A Roundtable Discussion "Imagining Resecularization in Iran and Turkey: A Comparative-Historical/Theoretical Inquiry" (November 27, 2017)

Roundtable

Imagining Reseculariztion in Iran and Turkey:
A Comparative-Historical and Theoretical Inquiry

Monday 27 November, 2017
Japan Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Beirut, Lebanon
(http://meis2.aacore.jp/base_beirut-lang=en.html)
10:00 -- 14:00

Description:

The roundtable consists of (1) a presentation by the co-editors of and contributors to a forthcoming book on comparative-historical/theoretical inquiry into the issues of secularization, secularism, secularity, desecularization, religious revivalism, and state-religion relations in conjunction with the prospect of "resecularization" in the contexts of Iran and Turkey, and (2) critical discussions by the roundtable participants of some theoretical and substantial points of the presented theme of the book.

Program


10:00 Opening Remarks
Aiko Nishikida, Director, Japan Center for Middle Eastern Studies (JaCMES)

10:15
"A Conceptual Discussion: What is Resecularization in connection with Secularism, Secularity, the Secular, State-Religion Relations, Religious Resurgence, Deprivatization of Relgiion, and Desecularization?"
Yasuyuki Matsunaga, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Japan

10:45
"Desecularization and Resecularization in Turkey"
Umut Azak, Okan University, Istanbul, Turkey

11:15
General Discussion I
(Discussant: Gianluca Parolin, Aga Khan University, London, UK)

11:45 Short Break

12:00
"Desecularization in a Secular State? Diyanet and the Expansion of the Religious Sphere in Turkey"
Sevgi Adak, Aga Khan University, London, UK

12:30
"The Evolution of the Ulema and the Prospects for Turkish Secularism"
Ceren Lord, University of Oxford, UK

13:00
"De-Govermentalisation of Shī'ism and Re-Secularization in Iran"
Naser Ghobadzadeh, Australian Catholic University, Sydney, Australia

13:30
General Discussion II

14:00 Closing Remarks
Aiko Nishikida, JaCMES


*This Roundtable is funded by the MEXT Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas "Relational Studies on Global Crisis" (http://www.shd.chiba-u.jp/glblcrss/index_en.html) Unit A01 "States and Institutions" (16H06547) and co-hosted by Japan Center for Middle Eastern Studies.