Periodic Reporting for period 2 - TAKHAYYUL (Imaginative Landscapes of Islamist Politics Across the Balkan-to-Bengal Complex)
Reporting period: 2022-01-01 to 2023-06-30
The Takhayyul project is a collaborative anthropological study aimed at tracing and excavating imaginative forces in the formation of Islamist political aspirations in three regions of the post-Persianate Islamdom: the Balkans (Macedonia, Kosovo, and Bosnia-Herzegovina), the Middle East (Turkey, Levant, and Iran), and South Asia (India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh). The project focuses on the interconnected and overlapping/intertwined spaces, histories, communities, and post-imperial trajectories of these regions, which hosted the three greatest Islamic empires: the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal/Timurid.
The project has employed novel methodologies and interdisciplinary developments to achieve its three goals. 1) To provide the conceptual basis for an anthropology of imagination by identifying the ways in which people forge shared realities and collective emotions, aspirations, and longings. 2) To deepen the anthropological knowledge and understanding of Islamisms by pushing against the epistemological constraints of rationality and reality. 3) To broaden and enrich the limits of ethnography with an historical and ethnographic excavation of the imaginary through a comparative perspective across time and space.
The study compare and contrast imagination in Islamist formations across the three regions, exploring how imagination holds significance within these formations but configures its relationship to political dreams differently in each area.
The project incorporates theoretical and methodological tools from anthropology, history, literary studies, and Islamic studies. This interdisciplinary approach enables the project to deepen our understanding of Islamisms and the role of imagination within them.
Furthermore, the project worked to transfer knowledge and technology through its historical and ethnographic excavation of the imaginary. By exploring the shared realities, collective emotions, aspirations, and longings that underlie Islamist formations, the project started offering in-depth insight into the political and cultural contexts of these regions, enriching both scholarly and public understanding.
In the first three years, Takhayyul project experimented with an innovative comparative research design that combines the historical and ethnographic excavations of imaginative elements, including dreams and aspirations. This approach not only deepened our understanding of the role of imagination in Islamist formations but also expanded the possibilities for comparative analysis across time and space. By integrating historical and ethnographic methods of inquiry, the project provides a multifaceted view of the imaginative underpinnings of political dreams and aspirations, revealing how these elements are shaped by and shape social and political realities. This innovative approach will further push the boundaries of scholarship in anthropology and Islamic studies, offering new insights into the dynamics of Islamisms in the Balkans, the Middle East, and South Asia.
The ERC project on the anthropological study of imaginative forces in the formation of Islamist political aspirations has concluded and we are proud to report groundbreaking and world-changing outputs that will have a lasting impact on the field of anthropology and beyond. The project achieved its three core aims: providing the conceptual basis for an anthropology of imagination, deepening anthropological knowledge and understanding of Islamisms, and broadening ethnography with a historical and comparative perspective on the imaginary.
The first output is a conceptual framework for an anthropology of imagination. By tracing the formation of Islamist political aspirations in three different parts of the post-Persianate Islamdom, the project has identified the ways in which people forge shared realities and collective emotions, aspirations, and longings. This conceptual framework opens up new avenues of research beyond Islamist formations and can be applied to other social and political movements.
The second output is a deepened understanding of Islamisms beyond epistemological constraints of rationality and reality. By exploring the imaginative forces that influence Islamist political aspirations, our project has challenged the dominant discourse that reduces Islamisms to a simple binary of secularism versus religion. We have shown that imagination plays a crucial role in shaping political aspirations and that this must be accounted for in any analysis of Islamisms.
The third output is the broadening and enriching of the limits of ethnography with an historical and ethnographic excavation of the imaginary through a comparative perspective across time and space. The project's comparative approach has led to new insights into the similarities and differences in the ways in which imagination is used in Islamist formations across the Balkans, the Middle East, and South Asia. By integrating historical and ethnographic data, the project has shed light on the complex and intertwined histories, communities, and post-imperial trajectories of these regions.
The project has employed novel methodologies and interdisciplinary developments to achieve its three goals. 1) To provide the conceptual basis for an anthropology of imagination by identifying the ways in which people forge shared realities and collective emotions, aspirations, and longings. 2) To deepen the anthropological knowledge and understanding of Islamisms by pushing against the epistemological constraints of rationality and reality. 3) To broaden and enrich the limits of ethnography with an historical and ethnographic excavation of the imaginary through a comparative perspective across time and space.
The study compare and contrast imagination in Islamist formations across the three regions, exploring how imagination holds significance within these formations but configures its relationship to political dreams differently in each area.
The project incorporates theoretical and methodological tools from anthropology, history, literary studies, and Islamic studies. This interdisciplinary approach enables the project to deepen our understanding of Islamisms and the role of imagination within them.
Furthermore, the project worked to transfer knowledge and technology through its historical and ethnographic excavation of the imaginary. By exploring the shared realities, collective emotions, aspirations, and longings that underlie Islamist formations, the project started offering in-depth insight into the political and cultural contexts of these regions, enriching both scholarly and public understanding.
In the first three years, Takhayyul project experimented with an innovative comparative research design that combines the historical and ethnographic excavations of imaginative elements, including dreams and aspirations. This approach not only deepened our understanding of the role of imagination in Islamist formations but also expanded the possibilities for comparative analysis across time and space. By integrating historical and ethnographic methods of inquiry, the project provides a multifaceted view of the imaginative underpinnings of political dreams and aspirations, revealing how these elements are shaped by and shape social and political realities. This innovative approach will further push the boundaries of scholarship in anthropology and Islamic studies, offering new insights into the dynamics of Islamisms in the Balkans, the Middle East, and South Asia.
