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<tt><span style="font-family: Arial;">++++ upcoming seminar series –
please circulate widely ++++<o:p></o:p></span><br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-family: Arial;">The Trans/forming Cultures
Centre for Research in Communication and Culture at UTS is holding a
seminar series in 2006:<o:p></o:p></span><br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-family: Arial;">Sanctuary and ‘Security’ in
Muslim <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Australia</st1:place></st1:country-region><o:p></o:p></span><br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-family: Arial;">This series is associated
with the recently funded ARC project on Muslim Women’s Networks in
Contemporary Australia. Details of the project are included below.<o:p></o:p></span><br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-family: Arial;">We seek established and
emerging scholars and postgraduates interested in new paradigms of
engagement and learning for Muslim women in <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Australia</st1:place></st1:country-region>
and internationally. <o:p></o:p></span><br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-family: Arial;">We are seeking expressions
of interest from all disciplinary perspectives in order to build a
multi-disciplinary conversation across spectra of belief, scholarship
and ethnic identification.<o:p></o:p></span><br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-family: Arial;">The seminar series will
explore the experiences and perspectives of Australian Muslim women in
regards to many issues including, but not limited to:<o:p></o:p></span><br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-family: Arial;">- gender, race and public
space<o:p></o:p></span><br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-family: Arial;">- health, housing and
education<o:p></o:p></span><br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-family: Arial;">- security and belonging<o:p></o:p></span><br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-family: Arial;">- employment and unemployment<o:p></o:p></span><br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-family: Arial;">- social inclusion and
exclusion<o:p></o:p></span><br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-family: Arial;">- media and public debate<o:p></o:p></span><br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-family: Arial;">- the dynamics of community<o:p></o:p></span><br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-family: Arial;">- the politics of
representation<o:p></o:p></span><br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-family: Arial;">- advocacy and activism<o:p></o:p></span><br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-family: Arial;">- feminisms<o:p></o:p></span><br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-family: Arial;">Please send expressions of
interest in presenting at a seminar or suggestions of potential
speakers to <a href="mailto:tanja.dreher@uts.edu.au">tanja.dreher@uts.edu.au</a><o:p></o:p></span><br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-family: Arial;">For further details or to be
put on our mailing list, please also contact <a
href="mailto:tanja.dreher@uts.edu.au">tanja.dreher@uts.edu.au</a><o:p></o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-family: Arial;">++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++<o:p></o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><tt><b style=""><span style="font-size: 16pt;" lang="EN-US">Sanctuary
and Security in Contemporary <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Australia</st1:place></st1:country-region>:
Muslim Women’s Networks, </span></b><b style=""><span
style="font-size: 16pt; color: windowtext;" lang="EN-US">1980–2005<o:p></o:p></span></b>
<br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><tt><i style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;"
lang="EN-US">An ARC Linkage funded project being
conducted in partnership with the United Muslim Women Association<o:p></o:p></span></i>
<br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><tt><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;"
lang="EN-US">Project Summary<o:p></o:p></span></b>
<br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;" lang="EN-US">This
project makes an important contribution to Muslim women’s participation
in
public life. It researches the scope and potential of social networks
and,
crucially, acknowledges that both religious practice and secular
activities are
legitimate facets of everyday multicultural society. The project
proposes a
dynamic account of Muslim women’s achievements and challenges,
highlighting the
causes and symptoms of past and present insecurity. The key concept of
sanctuary-as-security is both innovative and significant to
contemporary
political debate. The project will result in a reflective
organizational
history, online oral history, policy recommendations for the
advancement of
Muslim women, and scholarly publications.<o:p></o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><tt><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;"
lang="EN-US">National and Community Benefit<o:p></o:p></span></b>
<br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;" lang="EN-US">This
project supports the United Muslim Women’s Association’s strategic
emphases on
capacity building for young women, to increase accuracy in national
public
debate, and encourage relevant policy development. The project’s focus
on
communication will maximize the potential of existing community and
national
networks. The research process will train young women in oral history
and
archival analysis, producing a sophisticated engagement between
communities and
their own lives. Accepting the role of religion in everyday networks,
and
deploying the idea of sanctuary to express Muslim women’s need for
mainstream
understanding, this project contributes to national cohesion based on
information, confidence and respect.<o:p></o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><tt><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;"
lang="EN-US">Project Overview<o:p></o:p></span></b>
<br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;" lang="EN-US">This
project will produce an historically grounded account of Muslim women’s
networks in contemporary <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Australia</st1:place></st1:country-region>,
through the conduct of organizational and oral histories, archival
audits,
extensive interviews, and policy reviews. <o:p></o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;" lang="EN-US">The
project
hypothesises that prevalent notions of <i style="">security</i>
must be broadened in scholarly and public debate to include an analysis
of <i style="">sanctuary</i> in Australian society. Given
the ongoing connections in the public mind between Islam and
insecurity, this
project determines to conduct research into the ways and means of
staying safe,
and in defining sanctuary as a dynamic and active process of community
organisation. <o:p></o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;" lang="EN-US">It
is
anticipated that the outcomes will allow Muslim and non-Muslim
Australians to
better understand the ways in which sanctuary is sought, achieved, and
maintained for communities over time, and especially for communities
under
immediate social and political pressure. Both the process and the
