terms. This has led Western governments to use problematic tools
and lenses - assimilation, secularization, and multiculturalism - to
deal with religious “minorities’” role in the public sphere. These are
problematic because they mistake the relation of religion to culture and
politics within pluralistic states.
The RPS network, anchored by U.C. - Berkeley and the Robert Schuman
Center of the European University Institute (EIU), aims to shed new
light on these issues by recasting the supposed tensions between Islam
and the West in light of broader questions about religion’s relationship
to modern politics and society. The RPS international scholarly network
will analyze the call by people of all faiths for greater recognition of
religious norms by governments, legislatures, and schools.
The research will have clear relevance for public policy on both sides
of the Atlantic by directly addressing how political demands and
religious identities can be respected while still complying with the
secular principles underlying Western democratic traditions.
The RPS will work on the following issues among others:
Are there common patterns for integrating the personal practice of
religion into public life?
Who are the actors in this integration and what impact do they have on
public policies?
What do we mean by the term “Public Religion?” Is it a theological
reform or just a recasting of religiosity?
How are the changes taking place in Western societies reflected in other
traditionally religious societies?
How should we think of religion in the public sphere, in a secularized
and pluralist environment?
How do Western courts or administrative decisions (e.g., appointing
Religious chaplains) contribute to shape the notion of “Western Religion?”
How do national norms of citizenship and national norms regarding the
relationship between religion and the state shape the adoption of
different approaches to this issue?
How is the integration of religion into public life understood
differently across national contexts? Is this understood as a matter of
liberty? Of equality? Of some other norm?
What is the relationship between religion and culture? How does this
relationship vary across the major religious traditions? What is
distinctive about religion as a discourse of identity?
This call invites you to submit a paper that will be presented during 2
workshops in Florence and in Berkeley.
*Characteristics of the completed works*:
Each paper should not exceed 7,500 words. This limit does not include
the executive summary (not to exceed 1000 words), annexes or references.
It should be written in English, in a style that is accessible to an
informed citizen, and does not assume prior knowledge by the reader.
The paper should provide policy recommendation.
Proposals for papers should not exceed 2 pages (including basic
information on the expertise of the authors and contact details).
*Application Procedures*
A budget of $2,500 is available for each Commissioned Paper. This will
be payable on acceptance of final revised version.
Completed applications to be received electronically (one copy only) to
Heddy Riss:
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<mailto:
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later than
*17:00, July 30th , 2010 Pacific Standard Time*
It is expected that those selected will be informed not later than
August 15, 2010*.*
This project has been funded by the SSRC: Academia in the Public Sphere:
Islam and Muslims in World Contexts program.
--
iGov-Institutions and Governance Program
214 Moses Hall
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-3880
Tel: 510 642 8246
Fax: 510 642 9493
http://igov. berkeley. edu |
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