The Center for Transdisciplinary Gender Studies at Humboldt-University in Berlin wishes to announce an international conference on the subject of violence in religious discourses. The conference dates are December 11-13, 2003. Presentations at the conference will be given in either English or German, depending on the preferences of the speakers. Translation will be provided upon request. The keynote lecture will be given by Regina Schwartz, Northwestern University. Confirmed speakers include Martha Nussbaum, Daniel Boyarin, Valentine M. Moghadam, Christina von Braun, Hannah Nave, Riffat Hassan, Cornelia Klinger, Eva Kreisky, Gabriele Dietze and Ulrike Brunotte. The deadline for pre-registration is Nov. 16, 2003.

International Conference: 'Holy War' and Gender. Violence in Religious Discourses

At the beginning of the 21st century, wars seem to have become unavoidable in the war against terrorism in the Western mind. These violent conflicts are being interpreted as an expression and rejection of Western hegemonial claims to world power or are depicted as being deeply rooted in the religious traditions of cultural 'Others'. During the past years Gender Studies research has increasingly pointed at the significance of gender relations and constructions of gender within military conflicts. Violence in times of war tends to be legitimized by existing arrangements of male-female-relationships, yet at the same time is differently experienced by women and men. We would like to take up and further develop these various strands of discussion by focusing on the meaning of religion and gender in military conflicts. For this purpose, we wish to examine symbolic constructions of gender relations within the three "religions of the book", Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, regarding the representation and approach to violence in each of the respective canonical texts. Taking this as a point of departure, we would like to highlight the ways in which pictures constructed by religion, culture, and the media are being instrumentalized in military conflicts and, in this process, result in religious distortions. In this context we will raise questions concerning the relationship between sexual violence against women and an assumed social order which is legitimized by transcendental dogmas.

Tagungsprogramm/ Conference Program:

Thursday, Dec. 11, Senatssaal

1:00-4:00 p.m.
Welcome Note
Work-In-Progress-Panel / Doctoral students present current research

Michaela Schäuble (Universität Bremen):
Erinnerung und Darstellung traumatischer Kriegserfahrungen in magisch-religiösen Praktiken: Die Rekonstruktion weiblicher Identität in Kroatien nach 1991

Claudia Schimmel (Universität Bremen):
Gender und zivil-militärische Zusammenarbeit: Konfliktbearbeitung im Kosovo

Andrea Hapke (Universität Bremen):
Geschlechterkonstruktionen in der Friedensarbeit im Nordkaukasus

Daniela Hrzan (HU Berlin):
Frauenkörper und reproduktive Rechte im Spannungsfeld von Fundamentalismus und Nationalismus - ein vergleichender Blick auf die Abtreibungsdebatte in den USA und Diskurse über weibliche Genitalverstümmelung in Ägypten und dem Sudan

Nanna Heidenreich (HU Berlin):
Gerettete Frauen, gerettete Bilder? Der Westen projiziert das islamische Bildverbot

Chair: Bettina Mathes (HU Berlin)

6:00 p.m.
Keynote Lecture
Regina Schwartz (Northwestern University, Evanston):
Holy Terror

Friday, Dec. 12, Senatssaal

Gewalt und Gott - Violence and God

10.00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Christina von Braun (HU Berlin):
Das Kreuz mit dem Kreuz. Zur Geschichte eines christlichen Symbols

Hannah Nave (Universität Tel Aviv):
The Sex which is One: The Violence of Men Begetting Men

Riffat Hassan (University of Louisville):
Faith and Violence: An Islamic Perspective

Chair: N.N.

3:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Martha Nussbaum (University of Chicago):
Genocide in Gujarat: Violence Against Muslim Women in the Struggle for Hindu Supremacy

Valentine M. Moghadam (Illinois State University):
Religious Distortions, Violence Against Women, and Feminist Responses: Iran, Afghanistan, Algeria

Chair: Susanne Baer (HU Berlin)

Saturday, Dec. 13, Reutersaal

Geschlecht - Religion - Globalisierung
Gender - Religion - Globalization

10.00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Cornelia Klinger (Wien):
Zwischen Auflösung und Verfestigung: Zur Transformation des Begriffs Kultur im Prozess von Globalisierung

Eva Kreisky (Universität Wien):
Schwache Staaten, starkes Geschlecht und neue Kriege?

Chair: Stefanie von Schnurbein (HU Berlin)

Opfer - Täter - Geschlecht
Sacrifice - Violence - Gender

1:45 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Daniel Boyarin (University of California, Berkeley) /
Carlin Barton (University of Massachusetts, Amherst):
Killing the Kids: Child Sacrifice in Judaism and Christianity

Gabi Dietze (HU Berlin):
Der politische Schleier. Funktion der Muslimin in amerikanischen Kriegsrepräsentationen

Ulrike Brunotte (HU Berlin):
Der Soldat als Initiand, Pionier und apokalyptischer Reiter. Inszenierungen von Religion und Männlichkeit in amerikanischer Kriegsdarstellung und im Kriegsfilm

Chair: Dorothea Dornhof (Europa-Universität Viadrina Frankfurt/Oder)

The deadline for pre-registration ist November 15, 2003. Conference fees (pre-registration): 20,- € 15,- € (for persons holding scholarships/ fellowships) 7,- € (students, unemployed persons) after Nov. 16: 30,- € 25,- € (for persons holding scholarships/ fellowships) 15,- € (students, unemployed persons) Konto: Berliner Sparkasse Kontoinhaberin: Kerstin Rosenbusch Konto-Nr.: 3540156410 Bankleitzahl: 100 500 00 Verwendungszweck: Konferenz 11.-13.12.03 For registration please contact: Dr. Gabriele Jähnert Humboldt-Universität Berlin Zentrum für transdisziplinäre Geschlechterstudien Unter den Linden 6 10099 Berlin Germany Fax: +49-30-2093 8216 e-mail: zentrum@gender.hu-berlin.de