REPRESENTING ISLAM: COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVES

CALL FOR PAPERS

REPRESENTING ISLAM: COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVES

International Conference, University of Manchester, 5-6 September 2008

We invite single-paper and full-panel proposals for the conference
‘Representing Islam: Comparative Perspectives’ organised jointly by the
Universities of Manchester and Surrey and supported by the Arts and
Humanities Research Council of Britain.

Representations of ‘Islam’ have a profound influence on political cultures
and national identities, as well as on attitudes to immigration, security
and multiculturalism. The complexity of the notion of ‘Islam’ and the
heterogeneous responses that it elicits are such that there is no uniform
approach to its representation and social construction. The conference
addresses this complexity by treating the comparative dimension of recent
representations of Islam, encompassing different nations, political
institutions, media institutions, and cultures. The conference will be
primarily concerned with the press, television, radio, film and the
internet, but may include other channels of communication, such as
translations, speeches or pamphlets, political discourse, and the visual arts.

The comparative emphasis will be achieved at several levels: that of the
single paper, that of the panel, and that of the conference as a whole.
Papers and panels are therefore invited treating single nations or media
outlets, or adopting a comparative perspective.

We anticipate proposals on topics emanating from the fields of Political
Communication, Communication Science, Media Studies, Film Studies, Cultural
Studies, Sociology, Social Psychology, Translation Studies,
Sociolinguistics, and Modern Languages.

Confirmed plenary speakers:
• Thomas Deltombe (France, journalist)
• Alisher Khamidov (Kyrgyzstan, journalist)
• Kenan Malik (England, writer and broadcaster)
• Prof Tariq Modood (England, Bristol University)
• Prof Greg Philo (Scotland, Glasgow University Media Unit)
• Dr. Elizabeth Poole (England, Staffordshire University)
• Prof Tariq Ramadan (England, France, academic and theologian)

An edited volume based on selected conference papers will be published.

Accommodation and meals will be provided on campus at the University of
Manchester. The conference fee will be discounted for students.

Conference website (containing the form for sending in abstracts):

http://www.llc.manchester.ac.uk/research/centres/cres/events/representing_islam/

Please send panel and paper proposals (title + 250 word abstract) by January
31, 2008 to these two e-mail addresses: Oxana.Poberejnaia@manchester.ac.uk
and Shishir.Shahnawaz@postgrad.manchester.ac.uk
You can expect to hear of the organising committee’s decision on accepting
your abstract by March 15.

Conference Organisers: Professor Stephen Hutchings, Dr Galina Miazhevich
(University of Manchester); Professor Chris Flood, Dr Henri Nickels
(University of Surrey).