Workshop Reports

In the context of political and intellectual negotiations and discussions currently underway at various levels on a new constitution for a democratic political system in Syria, our Senior Researcher Housamedden Darwish participated in a workshop On the Need of a Constitution for the Future Syria: Perspectives on the Constitutional Question, organized by Brocar Media Network, in Vienna on 11-12 January. He presented a paper on Paradoxes in the Idea of Supra-Constitutional Principles, discussing, among other things, the question of secularism and the role of religion in the future constitution of Syria. This paper, along with other papers presented at the workshop,  will be published in a special book issued by Brocar Media Network.

Brocar Media Network also interviewed him about the Lebanese party “Hezbollah”, especially about the combination of religion and politics in its discourse and practice.  

On 22 January he participated in a panel discussion during a book launch event of the book Cosmopolitan Responsibility. Global Injustice, Relational Equality, and Individual Agency which took place at the Lost Weekend bookshop in Munich. The other panelists were Prof. Vanessa Wills (Washington/Munich),  Dr. André Grahle (LMU Munich) and the book's author Dr. Jan-Christoph Heilinger (LMU Munich).

Housamedden Darwish was also invited to participate in a workshop about Philosophies of Race, Class, and Gender on 23-24 January at LMU Munich. He presented a paper entitled Integration as Thick Normative Concept: Obstacles to Refugees’ Integration in Germany. In his paper, he discussed what he called “the Islamization of the refugees and the Christianization of the host country/society”, as an obstacle to refugees integration in Germany.

During the workshop, he also participated in a panel discussion entitled  New Directions for Race, Class, and Gender. In this Panel, he discussed, among other things, the question of religious minorities in democratic and non-democratic states.