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19/6/11

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Elisabeth

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> Call for Papers
> International Workshop
>
> "Beyond the 'patriarchal family': Forms of uxori- /matrilocality and
> matrifocality in Islamic Societies. Past and Present"
>
> University of Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany, 9-10 December 2011
>
>
> The aim of the conference is to challenge the common perception that
> Islam and patriarchalism are inextricably intertwined by bringing
> together historical and anthropological researches focusing on  
> forms of
> uxori-/matrilocality and matrifocality in the Islamic world.
>
> On the one hand, the conference aims to address historical cases
> indicating the presence of  uxori-/matrilocality  and/or matrifocality
> in the context of marriage, family relations and gender orders  
> situated
> in so called Islamic "patriarchal" societies. A common feature of such
> alternative social formations, whether uxori-/matrilocal or  
> matrifocal,
> is that they may enhance female agency and power by limiting the  
> role of
> husbands and fathers to that of "guests" in the households of their
> wives/mothers-in-law and children (such as in some parts of Southeast
> Asia or Yemen). Such a guest status for men might be due to the
> historical transformation of kinship and marriage systems (such as in
> Islamic Southeast Asia or in Africa), to working conditions as in the
> case of traveling traders, scholars or workers, or even to the
> peculiarities of specific Islamic law schools as in the case of the
> Shi'i mut'a marriage.
>
> On the other hand, we are interested in case studies dealing with
> contemporary changes in family and gender relations brought about by
> globalization processes, such as the large scale work migration of  
> men,
> diaspora, war and violence, and economic pressures. Particularly,  
> in the
> Middle East, where the "patriarchal family" was deemed to be the  
> general
> pattern, such globalization processes have given rise to fundamental
> social and demographic changes in that many villages and town quarters
> nowadays are solely inhabited by women, children, and the elderly,
> whereas the younger and middle-aged men are living as migrants  
> elsewhere
> or being imprisoned, exiled or involved in war. It is thus a timely
> question whether "patriarchal" orders can be maintained in the absence
> of men. In recent anthropological researches it has been observed that
> "women without husbands" maybe empowered by assuming new gender roles
> which formerly would have been considered as impossible.
>
> We invite both historical and contemporary case studies dealing with
> various manifestations of uxori-/matrilocality and matrifocality as  
> they
> present themselves in different regions of the Islamic world, thereby
> reflecting on their social, juridical and cultural implications.
>
> The workshop is jointly organized by the Chair of Islamic Studies  
> of the
> University of Bamberg (Patrick Franke) and the Institute of Social
> Anthropology of the University of Münster (Laila Prager).
>
> A selection of the conference papers is to be published in the new  
> book
> series "Gender and Sexuality in Islam" by Gerlach Islamic Press.
>
> Proposals can be sent electronically.  Please send copies both to
> [log in to unmask] and [log in to unmask] by July 17,  
> 2011.
> Paper proposals sent by mail must reach us by the same date, with one
> copy each should be sent to:  Prof. Dr. Patrick Franke, Lehrstuhl für
> Islamwissenschaft, An der Universität 11, 96045 Bamberg and Ass. Prof.
> Dr. Laila Prager, Institute of Ethnology, University of Münster,
> Studtstr. 21; 48149 Münster.
>
> Proposals should not exceed two single-spaced pages.
> _______________________________________________