Dialogue vs. Conflict

Abstract

The “Second International Conference on Islam,” held at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on 24-25 April 2006, focused on the broad theme of Islam and globalization through the lens of dialogue and conflict. There were four keynote speakers and more then thirty presentations on a wide range of topics related to Islam and the experiences of Muslims throughout history as well as in the contemporary world. The conference was marked by its multidisciplinary diversity and strong emphasis on constructive intellectual exchange among scholars. The four keynote speakers, Jocelyne Cesari (Harvard University), Thomas Michel, S.J. (Georgetown University), Scott Alexander (Catholic Theological Union), and Kemal Karpat (University of Wisconsin-Madison), touched upon various aspects of Islam at the age of globalization. Cesari’s talk, entitled “Global Islam between Fundamentalism and Cosmopolitanism,” presented a typology of three forms of Islamic identity that are emerging in the global age, namely, diasporic, pan-Islamic, and cosmopolitan. In her words, diasporic refers to the localized relationships of Muslims who choose to maintain strong ties with their country or city of origin, pan- Islamic emphasizes the effectiveness of the ummah concept in today’s world, and cosmopolitan refers to a worldview that is reflexive, in a sense defined by the status of being “other.” In his speech, “Confrontation and Dialogue: A History of Catholic- Muslim Relations,” Alexander outlined the history of this relationship since the advent of Islam, pointing to elements of dialogue and confrontation. Kemal Karpat discussed a most current topic in his speech, “Turkey and the EU: The End of a Millennium of Confrontation?” and analyzed the positive consequences of Turkey’s membership in the European Union (EU). The first panel, “Global Islam and the West,” accommodated papers exemplifying the responses and contributions of Muslims to globalization ...