Focus of the Centre
The International Centre for Muslim and non-Muslim Understanding (MnM) is committed to the development of a distinct analytical approach that focuses on understanding Muslims outside the prism of religious studies (such as Islamic studies or Quranic studies) and area studies (such as Middle-Eastern studies or African studies). Critical Muslim Studies draws on and extends the insights of post-Orientalism, post-colonialism and post-structuralism in examining the assumptions of western hegemony, the political formations of Muslim subjectivities and the unresolved imbrications of multiculturalism and racism. What motivates this approach is the idea that understanding Muslim and non-Muslim interactions necessitates a critical analysis of the way in which 'the Muslim question' is constructed by the histories, politics and cultures of colonialism, Orientalism and racism. The relationship between Muslim and non-Muslim geographies and histories is crucial not only because it seems to mark out a volatile and violent border but more importantly because it opens up the horizon of an ambiguous postcolonality. Some substantive research topics have included:
- Critical analyses of the politics of post-9/11 security contexts and its effects on Muslim populations
- Media research on how Muslims utilise comedy in Australian television to mobilise a non-didactic politics
- A cultural history of everyday securities in postcolonial cities
- Hindu and Islamicate thought in the formation of regional identity in India
- Analysing 'violent extremism'
- Islamicate diasporas
- Muslim youth
Professor Salman Sayyid is the newly appointed Director of the Muslim Non Muslim Centre.
The
project falls under the leadership of
Professor Pal Ahluwalia, Pro-Vice Chancellor: Education Arts and
Social Sciences at UniSA and also UNESCO Chair in Transnational
Diasporas and Reconciliation Studies.
He predicts that the Centre will, over time, become a leading world policy institution and will build vital cultural and social bridges. In essence, he says the Centre will encourage scholarship aimed at examining and understanding the root causes of the divide between Muslim and non-Muslim cultures and developing models to overcome this.
His vision encompasses a unique forum in which scholars develop and share ideas within the framework of a broader social justice agenda, with high powered international leadership and opportunities for international interdisciplinary research projects, symposia, workshops, and round tables. He sees distinguished researchers with expertise in areas such as community mediation, diaspora, international studies and conflict resolution, social inclusion and reconciliation sharing in these activities. They will collectively tackle cross-cultural issues and develop rational approaches to addressing and overcoming prejudices about diversity.