Research Plans: Unit 5

Unit 5 Islamic History and Culture

Institute of Oriental Culture, The University of Tokyo

Unit Leader: HANEDA Masashi

Islamic Area Studies Unit 5 Research Office

Institute of Oriental Culture, The University of Tokyo

7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan

Tel: +81-3-3815-9565 Fax: +81-3-3815-9565

E-mail: 5jimu@ioc.u-tokyo.ac.jp

Unit 5: Research Themes and Activities

The research activities of the three groups of Unit 5 are progressing well. The themes and objectives of the groups have continued along the lines set out at their commencement in 1999. Unit 5 has emphasized the exchange of information via the Internet; we announce upcoming events and have reports of recent workshops on the website as soon as possible.

Group 5-A:

- The Islamic Ceramics Research Group will provide an overview of all Islamic ceramic and glass artifacts preserved in Japan. We will continue the twice-yearly investigation of the collections and work towards making them widely known. (organizer: MASUYA Tomoko)

- The Saray Albums Research Group will study the ﾒSaray Albumsﾓ of the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, Turkey. The group will approach these works of art from various viewpoints and organize the findings in a database. We will hold three to four research seminars. (organizer: YAMANLAR-MIZUNO Minako)

- The Knowledge and Society Research Group will consider the relationship between knowledge and society in its multiple aspects, while investigating the roles of, and attitudes towards, knowledge in Islamic civilization. We will continue to hold research seminars about three times annually. (organizer: MORIMOTO Kazuo)

- The Research Group for Urban Space and Architectural Culture in the Middle East will provide a forum where researchers from various fields with an interest in Islamic architecture and urbanism may exchange ideas and find new themes for investigation. We will continue to organize research seminars four to five times annually. (organizer: FUKAMI Naoko)

Group 5-B:

This group considers the issues of multi-cultural interaction and exchange through seminars such as the following: ﾒThe Historical Development of International Relations in Islamic AreasﾑWith a Special Emphasis on the Ottoman Empireﾓ (organizer: KUROKI Hidemitsu), ﾒInternational Trade Historyﾓ (organizer: FUKASAWA Katsumi), and ﾒHistory of Cross-cultural Contacts and Exchangesﾓ (organizer: HANEDA Masashi). Each seminar will hold two to three sessions. In September, we will include three scholars from overseas in the international workshop ﾒPorts, Merchants, and Cross-cultural Contacts.ﾓ The workshop will invite debate on intercultural exchange in port cities of the Indian Ocean and Mediterranean coasts of the 17th to 20th centuries. Discussions will extend towards next yearﾕs session at the international symposium on the same topic.

Group 5-C:

ﾒThe Potentials of Comparative Studyﾓ (organizers: MIURA Toru, KISHIMOTO Mio, SEKIMOTO Teruo) will continue with the topic of ﾒOwnership, Contracts, and Markets.ﾓ The following themes will be discussed:

1) To compare and understand the common systems of order that shape ﾒOwnership, Contracts, and Markets.ﾓ Through studying the system of ownership, to consider the more general systems of power and order in society.

2) In addition to our three main regions of study (China, Southeast Asia and the Middle East), we will widen the scope of our viewpoint by including in it such regions as Japan, South Asia, Central Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America.

3) In June, we will hold a research seminar, ﾒThe Order of Markets Formed Through Interactions.ﾓ In December, the theme will be ﾒJustice.ﾓ

4) We will invite researchers from abroad to join our international workshop in September, where ﾒOwnership, Contracts, and Marketsﾓ will be studied from new points of view.

Continuing last yearﾕs research on the writings of Chinese Muslim Intellectuals (Hui-zu), we will gather scholars of various fields such as Islamic history, Chinese philosophy, and Islamic philosophy to present papers and exchange ideas. We plan to hold these meetings regularly, and to publish an annotated translation of the text in current use. (organizer: KUROIWA Takashi)

Unit 5: International Exchange

Scholars to be sent abroad

- MORIMOTO Kazuo will participate in the 19th International Congress of Historical Sciences. August 2000. Oslo.

Scholars invited from abroad

- Priscilla P. SOUCEK (New York University, Islamic Art History) will participate in the Group 5-A research groups ﾒIslamic Ceramicsﾓ and ﾒUrban Space and Architectural Culture.ﾓ October 2000.

- Edmund HERZIG (University of Manchester, Armenian networks)

Philippe HAUDR餝E (Universit� dﾕAngers, French East India Company)

R歸iger KLEIN (University of T歟ingen, Writings by Aleppo merchants)

The three scholars will participate in the Group 5-B International Workshop ﾒPorts, Merchants, and Cross-Cultural Contacts.ﾓ September 2000.

- James A. REILLY (University of Toronto, Modern Syrian history)

R. Bin WONG (University of California, Irvine, Chinese economic history)

Barbara W. ANDAYA (University of Hawaiﾕi, Malay-Indonesian history)

The three scholars will participate in the Group 5-C International Workshop ﾒOwnership, Contracts, and Markets.ﾓ September 2000.

Unit 5: From the Group Leaders

(Group 5-A) Our group, newly organized last year, offered for the first time in Japan a common forum for researchers of various fields to discuss the development and transmission of art, craft, architecture, academics, and knowledge in Islamic regions. We will continue to base our studies in research seminars and on-site research. (MASUYA Tomoko)

(Group 5-B) The members of this group are drawn to the investigation of the interactions, exchanges, conflicts, and fusions that occur when individuals or groups of people of different cultures come into contact. While our approach to this issue is mainly historical, it is also important to remember the urgent importance of this issue in the world today. The workshop, to be held in September, will be significant for this group as a mid-term report, and as a preparation for the international symposium to be held in the IAS Projectﾕs last year. We will do our best for the success of this occasion. (HANEDA Masashi)

(Group 5-C) In 1999, the Comparative Study Group held three seminars on the topics of ﾒownership,ﾓ ﾒcontracts,ﾓ and ﾒthe market economy and capitalismﾓ respectively. At each seminar, we invited papers that dealt with China, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East/Islamic world. Abstracts and relevant materials were prepared in advance and distributed to the participants; participantsﾕ comments and organizersﾕ remarks were collected after the seminars. All of these are documented in the Event Reports section of our website.

The purpose of the seminars has been to share and discover topics of debate. To better enable their exchange and development, we have collected all of last yearﾕs documentation in a 119-page booklet, ﾒReport of Comparative Study Group Seminars in 1999.ﾓ The group also organizes seminars for the study of Chinese Muslim intellectuals. These seminars, led by our younger members, invite scholars of different fields to discuss their views on a single text. (MIURA Toru)