International Society for Islamic Legal Studies
Call for hosting the
XI Islamic Legal Studies Conference, 2025
The International Society for Islamic Legal Studies (ISILS) is inviting applications to host its eleventh conference in 2025. ISILS, an international, non-profit, and non-political society with the objective to encourage scholarship on and to foster communication about Islamic law and related subjects, is open to all who are interested in the academic study of Islamic law. The Society convenes a conference triennially in conjunction with a host institution (usually a university or research institute); the tenth conference, held in London, began with a roundtable discussion on “Islamic Law and Popular Culture: The Case of Marriage”. This was followed by twenty-two diverse presentations divided among six panels.
More information about the Society and past conferences can be found on its website www.isils.net.
The preparation for a conference follows this procedure:
- The conference will be divided into two parts: an invited panel of speakers or a roundtable discussion, on a topic to be decided in agreement with the conference host, and a second part including approximately 20 papers related to Islamic Legal Studies in the wider sense.
- The Executive Board invites proposals from prospective host institutions and/or individuals, usually from within ISILS membership, though not necessarily restricted to members. The host institution is responsible for the conference logistics; the content of and choice of participants in the conference are the responsibility of ISILS.
- Prospective host institutions and/or individuals construct a proposal following the guidelines outlined below by a date set by the Executive Board. For the upcoming eleventh conference, the deadline for submission is May 15, 2023.
- The ISILS Executive Board considers all applications, selecting the one that offers the most appropriate location in terms of participant recruitment, financing, and institutional expertise.
- Once a host has been selected, and the conference dates (decided upon in consultation with the Executive Board) are known, the ISILS Executive Board publishes a “Call for Papers” with a fixed closing date for titles and abstracts to be submitted.
- The selection of papers is carried out by a committee of at least 3 and no more than 5 ISILS members, selected by the Executive Board; this includes at least one member of the Executive Board and the ISILS member from the host institution, if applicable. Selection is made solely on the basis of the research quality of the proposed presentation.
- Following the selection of papers, the conference program is advertised by the ISILS Executive Board through the ISILS website and other media. The host institution is encouraged to advertise the program also.
- The conference host should be in charge of offering accommodation and meals to all the speakers and accommodation and travel to the invited speakers and the board. The ISILS Executive Board remains available for advice and assistance throughout the process.
Guidelines for Preparing a Proposal to Host the X ISILS Conference
Please prepare your proposals according to the following sections:
- Name of proposed host institution, and names and contact details of individuals within the host organizing team.
- Proposed dates for the convening of the conference (all potential dates suggested by the host are possible, although a timetable accommodating the academic schedule will be favored. At the same time, also a timetable avoiding collisions with major conferences in the field of Islamic law, Islamic Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, and Law, and religious holidays will be favored).
- Rationale for the host institution to hold the conference (e.g., local expertise and networks linked to the study of Islamic law which will facilitate a successful conference; past conference sponsorship by the host institution and/or members of the host team).
- Financial estimate of the total conference cost, with an appropriate breakdown into budget headings of: travel; accommodation for three nights; catering for coffee/tea breaks; meals (3 dinners, of which one is a conference dinner; 3 lunches; 3 breakfasts); etc. Hosts should expect between 20 and 30 attendees at each meal. The conference program extends over 2.5 days. The host should also budget for the participation of ISILS Executive Board members (5), whether they provide a paper or not. Past conferences have ranged in total cost from $18,000 to $50,000, depending on location, accommodation, catering arrangements, etc.
- Financial sources (an indication, even of a preliminary kind, of how the host institution hopes to raise the funds required).
Proposals should be addressed to ISILS secretary Serena Tolino (serena.tolino@islam.unibe.ch ) and preferably be not more than two A4 pages in length, including tables for conference costs.
