THE ISTANBUL FOUNDATION FOR SCIENCE AND CULTURE

A symposium 

September 2002 

Globalization, Ethics and Bediuzzaman Said Nursi’s Risale-i Nur

The Aim and Scope of the Symposium

Globalization is said to be as old as human societies themselves. Almost all world religions have promoted a universal mission. With the development of the modern world, and the colossal transformations taking place in the world at large, the educated public has begun to pay closer attention to the phenomenon of ‘globalization’. Aside from its political and economic consequences, globalization has influenced the ethical standards of human societies. How can we assess religious ethical values in the light of globalization? What role does ‘Abrahamic ethic’ play in the current globalization? Is there any connection between Qur’anic ethics and current globalization? And how can we promote social justice and great ethical values in light of the Risale-i Nur? These are some of the questions that we hope that the international symposium on ‘Globalization, Ethics  and Bediuzzaman Said Nursi’s Risale-i Nur’ will try to answer.

Many modern theologians have debated the issue of ‘the crisis of modern man’. Has this crisis been deepened as a result of the sweeping power of recent globalization? It is clear that modern Islamic thought has offered some interesting answers to the above questions. We think that a serious debate of the central ideas of Risale-i Nur may shed a great deal of light on these questions as well.

We think that the contributions of scholars from different religious traditions and cultural backgrounds will enrich the current intellectual debate on globalization and ethics. We, therefore, invite you to consider one of the following topics as a theme for your paper:

Subjects

1)      Ethics in Classical Islamic Thought;

2)      Ethics in Modern Islamic Thought;

3)      Ethics in Abrahamic Thought, especially Judaism and Christianity;

4)      On the Meaning of Globalization;

5)      Are Religious Ethics and Globalization Compatible?

6)      Ethics in Risale-i Nur?

7)      Globalization in the Thought of  Bediuzzaman Said Nursi;

8)      Bediuzzaman Said Nursi and Modernity: Some Conceptual Remarks.

9)      The Place of Secularization in the Thought of  Bediuzzaman Said Nursi;

10)   Nursi’s Ethics as Qur’anic Ethics.

11)   Globalization, the Nation State, and Risale-i Nur.

12)   Contemporary Muslim World and Globalization: The Perspective from Risale-i Nur.

13)   Social Justice and Globalization: The Perspective from Risale-i Nur.

14)   Renaissance Thought, Islamic Kalam : The View of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi.

15)   Exile and Globalization: The Experience of Said Nursi.

 

Important Notes

 1)  The papers should be written within the framework of the above mentioned topics, studied in the Risale-i Nur Collection.

2)  The papers should reach the secretariat by the following dates:

a) Abstracts of the papers (not exceeding 250 words) not later 30th November 2001.

b) The final form of the papers should be submitted to the organizing committee not later 31st May  2002.

3)  Those taking part should adhere to these dates so that the sitting can be properly organized and the papers printed beforehand.

4)  If the request, information on the topics may be obtained from the secretariat.

5) The symposium will be conducted in Turkish, English and Arabic, for which there will be simultaneous translation.

6) The papers should not exceed 15 pages.


Prof. Dr. Faris Kaya

Symposium Coordinator

 

Sanayi Caddesi, Bilge Sokak,  No: 2,    34530  Yenibosna - ISTANBUL  / TURKEY

Tel: (+90 212) 654 45 50 - 551 32 25 (pbx)  Fax: (+90 212) 551 26 59

Web Site: http://www.istikv.org    E-mail:  iikv@istikv.org