Patterns of Secularism Conference

The University of Utah
The Patterns of Secularism

A workshop organized by the Middle East Center, the Department of Political Science, and the Religion and Culture Track of Comparative Literary & Cultural Studies at the University of Utah

Friday June 12, 2009

Panel I: 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
The Concept of Secularity and Secularization

Bernard Weiss, (University of Utah)
“Islam, Secularism and the Law.”

Nader Hashemi, (University of Denver)
“Islam, Secularism and Liberal Democracy.”

Fred Quinn, (The University of Utah)
“Overcoming the Impossibility of Dialogue, World Religions on a Collision
Course.”

Discussant: Mujeeb R. Khan (UC-Berkeley)

Lunch: 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Panel II: 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Secularism in Turkey I

Ali Yaman, (Izzet Baysal University-Turkey)
“Turkey’s politics of religion and Alevis’ secularism dilemma”

Ergun Yildirim,
“The Imaginary Secularism: The Case of Turkey.”

Masaki Kakizaki, (University of Utah)
“Polarization of Civil Society in Turkey.”

Tolga Koker, (Yale University)
“The Establishment of Kemalist Secularism in Turkey”

Discussant: Fred Quinn

Panel III: 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Secularism in Turkey II

M. Hakan Yavuz, (University of Utah)
“The Modes of Secularism.”

Kemal Silay, (Indiana University)
“Secular Foundations of Turkish Literature”

Armand Sag, (Museum Turkije, Netherland)
“Secularism among Turkish Groups in Holland.”

Discussant: Tolga Koker

Saturday June 13, 2009

Panel IV: 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Secularism and Foreign Policy

Hasan T. Kosebalaban, (Lake Forest College)
“Turkey’s EU Bid: the Shadow of Religion”

Etga Ugur, (University of Utah)
“The LDS Church and the Gulen Community”

Umut Uzer, (University of Virginia)
“Turkish Nationalism and Secularism”

Discussant: Eric Hooglund

Panel V: 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Comparative Cases of Secularism: Iran, Algeria, Pakistan

Eric Hooglund, Bates College (Maine, USA)

Mujeeb R. Khan, (UC-Berkeley)
“How Islamic Liberal Reform was Derailed: The Nexus Between
Western Imperialism, Secular Authoritarianism, and Wahabism”

Sener Akturk, (UC-Berkeley)
“Nation-Building, Islam, and Resistance in Turkey, Pakistan and Algeria”

Discussant: Bahman Baktiari, (University of Utah)

Dinner: 7:00 p.m.
The papers of this workshop will be edited by Nader A. Hashemi and M. Hakan Yavuz to be published by Middle East Critique (Routledge Journal).

Shari Lindsey
Events Coordinator, Middle East Center
University of Utah
260 S Central Campus Drive, Room 153
Salt Lake City, Utah  84112
(801) 585-9594 or 581-6181
Fax (801)581-6183