Events

Jointly organized by Asia Research Institute, and Department of Malay Studies, National University of Singapore.

CHAIRPERSON

Assoc Prof Maznah Mohamad, Department of Malay Studies, National University of Singapore

ABSTRACT

All cities are arenas of contestation but holy cities have a number of characteristics in common which lead to specific kinds of conflicts. The role of holy sites, powerful clerical hierarchies, revenue streams independent of the ruling authorities and international connections through pilgrimage and diasporic networks all suggest a distinct pattern of conflicts. While certain “flashpoints” involving sites, actors and timings, can be identified, are there also broader issues which explain why they occur in some holy cities and not in others. This presentation is based on fieldwork in four Asian cities – Jerusalem, Banaras, Lhasa and Georgetown (Malaysia) – and seeks to explore some of the underlying structures which ameliorate or exacerbate conflicts in holy cities.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Michael Dumper is Professor in Middle East Politics, University of Exeter, UK. In addition to Jerusalem Unbound: Geography, History and the Future of the Holy City (Columbia University Press, 2014), he is also the author of The Politics of Sacred Space: The Old City of Jerusalem and the Middle East Conflict, 1967-2000, (Lynne Rienner, 2001) and The Politics of Jerusalem Since 1967 (Columbia University Press, 1997). He has just completed the Leverhulme Trust Fellowship comparing religious conflicts in cities in Europe, Asia and the Middle East during which time he edited Contested Holy Cities: Urban Dimensions of Religious Conflicts (Routledge, 2019). His book on the project, Power, Piety and People: Holy Cities in the 21^st Century is published by Columbia University Press in 2020.

REGISTRATION

Registration is closed, and instructions on how to participate in this webinar has been sent out to registered attendees. Please write to aritm@nus.edu.sg if you would like to attend the webinar.