SUFI STUDIES DAYS (TAG) 2019

Sufi Research Days (TAG), organized annually by Üsküdar University Institute of Sufi Studies, will be held on April 27-28, 2019. TAG this year It will host the International Symposium on “Abu’l-Hasan Harakanî, the Sultan of Futuvvet”. At the same time, TAG also includes a side event titled “Sufi Studies Thesis Workshop” where the graduate studies being conducted at the Institute will be discussed.

INTERNATIONAL “SULTAN OF FUTUWWA EBU’L-HASAN HARAKANΔ SYMPOSIUM

27-28 APRIL 2019

“O God! I am Your servant and the servant of Your Messenger, the servant of Your people, whoever comes to this door, give him bread and do not ask him about his faith. For everyone who has a soul in the sight of Allah is worthy to eat bread from the table of Abu al-Hasan.”

Abu’l-Hasan Harakani

International “Sultan of Futuwwa Abu’l-Hasan Harakanî” Symposium is organized jointly by Üsküdar University Institute of Sufi Studies, Seyyid Abu’l Hasan Harakanî Foundation, Kerim Education Culture and Health Foundation, TÜRKKAD Turkish Women Cultural Association Istanbul Branch and NEFES Publishing House Inc. The symposium, which will be held at Üsküdar University in April, will include 30 invited papers from 7 different countries. The symposium, where 11 papers from outside Turkey will be presented, will be held in 9 sessions over two days.

The symposium is free and open to the public. No pre-registration and invitation is required to attend and follow the symposium. All sessions will be broadcast live on Üsküdar University Television and Kerim Foundation web page.

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

Üsküdar University Institute of Sufi Studies

Sayyid Abu’l Hasan Harakani Foundation

Kerim Education, Culture and Health Foundation

TÜRKKAD Turkish Women’s Cultural Association Istanbul Branch

NEFES Publishing House Inc.

The symposium can be watched live on the internet.

Date: April 27-28, 2019

Location: Üsküdar University, Nermin Tarhan Hall

Live Stream: https://kerimvakfi.org/vakfin-calismasi/uluslararasi-futuvvet-sultani-ebul-hasan-harakani-sempozyumu/

“Sufi Studies Thesis Workshop” Side Event

Within the scope of TAG this year, a side event consisting of 4 sessions will be organized under the title of “Sufi Studies Thesis Workshop” in order to encourage scientific studies and accelerate thesis studies within the Institute. Thesis Workshop sessions will be announced in the coming days.

http://tasavvuf.uskudar.edu.tr/tr/duyuru/247/tasavvuf-arastirmalari-gunleri-2019-tag-yan-etkinlik-duyurusu

tag@uskudar.edu.tr

Üsküdar University Central Campus Kuleli Hall

**Symposium live broadcast, Nefes Publishing House Inc. and Üsküdar University.

https://kerimvakfi.org/vakfin-calismasi/uluslararasi-futuvvet-sultani-ebul-hasan-harakani-sempozyumu/

http://harakanivakfi.com.tr/

http://tasavvuf.uskudar.edu.tr/tr/duyuru/257/uluslararasi-futuvvet-sultni-ebul-hasan-harakan-sempozyumu-programi-aciklandi

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

A symposium titled “Women and Sufism” will be held at the end of the term of Üsküdar University Institute of Sufi Studies Sufi Education Programs, in memory of the fifth anniversary of the passing of Ms. Meşkûre Sargut.
The symposium will be followed by the presentation of certificates of participation.

The symposium can be watched live on the internet.

Date: February 10, 2018

Time: 09.40 – 17.00

Location: Üsküdar University, Nermin Tarhan Hall

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

ÜSKÜDAR UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE OF MYSTICISM RESEARCHES SUFISM EDUCATION PROGRAMS SEMESTER CLOSING PROGRAM

Women and Sufism Symposium in Memory of Meşkûre Sargut

Opening Speeches . 09.40 – 10.30
Short Film

Session I. 10.30 – 11.50
Session Chair: Dr. Asuman KULAKSIZ
Ilâhe Lead
“The Life and Works of Meşkûre Sargut, One of the Contemporary Turkish Sufi Women”
Hümeyra LIVATYALI
“Motherhood Qualities in Sufi Women: Meşkûre SARGUT”
Kerim GÜÇ
“A woman dervish who turned Kāli Hāle”

