Days of Sufi Studies I. International Graduate Student Symposium

Days of Sufi Studies I. International Graduate Student Symposium

Uskudar University

Institute of Sufi Studies, March 9-11, 2018

Today, scientific studies and research are rapidly moving away from a ‘profession-oriented’ approach. Many disciplines are becoming more engaged with the topics and methodology of religious sciences. In addition to the basic Islamic sciences, the field of Sufism has a wide range of interests from literature to philosophy, history, sociology, psychology, music, architecture, other branches of science and art, political philosophy and popular culture. Sufi Studies Days is planned to organize science and art activities that will bring together those who work in this field and those who are interested in this field.

I. International Graduate Student Symposium, organized within the scope of the first event, aims to contribute to increasing interdisciplinary interaction and creating new thinking opportunities in academic studies in the field of Sufism by bringing together experts and graduate students from various countries. This approach can be useful in expanding the academic interests of Sufism as well as deepening comparative studies in the field. The meeting will not only provide a snapshot of current research topics, content and methods in the field around the world, but also provide guidance for the future directions of researchers in terms of its results. The symposium is organized by graduate students of the Institute of Sufi Studies with the support of the Institute and Kerim Foundation.

Sufi thought of the Ottoman period, one of the main areas of interest of the Institute of Sufi Studies, and the works of the period have filtered the centuries-long Islamic tradition of a wide cultural geography and carried it to the present day. Today, a significant part of this cultural geography is under the tension of the emerging global political landscape. Once centers of science and culture are being devalued and devastated before the eyes of the world, along with many of their precious artifacts and resources. On the other hand, the perception of Islam and Muslims in the conjuncture contains significant problems. There are many internal and external causes of the problem area. Typically, much of recent scholarship has focused on the social and political manifestations of Islam. At this point, there are not enough solutions and the perception of Islam is losing altitude. Islam, which continues to have a profound impact on humanity, must of course be examined from these perspectives. However, it should not be forgotten that Islam embraces human beings in their own conditions of existence, presenting them with a worldview with its individual, social, metaphysical and aesthetic dimensions. For Islam, as for all religions, it is important to emphasize the internal dimensions and principles that cause them as much as the external manifestations in order to explain it. For all these reasons, those working in the field of Islamic studies and Sufism have important questions to ask themselves. What should not be overlooked is to capture the language with the unique, distinctive features required by the authentic ‘essence-form’ relationship. We believe that every new study in the field of Sufism will have a special importance and contribution in achieving the balance sought.

We hope that this symposium will be instrumental in maturing the studies that will add value to the future, and we would like to thank all the researchers who participated in our meeting for their contributions.

The symposium can be watched live on the internet.

Date: March 9/10/11, 2018

Location: Üsküdar University, Nermin Tarhan Hall

**Symposium live broadcast, Nefes Publishing House Inc. is carried out by