Religion: Dynamics, Processes and Change, a one day conference at Columbia University will bring together IRCPL affiliated fellows to take up the theme of religion from various critical perspectives that engage with the following topics: democratic processes, states, ideologies, making of identities, gender, social class, space, symbols and meaning constructions. Areas of focus include Turkey, Egypt, India, Balkans, Greece, Russia and U.S. The workshop aims to facilitate an active intellectual exchange and provide a comparative understanding of the multi-layered sociopolitical dynamics behind religion in various societies.
PROGRAM:
10:00am-12:00pm
Panel 1: Religious Politics, Democratization and Constitution-Making
Discussant: Sudipta Kaviraj (Columbia University)
Bahar Tabakoglu (The New School For Social Research & IRCPL Visiting Scholar)
Social Constituents of Religious Politics: Comparative Reflections on Turkish and Indian Cases
Marko Vekovic (University of Belgrade & IRCPL Visiting Scholar)
Orthodoxy and Democratization: Explaining the Ambivalence of the Orthodox Churches in the Democratization Processes in Serbia, Greece and Russia
Vatsal Naresh (Columbia University & IRCPL Researcher)
Pride and Prejudice in Austin's Cornerstone
12:00pm-1:00pm
Break
1:00pm-3:00pm
Panel 2: Making of Identities, Gender and Social Space
Discussant: Riva Kastoryano (Sciences Po & Visiting Professor at The New School For Social Research)
Esra Can (Middle East Technical University & IRCPL Visiting Scholar)
Actually Existing Neo-Conservatism in Turkey: The Islamic Making Of Social Space
Aaron Rock-Singer (Princeton University & IRCPL Visiting Scholar)
Beards, Barbers and Barracks: Contemporary Negotiations of Salafi Masculinity
Ibrahim Bechrouri (French Institute of Geopolitics of the University of Paris 8 & IRCPL Visiting Scholar)
Post 9/11 Surveillance Policies on Muslim Communities. The example of the New York Police Department
3:00pm-3:15pm
Coffee Break
3:15pm-5:00pm
Panel 3: Shared Sacred Spaces and Politics of Pluralism
Discussant: Karen Barkey (Columbia University & IRCPL Director)
Dimitris C. Papadopoulos (Postdoctoral Research Associate, IRCPL)
Choreographies of Place and the Politics of Presence: Notes on sacred sites from Greece and Turkey
Nathanael Shelley (Postdoctoral Research Associate, IRCPL)
Collaborative, Coincidental, and Contested Sharing: Analyzing the choreographies of shared sacred sites.