Call for Papers: Governance and Violence in Islamic Law

A workshop to be held on 14th November 2017 by The Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter.

Funded by the Understanding Sharia Project www.usppip.eu.

The Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, the University of Exeter, invites paper proposals on the topic of “Governance and Violence in Islamic Law” for this one-day workshop, held under the auspices of the USPPIP project (Understanding Sharia: Past Perfect, Imperfect Present). The workshop covers the specific focus of two elements of the project – violence (studied by Exeter USPPIP research team) and governance (studied by the Bergen USPPIP research team). The workshop is convened by the USPPIP team members Drs Omar Anchassi and Eirik Hovden and Professors Robert Gleave and Knut Vikor.

Paper proposals of a maximum of 200 words are invited, addressing questions linked to the workshop theme, including:

  • How do the topics of governance and violence interrelate in Islamic legal thought and practice?
  • How are past instances of rules concerning governance and violence used to justify contemporary Muslim legal thought and practice?
  • Does the state have a monopoly on the use of violence in Islamic law, and is there space for vigilantism in Islamic law?

Papers discussing other aspects of the relationship between governance and violence are welcome.

Abstracts should be submitted to usppip@exeter.ac.uk before Monday, 4th September 2017. Those giving papers selected for the workshop will have travel expenses and accommodation/subsistence provided by the USPPIP project.

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