The goal of this international conference is to explore a variety of manifestations of Islamic culture over a vast geographical area situated in the easternmost part of the Islamic world, including contemporary Central Asia, Afghanistan, north-eastern Iran, the Xinjiang region of western China and northern and western Pakistan. We have chosen to use the medieval geographic term ‘Greater Khurāsān’ to refer to this area.
The conference covers cultural and intellectual expressions of Islam in its philosophical, theological, mystical and artistic interpretations, as well as in its political and legal theories, linguistic aspects, social practices and rituals, some of which are unique to various locations within ‘Greater Khurasan’. It is hoped that this conference will contribute to deepening current understanding of the role played by this region in Islamic history.
The following themes will be explored during the conference:
- Global Khurāsān: Khurāsānians in the Islamic World and Beyond
- Philosophical and Theological Debates related to Ismaili Doctrines
- Rituals
- Law, Political Theories and Social Transformations
- Sufism and Sufi Literature [two panels]
- Sufi–Ismaili Interactions, the Arts and Material Culture
- The Persian Language as a Cultural Vehicle
The contributors include: Eyad Abuali, Belal Abu-Alabbas, Khalil Andani, Snejana Atanova, Daniel Beben, Philipp Bruckmayr, Dagikhudo Dagiev, Devin DeWeese, Leila Dodykhudoeva, Maxime Delpierre, Janis Esots, Abdulmamad Iloliev, Benjamin Gatling, Fârès Gillon, Chorshanbe Goibnazarov, Jo-Ann Gross, Tatiana Korneeva, Otambek Mastibekov, Toby Mayer, Shin Nomoto, Nourmamadcho Nourmamadchoev, Alexandre Papas, Aslisho Qurboniev, Yuri Stoyanov, Paul Walker, Thierry Zarcone.
The conference will be followed by the publication of an edited volume.
Watch full recording of the conference from our YouTube channel.
Cover image: Magok-i-Attari mosque in Bukhara, Uzbekistan by Nassima Chahboun (CC BY-SA 4.0)
