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Academic Year 2023 Sufism/Saint Veneration Research Convention was held as below.

Date: March 22nd-23rd, 2024
Venue: Toyo University Atami Training Center

Program
Day 1: 22nd (Fri.)
13:00-13:30 Opening, Self-introduction by participants

13:30-15:20 Presentation 1
TANAHASHI Yukari (Kyoto University)
“Social Reform by Sufis in the 15th-16th Century Morocco: Focusing on Tariqa Jazuliyah”

15:40-17:00 Presentation 2
MORIGUCHI Yohei (Kyoto University)
“Ilahabadi’s Understanding of Wahda al-Wujud in his al-Taswiya bayna al-Ifāda wa-l-Qabūl ”

17:00-19:00 Book Review Related to the Researches on the Tariqa Rifaiya
1. AKAHORI Masayuki (Sophia University)
Morgan Clarke, “Cough Sweets and Angels: The Ordinary Ethics of the Extraordinary in Sufi Practice in Lebanon.” The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, vol. 20 no. 3, pp. 407–425
2. TONAGA Yasushi (Kyoto University)
Alexandre Popovic, «La Rifâ’iyya.» dans: Alexandre Popovic et Gilles Veinstein (dir), Les voies d’Allah: les ordres mystiques dans l’islam des origines à aujourd’hui. Paris: Fayard, 1996, pp. 492–496.

Day 2: 23rd (Sat.)
8:30-10:20 Presentation 3
AMO Kae (Kyoto University)
“Physicality and Politics of a Tariqa in Senegal: From the Religious Experiences of Members of the Murid and Tijani Orders”

11:00-11:30 Report of Field Research in Turkey and Balkans
SUZUKI Manami (Kyoto University)
“The Role of Music and its Structure in Social Activities of the Tariqas:
A Comparative Analysis of Bektashi (Albania), Halveti (Kosovo), and Rifâiyye (Turkey)”

11:30-12:00
Discussion about Future Research

Organizers:
AKAHORI Masayuki (Sophia University)
TONAGA Yasushi (Kyoto University)
MISAWA Nobuo (Toyo University)
Kondo Fumiya (Sophia University)
SUZUKI Manami (Kyoto University)
TAKAHASHI Kei (Toyo University)

This convention was co-hosted with projects below.
ACRI (Asian Cultures Research Institute, Toyo University
KIAS (Center for Islamic Area Studies, Graduate School of Asian and African Studies, Kyoto University)
SIAS (Institute of Islamic Ares Studies, Sophia University)
KR (Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies, Kyoto University)
Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World: From the Cases of　Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A), JSPS 22H00034)
JSPS Fund for the Promotion of Joint International Research (Fostering Joint International Research (B)) “Comprehensive Study of Sufism: Through Metaphysics, Literature, Music and Rituals” [JP21KK0001]
Anthropological Studies on Veneration of Saints and Holy Relics in Islam and Christianity (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A), JSPS 19H00564)
International Collaborative Study on the Photographic Archives of the Greater Japan Muslim League (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B), JSPS 19H04369).
Research on the Dynamics of the Reconstruction of Publicness in Contemporary Islam (Academic Research Promotion Fund by the Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation for Private Schools of Japan)

On-demand lecture series “Transmission of Sacredness in Islam: Prophet’s Family, Saints’ Descendants, and Holy Relics” will be held jointly with the Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies, Kyoto University, which offer two lecture videos on November 13 and the other two on November 20, until December 3 (in Japanese). This is one of the programs of Sophia Open Research Weeks 2023.

Date: From November 13 (Monday) / November 20 (Monday) to December 3 (Sunday), Online

Contact:
Institute of Islamic Area Studies at Sophia University (SIAS) ：sias-co@sophia.ac.jp

This lectures was supported by:
JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (P19H00564, JP21KK0001, JP22H00034)
The Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation for Private Schools of Japan

For more information, please visit
https://dept.sophia.ac.jp/is/SIAS/achievement/2023/sorw_2023.html

Academic Year 2022 Sufism/Saint Veneration Research Convention was held as below.

