This week, IQSA concludes its series of blog highlights on featured program units for the upcoming Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA, with a focus on “Qur’anic Studies: Methodology and Hermeneutics.” For detailed information on all of the units accepting submissions, please visit our web page here.
This unit, chaired by Karen Bauer and Farid Esack, aims to understand and contextualize the methods applied to the Qur’anic text, both historical and contemporary. The Methodology and Hermeneutics unit addresses questions that might implicitly govern other units, such as:
- What is Qur’anic Studies, and how does the study of the Qur’an differ from the study of its interpretation?
- What are the methodological differences between descriptive and normative approaches to the text?
- How does context (intellectual, social, ethical, historical) affect hermeneutical approaches to the text?
The unit welcomes papers addressed to the hermeneutics and methods of particular schools of interpretation or thought, and also on hermeneutics as applied to specific subjects or concepts, such as social justice and gender. For the 2014 meeting in San Diego, the Methodology and Hermeneutics unit will host two panels:
- The first panel focuses on the hermeneutics or methods applied to the Qur’an by particular groups of interpreters or schools of thought. A grouping could be theological, sectarian, or geographical, but need not be limited by such boundaries.
- The second invites papers in any aspect of methods and hermeneutics applied to the Qur’an.
Proposals should include a title and an abstract of approximately 400 words.
Important Notes about Proposing a Paper for IQSA 2014
* IQSA is an independent learned society, although our meeting overlaps with those of SBL and AAR. In order to attend IQSA 2014, membership in IQSA and registration for the SBL/AAR conference will be necessary. (The first day of the IQSA conference, however, will be open to the general public).
* All interested students and scholars may submit a proposal through SBL’s website, here. Scroll down to the “Affiliate” section, then click on the chosen IQSA program unit name. [Look in particular for the “(IQSA)” indication at the end of the unit titles]. Instructions for those with and without SBL membership can be found by clicking through to these individual program unit pages.
* Details on low-cost membership in IQSA will be published on the IQSA blog in Spring 2014. Make sure you are subscribed!
© International Qur’anic Studies Association, 2014. All rights reserved.