Break/Lunch . 11.50 – 14.00

II. Session . 14.00 – 15.40
Session Chair: Cemâlnur SARGUT
Prof. Dr. Emine YENITERZI
“Religious and Sufi Female Personalities in Classical Turkish Poetry”
Arzu Eylül YALÇINKAYA
“Meşkûre Sargut’s Unpublished Novel: Saturday Talks”
Nur ARTIRAN
“Mrs. Seniha Bedri Göknil, one of the exceptional Sufis of our recent times”
Prof. Dr. Hülya KÜÇÜK
“Prominent Women Sufis from Past to Present and Their Contributions to Sufism”

SUFI EDUCATION PROGRAMS PARTICIPATION CERTIFICATES PRESENTATION CEREMONY
16.00 – 17.00

Islamic Studies and Sufi Studies in Academia: Rethinking Methodologies


(The First International Symposium of Kyoto University Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies titled “The Search for Methodology in Islamic Studies and Sufi Studies” will be held in Kyoto on May 20-21, 2017. The symposium will raise the question of how Islamic studies have been structured in different countries up to the present day. Focusing on the field of Sufism in Islamic studies, papers that present the institutional and intellectual history of these studies in America, China, Japan, and Turkey will be included. Differences in the treatment of Islamic studies in terms of academic disciplines, orientalism, state institutions and the relationship between these and religious identity will be discussed. A future projection will be made on academic collaborations, inter-institutional relations and new program structuring opportunities to be developed in the field of Sufism in Islamic studies. In the symposium, it is expected that evaluations will be made especially on the academic methods of Sufi studies.

Within the scope of the symposium, the symposium will also be organized in cooperation with Kyoto University, Kerim Foundation and TURKKAD Istanbul Branch within the framework of the institutional relations between Kyoto University, Üsküdar University Institute of Sufi Studies and supported by the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities.
Bridge of Two Easts: Sufi Culture Education Program
The closing conference of the project will be held.

The symposium, spearheaded by Kyoto University and the Kerim Foundation, will be attended by 14 scholars from various universities in Japan, including Yasushi Tonaga, Masayuki Akahori, Kazuo Morimoto, who are experts in Islamic studies, Sufism, the Middle East and North Africa, South and Central Asia and the Far East; William Chittick, Sachiko Murata, Carl Ernst, Bruce Lawrence, Cemil Aydın, miriam cooke, Juliane Hammer, Omid Safi, James Morris and Tu Weiming from Peking University. Cemalnur Sargut, Mahmud Erol Kılıç, Emine Yeniterzi, Osman Nuri Küçük, Ahmet Murat Özel and Cangüzel Güner Zülfikar, who are also part of the Bridge of Two Easts Project team, will attend the symposium as speakers from Turkey.

PhD students from Kyoto and Tokyo University, who have completed the Bridge of Two Easts: Sufi Culture Training Program at Üsküdar University, doctoral students from Kyoto and Tokyo Universities will present papers on Ottoman Sufism and related topics. The session to be held as part of the Project Closing Conference is expected to attract additional interest.

The project has been realized with the aim of making original sources on Sufism from the Ottoman period, which have not yet been included in the Japanese academic tradition, available to Japanese scholars. The bridge of understanding to be built in this way is expected to contribute to the development of academic, social and diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The opening of the symposium will be hosted by Yasushi Kosugi, Dean of ASAFAS at Kyoto University, Yasushi Tonaga, Director of Kyoto Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies, and Cemalnur Sargut representing Kerim Foundation, TÜRKKAD-Turkish Women’s Cultural Association and Üsküdar University on behalf of the organizers, and with the presence of Ahmet Bülent Meriç, Ambassador of Tokyo.

The symposium will be attended by a delegation of 61 people from Turkey, including invited speakers, representatives of institutions, audience and technical team.

The two-day symposium can be watched live on the internet.

SYMPOSIUM DATE

May 20-21, 2017- Kyoto University, JAPAN

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

[The program was prepared according to Japan time. Japan time is 6 hours ahead of Turkey time].

