Muslim Inspired Social Activism: Some Snapshots From Britain

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 18:30 in Discussion Forums

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Dr Marta Bolognani

Where: Meeting Room 1, Colston Hall, Colston Street, Bristol, BS1 5AR
Time: 18:30
With: Dr Marta Bolognani, University of Bristol

Summary

Marta Bolognani, a Senior Lecturer at Bristol University, addressed a diverse audience on the fascinating topic of the Muslim-inspired social activisim. Her presentation explored the variety of local groups and national networks founded by Muslims in Britain and the wide range of missions and ideologies which they represent. She explained how Muslim-inspired social activism has evolved from the purely welfare-based activities of migrants associations to much more wide-ranging work undertaken by diverse groups.

Abstract

'Muslim inspired social activism: some snapshots from Britain'

Britain has long been the home of a number of local groups and national networks founded by Muslims. These groups vary in missions, ideologies and forms of organization, and have evolved from purely welfare-based migrants associations to much more wide-ranging groups. This talk will look at the process of change of these organizations with particular attention to how post 9/11 policies and constraints have contributed to shaping new forms of activism.

Biography of Marta Bolognani

Assistant Professor at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Lahore, Pakistan, 2006-2008; Senior Lecturer at the University of Wales Institute in Cardiff (UWIC), 2008-2009). At the Centre for the Study of Ethnicity and Citizenship at Bristol since 2010.

Marta Bolognani is currently working on two projects - EURISLAM (funded by the EU) and PREMIG (funded by the Norwegian Social Research Council). EURISLAM is an international comparative research project that analyses how the incorporation of Islam in European Member States is influenced by national traditions of identity, citizenship and church-state relations. EURISLAM will study how these traditions have affected interactions between Muslim immigrants and their off-spring and the receiving society. PREMIG is a large-scale research project that explores return migration from Norway and the United Kingdom.Return migration has many faces: for some migrants it is a dream that they hope to realize. Others live in fear of being returned against their will. PREMIG takes a broad approach and aims to cover the diverse aspects of return migration. Her other research interests regard Muslims in Europe, Muslim practices in the contemporary world, Pakistani diaspora, Muslim popular culture, urban studies in multicultural settings.