Call for papers: ‘Religion in the Arab-Israeli conflict’, 9th Pan-European Conference of the European International Studies Association (EISA) (Section 55 on ‘Transnational Religion, Conflict and Dialogue’, convened by Jeff Haynes and Luca Ozzano)
Wednesday 23 – Saturday 26 September 2015, Giardini Naxos, Sicily, Italy, http://www.paneuropeanconference.org/2015/
Convenor: Guy Ben-Porat, GbP@som.bgu.ac.il
Prospective participants can propose a paper by sending an abstract of up to 200 words to the convenor at GbP@som.bgu.ac.il by January 15, 2015.
Abstract:
The Arab-Israeli conflict and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in particular have been described as multidimensional, underscored by territorial, economic, national and religious dimensions. In recent years the religious dimension seems to have taken prominence as fundamentalism, Muslim and Jewish, has risen, and the conflict has been described in religious terms manifested, among other things, in the conflict over the Temple Mount/Haram al Sharif. The local developments are influenced also by regional developments like the rise of the Islamic State, the Iranian quest for regional power, as well as the involvement of Christian Evangelical movements. The salience of religious discourse and the involvement of religious leaders in the conflict are significant to the present and future dynamics of the conflict and the potential for its resolution. The majority of scholars perceive the salience of religion as having a negative influence on the ability to resolve the conflict, if not the potential for dangerous escalation. Other scholars, however, suggest that religious dialogue has the potential to resolve the conflict and therefore should be part of the resolution process.
This panel calls for papers that will examine different aspects of religious influence on the Arab-Israeli conflict and the potential for religious war and peace. These include the influence of religious ideology and identities, religious fundamentalism, religious dialogue and the impact of global religions.
