Ethnical and Confessional Situation in the Middle East in the Modern times

 Dmitri .R. Djantiev (The Institute of Asian and African Studies, Lomonosov MSU, Moscow) The role of Sufi brotherhoods in the anti-American resistance in Iraq (2003-2010).

Svetlana A. Kirillina (The Institute of Asian and African Studies, Lomonosov MSU, Moscow) Looking intently at the "Ethnical and confessional face" of Ottoman society: Russian pilgrim Meletij in the Holy Land at the end of the XVIII century.

Taras Yu. Kobischanov (The Institute of Asian and African Studies, Lomonosov MSU, Moscow) Religious and political situation in the Ottoman Empire at the turn of XVIII - XIX centuries in representation of "Notes of Constantinople news and disclosures".

Vladimir S. Koshelev (Belarusian State University, Minsk) The growth of Islam phobia in Western Europe after the events of September 11, 2001 (based on monitoring data of the EU).

Natalya V. Kosheleva  (Belarusian State University, Minsk) The "Islamization of knowledge" project.

Andrei A. Kudelin (People’s Friendship University of Russia, Moscow) The socio-political image of the Egyptian ulam from the XVII till the first half of XVIII centuries.

Mikhail S. Meyer  (The Institute of Asian and African Studies, Lomonosov MSU, Moscow) Transformation of the system of millets and its influence on the ethnic and confessional situation in the Ottoman Empire.

Vladimir V. Orlov (The Institute of Asian and African Studies, Lomonosov MSU, Moscow) Moroccan spiritual and political elite and the Wahhabi call (the end of XVIII - early XIX century).

Pavel V. Shlykov (The Institute of Asian and African Studies, Lomonosov MSU, Moscow) Transformation of the traditional Islamic institutions in the Late Ottoman Empire (by the example of the Institution of waqf).

 

Description of the panel

One of the crucial problems of the social life in the Middle East in Modern Time is related to the correlation of ethnic and confessional factors which deeply affected the world outlook of peoples in this vast and historically significant region. Noticeable differences in the material and cultural development of various ethnical groups of the Middle Eastern society predetermined the complexity of interaction between these two factors. These distinctions became more obvious due to the progressing involvement of Middle Eastern countries into the global economy. This process affected in a negative way the established world view and the traditional way of life based on deep-rooted ethnic and religious traditions.

The problems to be discussed in the panel are as follows:

1. specificities of the ethnic and confessional satiation in different parts of the Middle Eastern region;
2. transformation of the millet system and the impact of this process on the ethnic and confessional satiation in Ottoman Empire;
3. opposition Self and Other: paradigm of mutual perception and conflicts;
4. reaction of peoples and confessions of the Middle East on the Western missionary activities in the region;
5. the crisis of the Eastern Christianity and Russia’s efforts to overcome this crisis;
6. cultural renaissance in the Middle East (al-Nahda) and revival of the ideas of national self-consciousness;
7.  capability of Middle Eastern ethnic and confessional communities to adapt to ideas of national revivalism and Western cultural values;
8. Islamic reformatory movement and concept of Panislamism, Islamic ideas as an ideological weapon in confrontation with the increasing political, and cultural expansion of the West;
9. new patterns of education and crisis of the traditional Muslim system of transmission of learning;

10.  Islamic world and changing notion of the definition of homeland.    

Moderators of the section: M.S. Meyer (Institute of Asian and African States, Lomonosov MSU, Moscow) and S.A. Kirillina (Institute of Asian and African States, Lomonosov MSU, Moscow).