Call for Papers

The theme will link the various conflicts in the Middle East (religious and political) and the complex and increasingly contentious relationship between Islam and the West with a range of issues that have assumed increasing prominence in Asia Pacific (especially since September 11, although many of these links have a much older history). Issues to be considered by the Conference include: 

a)   The relationship between the three Abrahamic faiths, its implications for conflict resolution in the Middle East, and the prospects for inter-faith and intercultural dialogue in the Asia-Pacific region generally, and in particular for multi-faith, multi-ethnic societies;

b)   Islam and the West (global and regional dimensions), especially the impact of conflicts involving Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon, Iran, Afghanistan and the ‘war on terror’ on international relations generally, and the Asia-Pacific region in particular);

c)   The attitudes of Muslims in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Pakistan, India to events and issues in the Middle East and the way in which those events impact on their own countries;

d)   Handling of tensions since September 11, with particular reference to Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand (including civil conflicts in Mindanao, South Thailand and Indonesia) – how have the major religious and ethical traditions handled these tensions?

e)   Debates within the Muslim world in relation to Islam’s self-understanding, relationship with the state, relations with other religions, and role in the international community;

f)    The implications of these developments for Australia’s relations with the region, as well as for community relations inside Australia (in particular for multiculturalism: past, present and future – and for Muslim and Indigenous communities in Australia).

The official opening of the Conference will take place in the evening of Monday 30 June 2008.  This will be a significant public event, featuring a keynote address by H. E.  Seyyed Mohammad Khatami and the participation of other eminent international scholars and practitioners.  The Conference program will include keynote addresses and other invited presentations, as well as a large number of presentations selected through this call for papers.  Attention is drawn to two features of the conference of particular interest to postgraduate students:

• A Special Session at which postgraduate students are invited to present 20 minute papers on the ethical implications of their research (in such areas as business, health, education, communication, culture) in a global context.  Postgraduate students interested in presenting papers are asked to submit proposals in response to this call for papers, in accordance with the procedures and deadlines outlined below.   

• Accredited Masters Level Unit: Globalisation and the Dialogue of Cultures and Religions.  In conjunction with the conference, the Melbourne College of Divinity has approved the teaching of a Master's Level Unit which may be taken by postgraduate students nationally and internally.  This unit will be offered during the period of March-June in the first semester of 2008 and the assessment of the unit will be based on postgraduate level online seminars, research tasks and forum discussions.  With a strong commitment to research of high quality, a selected number of postgraduate essays may be accepted for a refereed publication. 

The details of the unit will in due course be available at: https://www.trinitycollege.vic.edu.au/theologyonline/ and

http://www.mcd.unimelb.edu.au/. 

Further information: Dr Ruwan Palapathwala: Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

A Call for Papers is now addressed to scholars, postgraduate students, researchers, educators and others with expertise on any of the conference themes.

Proposals are invited from scholars specialising in a range of disciplines, including education, theology, philosophy, history, political science, international relations, conflict analysis and peace research, economics and political economy, law, sociology, psychology, health sciences and medicine, environmental studies and geography.

Proposals are also invited from members of parliament, practitioners in education, diplomacy, law, the media, the health professions and business, as well as those involved in religious and non-governmental organisations. Proposals that adopt an inter-disciplinary perspective are especially welcome.

Proposals should be received by Monday, 10 March 2008.

Proposals should include: Title of proposed paper;

• A 250-word abstract, setting out relevance to one or other of the key themes outlined above;
• Author’s name and institutional affiliation;
• One paragraph bio-note of the author

Successful applicants will be given two weeks to confirm their participation.

The Conference Organising Committee must receive by Monday 2 June 2008 the written papers (approximate length 5,000 to 6,000 words), which have to represent an original contribution not published elsewhere. The Conference’s working language is English. It is planned to produce one or more international publications drawing on high quality papers selected by the joint conveners’ inter-disciplinary panel.

Important Dates

• 10 March 2008:   Call for papers deadline
• 20 March 2008:   Final confirmation of participation
• 2 June 2008:     Written papers to be received

Please note that travel arrangements and costs are the responsibility of participants or their sponsoring institutions. The Conference organisers are not able to offer financial support. However, the overall costs will be highly subsidised, enabling many to attend.

Please submit paper proposals, preferably as a Word or Rtf document, and any queries to: