Call for Papers

Date: October 27-29, 2021

Venue: Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands

Proposal Submission Deadline: March 1, 2021

This conference, organized in the framework of the ERC-funded Embedding Conquest: Naturalizing Muslim rule in the Islamic empire (600-1000) project, examines how such expectations of justice shaped political discourse and behavior in the early and medieval caliphate (ca. 600-1500 CE).

Participants are asked to present a case study discussing how just rule was defined and what actions and reactions it precipitated in specific historical, geographical and cultural contexts (local, regional and imperial). How was just rule or, conversely, the abuse of political power understood and defined? What solutions were at hand to redress unjust rule or to institute just rule? How was the call for just rule theorized, and what values (scriptural, moral, customary) were invoked? What concrete actions followed from them? Case studies may discuss single instances initiated by individuals (petitions, speeches, literary works) or groups (utopian settlements, revolts) or long-term initiatives (organized, large-scale, revolutionary movements, institutions and structures to implement just rule). Discussion is not limited to Muslim debates and initiatives but can include any group or individual in the Islamicate world.

The following themes are expected to occur as conference panels and applicants are invited to indicate if one of these fits their topic especially well. Papers that do not fall clearly under one of these themes will still be considered as additional panels might be introduced based on submissions.

I Expectations of justice as revolutionary action
II Getting rid of unjust rulers
III Calling on rulers to be just
IV Transparency and anti-corruption
V Alternative systems of justice

We invite paper proposals of 250 words to be submitted by 1 March 2021.

More information on: Humanities Commons