Sectarianism, Identity, and Conflict in Islamic Contexts: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives
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15-17 April 2016
George Mason University In light of the various sectarian conflicts that have emerged or intensified in recent years, this conference aims to interrogate the meaning of “sectarianism” in an Islamic context and to understand its real and imagined role in social and political conflicts in the Islamic world. It seeks to examine this issue in both historical and contemporary contexts, as well as to explore the intersection of sectarian rhetoric with real political, social and economic factors that contribute to conflict in various parts of the Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
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CONFERENCE PROGRAM:
Friday April 15
Keynote: Ussama Makdisi (Rice University)
"The Invention of Sectarianism in the Modern Middle East”
Saturday April 16
Panel I: Historical and Theoretical Approaches to Sectarianism
Mark Farha (Doha Institute for Graduate Studies)
"Double Denial and the Exploitation of Sectarianism in the Middle East: Sources, Symptoms, and Solutions”
Sumaiya Hamdani (George Mason University)
“The Self, the Sect, and the State: Religious Difference Within Islam”
Tariq al-Jamil (Swarthmore College)
“Sectarianism, Pre-Modern Islamic History and the Bequest of Orientalism”
Jeffrey Kenney (DePauw University)
“Sectarian Politics and Weak States in the Middle East: The Return of the Kharijites in Egypt”
Panel II: Sectarian Issues in the Contemporary Middle East
Alex Henley (Georgetown University)
“Lebanon’s Powerful Religious Leaders: What Do They Tell Us
About Sectarianism?”
Abdulaziz Sachedina (George Mason University)
“A’zamiyya and Najaf: Sunni-Shi’a Cooperation in Rebuilding Iraq”
Joas Wagemakers (Utrecht University)
"Anti-Shi’ism Without Shi’ites: Salafi Sectarianism in Jordan”
Panel III: Sectarianism & the Shi’ite Minority in Saudi Arabia
Natana Delong-Bas (Boston College)
“Between Conflict and Coexistence: Saudi Shi’a as Subjects, Objects, and Agents in Wasatiyya and Wataniyya”
Andrew Hammond (Oxford University)
“Saudi Arabia, Sectarianism, and ‘Ideological Security’”
Toby Matthiessen (Oxford University)
"Who Profits from Sectarianism in Saudi Arabia?”
Panel IV: Conflict, Sectarianism, and ISIS in Iraq and Syria: Causes and Prospects
Bassam Haddad (George Mason University)
“The Rise, Expansion, and Limits of the ISIS Phenomenon in Iraq & Syria”
Mouin Rabbani (Arab Studies Institute)
“Understanding the ISIS Phenomenon: A Research and Policy Agenda”
Fanar Haddad (National University of Singapore)
“The Impact of ISIS on Sectarian Relations and Nationalism in Iraq”
Christopher Anzalone (McGill University)
“In the Shadow of the ‘State’: Modern Conflicts and the Mobilizing and Contesting of Sacred History”
Ali Sada (Innovative Communication and Strategies)
“The Roots of ISIS Media Narratives”
Nir Rosen (Humanitarian Dialogue Center)
“A Look at the New Age of Sectarianism in Iraq and Syria, 2003-2016”
Sunday April 17
Panel V: Sectarian Rhetoric and Politics in Africa, Indonesia, and Yemen
Mara Leichtman (Michigan State University)
“Reflections on Sectarianism and Shi’i Identity in Senegal and West Africa”
Diana Coleman (Arizona State University)
“Archipelagic Anxieties: Sectarian Tensions in Indonesia”
Charles Schmitz (Towson University)
“Zaydi Wahhabis and Other Yemen Anomalies”
Keynote: Ussama Makdisi (Rice University)
"The Invention of Sectarianism in the Modern Middle East”
Saturday April 16
Panel I: Historical and Theoretical Approaches to Sectarianism
Mark Farha (Doha Institute for Graduate Studies)
"Double Denial and the Exploitation of Sectarianism in the Middle East: Sources, Symptoms, and Solutions”
Sumaiya Hamdani (George Mason University)
“The Self, the Sect, and the State: Religious Difference Within Islam”
Tariq al-Jamil (Swarthmore College)
“Sectarianism, Pre-Modern Islamic History and the Bequest of Orientalism”
Jeffrey Kenney (DePauw University)
“Sectarian Politics and Weak States in the Middle East: The Return of the Kharijites in Egypt”
Panel II: Sectarian Issues in the Contemporary Middle East
Alex Henley (Georgetown University)
“Lebanon’s Powerful Religious Leaders: What Do They Tell Us
About Sectarianism?”
Abdulaziz Sachedina (George Mason University)
“A’zamiyya and Najaf: Sunni-Shi’a Cooperation in Rebuilding Iraq”
Joas Wagemakers (Utrecht University)
"Anti-Shi’ism Without Shi’ites: Salafi Sectarianism in Jordan”
Panel III: Sectarianism & the Shi’ite Minority in Saudi Arabia
Natana Delong-Bas (Boston College)
“Between Conflict and Coexistence: Saudi Shi’a as Subjects, Objects, and Agents in Wasatiyya and Wataniyya”
Andrew Hammond (Oxford University)
“Saudi Arabia, Sectarianism, and ‘Ideological Security’”
Toby Matthiessen (Oxford University)
"Who Profits from Sectarianism in Saudi Arabia?”
Panel IV: Conflict, Sectarianism, and ISIS in Iraq and Syria: Causes and Prospects
Bassam Haddad (George Mason University)
“The Rise, Expansion, and Limits of the ISIS Phenomenon in Iraq & Syria”
Mouin Rabbani (Arab Studies Institute)
“Understanding the ISIS Phenomenon: A Research and Policy Agenda”
Fanar Haddad (National University of Singapore)
“The Impact of ISIS on Sectarian Relations and Nationalism in Iraq”
Christopher Anzalone (McGill University)
“In the Shadow of the ‘State’: Modern Conflicts and the Mobilizing and Contesting of Sacred History”
Ali Sada (Innovative Communication and Strategies)
“The Roots of ISIS Media Narratives”
Nir Rosen (Humanitarian Dialogue Center)
“A Look at the New Age of Sectarianism in Iraq and Syria, 2003-2016”
Sunday April 17
Panel V: Sectarian Rhetoric and Politics in Africa, Indonesia, and Yemen
Mara Leichtman (Michigan State University)
“Reflections on Sectarianism and Shi’i Identity in Senegal and West Africa”
Diana Coleman (Arizona State University)
“Archipelagic Anxieties: Sectarian Tensions in Indonesia”
Charles Schmitz (Towson University)
“Zaydi Wahhabis and Other Yemen Anomalies”