The Chair of Arabic Studies at the Yerevan State University, in collaboration with the Abdulaziz Saud Al-Babtain Centre for Arabic Culture, cordially invites you to be present at the forthcoming conference titled "Texts, Interpretations, and Entanglements in the Study of Islamicate History." The conference is scheduled to take place between August 28-30 at the Yerevan State University, Armenia.
The conference seeks to create a platform for scholars in Armenia and across the world to discuss some of the key debates and challenges prevalent in Islamic and Arabic Studies in pre-modern and early modern periods. Broadly speaking, we aim to bring together experts working on different disciplines in the fields of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) Studies.
Drawing upon major thematic and methodological concepts, the key question the conference addresses is how to write accounts that are devoid of homogeneous approaches and more accurately reflect the dynamic societies of the past. A deep insight into questions such as “What is Islamic History?” or “How to Study Islam?” reveals a complex reality of entangled histories of Muslims and non-Muslims, as well as Muslims and other Muslims. Caliphal and imperial histories, with consideration of polycentrism, ethnolinguistic and religious diversity invite researchers for a more rigid scrutiny of history and closer interdisciplinary conversations. Furthermore, the controversial nature of early Islamic sources and their transmission, and the possibility of contradictory interpretations only add more complexity to the study of the field.
The conference will explore the long-standing interactions in light of the production of legal, commercial, and cultural knowledge in the early modern world, and the contributions of Armenians and Muslims to the social and urban development of the region, a convenient angle to understanding the emerging pattern of the globalized Islamic and Islamicate worlds.
In addition, the conference invites for a nuanced examination of the relationship between religion and the broad discipline of adab. A close look at the roles of ‘ulama’ and 'udaba’ will efficiently contribute to our understanding of Islamic history․
Discussions on the transformative role of digital humanities will explore the intersection of technology and humanities in general, with an emphasis on its impact, challenges, and future directions in the field of Arabic and Islamic Studies.
