CAMBRIDGE WORKSHOP: October 19-20 , 2007

Sponsored by The Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, Cambridge University; co-sponsored by the Shehr Network and ISIM.

Organized by Humeira Iqtidar (Cambridge University); Kamran Asdar Ali (University of Texas, Austin), Martina Rieker(American University in Cairo),


Muslim societies, in popular imagination at least, often seem to embody the opposite of the 'cosmopolitan'. Whereas the association with cosmopolitanism is often of fluidity, cultural interaction and change, Muslim societies are viewed as if characterized by rigidity, adherence to 'tradition' and resistance to change. A significant body of historical research points towards creative and active strains of cosmopolitan interaction in pre-modern, pre-colonial Muslim societies, as elsewhere. However, contemporary Muslim cosmopolitan interaction is seen most frequently as being mediated by the 'West', defined and shaped by the influence of Western cultural and economic forces. While that may be the case as a general trend, there is nevertheless a need to broaden our understanding to various other kinds of interactions that take place in and shape the Muslim world, in its various imaginatively and geographically configured permutations.

This conference would focus on the contemporary forms and vehicles of interactions with 'others' in Muslim societies. If cosmopolitanism is an engagement with an 'other', then proselytizing movements, trading networks, illegal and legal immigration, wars and imposed national boundaries all play an important role in bringing cosmopolitanism to Muslim societies. It is possible also to understand cosmopolitanism beyond 'internationalism', i.e. beyond the confines of a state. If it is broadly understood as interactions that lead to a rethinking of one's own way of life then it would be useful to understand the many ways Muslims societies and communities have engaged in this two-way cultural transmission in different contexts.

Program |Abstracts