Female Visions: The Religious Visual Culture of Contemporary Female Islamic Mysticism, International Conference at Weingarten Abbey near Ravensburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, 3rd-5th of April 2020 (postponed).

Description

Drawing on recent research regarding the visual-material turn in the study of religion, this interdisciplinary conference will focus on the often-overlooked role of women in contemporary Islamic mysticism and in the socially-engaged dimension of Sufi belief and practice. This trend in visual-material studies has been accompanied by a broadening of analytical perspectives. Attention is now increasingly paid to religious practices, rituals, and discourses in terms of their connection to certain types of artefacts. Scholars have also begun to focus on the sensory perceptions and the social effects or atmospheres evoked by visual-material engagements. The aim of this conference is to focus on the sensorium in visual-material culture and on its religious, cultural, and social connections/implications. In doing so, we hope to present a more nuanced and polyvocal understanding of the role and place of women within mystical Islam and Sufism, a tradition that is in constant dialogue with society and its political, cultural, and economic dynamics.

Within these conceptual parameters, we suggest that contributors may wish to consider exploring the following topics:
- The role of female Islamic mystics in Sufi thought and practice, and/or in various media, including art, literature, poetry, music, architecture, and dream narratives
- The role of female mystical devotion and piety in contemporary Islamic theology
- The role of female Islamic mystics/Sufis in oral traditions
- Depictions of gender and sexuality within the above-mentioned media and/or in oral traditions
- The significance of such images in Sufi public life and wider society
- The role of female mystical devotion and piety in multi-confessional settings, interreligious dialogue, and cross-cultural engagement

The topics listed above are not prescriptive. Contributors are invited to consider them as initial starting points for their presentations. We look forward to receiving any additional ideas contributors may have.

Period	3 Apr 2020 → 5 Apr 2020
Event type	Conference
Location	Ravensburg, GermanyShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International