Methodologies, Technologies, Epistemologies: New Contact Zones in Islamic Studies

This conference seeks to tackle questions on how might different disciplines approach the same vital social question: How does a well-established academic field integrate new technological and methodological approaches? And how might these new approaches encourage greater engagement with diverse scholarly voices and the public at large?

These questions pertain to Islamic Studies by working across a number of assumed boundaries in the field, relating to discipline, methodology, and faith background. Each panel is built around a theme and body of scholarship that problematizes such boundaries, including interdisciplinary approaches to Sectarianism; the impact of digital humanities in the field; and scholarship on Islam that speaks equally to faith communities and the secular academy. An inaugural keynote panel brings together scholars working at the intersection of the academy and museum curating. Collectively, the panels thus highlight cutting edge work by a range of scholars who already take these assumed boundaries as problem spaces for productive scholarly engagement. In doing so, the conference aims to encourage a future vision for Islamic Studies that is both more internally inclusive and more publicly-engaged.

The conference format will consist of four panels with 2-3 panelists each. Each panelist will present their work for 20-25 minutes, followed by a moderated round table discussion. The list of panels are:

• Digital Humanities in Islamic Studies
• Sectarianism in Interdisciplinary Perspective
• “Faith work” in the Islamic Studies classroom
• Islamic Studies Perspectives in Museum Work