The 2008 conference, “Sharing Sacred Space: Religion and Conflict Resolution,” laid the foundation for Sacred Spaces – Religion and Conflict Resolution, a project of the Center for the Study of Democracy, Toleration, and Religion (CDTR), headed by Elazar Barkan and Karen Barkey. The project examines particular sacred sites, primarily in former Ottoman Empire areas, to look at historical as well as present-day issues surrounding shared sacred spaces. By delving into the past more carefully, they show, we can provide the legacy of shared sites and lived experience, informing contemporary events.

Sharing Sacred Space:
Religion and Conflict Resolution

Columbia University, New York
International Affairs Building, Room 1501
February 14-15, 2008

The conference “Sharing Sacred Space: Religion and Conflict Resolution” intends to focus on the role of sites and spaces that are significant to more than one religion and on the ways these religions engage each other in order to overcome and resolve conflict. The goal is to illuminate a pioneering approach for promoting toleration through religious processes that engage and respect the narrative and beliefs of the Other, be it religious or ethnic groups.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

09:00-09:30 – Registration

09:40-10:00 – Greetings and Opening Remarks
– Professor Elazar Barkan

10:00-12:00 - Session One – The Holy Land (Palestine/Israel)
– Chair and Discussant: Professor Lisa Anderson, Columbia University

• The Samuel Tomb: Tolerance via Museumization
– Dr. Yitzhak Reiter, Hebrew University
– Dr. Yusuf Natsheh al-Quds University

• Towards An Inclusive Archaeology in Jerusalem: Can Archaeology Further the Peace of Jerusalem?
– Dr. Raphael Greenberg, Tel Aviv University

• From Contested to Shared Narratives of Holy Sites in Palestine/Israel
– Dr. Nazmi al-Ju`beh, al-Quds University
– Dr. Yitzhak Reiter, Hebrew University

12:00-13:00 – Lunch Break

13:00-15:00 – Session Two –Turkey and the Balkans
– Chair and Discussant: Professor Karen Barkey, Columbia University

• Sacred Cohabitation in a Fracture Zone; Mixing in Macedonia
– Dr. Glenn Bowman, University of Kent at Canterbury

• Sharing Nostalgia in Istanbul; Pilgrims on St George's Sanctuary on Princes Island
– Dr. Maria Couroucli, Universite Paris X

• Sacred Roses for All: Street Shrines, Memory, and Belonging in post-War Sarajevo
– Dr. Amila Buturovic, York University, Canada

15:00-16:15 – Session Three – Morocco
– Chair and Discussant: Professor Lawrence Rosen, Princeton University

• “Sacred Week”: Re-Experiencing Jewish-Muslim Co-existence in Urban Moroccan Space
– Dr. Aomar Boum, Portland State University

• Jewish-Muslim Relationships During the Hillulah of Lag-Ba-Omer
– Dr. Andre Levy, Ben Gurion University

16:15-16:45 – Coffee Break

16:45-18:45 – Session Four – Indonesia
– Chair and Discussant: Professor Margaret Scott, New York University

• Toleration of the Other at the Blessed Village in West Java
– Dr. Tomy Christomy, University of Indonesia

• The Malino Agreement: In search of Tolerance and Peace
– Dr. Sukidi, Harvard University

19:30 – Dinner - Location TBA

Friday, February 15, 2008

09:30-11:30 – Session Five – India
– Chair and Discussant: Professor Rajeev Bhargava, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, Delhi

• Everybody's Baba: Making Space for the Other
– Dr. Anna Bigelow, NCSU

• Muslim Politics of Monuments and Memory: Babri Masjid
– Dr. Hilal Ahmed, SOAS

• Bonbibi and the Muslims and Hindus Who worship Her
– Dr. Sufia M. Uddin, Connecticut College

11:30-12:30 – Concluding Remarks