"Expressions of 'Adab' in Southeast Asian Islam" Conference

Lehigh University's Center for Global Islamic Studies will be hosting an international conference, April 18-20, 2016 entitled, "Expressions of Adab in Southeast Asian Islam." The event will spotlight the incredible diversity and dynamism of Islam in Southeast Asia—both past and present—with a particular focus on Malaysia and Indonesia. Over three days, twelve scholars from multiple academic disciplines (Anthropology, Ethnomusicology, History, Political Science, Religious Studies, Islamic Studies) will present their research and engage in public conversations. Participants include ten US-based scholars and two colleagues from Malaysia. The conference will begin with a public keynote address by Professor Omid Safi (Director of the Duke Islamic Studies Center, Duke University), followed by two days of thematic panels and open discussions.

Lehigh University - Center for Global Islamic Studies 2016 Conference - "Expressions of Adab" in Southeast Asian Islam

Adab is an important term in Islamic piety and practice, with multiple meanings and implications. In the context of Islamic ethics, it refers to etiquette: good manners, morals, beautiful behavior, humaneness. In Muslim societies across the globe, the rules of adab shape every dimension of social life—from family relations, to politics, religious practices and everyday interpersonal interactions. The conference will explore the meanings and applications of adab for Muslims in Southeast Asia from multiple perspectives.

In an expanding partnership with the Yayasan Raja Zarith Sofiah Negeri Johor and the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Lehigh's Center for Global Islamic Studies promotes interdisciplinary teaching and scholarship designed to take comparative Islamic Studies into and beyond the classroom. Through its sponsored courses, academic forums, and public events, the Center offers students, faculty and the broader community a variety of platforms for dialogue, debate and experiential learning. This conference is free and open to everyone.

Conference Participants:

Malaysian Scholars:

Kamaruzaman bin Yusof(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia-Johor Bahru, Dean, Faculty Islamic Civilization)

Ramli Awang (Universiti Teknologi Malaysia-Johor Bahru, Department of Islamic Civilization)

U.S. Based Scholars:

Omid Safi (Duke University, Director, Duke Islamic Studies Center): keynote speaker

Muhamad Ali (University of California-Riverside, Department of Religious Studies)

Daniel Andrew Birchock (Vanderbilt University, Department of Anthropology)

Timothy P. Daniels (Hofstra University, Department of Anthropology)

Nancy Florida (University of Michigan, Department of Asian Languages and Cultures) (via skype)

Anna M. Gade (University of Wisconsin-Madison, Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies)

Jeffrey Hadler (University of California-Berkeley, Department of South and Southeast Asian Studies)

Thomas Pepinsky (Cornell University, Department of Government)

Anne K. Rasmussen (College of William and Mary, Department of Music-Ethnomusicology)

Nelly van Doorn-Harder (Wake Forest University, Department for the Study of Religions)

Moderators and Faculty Participants:

Khurram Hussain (Lehigh University, Department of Religion Studies)

Pedram Partovi (American University, Department of History)

Youshaa Patel (Lafayette College, Department of Religious Studies)

Robert Rozehnal (Lehigh University, Department of Religion Studies)

SherAli Tareen (Franklin and Marshall College, Department of Religious Studies)

Tehseen Thaver (Bard College, Religion Program)
M. Shobhana Xavier (Franklin and Marshall College, Department of Religious Studies)