OSL/NISIS Workshop: “Muslim Worlds/World Literatures”

On 12 February 2021, the Research School for Literary Studies (OSL) and NISIS will collaborate to host an online workshop about “Muslim Worlds/World Literatures.” The event is organized by Dr. Alberto Godioli (OSL, RUG) and Prof. Christian Lange (NISIS, UU).

As suggested by the plurals in the title, the event aims to question univocal views of both Muslim culture and world literature. On the one hand, we will consider Muslim worlds in their diversity, as opposed to representations of Islam as a dominant, stable essence. On the other, we will problematize the notion of world literature by way of interrogating its multiple definitions and socio-political implications. From One Thousand and One Nights to the latest novel by Jokha Alharthi, we will explore the different ways in which Muslim cultures have shaped (and have been shaped by) the world’s literary landscape.

The workshop will consist of three online sessions led by international experts in Islamic and/or literary studies. The speakers include: Dr. Petra de Bruijn (Leiden University), Dr. Hiyem Cheurfa (Lancaster University), Dr. Richard van Leeuwen (University of Amsterdam) and Dr. Liesbeth Minnaard (Leiden University).

Please see the course description here.

The workshop is fully booked. Registration is closed.

Program

12:00-14:00: Seminar led by Dr. Richard van Leeuwen and Dr. Hiyem Cheurfa (on the reception and contemporary influence of One Thousand and One Nights)

15:00-17:00: Seminar led by Dr. Petra de Bruijn and Dr. Liesbeth Minnaard (on religion and secularism in 20th- and 21st-century literature)

17:15-17:45: Wrap-up activity and final remarks