Call for Papers
The Third International Conference on Islamic Legal Studies, held at Harvard University Law School in May 2000, was devoted to the madhhab. 25 years later, we want to revisit this topic: what impact has the scholarly debate on the madhhab on the field of Islamic Legal Studies?
The conference will start with an invited roundtable, followed by a panel on the topic “Belonging to a madhhab: Formation, Cohesion and Diversity in Islamic Schools of Law”. The panel seeks to address the formation processes of madhāhib, but also the mechanisms that generate and sustain coherence within the schools of law and, finally, the way in which internal and mutual dissent is handled. Papers may focus on both doctrinal and social aspects of belonging. Abstracts for contributions to this panel are welcome.
The remaining sessions of the conference will be open topic – abstracts on all aspects of Islamic law, from earliest to most recent times, are welcome.
Abstracts should clearly present and contextualise argument, methodology, and sources. Abstracts based on primary sources or fieldwork will be given preference.
Abstracts of up to 500 words should be sent to: conference@isils.net by 30 June 2024. All received abstracts will be read by a joint committee including senior members of ISILS and The Institute of Arabic and Islamic Studies and the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” at the University of Münster.
The committee will select twenty abstracts. Acceptance letters will be sent out by 15 September 2024.
If selected, each paper will be allocated 20 minutes for presentation at the conference. The conference language is English. At the time of the conference, all speakers must be ISILS members (for membership dues: www.isils.net).
Speakers are expected to attend the entirety of the conference. Accommodation, meals and travel costs will be covered by The Institute of Arabic and Islamic Studies and the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” at the University of Münster.
For all questions, contact ISILS secretary at serena.tolino@unibe.ch
Key dates:
Deadline for abstracts: 30 June 2024
Acceptance letters: 15 September 2024
Conference: 22-24 May 2025