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Dear friends and colleagues,

Next Wednesday we welcome our Senior Research Fellow Sushmita Nath to the Colloquium, who will present and discuss her recently published book “The Secular Imaginary: Gandhi, Nehru and the Idea(s) of India”. Then, on Wednesday evening, we look forward to the film “Kongo” as part of our Screening Religion series.

Today we also have recommendations regarding a Call for Papers and an Online Conference, and again, there is an announcement with respect to the KFG office building. Also, if you enjoy watching good films, there will be plenty to choose from at the 22^nd Leipzig Cinematic Art Fair taking place from 19–23 September.

Enjoy and have a good week!

Anja & Lucy

Next week’s colloquium: Sushmita Nath’s Book Launch “The Secular Imaginary: Gandhi, Nehru and the Idea(s) of India”, 21 September

Next Wednesday, our Senior Research Fellow Sushmita Nath will give a presentation on her recently published book “The Secular Imaginary: Gandhi, Nehru and the Idea(s) of India” at our colloquium.

In July, we already announced Sushmita’s publication that focuses on the question “What is the discourse of secularity in modern India?” The book elaborates upon an intellectual history of secularity in modern India by focusing on the two most influential political leaders – M. K. Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. It is an intellectual history of both idea(s) and intellectuals, which sheds light on Indian narratives of secularity: the Gandhian sarva dharma samabhava, Nehruvian secularism, and ‘unity in diversity’. It revisits this dominant narrative of secularity of the twentieth century, which influenced and shaped the imagination of the modern nation-state.

Discussants at the colloquium will be Tobias Berger and Max Kramer from Freie Universität Berlin as well as our Director Monika Wohlrab-Sahr and our Research Coordinator Johannes Duschka.

The colloquium will take place in a hybrid format (on-site and online). If you would like to join in person, please register for the colloquium via e-mail. In the Member Area you will find the relevant readings as well as information on the zoom connection data.

21 September | 9.15-11.45 a.m. (CET)

Strohsack, Room 4.55 and online via Zoom

Reminder: Screening Religion with “Kongo” on 21 September at naTo

We would like to remind you of our next Screening Religion film “Kongo”, which will be presented on 21 September at Cinémathèque Leipzig at naTo. Enchantment and magic and their significance in Africa are at the focus of the film, which will be shown in original languages (Lari and French) with English subs.

After the film, there will be a discussion with our Senior Researcher Magnus Echtler and our new Senior Research Fellow Asonzeh Ukah.

Free entrance, donations are welcome.

21 September | 7 p.m. (CET)

Cinémathèque Leipzig at naTo, Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 46, 04275 Leipzig

Online Conference (in German): “Religiöse Vielfalt in der Jugendverbandslandschaft – Entwicklungen und Perspektiven in einem dynamischen Feld“, 22–23 September

Our Associate Member Markus Dreßler points to an online conference on the topic of “Religiöse Vielfalt in der Jugendverbandslandschaft – Entwicklungen und Perspektiven in einem dynamischen Feld“ (“Religious diversity in the Youth Association Landscape – Developments and perspectives in a dynamic field”), hosted by the Institute for the Study of Religions at Leipzig University.

The conference will take place online, the conference language is German. You can register via e-mail by 20 September.  

Conference Dates:

22 September | 10.30 a.m.–4.30 p.m. (CET)

23 September | 9.45 a.m.–1.30 p.m. (CET)

Online

Call for Papers: “Alevi Pasts Contested”, Workshop on Alevi Historiography, 5–7 October 2023 Leipzig University

We would like to draw your attention to a Call for Papers for a workshop on Alevi historiography at Leipzig University on 5–7 October 2023, organized by our Associate Member Markus Dreßler together with Hege Markussen from Lund University.

The workshop is a first step towards the publication of an edited volume on Alevi historiography and all participants are expected to present drafts of chapters for the publication at the workshop. The invitation is extended to all scholars on Alevis and Alevism who are interested in critically engaging with historiographies surrounding Alevi communities and the field of Alevi studies.

If you are interested in presenting at the workshop, please send a 300-500 word abstract and a 150-word bio via e-mail.

Submission of abstracts and biography: 8 November

Selection of abstracts: 16 December

Deadline for submission of article drafts for workshop: 15 August 2023

Workshop Dates: 5–7 October 2023

Maintenance work on window blinds at our offices until 23 September

We would like to inform you that during this and the following week, maintenance work on blinds in our office building will be carried out. For this, the maintenance company will have access to our rooms. Please make sure that the windows are freely accessible. If you want to put away/lock up valuables lying around in your office beforehand, you will find a lockable cabinet in each office that you can use. If you do not come to the office during this period and still have valuables that you would like to put away, please let us know; we would then put them away/lock them up for you.

Event: 22. Filmkunstmesse Leipzig (22nd Leipzig Cinematic Art Fair), 19–23 September

With over 80 films screened in their original languages and in full length, an unprecedented diversity of films will be represented at this year’s Filmkunstmesse Leipzig from 19–23 September. Among them are 14 films that premiered at this year's Cannes Film Festival, as well as films that had their world premiere at the Venice Biennale immediately before.

The films will be shown at three Leipzig venues (Passage Kinos, Schauburg and Cinestar Leipzig).

The film programme is accompanied by a series of panels, seminars and workshops on the subject of cinema.

19–23 September | Various Leipzig venues

If you have any content that you think suits the purpose of the weekly, please feel free to send it to us at multiple-secularities@uni-leipzig.de.