Call for Papers: Civil Society, Modernization and
Islam in Central Asia, Bishkek

Civil Society in Central Asia: Problems of Modernization and Islamic Revival

Host: Soros Foundation-Kyrgyzstan

East-East Program Coordinator: Almash Naizabekova

Organizer: Association of Researchers of Social Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic

Dates: June 6-8, 2000
Participants to arrive on 5 June
Participants to depart on 9 June

Location: Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Hotel Dostyk

Contact information:
Kyrgyz Republic
720001, Bishkek
P.O. Box 624
Tel: +996 (312) 24-70-76
Email: [email protected]

Project Description

The primary objective of this exchange is to promote formal and informal information and experience exchange on problems of civil society formation in the Muslim regions of CIS among scholars from Europe and CIS countries. Important outcomes of the seminar are expected to be initiatives aimed at organizing joint research, educational projects, and cooperative search for the appropriate models of civil society development within the modern conditions.

Expected outcomes

- Initiatives for joint research, educational projects and cooperative search for the appropriate models of the states' development within the modern conditions

- Discussion of modern methodological approaches in combination with analysis of the collected empirical material will allow building a theoretical model of political development of Central Asian states.

Public impact of the project

Publication of materials will give a possibility to start well-argumented discussion in scholarly and popular editions on perspectives of political development of Central Asian states.

Topics for discussions

Concept of civil society: cross-cultural analysis and problem of split society

• Specifics of traditional societies and issues of modernization
• Islam and modernization: problems and opposition
• Evolution of political forces in the East correlation of trends of authoritarianism and democracy
• The role of secular ideology in the Muslim society

Ideological sources of religious processes in the modern world

• Islamic dogma and culture in the past and present
• Philosophical and religious meaning of malonism and the contemporaneity
• Ideological sources of Islamic fundamentalism and its modern concepts
• Islamic fundamentalism and extremism
• Trend and extent of Islamic factor's influence within historical perspective

Islam in political development of the post-communist countries

• Concepts of Islamic revival in scientific literature
• Reasons of Islamic revival in the Muslim regions of the CIS
• Nature and ways of politicization of Islam
• Islam and Muslim regions of the ex-socialistic camp as a subject of new geopolitical situation
• Issues of Islam in the light of public opinion

Central Asia - search for civilized identity

• Significance of Islam for society of Central Asian states
• Social traditions in the lives of Central Asian states
• The role of Islam in the development of steppe civilization
• Islamization of population: sociological analysis
• Legal issues of Islam

Working languages: Russian and English

Participation

The project is designated for scholars and researchers and representatives of government structures on issues of religion.

Criteria for participant selection

Experience of scholarly and research practice work related to the topic of the project should not be less than 2 years.

Deadlines
Abstracts (no more 500 words) and CV: May 15, 2000
Final papers (no more 4000 words): July 1, 2000

Mamytova Elvira
PhD, Associate Professor
Vice-President of Association of Researchers of Social Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic
Tel: 996-312-247076
Fax: 996-312-620505
Email: [email protected], [email protected]
P.O. Box 624
Bishkek 720001
Kyrgyz Republic

Last updated:    May 2000

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