Inaugural conference · Call for papers · Opening soon

Who is an Indian Muslim?

An international conference, hybrid format, mid-2027. Papers presented, following the journal’s ordinary process of double-blind review, will constitute the inaugural issue.

The theorisation of Indian Muslim identity in its positive aspect, public identity, community aspiration, institutional life and the terms of engagement with the state, remains thin by comparison with the literature on deprivation and marginality. The conference takes that question as its subject, across seven strands.

Strands

Theological definitions of Indian Muslim identity after the post-partition settlement
The nation-state and the ummah: the terms of belonging, and their Indian interlocutors
Coalition with other marginalised communities: strategy, or a language of belonging?
Beyond the event: awqaf, mosques, madrasas, personal law, and the material conditions of community life
The diaspora’s view of Indian Muslim subjecthood
The state’s vocabulary of engagement with Muslim citizens
Political theorisation in India and the place of this category within it

Format, dates and venue

Hybrid by design rather than by concession: an in-person component, and full remote participation so that scholars based in India take part on equal terms. Venue and dates will be confirmed in the first quarter of 2027, with invitations issued not less than six months in advance.