The University of Pennsylvania's program in Asian American Studies (ASAM) was established in Fall 1996 as a result of joint student, staff, and faculty efforts. An interdisciplinary program that offers a Minor and a broad range of courses and activities, it explores the historical and contemporary experiences of Asian immigrants and of persons of Asian ancestry in North America, and the relevance of those experiences for understanding race and ethnicity in national and global contexts.
Spring 2009
Conference: Global Islam in Everyday America
April 3, 2009 University of Pennsylvania
Hosted by the Asian American Studies Program, the Middle East Center, and the South Asia Center
As Islam is increasingly associated with worldwide debates on terror, anti-West sentiment, and extremism, images of Islam and Islamic identity circulating in the media have become ubiquitous. Pictures of the veil, the turbaned terrorist, and the children schooled in madrasas are conflated to a singular representation of all Muslims. While Muslims face the challenges of negative imagery, researchers know relatively little about the lived experiences of Muslim Americans.
Keynote Address: Yvonne Haddad
Title: Muslims and the Challenge of American pluralism
The new diaspora discourse on pluralism displays a strong awareness of the need for a pluralistic interpretation of Qur’anic verses that have been utilized by extremists to justify their terrorist actions, This is seen as crucial not only to assuage the doubts and apprehensions of the general public, but in a more important way, to address the reality of the diversity within the North American Muslim community itself and the challenge of forging a united constituency. Islam is projected as a way of life, a culture, and as such providing guidance on issues of “diversity, unity, harmony, tolerance and peace.”
Yvonne Haddad, Ph.D., is Professor of the History of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations at the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding. Professor Haddad's fields of expertise include twentieth-century Islam; intellectual, social and political history in the Arab world; and Islam in North America and the West. Currently, Professor Haddad is conducting research on Muslims in the West and on Islamic Revolutionary Movements. She also teaches courses on Muslim-Christian Relations and Arab Intellectuals.
For more information please contact Dr. Fariha Khan at fariha@sas.upenn.edu