The ERC project on the anthropological study of imaginative forces in the formation of Islamist political aspirations has concluded and we are proud to report groundbreaking and world-changing outputs that will have a lasting impact on the field of anthropology and beyond. The project achieved its three core aims: providing the conceptual basis for an anthropology of imagination, deepening anthropological knowledge and understanding of Islamisms, and broadening ethnography with a historical and comparative perspective on the imaginary.
The first output is a conceptual framework for an anthropology of imagination. By tracing the formation of Islamist political aspirations in three different parts of the post-Persianate Islamdom, the project has identified the ways in which people forge shared realities and collective emotions, aspirations, and longings. This conceptual framework opens up new avenues of research beyond Islamist formations and can be applied to other social and political movements.
The second output is a deepened understanding of Islamisms beyond epistemological constraints of rationality and reality. By exploring the imaginative forces that influence Islamist political aspirations, our project has challenged the dominant discourse that reduces Islamisms to a simple binary of secularism versus religion. We have shown that imagination plays a crucial role in shaping political aspirations and that this must be accounted for in any analysis of Islamisms.
The third output is the broadening and enriching of the limits of ethnography with an historical and ethnographic excavation of the imaginary through a comparative perspective across time and space. The project's comparative approach has led to new insights into the similarities and differences in the ways in which imagination is used in Islamist formations across the Balkans, the Middle East, and South Asia. By integrating historical and ethnographic data, the project has shed light on the complex and intertwined histories, communities, and post-imperial trajectories of these regions.
The Takhayyul project has enabled us to establish a multi-disciplinary research group dedicated to exploring the imaginative forces behind the formation of Islamist political aspirations in three distinct regions: the Balkans, the Middle East, and South Asia. Our project is an anthropological study, and our goal is to trace and excavate the historical and ethnographic details that have contributed to the formation of these aspirations. Our study is collaborative, and we work together to provide a conceptual basis for an anthropology of imagination, identifying the ways in which people forge shared realities, emotions, aspirations, and longings.
Through the Takhayyul project, we have established a diverse and inclusive research group. Our team members come from different backgrounds and communities, and we are committed to exploring the imaginations of different social and political groups within the regions we study. We are also dedicated to mentoring and supporting all members of our research team, regardless of their background or previous experience.
With the support of ERC, recruited several researchers to work on the Takhayyul project, including senior researchers, postdoctoral fellows, and doctoral students. These researchers will contribute to our historical and ethnographic excavations of imaginative forces within Islamist political aspirations in each of the three regions we are studying. By taking a comparative approach, we hope to deepen our understanding of Islamisms and broaden the limits of ethnography.
Our team members have already received recognition and awards for their work on the Takhayyul project, including fellowships and grants from prestigious international organizations. We are proud of their accomplishments and will continue to work closely with them to ensure their success.
Through the Takhayyul project, we have established a diverse and inclusive research group. Our team members come from different backgrounds and communities, and we are committed to exploring the imaginations of different social and political groups within the regions we study. We are also dedicated to mentoring and supporting all members of our research team, regardless of their background or previous experience.
With the support of ERC, recruited several researchers to work on the Takhayyul project, including senior researchers, postdoctoral fellows, and doctoral students. These researchers will contribute to our historical and ethnographic excavations of imaginative forces within Islamist political aspirations in each of the three regions we are studying. By taking a comparative approach, we hope to deepen our understanding of Islamisms and broaden the limits of ethnography.
Our team members have already received recognition and awards for their work on the Takhayyul project, including fellowships and grants from prestigious international organizations. We are proud of their accomplishments and will continue to work closely with them to ensure their success.
The third year of this project has demonstrated that the impact of this project extends beyond the field of anthropology. Our findings have important implications for policymakers, civil society actors, and the general public. By highlighting the role of imagination in the formation of Islamist political aspirations, we are able to provide a more nuanced understanding of these movements that goes beyond the simplistic discourses of terrorism and fundamentalism. This nuanced understanding can inform policies aimed at countering violent extremism in a more effective and targeted manner.
Our project has also contributed to a more informed public debate on Islamisms by dispelling stereotypes and prejudices. By demonstrating the diversity within Islamist formations and the importance of imagination in shaping political aspirations, we challenge the simplistic and often harmful narratives of a monolithic and inherently violent Islam.
In conclusion, the ERC project on the anthropological study of imaginative forces in the formation of Islamist political aspirations is a truly mind-blowing success. Our outputs will have a lasting impact on the field of anthropology and beyond, contributing to a more nuanced understanding of Islamisms, informing policymaking, and challenging harmful stereotypes and prejudices. This project sets a new standard for interdisciplinary collaborations and comparative approaches and will inspire future research into the role of imagination in shaping social and political movements.
Our project has also contributed to a more informed public debate on Islamisms by dispelling stereotypes and prejudices. By demonstrating the diversity within Islamist formations and the importance of imagination in shaping political aspirations, we challenge the simplistic and often harmful narratives of a monolithic and inherently violent Islam.
In conclusion, the ERC project on the anthropological study of imaginative forces in the formation of Islamist political aspirations is a truly mind-blowing success. Our outputs will have a lasting impact on the field of anthropology and beyond, contributing to a more nuanced understanding of Islamisms, informing policymaking, and challenging harmful stereotypes and prejudices. This project sets a new standard for interdisciplinary collaborations and comparative approaches and will inspire future research into the role of imagination in shaping social and political movements.