Call for Papers

Date: April 15-16, 2017

Venue: Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Faculty of Theology, Mashhad, Iran

Submission Deadline: December 30, 2016

Subject Areas: Theology, Philosophy, Islamic Studies, Religious Studies, Ethics and Justice Studies

Abrahamic religions are highly committed to the creation of a just polity on earth. This policy would reflect their doctrinal emphases on fairness in politics, economy, and society as a whole. As the Muslim community witnesses the unfolding of intra-/interfaith conflicts, understanding the position of Islam on ethics and justice is a burning issue. What does Islam teach about a just polity? What are the ways through which Islamic teachings about justice and ethics can be practically implemented?

Ethics in this conference serves to underscore applied ethics in all areas of human interaction. The Islamic notion of justice is not to be approached as an abstraction. From a Shi‘I perspective, the Imams further elaborated the ethics of just human relationships.

To realize such justice in all spheres of social life, what kind of ethical values should be promoted? What models are there from the Ahl al-Bayt, particularly Imam ‘Ali al–Ridha, in providing the setting for coexistence among different religions? How can this model contribute to the establishment of a model based justice and ethics?

Participants are encouraged to frame their views in the light of Twelver Shia Islam, and how it views ethics and justice. Discussions may be directed, but are not limited, to one of the following panels:

1. Islamic (re)sources for justice and ethics
2. Justice and ethics from the perspective of theology, jurisprudence, and philosophy
3. Islamic ethical discourse and legal justice discourse
4. The ethics of dialogue/coexistence in the teachings of ‘Ali b. Mūsa al–Ridha
5. Justice and the civilizational interaction of Islam with other civilizations
6. Mashhad as a source of cultural unity and Islamic spirituality

The following keynote speakers will discuss their views in various panels,

• Prof. John L. Esposito, Georgetown University
• Prof. Andrew J. Newman, The University of Edinburgh
• Prof. Abdulaziz Sachedina, George Mason University
• Prof. Heidi Hadsell, Hartford Seminary
• Prof. Jochen Schmidt, Paderborn University
• Prof. Edward Alam, Notre Dame University
• Dr. Ali Reza Bhojani, Al-Mahdi Institute

Interested scholars are kindly invited to submit their abstracts and a short bio note to the conference assistant director, Abbas Aghdassi, (coordinator@um.ac.ir) no later than December 30, 2016. Upon acceptance, authors would be required to submit their full paper by March 01, 2017.

You are highly recommended to consult the assistant director for all questions. However, inquiries on topics/themes may be directed to the conference director, Dr. Jafar Morvarid (morvarid@um.ac.ir), or the conference chair person, Dr. Gholamreza Raeisian (raeisian@um.ac.ir). Please, make sure to include the name of the conference (ICJECA 2017) in your subject line.

We are delighted to announce that selected participants whose paper has been accepted will receive free accommodation for their four-day stay (April 13-18) in Mashhad. The link to the hotel will be available by November 20, 2016.

Limited travel funds (up to 500 USD) are available for PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers. These funds are quite competitive and will be offered to three scholars whose work presents an outstanding contribution to the themes of this conference. Payments will be made after the paper presentation, and upon the submission of an itinerary receipt.

The conference Board is currently negotiating the publication of some selected papers by an international academic publisher. Publication process is subject to peer-review. Further information on the publisher and the publication process will be announced via the website of the conference.

Conference Website: icjeca.um.ac.ir