Berlin, 25-27 June 2009

The Freie Universität Berlin, and the Seminar for Semitic and Arabic Studies in cooperation with the Fritz Thyssen Foundation and the initiative "Focus on the Humanities" invites papers to be presented at the international symposium on Religious Culture in Late Antique Arabia. The symposium will take place in Berlin, Germany, 25-27 June 2009. Papers should range form the pre-Islamic to the early Islamic period and should focus on:

1. Religious Communities in Late Antique Arabia: How diverse was the religious landscape in pre-Islamic Arabia? What was the impact of Byzantine and Persian culture and religion on Arabia? How did different religious communities interact?

2. Religious Identity in Everyday Life: To which extent did religious aspects determine the everyday life in Late Antique Arabia? How did religious identity interact with social and economic life?

3. Religion’s Impact on Culture: What evidence do early Arabic art and literature provide about the religious background in Arabia? How important was the role of religion in the process of cultural exchange between Arabia and the neighbouring regions?

The main goal of the symposium is to establish a working platform for younger scholars concerned with the history and culture of Late Antique Arabia, whether topic oriented or methodological. Graduate students are encouraged to apply.

Abstracts should be sent by email to Kirill Dmitriev
(dmitriev@gmx.net) no later than 9th March, 2009. Submissions should be up to 300 words in MS Word or PDF format, and should include your name, affiliation and academic institution. Applicants will be notified about the outcome of the selection process on the 31th March 2009. Each speaker will be allotted 20 minutes for the presentation followed by 10 minutes for questions.