Events

A NUS-USPC Collaborative Project on Muslim Networks and Mobilities in Southeast Asia.

This two-day workshop on the historical and contemporary dynamics of Muslim networks in Southeast Asia is part of the broader comparative exploration of religious networks in Asia supported by a collaborative grant awarded by NUS and Université Sorbonne Paris-Cité. It is hosted by Irasec (Research Institute on Contemporary Southeast Asia, Bangkok), and Payap University Chiang Mai. The main objective of this workshop is to examine how the circulation of Muslim scholars (‘ulama), Islamic learnings (madrasah, pesantren), books (kitabs), mystical brotherhood (sufi/tarekat) teachers and other institutions established by Islamic communities in the region since the 16th century that played a fundamental role in shaping regional networks of education and da’wa (Islamic propagation).

Studies on the networks of Islam in Southeast Asia remain heavily based on the intellectual history of Muslim scholars, printed culture and also hajj (pilgrimage), despite there are many other Islamic institutions, such as waqfs, and schools. Yet the perspective of these studies are conventional models focused on unidirectional flows between centre and periphery that locate Southeast Asia exclusively at the receiving end of Islam.

We aim to contest the way in which ‘ulamas and pilgrimage (hajj) have been conceived as the preeminent domains for the study of religious circulation in the context of Islam, turning the focus to the important role played by schools, mosques, waqf estates, orphanages, hospitals, and other institution that expanded the far-reaching networks of Islam in the region. As there is no increase in mobility without extensive systems of immobility, focusing on these institutions in Southeast Asia can offer an original interpretive lens to understand the importance of these nodes for the circulation and teaching of Islam.

Turning the research lens toward aspects of mobility and materiality, the workshop aims to offer a dynamic approach to the study of Southeast Asia Islam into multidirectional and circulation, which are limited in number. We also wish to explore the impact of technology as well as digital technology on Islam and the creation of increasingly networked Muslim societies of the 20th and 21st Century; as well as the complex financial and real estate arrangements that Islamic institutions embark on to sustain their projects toward the future. An approach to this project is from the perspective of religious mobilities highlight patterns of interaction where networks redefine arrangements of economic, social and religious life.

The workshop will combine contemporary ethnographic approaches with comparative historical research to trace the intertwining of transnational religious networks made possible by Islam in Southeast Asia. Contributions emphasize how technologies of mobility and networks that enable circulation made possible the historic consolidation of Muslim communities across the region, and are currently shaping the future of Islam in Asia.

REGISTRATION

Participation in the closed-door workshop is limited and by invitation only.

CONTACT DETAILS

Convenors

Dr Amelia Fauzia, Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore
E | ariaf@nus.edu.sg

Dr Suchart Setthamalinee, Institute of Religion, Culture, and Peace, Payap University, Thailand
E | naisuchart@gmail.com

Dr Claire Thi Liên TRAN, IRASEC – Research Institute on Contemporary Southeast Asia, Thailand
E | claire.tran@irasec.com