Date: October 23 -24, 2016

Venue: The Conference Center of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Husova 4a, Prague, Czech Republic.

The workshop is organized by Dr. Ivan Kalmar (University of Toronto, Department of Anthropology) and will explore the following closely related questions:

General

• Is there a unique “East European” reaction to Islam today?
• How does the situation in the V4 countries compare to that in eastern Germany?
• How does the situation in the area of study compare to western Europe (and, specifically, to western Germany) and perhaps to other parts of the world?

The History and Present of Attitudes to the Other

• Does the socialist heritage provide a partial explanation for Islamophobia?
• Is Islamophobia part of a history of attitudes to alterity in the area?
• How does Islamophobia relate to gender, class, and ethnic relations within each of the countries discussed?

National and EU Politics

• What role does Islamophobia play in the internal politics of each V4 country?
• What political groupings exist in each country that we may consider as Islamophobic, and what groupings oppose them?
• How is the issue of Islam and Muslim immigration related to the way the future of the EU is envisioned in this region?

The Lived Experience

• How does Islamophobic rhetoric relate to the lived experience of the local Muslim communities?
• What everyday conditions and forces shape the interaction between local Muslims and the non-Muslim majority?

Theory and Methodology

• What general theories of race, religion, migration, etc., best apply to this geopolitical area and, in turn, what lessons does the study of this area hold for such general theories?
• What methodologies will be best suited to answering these questions?

Participants will share and read a written position paper, in English, of about 15 minutes, on one or more of the questions listed above. This will be followed by ample discussion.

Source: Dr. Ivan Kalmar’s Page