CALL FOR PAPERS: 'DREAMS, VISIONS AND NIGHTMARES: BETWEEN THE IMAGINED
AND THE REAL'

The Pakistan Workshop

8-10th May 2009 – Rook How, The Lake District, Cumbria, England

Contact email address: PakistanWorkshop@googlemail.com

Reality is a tangible concept. It is pervasive and powerful, and
shapes the actions and thoughts of individuals and groups. However, if
we assert that there is such a thing as imagined reality we begin to
challenge the objective existence of obvious and observed phenomena,
pay attention to the effects that social and cultural systems have on
how reality is framed and articulated, and to how imaginaries are
aspired to and projected. For 2009, the Pakistan Workshop warmly
invites scholars of Pakistan, the Pakistani diaspora and Muslims of
South Asia to submit abstracts for papers broadly interrogating the
space between the 'imagined' and the 'real'. It is hoped that papers
will address dreams, visions and nightmares among Pakistanis,
particularly contestations of belonging and political aspirations. The
enmeshing of ideas and material structures, subject positions and
collective identities should be important focuses. This broad theme is
meant as a prompt to help participants select aspects of their
research for presentation, but is not intended to exclude people whose
interest does not happen to coincide with the theme.

The Pakistan Workshop was founded to bring together anthropologists
and sociologists whose research involved Pakistan, the Pakistani
diaspora and South Asian Islam. However, this workshop has also
attracted scholars and researchers from a broad range of disciplines
including historians, political scientists, economists and applied
social scientists. The Workshop is a joint platform for new scholars
(including postgraduate students) and established scholars, providing
an opportunity to get acquainted with each other in order to motivate
and inspire people working in common fields of interest. We
particularly welcome postgraduates from UK and abroad who are working
in relevant areas and wish to receive a friendly feedback from our
group of academics and participants. This workshop is therefore
normally kept small and intimate with a group of 25 or less people.

REGISTRATIONS ARE LIMITED – EARLY REGISTRATIONS ARE RECOMMENDED.

You can register by contacting Kaveri Harriss. A registration fee of
£30 should be paid by cheque (payable to 'The Pakistan Workshop') and
posted to:

Kaveri Harriss
Department of Anthropology
Arts D412, University of Sussex
Falmer
Brighton BN1 9SJ

The venue, Rook How, is one of the oldest Quaker Meeting Houses in
Britain and is an important location in the Quaker world. The Rook How
offers dormitory style sleeping arrangements which are comfortable and
affordable. For those who prefer B&B accommodation, there are several
nice places around the area which can only be accessed if they have
their own car. The total cost of the Workshop will be approximately
£65-70 for those staying at the Rook How (which includes Workshop
registration, reception, breakfasts, Pakistani lunches, teas and
coffees).

Contact PakistanWorkshop@googlemail.com for more information about this event.