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Call for Papers Theme: The Complex Influence of Orientalism on Scientific Discourses About Islam Type: 2nd International Islamophobia Conference Institution: Center for Race and Gender (CRG), University of California, Berkeley Centre d'analyse et d'intervention sociologiques (CADIS), École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS) Location: Paris (France) Date: 11.–12.12.2014 Deadline: 30.6.2014 __________________________________________________ Islamophobia as a form of racism has multiple faces and dimensions. One unexplored dimension is epistemic Islamophobia. The inferiority of non-Western knowledge relative to Western knowledge creates a global eurocentric structure of knowledge where Orientalists become the authoritative voices to talk about anything related to Islam and Muslims. Who is authorized to talk about Muslims is determine by this geopolitical politics of knowledge. Who speaks about and for Muslims is crucial because it shapes the definition of the problems, policies and priorities implemented by states, governments and institutions at both the national and global levels. Orientalism as a discourse of the domination of the 'West over the Rest' since the 18th century, has contemporary expressions and manifestations. The situation becomes quite complex when scientific discourses about Islam in the West, as well as in Muslim majority countries, reproducing eurocentric binaries that converge with Orientalist discourses. The continuities and convergences between scientific discourses about Islam with orientalists perspectives is not only in the shared epistemology and presuppositions, but also in their vision about the future of the political-economy of the Middle East and Muslim populations in the West. We would like to explore the multiple questions that emerge when we examine knowledge production about Muslims and Islam as a research question in this conference . Who speaks for Muslims and Islam? What consequences does this have for both domestic and foreign policy making? What policies at the level of knowledge production should be implemented in order to have a fair and balanced approach to Muslim populations? What are the funding sources of institutions producing the knowledge that states and media use for the representation of and policy making regarding Muslim populations? What role do universities play in reproducing or questioning epistemic Islamophobia? What are the epistemic foundations of the "War on Terror"? Submit a 400 word abstract and a 150 word CV to the attention of Dr. Hatem Bazian: [email protected] Abstracts are due June 30, 2014 Final Papers are due September 30th, 2014 Invites for the conference and participation in the conference is contingent on a submitted paper with a permission for possible publication in the Islamophobia Studies Journal Conference website: http://crg.berkeley.edu/content/pariscfp2014 __________________________________________________ InterPhil List Administration: http://interphil.polylog.org Intercultural Philosophy Calendar: http://cal.polylog.org __________________________________________________