INSTITUTIONS ORGANIZING THE SYMPOSIUM


Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto
Japan National Institute for the Humanities Modern Middle East Regional Studies Project: [Structural Comprehension of Islamic Mysticism: Investigation into Sufism-Tariqa-Saint Cults Complex (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A), JSPS); Anthropological Studies on Veneration of Saints and Relics in the Mediterranean World (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B), JSPS] Institute of Sufi Studies, Üsküdar University, Istanbul
Bridge of Two Easts: Sufi Culture Education Program (Project supported by the Republic of Turkey Prime Ministry Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities)
Kerim Education, Culture and Health Foundation, Istanbul
TÜRKKAD Turkish Women’s Cultural Association Istanbul Branch

SYMPOSIUM SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE

Yasushi TONAGA, JAPAN
Masayuki AKAHORI, JAPAN
Yasushi KOSUGI, JAPAN
Mahmud Erol KILIÇ, TURKEY
William CHITTICK, USA
Sachiko MURATA, USA
Tu WEIMING, CHINA
Carl W. ERNST, USA
Osman Nuri KÜÇÜK, TURKEY
Ahmet Murat ÖZEL, TURKEY

SYMPOSIUM ORGANIZATION COMMITTEE

Yasushi TONAGA, JAPAN
Chiaki FUJII, JAPAN
Tatsuro FUTATSUYAMA, JAPAN
Shinsuke NAGAOKA, JAPAN
Yumi DONNY-CLARK, JAPAN
Belgin BATUM, TURKEY
Elif ERHAN, TURKEY
Cangüzel ZÜLFİKAR, TURKEY
Hülya DELİKTAŞ, TURKEY

***Symposium Live broadcast is realized by Nefes Publishing House Inc.

Project Name

THE BRIDGE OF THE TWO EASTS: SUFI CULTURE TRAINING PROGRAM

Organization Supporting the Project

Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities

Project Coordinator

Üsküdar University, Institute of Sufi Studies, Istanbul, Turkey

Project Partners

Kyoto University, Graduate School of Asian and African Area Studies, Kyoto, Japan

Kerim Foundation, Istanbul, Turkey

Summary

The aim of the project is to develop cultural and academic cooperation between the research institutions of the two countries by bringing together their existing academic and research capacities. The project will enhance academic and cultural cooperation between Japan and Turkey through the bridge of Sufi space opportunities.

Sufism, with its doctrinal, cultural and ethical dimensions in social life, reveals a comprehensive interest in Turkey’s historical and cultural structure. In order to develop this understanding, researchers need to be able to access, read and evaluate primary sources on the spot. The works written in Turkish are little known in academic circles outside Turkey. The cultural, doctrinal and moral side of Sufism has important manifestations on Turkish society.

Üsküdar University Institute of Sufi Studies will organize a training program on Sufi Culture for graduate students working on related subjects at Kyoto University. The six-week program includes 180 hours of theoretical courses. The program will involve 10 PhD students from Kyoto University and other universities in Japan working on related topics. Within the scope of the program, Ottoman Turkish and Paleography courses will be given, the accumulation of manuscripts in Turkey will be introduced, the topics and primary sources of Sufi thought and Islamic philosophy will be examined, especially the Ottoman period Turkish Sufi texts. With this project, young researchers participating in the Sufi Culture Training Program will have the opportunity to understand Sufi issues beyond an academic, literature-centered issue by getting to know this society and its culture more closely. Understanding the Sufi themes in popular culture, which will be the subject of field research, carries important clues in establishing cultural relations. Future studies may contribute to the inclusion of Sufism topics in the academic studies of Japanese researchers in the first place. Japan represents an important academic tradition. In the long run, the project is expected to have a positive impact on the social perspectives of the two countries and on the development of public diplomacy through the works of the young generation of researchers in the field of Humanities and Social Sciences. In addition, other studies by researchers in Turkey and Japan can contribute to the mutual orientation of their future capacities and interests.

PROJECT CALENDAR

Bridge of Two Easts: Sufi Culture Education Program
Opening Symposium
Turkey-Japan Meeting
Istanbul, Üsküdar University
October 22, 2016

Structuring Translation Studies of Sufi Works in Turkish and Japanese
Workshop/Search Conference
Istanbul, Üsküdar University
October 23, 2016

Sufi Culture Education Program
Istanbul, Üsküdar University
January 23-March 1, 2017
(Istanbul, Bursa and Konya Cultural Excursion Program)

Bridge of Two Easts: Sufi Culture Education Program Project
Closing Conference
Kyoto, Kyoto University
I. International Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies Symposium
(Islamic and Sufi Studies in Academia: Rethinking Methodologies)
May 20-21, 2017

Finalization of the Project
September 19, 2017

The project plans to organize Japan Culture Day and Turkey Culture Day events in Istanbul and Kyoto with the support of the Consulate General of Japan in Istanbul and the Embassy of Turkey in Tokyo to enhance public diplomacy.

