Social Science Research Council

"Teaching Islam in Eurasia"
Institute of Oriental Studies, Kazan State University, June 20- July 3, 2005
Islam, Civilization, and Learning in the Eurasian Region

The choice of Kazan, Russia for the first institute proved ideal in that participants benefited not only from the long-standing scholarly traditions at Kazan State University, but they were also able to observe and participate in a host of activities organized throughout the city in preparations for the 1,000 year anniversary celebration of Tatarstan.  Thus, participants viewed the grand opening of the Qol Sharif Mosque in the Kazan Kremlin, they interacted with visiting Muslim dignitaries from throughout Eurasia and around the world, and they attended sessions of a concurrent conference on Islam in the Volga-Ural region, along with other events such as a Koranic recitation competition.

This first of three summer institutes was hosted by the Institute of Oriental Studies, Kazan State University, and it included a large and impressive group of senior resource faculty who were involved, to varying degrees, as lecturers, discussion leaders, and mentors. This large group of senior resource faculty was specifically selected to address the diverse and varied backgrounds of the junior faculty participants and to provide a general overview of topics and approaches to the study of Islam both in Eurasia and beyond. Topics for the first institute ranged from emphasizing the role of cities and regions such as Tatarstan in the creation and transmission of Islamic practices and learning, to examining the many approaches to Islamic texts as both religious scripture and non-religious sources, to looking at reform movements, including fundamentalist movements, and reflecting upon Islam in everyday life and within the context of specific social, cultural and political environments.

Senior resource faculty and guest lecturers played a major role in offering lectures on a wide-range of relevant topics and approaches to the project's main themes, with the expectation that future institutes would build upon this broad foundation by narrowing thematic emphases based upon participant interests.   While there were a large number of lecturers, the junior faculty participants were also asked to play increasingly active roles as the institute progressed. As an example, each participant was required to select one or more readings from a substantial summer reading packet and to lead individual presentations on these readings during special break-out group sessions. The close reading given to texts for this exercise managed to introduce participants to many new authors and to dramatically increase interest and discussion.

Over the course of the following year, participants worked to revise existing courses and/or to introduce new courses into the classroom (each participant had selected a course prior to departing Kazan).  They also collaborated throughout the year in smaller, country-based groups, to gather information on where and how Islam was being taught in their home and neighboring universities.  The results of this task were presented the following summer at the second institute in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (2006).  Additionally, a select group of participants traveled to Yerevan State University in May 2006 for a series of lectures on the history of Sufism in Eurasia and the Middle East.  These lectures and an accompanying pedagogy workshop were presented by Professor Alexander Knysh, one of the programs senior resource faculty members.

Additional support for the first institute in Kazan was obtained by the SSRC through donations from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, in support of additional junior and senior participants from the United States, and the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, in support of a number of participants from Kyrgyzstan. This support helped further expand and internationalize the institute, and junior faculty participants, both the Eurasian and American participants, have remained in contact with one another and with senior resource faculty and SSRC staff since summer 2005. In particular, the addition of four Mellon-funded American junior faculty members proved extremely fruitful, and communication and collaboration between the Eurasian and American participants has continued.