Method and Theory in Islamic Studies:

Objectivity in the Academic Study of Islam

29, 30, 31 August

Inekas is pleased to announce its upcoming international conference, Objectivity in Academic Study of Islam, to be held over three days at the end of August. This annual event, now in its fifth year, continues to serve as a platform for critical engagement with the evolving methodological and theoretical contours of Islamic studies as an academic discipline.

This year’s conference centers on the concept of objectivity and its methodological implications for the study of Islam. We aim to examine how objectivity has been defined, critiqued, and operationalized in scholarly approaches to Islam, and to explore its role in shaping epistemological commitments, disciplinary boundaries, and the politics of knowledge production.

Key topics include:

• Colonial/ Postcolonial and the problem of objectivity: Can postcolonial methodologies adequately respond to the critique that they lack objectivity or universality? Is the turn to positionality and contextuality in postcolonial studies necessarily a move toward relativism? Is it possible to articulate a third methodological approach that retains critical reflexivity while also striving for shared standards of scholarly rigor? How might such an approach reshape the methodological foundations of Islamic studies today?

• Philosophy of “Islamic Studies”: How has the discipline of philosophy historically enriched and shaped the methodological rigor of “Religious Studies”? Specifically, what philosophical concepts, tools, and frameworks have been instrumental in the development of Religious Studies as an academic field? Furthermore, in what ways can this narrative of philosophy’s influence on Religious Studies serve as a guiding example for the further development of the methodology and identity of “Islamic Studies” as a distinct and robust academic discipline? How can the insights gained from understanding this historical interplay contribute to the strengthening of Islamic Studies’ scholarly apparatus, research paradigms, and theoretical frameworks?

• Disciplinary Identity: Examining how “Islam” is academically approached worldwide, especially within Islamic nations. Investigating the institutional frameworks behind the creation of knowledge concerning “Islam.” Analyzing how the field manages existing dichotomies like academic versus traditional, and critical versus apologetic, within Islamic countries. Documenting the developing narratives of Islamic studies as an academic pursuit across various Islamic nations. Is there an underlying methodology that unites the diverse academic approaches to the study of Islam? 

• Intellectual history, objectivity, and meaning: What are the methodological challenges involved in tracing the intellectual traditions of Islam? How can objectivity be negotiated in interpreting texts, ideas, and thinkers across temporal and cultural contexts? How, precisely, can we achieve or negotiate objectivity when undertaking the inherently subjective act of interpreting texts, ideas, and the contributions of significant thinkers?

INEKAS has a strong track record of fostering academic dialogue through annual conferences. INEKAS has hosted four previous summer conferences, some of them were coorginized by the Exeter university, exploring key themes: The Qur’ān and the Bible: Comparative Studies (2021, Program Book), Early Islam (2022, Program Book), Muhammad: Life, Society, and Legacy (2023, Program Book), and Islamic and Biblical Traditions (2024, Program Book). In addition, INEKAS also organized an educational spring school, march 2025, on Method and Theory in Islamic Studies, as a preliminary event for this year’s summer school.These gatherings has convened more than 1500 international scholars and participants in total, facilitating in-depth exploration of foundational themes in Islamic and comparative religious studies.

As in previous years, the conference will feature internationally recognized scholars alongside emerging voices, with participants representing a wide range of regional, disciplinary, and institutional perspectives. All presentations and discussions will be conducted in English.

We invite researchers from across the humanities and social sciences engaged in the critical study of Islam to join us in this important conversation. Through keynote lectures, panel sessions, and open discussions, the conference seeks to foster nuanced and interdisciplinary dialogue on the theoretical and methodological foundations of Islamic studies today.