Relatively few academic studies have commented on Badakhshan Province in northern Afghanistan. During the period of the political 'Great Game' between Tsarist Russian-Central Asia and British India... Show moreRelatively few academic studies have commented on Badakhshan Province in northern Afghanistan. During the period of the political 'Great Game' between Tsarist Russian-Central Asia and British India in the 19th century, British and Russian adventure-style officers occasionally returned with reports. Last century, a number of German, Russian, Austrian, Swiss, as well as a few Danish, French, American and Afghan researchers discussed Badakhshan in terms of various academic fields ranging from history, anthropology, ethnomusicology, geography, and linguistics, to geology, botany, and mountaineering. All of these accounts refer to conditions prior to the Communist coup in April 1978. Recent fieldwork experiences in Badakhshan (1998 and 1999) have allowed an examination of the impact of Afghanistan's civil war upon cultural traditions, particularly those involving performance, notably music and dance. Show less
The American Academy of Religion is the world’s largest learned society and professional association of scholars and teachers in the field of religion. Through academic conferences, publications... Show moreThe American Academy of Religion is the world’s largest learned society and professional association of scholars and teachers in the field of religion. Through academic conferences, publications and a variety of programme and membership services, the American Academy of Religion (AAR) fosters excellence in scholarship and teaching. It also aims to advance publication and scholarly communication on religion; to welcome multiple perspectives on the study of religion; to support racial, ethnic and gender diversity within the Academy; and to seek ways to contribute to the public understanding of religion. Show less
According to classical Western social theory, the institutions, networks, and projects of civil society operate in a pluralistic, continuously contested public civic realm. Distinct from either the... Show moreAccording to classical Western social theory, the institutions, networks, and projects of civil society operate in a pluralistic, continuously contested public civic realm. Distinct from either the government’s coercive bureaucratic functions or profit-seeking private businesses, often conceptualized as a buffer between states and households, civil society represents a third, non-governmental, non-profit, voluntary sector of modern society. Viewed differently, the civic realm is a zone where culture interacts with politics and economics. Recent research shows that rates of civic activism - of joining communicating, demonstrating, donating, organizing, and participating in events and projects that affect community services, public opinion, and national politics - vary across countries and across time. The question is whether cultural ‘traditions’ explain why the civic sphere is more vibrant in some places and periods than others. Show less
Scientific research, especially in the social sciences, is extremely tributary to the ideas and the practices in the societies where researchers live. It is thus that studies conducted on religious... Show moreScientific research, especially in the social sciences, is extremely tributary to the ideas and the practices in the societies where researchers live. It is thus that studies conducted on religious phenomena, and notably on Islam, experienced an eclipse characteristic of the sixties and seventies. The reason for this, amongst others, was that the class of intellectuals and politicians were essentially preoccupied with struggles and a social utopia of progress without reference, and even in opposition, to the traditional religious institutions. In an inverse yet equally excessive movement, the eighties and nineties were witness to a veritable explosion of these same studies in the context of identity, political, and social re-vindication, particularly coming from the Muslim world and advocating an overtly religious ideology. Show less
This past July, Istanbul’s Topkapi Palace welcomed the second plenary gathering of the international research programme, Individual and Society in the Mediterranean Muslim World (ISMM), a European... Show moreThis past July, Istanbul’s Topkapi Palace welcomed the second plenary gathering of the international research programme, Individual and Society in the Mediterranean Muslim World (ISMM), a European Science Foundation (ESF) programme headquartered in Strasbourg. Initiated and chaired by Robert Ilbert, professor at the University of Provence and founder/director of the MMSH (Maison M.diterran.enne des Sciences de l’Homme) in Aix-en-Provence (France), ISMM represents a four-year (1996-99) research programme whose major objective is to study pre-defined aspects of the individual within the Mediterranean Muslim context. Show less
While it may seem surprising that the far-off countries of the North have developed research interest in the Islamic world, a region they have had no colonial or similar relations with, such... Show moreWhile it may seem surprising that the far-off countries of the North have developed research interest in the Islamic world, a region they have had no colonial or similar relations with, such studies have in fact a long tradition in the Nordic countries. While we need not go back to the medieval Viking contact with the inner Mediterranean and the Arab world, both Denmark and Sweden had relations with various Middle Eastern powers from the seventeenth century onwards. Denmark, a maritime power, traded in Moroccan and other ports in North Africa, while Swedish forces in Central Europe came into direct military confrontation with the Ottoman Empire, to which they were allied for a period. Thus, there is little reason to wonder that the universities in the region developed a Middle Eastern interest. Show less
More than four centuries ago, the University Library in Leiden started collecting Arabic manuscripts and printed books. Although there are other university libraries in the Netherlands which have... Show moreMore than four centuries ago, the University Library in Leiden started collecting Arabic manuscripts and printed books. Although there are other university libraries in the Netherlands which have collections in the field of Islamic Studies, Leiden has by far the largest collection in this field. Show less
The aim of this Guide, compiled by Ruud Strijp, is to offer a comprehensive survey of research on Islam and Muslim societies as it has been conducted over the last decade or so by scholars in the... Show moreThe aim of this Guide, compiled by Ruud Strijp, is to offer a comprehensive survey of research on Islam and Muslim societies as it has been conducted over the last decade or so by scholars in the Netherlands as well as by Dutch scholars abroad. The initiative was taken by the International Institute for the Study of Islam in the Modern World (ISIM) in Leiden. Show less
This initiative stems from a series of individual meetings held in 1995-96 between the Director of the Humanities Research Institute (HRI), Dr Patricia O'Brien, and members of the humanities and... Show moreThis initiative stems from a series of individual meetings held in 1995-96 between the Director of the Humanities Research Institute (HRI), Dr Patricia O'Brien, and members of the humanities and social sciences faculties of the nine universities of the University of California system. Professors in different departments often expressed the need for time in which to examine issues that have risen out of movements associated with Islam and with Muslim communities which have taken place during the twentieth century, especially in recent decades. Faculty acknowledged the large body of work that has been done on these topics, but stressed the need for specialists in the different fields intersecting them to examine the given issues together, in a research setting, for an extended period. Show less
The programme 'Islam Tropical' of the Maison des Sciences de l'Homme (MSH) was set up to facilitate international co-operation and exchange between English and French-speaking African, European and... Show moreThe programme 'Islam Tropical' of the Maison des Sciences de l'Homme (MSH) was set up to facilitate international co-operation and exchange between English and French-speaking African, European and American scholars for the development of research on Islam in the countries south of the Sahara. Conceived of, at an international round table discussion held in Paris in December 1983, by leading specialists on sub-Saharian Islam drawn from the three continents, it was only by the end of the 1980's that the programme was included in the general research programme of the Ministry of Research on what is termed in French as 'Islam p.riph.- rique'. Discussed in the journal 'Islam Tropical' published by the MSH, the project received its final goahead when its chief French representative, Jean-Louis Triaud was nominated to his post at the University of Provence, Aix I in 1992. This laid the foundation for the collaboration between the MSH and the researchers on this project. Show less
The Japanese Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture commissioned this area study entitled Islamic Area Studies to collect information and create a computerized information system in... Show moreThe Japanese Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture commissioned this area study entitled Islamic Area Studies to collect information and create a computerized information system in order to better our understanding of the Islamic world. Beginning in April 1997, it will continue for five years, until the spring of 2002. Herein, I would like to explain the aims, content and basic plan of action of the project and express my hope that many people will participate actively in it. Show less
