Invitation to an International Conference

Religion and Relations between Culture:

Peace beyond Violence

Sivas, Turkey                                     May 15-16, 2014

in cooperation with

Cumhuriyet Üniversity

Theme

 As the ultimate source of meaning and value, religion is a focal point for human action and interaction. Well understood this can be a source of peace and harmony, just as poorly understood it can be used (or abused) as a source of conflict and violence. It is essential then to understand well the difference between the two.

In the religions of the book this relates especially to how the sacred text is to be understood and interpreted as this shades the influence that religion will exercise in the life of a people. Here hermeneutics emerges centrally, along with the socio-cultural context of the times. Differences in religious outlook can become sources for conflict and violence.

When this cultural context veers toward the secular and suffers the loss of its religious richness it might be supposed that the tendency toward conflict would also diminish, but this would appear to be a poor bargain for it also diminishes the attraction and authority of the good. Hence along with the interpretation of scripture the whole process of education and the role of religion therein becomes particularly sensitive.

All of this will be discussed in depth in the conference to be held at Sivas, Turkey in May, 17-18, 2014.

Papers are invited especially on

1/ from Past to Present: Cultural Encounter in the History of Islam

2/ Interpretation of Quran in a Secular Age

3/ Religious Education and Talking about ?Others? in the Educational System

4/ Understanding the ?Other? and Ways of Empathy

Abstracts of 300 words are to be sent to aykit@yahoo.com and  cua-rvp@cua.edu by February 15, 2014. Full papers are to be sent by May 1, 2014. Final papers for publication (no upper page limits) are due on October 1, 2014.

Logistics

There is no registration fees. Travel and hotel stay will be covered by participants; the organizer will provide meals. There is daily flights from Istanbul to Sivas.

Contact

Dursun Ali Aykit

Cumhuriyet Üniversity

Sivas, Turkey

aykit@yahoo.com