News and Events

2011

• On Thursday 29 September, Prof Paul Heelas (opens in a new window) (Erasmus University, Rotterdam) will be delivering a public lecture on the topic of “Third Force Sufism” at the Bankstown Campus of UWS. Opening address will be given by Prof. John Ingleson, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, UWS and there will be a special musical performance by The Huzur Ensemble. Everyone is welcome.
  

• The CSCMS and the University of Western Sydney are pleased to sponsor and support The National Social Cohesion Conference (opens in a new window) organised by the Affinity Intercultural Foundation (opens in a new window). The conference will take place October 9-11 on the Bankstown Campus of UWS. Some of the issues that will be addressed  include: multiculturalism and social inclusion; diversity in the Australian social landscape; and citizenship in a pluralistic society.
  

• On August 12, the CSCMS and the Writing and Society Research Group welcomed author Hanifa Deen (opens in a new window) who spoke about her newly released book ALI ABDUL V’s the KING: Muslim Stories from the Dark Days of White Australia.
  

• On May 16, 2011, Dr Jan Ali was interviewed by reporter Glenda Kwek of the Sydney Morning Herald for the article "'Eye for an Eye' acid punishment postponed after outcry" (opens in a new window). 
  

• Dr Shainool Jiwa (opens in a new window) from the Institute of Ismaili Studies (opens in a new window), UK, delivered a special guest lecture on May 2, 2011 on the topic of 'Governing Diverse Communities: A Fatimid Illustration'.
  

• Professor Bryan Turner was one of the Keynote speakers at the British Sociological Association's annual Sociology of Religion Conference (April 11-13, 2011). Bryan spoke on the topic of "The Sociology of Charisma: Max Weber, Pierre Bordieu and Saint Paul'.
  

• Dr Jan Ali spoke was featured on ABC 702's 'Weekends with Simon Marnie' program (opens in a new window), which was broadcast from the Lakemba Mosque Open Day on Saturday 9 April, 2011.

• The National Centre of Excellence for Islamic Studies (opens in a new window) and the CSCMS will host a special public seminar on Wednesday 2 March, 2011 on the topic of 'Revolution in Egypt and Tunisia and the prospects for change in the Middle East' (opens in a new window). A panel of three leading Middle East experts will examine the revolutions in these two countries, as well as the implications on political reform in Iran, Libya and the rest of the Arab world. For more information, please click on the link above.

• In his article for Religioscope (opens in a new window), Richard Cimino discusses the paper delivered by Adam Possamai at the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion Conference  (opens in a new window) held in October 2010 in Baltimore. The paper was drawn from the article 'Islam: A New Religious Vehicle for Aboriginal Self-Empowerment in Australia?'. The article was authored by Helena Onnudottir, Adam Possamai and Bryan Turner and appeared in the inaugural issue of the International Journal for the Study of New Religions (opens in a new window) (2010).

2010

• Associate Professor Adam Possamai has been named President of the International Sociological Association's (opens in a new window) (ISA) Research Committee on Sociology of Religion RC22 (opens in a new window). His position on the Board will run through until 2014.
• Prof Bryan Turner, Prof Abdullah Saeed (opens in a new window) (Director, NCEIS) and Prof Gary Bouma (opens in a new window) (Monash University) will be delivering addresses on August 20, 2010 at a Public Symposium and Ramadan Iftar hosted by Monash Asia Institute (opens in a new window) with the Centre for Islam and the Modern World (opens in a new window), Monash University. The symposium, "Political Islam and the West: The Dynamics of Transformation" will mark the launch of Irfan Ahmad's (opens in a new window) book Islamism and Democracy in India: The Transformation of Jamaat-e-Islami (opens in a new window).
• Bryan Turner has been invited by the Bob Hawke Priministerial Centre (opens in a new window), University of South Australia, to take part in their Hawke Conversation Series (opens in a new window). On August 5, Bryan will be discussing the role of sociology in understanding our world with Prof Paul Ahluwalia (Pro Vice Chancellor, Division of Education, UniSA) and Prof Elspeth Probyn (Director, Hawke Research Centre, UniSA). 
• The Shari'ah and Legal Pluralism One Day Conference took place on July 7, 2010. To view the conference programme along with presenter bios, please click on the link above.
• The Immanent Frame, a production of the Social Science Research Council, is a collective blog publishing interdisciplinary perspectives on secularism, religion, and the public sphere. Professor Bryan Turner has recently contributed an essay, 'The (really) strong program', in which he discusses, among other issues, the way in which he believes that the CSCMS should approach Muslim societies - comparatively and from an interdisciplinary, modern perspective. 
• To mark its 60th anniversary, the editors of the British Journal of Sociology have selected two articles from each of the Journal's six decades that, in their view, "have had a significant and enduring impact on sociology." Professor Bryan Turner's seminal article "Islam, capitalism and the Weber theses" was one of two articles selected for the decade of the 1970s.

2009

• Professor Bryan Turner is awarded the degree of Doctor of Letters by the University of Cambridge.

• 'Managing the politics of piety' Sunday Times Political Correspondent Zakir Hussein reviews Muslims  in Singapore: Piety, Politics and Policies  by Kamaludeen Mohamed Nasir (CSCMS PG Candidate), Alexius A. Periera and Bryan S. Turner (Director, CSCMS).     
  
  
  

Launch of the UWS Centre for the Study of Contemporary Muslim Societies

The Centre was opened on 16 July 2009 at the Bankstown campus of UWS. The welcome address was given by Professor Janice Reid, Vice-Chancellor and President of UWS. Addresses were also delivered by Daryl Melham MP, Member for Bankstown; Professor Abdullah Saeed, Director of the National Centre of Excellence for Islamic Studies, University of Melbourne; and Professor Wayne McKenna, Executive Dean, UWS College of Arts.

See more videos of the launch on the UWS YouTube channel.

Papers presented

Professor Bryan Turner (UWS): ‘Setting the Agenda for the New Centre’

Associate Professor Adam Possamai (UWS): ‘Islam in Post-Secular Australia’

Professor Fethi Mansouri (Deakin University): ‘Research on Muslims in Australia’

Professor James Beckford (Warwick University, UK): ‘The Importance of Comparative Studies of Muslims in Prisons’

Professor Riaz Hassan (Flinders University): ‘Social and Political Issues in the Muslim World’

Professor Kevin Dunn (UWS) and Dr. Steven Drakeley (UWS) introduced the various sessions.

Kamaludeen bin Mohamed Nasir, a postgraduate student from the Centre, also spoke on the topic of his doctoral research.

Two one-hour episodes of the launch were produced for community television and were broadcast on TVS in early October. For a DVD of the launch please contact the centre.

 ^ Back to Top