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Social Conference
Laurier to host Muslim Social Scientists of North America Conference
Wilfrid Laurier University will host the Canadian regional conference of the Association of Muslim Social Scientists of North America (AMSS) on Thursday, May 21.
The conference—“Nation, Citizenship and Belonging: Muslim Cultural Politics in Canada”—seeks to explore the issues shaping the Canadian social, political and cultural landscape and the field of Muslim studies in Canada.
“Muslims figure prominently in contemporary debates that shape our national consciousness and public policies,” says Dr. Jasmin Zine, associate professor of sociology at Laurier and conference co-chair. “The Canadian Muslim diaspora is a complex, contradictory and hybrid space filled with a mix of possibilities and tensions that create the terrain for a distinctly ‘Canadian Islam.’”
The event will feature Dr. Yasmin Jiwani, associate professor of communication studies at Concordia University, who will deliver the luncheon keynote address “Doubling Discourses and the Muslim Other.”
The conference will also feature Zarqa Nawaz, filmmaker and creator of the television show Little Mosque on the Prairie, for a film screening and discussion. The retrospective of Nawaz’s short films will include Death Threat, BBQ Muslims and Fred and the Burka.
Conference themes include:
* Interdisciplinary perspectives on faith-based arbitration in Ontario
* Arab-Canadian migration, transnationalism and integration in a globalized world
* Diasporic ruptures and possibilities: education, youth and identity
* Gender, war and performance: Canadian responses
* Liberalism and Muslim cultural politics in Canada
The conference takes place May 21 in Laurier’s Senate and Board Chamber and Paul Martin Centre from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Registration is free. Tickets for the luncheon and keynote are $10. Please RSVP to amsscanada@yahoo.ca.
The conference is co-sponsored by Laurier’s Muslim Studies Option program committee and co-chaired by Dr. Meena Sharify-Funk, Laurier assistant professor of religion and culture, and Dr. Jasmin Zine, Laurier associate professor of sociology and AMSS board member.
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