***Symposium Live broadcast is realized by Nefes Publishing House Inc.

“DOOR OF MERCY” INTERNATIONAL KENAN RIFA’I SYMPOSIUM

A symposium on “Islam and Chinese Civilization” was organized at Peking University of China.

An international symposium on “Islam and Chinese Civilization” was held at Beijing University between April 2-8 with the joint initiative of the Institute of Advanced Humanities of China Peking University, Kerim Foundation and Turkish Women’s Cultural Association Istanbul Branch. This symposium brought together many distinguished experts, scholars and students from around the world working on Islamic and Chinese civilization, with the aim of enriching mutual understanding and advancing opportunities for communication and interaction.

Peking University, recognized as the most important and largest university in China, hosted an international meeting on Islam for the first time.

The seeds of this meeting were sown in 2011 when Cemalnur Sargut, founding member of the Kerim Foundation and President of TURKKAD Istanbul Branch, established the Ken’an Rifai Chair of Islamic Studies at the Institute of Advanced Humanities at Peking University in 2011. The first professors of the chair were distinguished scholars such as William Chittick and Sachiko Murata, who are known for their important works in the field of Sufism. Tu Weiming, the world-renowned historian-philosopher who heads the Institute, is also the founder and current director of the Harvard Yenching Institute. Tu Weimming evaluated the work of the Chair of Islamic Studies at the Institute in the following words “All this work has transformed the cultural and especially the moral values of the Peking University community. So the contribution is not just the ability to offer lectures, but the ability to bring out Islam’s moral outlook and religious questions for China’s current introspection and self-understanding.“

Mahmud Erol Kılıç from Turkey, “The Source of Fanaticism in Religion and Modern Times”, Ekrem Demirli “Seek knowledge, even if it is in China: Some References to China in Sufi Texts”, Osman Nuri Küçük “Comparison of the Ideal Human Qualities Proposed by Lao Tzu and the Understanding of Human Kamil in Sufi Thought”, Semih Ceyhan “The Chinese Seal of Humanity: China as a mystical metaphor and reality according to Shaykh Akbar Muhyiddin Ibn al-Arabi”. Some of the participants from outside Turkey with their papers are as follows;

Mohammad Khalil, “Islam and the Fate of Others: Contemporary Corrections to Pre-Modern Assessments of the Salvation of Non-Muslims“, Kristian Peterson, “Approach to the Qur’an in China” , Mohammad Rustom, “Muslims from China”, Wang Jianping, Hua Tao from China. In addition, Ghulam Reza Aavani, one of the professors of the Chair of Islamic Studies at Peking University and a well-known Islamic philosopher in our country, took part in this symposium with his papers.

Cemalnur Sargut and Tu Weimming opened the symposium together. Cemalnur Sargut also contributed to the meeting with her paper titled“Comparison of Islamic Sufism and Ancient Confucian Understanding” in which she evaluated the view of Islamic mystics and Confucius.

An international symposium was held in which experts from Turkey and abroad were brought together to better understand the Sufi, historical and literary aspects of Üftade Hz. The symposium, organized jointly with Bursa Metropolitan Municipality and Kerim Education, Culture and Health Foundation, was held at Tayyare Cultural Center in Bursa, the eternal resting place of Hazrat Üftade.

The symposium was presented in Turkish and English.

SYMPOSIUM DATE:
April 18-19-20, 2014

SYMPOSIUM LOCATION:
TAYYARE CULTURE CENTER
Osmangazi, Ataturk Caddesi, 39-45, 16020 Orhanbey, Bursa

INSTITUTIONS ORGANIZING THE SYMPOSIUM:
TÜRKKAD Istanbul Branch
BURSA Metropolitan Municipality
KERIM Education, Culture and Health Foundation

ORGANIZATIONS SUPPORTING THE SYMPOSIUM:
NEFES Publishing Inc.
Creative Films Cinema Advertising and Production San. Tic. Ltd.
canliyayinhizmetleri.com

SYMPOSIUM SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE:
Prof. Dr. Mustafa Tahralı
Prof. Dr. Mahmud Erol Kılıç
Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kara
Prof. Dr. Mehmet Demirci