Date: February 18th-19th, 2023, 13:30-20:00 (18th), 9:00-11:30 (19th)
Venue: Toyo University Atami Training Center

Program
Day 1: 18th (Sat.)
13:30-14:00
Opening, Self-introduction by participants

14:00-16:00
SUENO Takanori (Kyoto University)
“Understanding the Discursive Tradition of Ibn Arabi: From the Western Perspective of the Islamic World”

16:00-17:30
YAMAGUCHI Takumi (Toyo University)
Book Review: Talal Asad “Isuram no Jinrui-gaku ni tsuite Kangaeru (The Idea of an Anthropology of Islam)”, supervised by AKAHORI Masayuki, translation and commentaries by KONDO Fumiya (SIAS Working Paper Series 40, The Center for Islamic Studies at Sophia University, 2022)

19:00-20:00
TONAGA Yasushi
“Report of Field Research in Senegal”

Day 2: 19th (Sun.)
9:00-11:00
FUJIMOTO Azusa (Kyoto University)
“Healing Therapy in Modern Turkey: Spiritualism and Sufism”

11:00-11:30
AKAHORI Masayuki (Sophia University)
“Report of Field Research in Philippines”

Organizers:
AKAHORI Masayuki (Sophia University)
TONAGA Yasushi (Kyoto University)
Kondo Fumiya (Sophia University)
SUZUKI Manami (Kyoto University)

This convention was co-hosted with projects below.
KIAS (Center for Islamic Area Studies, Graduate School of Asian and African　Studies)
SIAS (Institute of Islamic Ares Studies, Sophia University)
Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies, Kyoto University
Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World: From the Cases of　Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A), JSPS 22H00034)
Anthropological Studies on Veneration of Saints and Holy Relics in Islam and Christianity (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A), JSPS 19H00564)
Research on the Dynamics of the Reconstruction of Publicness in Contemporary Islam (Academic Research Promotion Fund by the Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation for Private Schools of Japan)

Field Research was conducted mainly at Santiago de Compostela in Spain. For the comparison of Saint Veneration and Pilgrimage in Islam and Christianity, the research party investigated at Santiago de Compostela Cathedral and the old town.

	Santiago de Compostela Cathedral The remain of Saint James is enshrined and many pilgrims visit here. At the Cathedral, there is a big thurible called “Botafumeiro”, which is thisplace’s specialty.
	An apparel shop at Santiago de Compostela In pilgrimage at Santiago de Compostela, scallops are important as its symbol. Pilgrims attach shells of scallops to walking sticks, and all over the Cathedral is decorated with shells of scallops. At the shop, T-shirts and accessories with shells of scallop motif are sold.
	Traditional dance at Saint James Festival Saint James Festival is held throughout the town once a year and pilgrims visit more than usual. Music and dance in Galicia’s traditional costumes take place around the Cathedral and floatsare paraded through the town. We can see scenes similar to Mawlid in Islam.

In April 2018, Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies moved to Research Bldg. No15, 101.
We have collection of books related to Sufism, Islam, and Ottoman Empire and the Aqeel Collection.

Ambassador Murat Mercan who assumed his duty as Turkish Ambassador in Tokyo in mid November visited the Center with his wife and Mr.Hussein Tuna(Director of the Yunus Emre Institute in Tokyo). After the introduction of the research and publication activities of the Center, discussion on further promotion for academic and cultural exchange was made.

For the comparison of Saint veneration in Islam and Christianity, field research was conducted focusing on sacred relics at Catholic churches.

Four members of the Turkey delegation visited the Head Quarter of Kyoto University
https://www.oc.kyoto-u.ac.jp/courtesy-visit/en/courtesy-visit/20160322_1603/

A delegation of fifty people came to Japan to attend the Center’s opening ceremony at Kyoto University. The ceremony was attended by Ahmet Bulent Meric, Turkish Ambassador to Japan, and Kayo Inaba, Executive Vice-President for International Affairs at Kyoto University.