Call for Papers for IJIS Conference

“The Future of Risale-i Nur Studies in the West.”

An Academic Conference on Said Nursi, His Writings, and His Continuing Legacy

• Date: November 14-16, 2024
• Place: John Carroll University (JCU), 1 John Carroll Boulevard, University Heights, Ohio 44118

Conference Background

This interfaith and theological conference is a joint initiative of Said Nursi Chair in Islamic Studies of the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at John Carroll University (JCU) and Interdisciplinary Journal of Islamic Studies (IJIS) sponsored by Respect Graduate School (RGS). The Chair is named after the prominent Muslim thinker from Turkey, Bediüzzaman Said Nursi (d. 1960), whose motto, “Our heart is so full of love that there is no space for hatred to enter.” lies at the heart of IJIS’ vision. IJIS is an international double-blind peer-reviewed English-language journal of Islamic studies and social sciences that highlights critical points of intersection between religious traditions and sociocultural phenomena, theology and philosophy, religious diversity and unity. The conference aims to expand the scholarly study of Said Nursi’s thought, facilitate exchange of scholarly ideas, and offer excellent networking opportunities for those interested in the ideas of Said Nursi both in the USA and across the world. Selected papers will be published as a special issue of IJIS by July 1, 2025.

Call for Papers

We invite papers from faculty and advanced graduate students in the humanities and social sciences whose work engages the general conference topic. More specifically, we welcome papers that directly address the following topics:

1. “Nursi’s Theology of Non-violence”

Including topics as Nursi’s notion of spiritual or educational jihād, his notion of “positive action” (müsbet hareket), comparison(s) between Nursi and Gandhi, King, Mandela, etc.

2. “Nursi’s Grounded Spirituality as the Future of Interfaith Dialogue”

Including topics as the relationship between religious inclusivism and religious pluralism, interfaith dialogue andsuch pillars of Nursi’s thought as tawḥīd (the divine unity), al-asmā’ wa-l-ṣifāt al-ḥusnā ([the divine’s] superb names and attributes), fiṭrah ([primordial human] nature), fatrah (interregnum [between different prophets]), cooperation between Islam and other religions in the face of the modern trends of materialism, atheism, andsecularism, etc.

3. “Developing the Tradition of Said Nursi: Critical and Reflexive Approaches

Including topics as Nursi’s method in theology and social activism, Nursi’s place in a wider stream of Islamic thought, re-interpreting and developing Nursi’s intellectual and spiritual legacy in the light of (post)modern challenges, Nursi’s theology as a possible foundation for dialogue between religious and non-religious people, etc.

All presentations will be limited to 20 minutes in length.

Paper Submission Details

The conference is in-person and will take place at the premises of JCU starting on the evening of Thursday, November 14 and running until Saturday, November 16, 2024. Proposals of no more than 300 words and CVs should be sent no later than June 30, 2024, to the Conference Program Committee at info@risaleconference24.org

All abstracts will be evaluated by The Conference Program Committee according to following criteria: Relevance of abstract to conference theme; broad implications based on research & overall findings for the study of Nursi; and the overall scholarly quality of the abstract.

Notification of acceptance or rejection will be provided by the last week of July, 2024 after the Academic Board reviews all abstract submissions.

All those whose papers are accepted for presentation at the Conference will have their travel to and lodging expenses in Cleveland covered by the Conference sponsors. For more information please contact info@risaleconference24.org

Jointly sponsored by:

• Bediüzzaman Said Nursi Chair in Islamic Studies of John Carroll University
• Interdisciplinary Journal of Islamic Studies (IJIS)
• Respect Graduate School (RGS)