Call for papers: ‘Sectarianism, Proxies and De-Sectarianisation Across the Middle East’
7th Nov 2018 by Ana Maria Kumarasamy
CALL FOR PAPERS
‘Sectarianism, Proxies and De-Sectarianisation Across the Middle East’
Featuring Prof. Nader Hashemi and Dr. Simon Mabon
10-5 on the 28th of March 2019 at Lancaster University
The Sectarianism, Proxies and De-Sectarianism project and the Richardson Institute is hosting a one-day conference in the Department of Politics, Philosophy and Religion at Lancaster University on the subject of sectarianism, proxies and de-sectarianisation across the Middle East.
In the recent years, the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran has taken on a central role in constructing regional security and the domestic politics of the states across the region. Efforts to understand the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran have created a nuanced literature focusing on the sectarian differences which is shaping the politics of the Middle East. The rivalry between Riyadh and Tehran facilitated the rise of sectarian tensions in Iraq, Bahrain, Yemen, Lebanon and Syria which is leading to proxy conflicts across the region. This conference seeks to challenge these views by bringing together scholars from different disciplinary backgrounds to understand the interaction of geopolitics, identity politics, and religious conflicts. We especially welcome submissions looking at the following topics:
• Saudi-Iran rivalry
• Proxy wars and networks
• Identity politics
• Arab uprisings
• Sectarianism and de-sectarianisation
• Peace building
Researchers interested in applying are kindly invited to send an abstract of not more than 250 words along with a short bio including your name, email address, current position and institutional affiliation to Samira Nasirzadeh s.nasirzadeh@lancaster.ac.uk before the 11th of January 2019. There are a limited number of travel bursaries available, so please indicate in your submission if you would like to be considered. Notification of acceptance: 30th of January 2019.
The deadline for full paper submissions is 14th March. We hope to combine a selection of papers for publication either as a special issue or edited collection.