Conference: Muslims, Multiculturalism and Trust: New Directions, SOAS, University of London, June 1-2, 2013

From: Jane Savory <js64@soas.ac.uk> SOAS, University of London Conference

Muslims, Multiculturalism and Trust: New Directions 1 - 2 June 2013

Recent high-profile interventions by politicians in the West declaring the 'failure' of multiculturalism have had, as their very thinly disguised context, mistrust in those Muslim communities that have been growing in Western Europe and the United States since the end of the colonial era. The sense that multiculturalism has been a flawed experiment, that 'unintegrated' Muslims are evidence of this, has become a truism of much journalism and media coverage too.

This conference brings together leading experts from across the social science/humanities divide to examine the intersections and tensions between different approaches to questions of multi-culturalism and trust, and to explore the possibility of developing mutually informative interdisciplinary approaches to shed new light on this topic. The aim of the conference is to analyse current critiques of multiculturalism, measure them against other, perhaps more progressive interpretations, and consider the potential offered by lived experience and creative visions of intercultural exchange to offer new ways of envisaging multicultural experience.

Invited participants include: Rehana Ahmed, Valerie Amiraux, Claire Chambers, Sohail Daulatzai, Rumy Hasan, Salah Hassan, Tony Laden, Alana Lentin, Nasar Meer, Tariq Modood, Anshuman Mondal, Peter Morey, Stephen Morton, Jorgen Nielsen, Lord Bhikhu Parekh, Amina Yaqin.

The conference is part of the 'Muslims, Trust and Cultural Dialogue' project: www.muslimstrustdialogue.org/

Admission: the event is free and open to the public. Booking is recommend to guarantee a place: www.soas.ac.uk/csp/events/

Inquiries: centres@soas.ac.uk

Jane Savory Centres and Programmes Office

SOAS, University of London

Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG tel +44 (0)20 7898 4892 email js64@soas.ac.uk

web www.soas.ac.uk/centres/