Call for Proposals

This Group solicits individual paper, papers session, and roundtable proposals with special attention paid to the following topics:

• Historical relations between Sufism and Shi’ism


• Shrine visitation and/or destruction


• Wahdat al-wujud andishq in popular practice


• Physicality and embodiment


• Anti-Sufism


• Materiality and rituals


• For a cosponsored session with the Religion and Sexuality Group, comparative research in mystical traditions with critical attention to ways in which to analyze languages of desire and/or eroticism in relation to sex and sexuality

Other topics will also receive full consideration. Ninety-minute sessions should be no more than three papers with a respondent. All proposals should engage existing scholarly research rather than simply presenting the views of a text, figure, or order. Methodological approaches should be explicit in the proposal. We also encourage prearranged papers sessions or roundtable proposals cosponsored outside the broader Islam Groups for both session lengths. Prearranged papers session or roundtable proposals reflecting diversity in gender, ethnicity, theoretical method, and rank are highly encouraged.

Mission

Islamic mysticism is a broad rubric, one that allows us to engage in areas such as Sufism, Isma’ili and broader Shi’i esoteric thought, some aspects of Islamic philosophy, and allegorical interpretations of the Qur’an. The study of Islamic mysticism also allows our members to engage Islamic materials from many different parts of the world including, but not limited to Persianate regions, the Arab world, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, and North America.

Anonymity of Review Process

Proposer names are anonymous to Chairs and Steering Committee members during review, but visible to Chairs prior to final acceptance or rejection.

Questions?

Martin Nguyen
Fairfield University
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Omid Safi
University of North Carolina
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Method of Submission