outcomes of
the research are therefore designed to deepen mutual knowledge and
understanding across different Muslim and non-Muslim communities. <o:p></o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;" lang="EN-US">The
project
began as an initiative of the United Muslim Women Association (MWA) who
were
seeking an evaluative history of their organization as it has developed
over
the past twenty five years. This history will provide the starting
point for a
critical understanding of the motivations, achievements and problems
for such
an organization in this country over that period. It will be
contextualized
through parallel case studies of other organizations of Muslim women,
to
compare the approaches to sanctuary and security that they have pursued
through
networking. <o:p></o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-size: 12pt;" lang="EN-US">The project aims
to:<o:p></o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><!--[if !supportLists]--><tt><span
style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: Symbol;" lang="EN-US"><span
style="">¨<span
style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;" lang="EN-US">Provide
a survey of Muslim women’s networks; <o:p></o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><!--[endif]--><!--[if !supportLists]--><tt><span
style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: Symbol;" lang="EN-US"><span
style="">¨<span
style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;" lang="EN-US">Document
the history of the MWA in its local and national contexts;<o:p></o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><!--[endif]--><!--[if !supportLists]--><tt><span
style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: Symbol;" lang="EN-US"><span
style="">¨<span
style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;" lang="EN-US">Develop
an oral history of Muslim women’s experiences in <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Australia</st1:place></st1:country-region>;<o:p></o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><!--[endif]--><!--[if !supportLists]--><tt><span
style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: Symbol;" lang="EN-US"><span
style="">¨<span
style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;" lang="EN-US">Publish
the histories to both inform and provide advice for Muslim and
non-Muslim
women’s networks in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Australia</st1:place></st1:country-region>,
and for relevant policy-makers in federal, state, and local government;<o:p></o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><!--[endif]--><!--[if !supportLists]--><tt><span
style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: Symbol;" lang="EN-US"><span
style="">¨<span
style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;" lang="EN-US">Provide
capacity-building research opportunities for Muslim women.<o:p></o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><!--[endif]--><tt><span style="font-size: 12pt;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><tt><i style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt;" lang="EN-US">About
the MWA<o:p></o:p></span></i>
<br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;" lang="EN-US">The
MWA is
a community-based organisation that has specialised in the delivery of
services
to Muslim Women of diverse cultures and their families in <st1:state
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New South Wales</st1:place></st1:state>
for over twenty years. The
Association has worked to foster and promote Muslim women’s
participation and
involvement in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Australia</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s
culturally and religiously diverse society by catering to the welfare,
social,
educational, religious and recreational needs of Muslim women.<o:p></o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-size: 12pt;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><tt><i style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt;" lang="EN-US">Chief
Investigators:<o:p></o:p></span></i>
<br>
</tt><!--[if !supportLists]--><tt><span style="font-size: 12pt;"
lang="EN-US"><span style="">1.<span
style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;" lang="EN-US">Professor
Stephanie Donald (Institute for International Studies, UTS)<o:p></o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><!--[endif]--><!--[if !supportLists]--><tt><span
style="font-size: 12pt;" lang="EN-US"><span style="">2.<span
style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;" lang="EN-US">Dr
Devleena Ghosh (Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, UTS)<o:p></o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><!--[endif]--><!--[if !supportLists]--><tt><span
style="font-size: 12pt;" lang="EN-US"><span style="">3.<span
style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;" lang="EN-US">Dr
Christina Ho (Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, UTS)<o:p></o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><!--[endif]--><!--[if !supportLists]--><tt><span
style="font-size: 12pt;" lang="EN-US"><span style="">4.<span
style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;" lang="EN-US">Associate
Professor Heather Goodall (Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences,
UTS)<o:p></o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><!--[endif]--><tt><span style="font-size: 12pt;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><tt><i style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt;" lang="EN-US">Partner
Investigators:<o:p></o:p></span></i>
<br>
</tt><!--[if !supportLists]--><tt><span style="font-size: 12pt;"
lang="EN-US"><span style="">1.<span
style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;" lang="EN-US">Ms
Maha Krayem Abdo (United Muslim Women Association)<o:p></o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><!--[endif]--><!--[if !supportLists]--><tt><span
style="font-size: 12pt;" lang="EN-US"><span style="">2.<span
style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;" lang="EN-US">Ms
Genan Dadoun (United Muslim Women Association)<o:p></o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><!--[endif]--><tt><span style="font-size: 12pt;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-size: 12pt;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-size: 12pt;" lang="EN-US">++++++++++++++++++++++<o:p></o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><tt><span style="font-size: 12pt;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span>
<br>
</tt><tt><span style="" lang="EN-US"><br>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Dr Tanja Dreher</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Trans/forming <st1:placename
w:st="on">Cultures</st1:placename></span><br>
<st1:placetype w:st="on"><span style="font-family: Arial;">University</span></st1:placetype><span
style="font-family: Arial;"> of Technology, <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Sydney</st1:place></st1:city></span><br>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">PO Box 123 </span><br>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Broadway 2007</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">E: <a
href="mailto:tanja.dreher@uts.edu.au">tanja.dreher@uts.edu.au</a></span><br>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">P: (02) 9514 2757</span></span></tt>
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