Sasakawa Workshop Aesthetics, Rituals, and Narratives in Islamic Mobilisation
With support from the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Oxford School of Global and Area Studies (OSGA), and the Middle East Centre, Dr Antonella Acinapura and Dr Kenichi Tani organized a workshop titled Aesthetics, Rituals, and Narratives in Islamic Mobilisation at St Antony’s College on 24 October 2024.
This event marked the culmination of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation Fellowship Programme, in conjunction with OSGA and under the supervision of Professor Eugene Rogan. Aimed at fostering an international, collaborative postdoctoral research agenda, the Programme appointed Dr Tani, from Japan, and Dr Acinapura, from the international community, as research fellows in 2023 to develop an interdisciplinary research focus on the theme Religion, Collective Identity, and Mobilisation.
The workshop gathered fourteen international scholars to explore how rituals, performances, music, art, and collective emotions contribute to narratives that shape various forms of Islamic mobilization in the Middle East and beyond. The day included keynote presentations by Professor Narges Bajoghli (Johns Hopkins University) and Professor Thomas Hegghammer (University of Oxford).
Overview of the day
The day began with introductory remarks by Dr Acinapura and Dr Tani, followed by remarks from Professor Rogan, who welcomed attendees and provided an overview of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation’s collaboration with the University of Oxford.
Panel 1, Affective Mobilisation through Islamic Music in Contemporary Iran, explored the role of music and rituals in shaping Iran’s contemporary political landscape:
- Konrad Chuchla (Jagiellonian University) examined Pop-Maddāhi: Politicization and Vernacularization of Shia Mourning Rituals.
- Kenichi Tani (University of Oxford) presented on Karbala Paradigm Shift? The Development of Political Nowḥe after the Iranian Revolution.
- Nahid Siamdoust (University of Texas at Austin) offered insights with ‘Saluting the Commander’ and Animating Transnational Shia Publics.
After Panel 1, Professor Narges Bajoghli delivered the first keynote, providing valuable perspectives on how the Iranian regime uses of the media to mobilise its audience among the Axis of Resistance. She also discussed how filmmaking techniques are transmitted across borders.
Panel 2, Emotions, Narratives, and Identities in Times of War, examined the expressive dimension of Islamic mobilisation, exploring the interplay between collective emotions and mobilising narratives in motivating various forms of activism across Syria, Iraq, and Pakistan:
- Ali Alavi (SOAS University of London) on Emotions, Beliefs, and Ritual Engagement: Unravelling Iran’s Role in Syria and Iraq.
- Hafiz Muhammad Bilal and Margareta Wetchy (University of Vienna) discussed Narratives of Solidarity: How Visual Material from the Pakistani Taliban and the Islamic State Constructs Solidarity as Counter Projects in an Adversarial World.
- Rahaf Aldoughli (Lancaster University) examined Fighting Together: Emotionality, Fusion, and Psychological Kinship in the Syrian Civil War.
Panel 3, Symbols of Dissidence: Narratives of Recruitment, Engagement, and Exit from Armed Resistance, explored how militant groups’ narratives shape both armed and unarmed resistance in Syria and Palestine:
- Silvia Carenzi (Scuola Normale Superiore) discussed Dispatches from Al-Muharrar: Islamic Rebel Groups’ Symbolism and Narratives of Armed Resistance in Northern Syria.
- Antonella Acinapura (University of Oxford) presented Frames of nonviolence by Islamist armed groups: evidence from Palestinian Islamic Jihad during the Second Intifada.
Following Panel 3, Professor Thomas Hegghammer delivered the second keynote, examining how jihadi movements construct imagery of paradise and hell within their narratives of propaganda. He also introduced a computational approach for analysing visual elements, providing new insights into the symbolic resonance of jihadi propaganda.
The final panel, Digital Storytelling: Exploring Videos, Images, and Music in Islamic Mobilisation, delved into how digital platforms enable activists to share their experiences through multimedia representations and songs:
- Karina Eileraas Karakus (University of California, Los Angeles) on Contesting History, Gendering Islamic Capital, & Fashioning the Turkish Muslimah Elite on Instagram.
- Shin Yasuda (Takasaki City University of Economics) discussed Narration of Islamic Mobilisation in the Digital Space: Religious Authenticity and Market Force of Islamic Experiences by Islamic Tour Operators.
- Alexandra Dick (University of Bochum/Tuebingen) presented on Aesthetic Community-Building through Anāshīd among the So-Called Islamic State.
The workshop successfully provided an interdisciplinary forum for examining the aesthetic, ritualistic, and narrative dimensions of Islamic mobilisation, drawing connections between cultural and digital expressions in the Middle East and beyond.
