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Appel à communication : Conférence InternationaleMuslim cultures of the Indian OceanInternational Conference The Institute for the Study of Muslim CivilisationsAga Khan University, London18-21 Septembre 2018Rationale:Over the past couple of decades, significant new research has been undertaken across East Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and the Indian subcontinent leading to fresh insights on a number of facets of Indian Ocean Cultures. Our objective is to study these multiple facets through the prism of one religion, Islam.  How did one religion managed to unite different people from different area with different cultures?  Since the Prophet, Islam was a mercantile religion par excellence and was favored through trade all over the Indian Ocean. As it was defined by Fernand Braudel for the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean became a "Muslim Mare Nostrum".This conference aims to understand the development of Muslim cities and states related to port areas as places of exchange, but also through time and competition as places of conflict. Understanding the relationship between ports, travel, economy and religion requires an in depth examination of archaeological remains and written sources, but also knowledge on existing populations. It’s striking to see that Islam until very recently was considered by some scholars as a kind of foreign and coercive influence, sometimes associated with a kind of proto-colonialism, especially in Africa. These observations and theories were done mainly by archaeologists and some historians ignoring all the data provided by the ethnography and social anthropology.Instead of trying to divide cultures and people, the objective of this conference is to bring together experts of Muslim cultures around the Indian Ocean. We are not seeking nationalism, regionalism and differences but we are looking for diversity and cultural exchanges. We particularly intend to draw specialists from the following geographic areas: Africa, Arabia, Persia and India. These specialists will be from different backgrounds to stimulate debate amongst archaeologists, historians and anthropologists. In recognition of the multidisciplinary nature of the endeavour, the conference will include papers on history, material culture and social anthropology. Accordingly, the conference aims to bring together specialists as well as emerging scholars in the discipline to deliberate on issues related to culture as well as to elicit new approaches to its growing field of study.This conference is convened to provide a platform for sharing the recent learnings on Indian Ocean Cultures in Muslim Context and mark the coming of age of a reconnaissance of Muslim Cultures as a vital area of study, through the publication of select proceedings of the conference.Planning &#38; OrganisationDate limite : 1er juin 2017The opening call for paper proposals starts the 1st October 2016.Proposed papers (title and abstract of 250-500 words) should be sent before 1st June 2017 to the following: Dr. Stephane Pradines (stephane.pradines@aku.edu)Associate Professor, Ismc, Aga Khan UniversityLondon, United Kingdom Papers will be reviewed and selected by a scientific committee and authors of the accepted papers will be informed in October 2017.The final conference programme will be announced in January 2018.The conference will be held over 4 days in September 2018, at a central London location; in the new building of the Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations in Kings Cross.We hope to have up to 30 participants comprising of specialists as well as young scholars emerging in the field of Muslim Indian Ocean Cultures.The participants will be required bear their own costs for travel, accommodation and subsistence.  However, there will be no registration fee for the participants. Plus we will provide a limited number of travel grants to those who have the competence to participate but lack the financial means to do so.  Our priority will go first to PhD students and researchers from the Indian Ocean world.Language of the Conference: EnglishFor further information on the conference please visit the following website:https://www.aku.edu/ismc/about/Pages/home.aspx