No!:  Subjectivity and Agency in Muslim Rights/Rites of Negation

February 27-28, 2010

Duke University 

Keynote Speaker - Kecia Ali, Boston University

“And when a limit is established, norms and interdictions are not far behind”

—Jacques Derrida

The concept and practice of “No!” can establish barriers and break them down. As Georges Bataille explained, “No” can be passive negation or active rebellion.   Who gets to refuse and how they do so involves subjectivity—ways in which individuals relate to themselves and the other. The act of negation enacts the affirmation of possible alternatives.  Such acts range from Satan’s refusal to bow before Adam to a wife’s legal inability to refuse her husband’s sexual overtures in Muslim jurisprudence.  In ordinary life, individuals enunciate negation through multiple media, including expressions of tact and satire. In politics, the state expresses its agency by codifying certain political ideologies, while individuals actualize their agency by negating or affirming them. Practices of negation, refusal, and dissent both constitute and are constituted by subjectivity and society. This connection has often been overlooked in recent studies of Islam. Therefore, we welcome diverse approaches to examine negation, agency, and the subject in the study of classical, medieval, and contemporary Islamicate contexts. We are particularly interested in interdisciplinary approaches to this theme with regards to Muslim political theologies, Islamic textual canons, and Muslim minorities, including those of gender, sexuality, race, and class.

Appropriation or negation of legal rulings through the utilization of Objectives of Islamic Law

The conference will proceed in an interactive workshop format. We ask that those invited to present papers remain for the duration of the conference in order to engage the work of fellow participants. This two-day conference will take place at Duke University.  

To apply, please send the following to dukeuncconf@gmail.com: 

• Proposal of no more than 500 words, double-spaced 
• Paper title
• Curriculum Vitae

The deadline for submissions is December 15, 2009

Organizers:

Brandon Gorman, Department of Sociology, UNC-Chapel Hill

Matthew Hotham, Department of Religious Studies, UNC-Chapel Hill

Nadia Khan, Department of Religion, Duke University

Ali Altaf Mian, Department of Religion, Duke University

Saadia Yacoob, Department of Religion, Duke University