The Politics of Engagement

In its fourth year, the “Constructive Muslim Thought and Engaged Scholarship” seminar continues to work towards better delineating the contours of this distinctive field in formation. The work of constructive Muslim thought and engaged scholarship is inseparable from politics at many levels, from conducting research to community engagement to the precarities of advancement and publishing. For this session, the participants have been invited to join a roundtable conversation aimed at exploring how politics and engaged scholarship intersect or are intertwined in their respective work. What possibilities and challenges emerge in the course of engaged scholarship? For whom is our work done? With whom are we in critical conversation? And with whom are we not? What approaches can we take to advance and further develop this field in light of these many concerns? All seminar attendees are encouraged to join the conversation after the invited participants have shared their opening remarks.