Invitation to an International Conference
Islamic and Christian Cultures: Conflict or Dialogue
Sofia, Bulgaria
November 12-15, 1998
Theme
A major problem in the relations between Islamic and
"Western-type" cultures is the deficiency of mutual
understanding. The contrast between Western and Islamic
cultural models is often interpreted as a relation between
traditional and modern societies: the former orientated
towards the past, conservative and unproductive; the latter
orientated towards the future, constructive and open to
development.
In a striking contrast to all this, research on the basic
Islamic religious texts and on the history of the influences
of that religion on science, art, economy and everyday life
reveals a "face" of tolerance and pluralism. The discrepancy
between this image of Islamic culture, which is known to a
few experts in the West, and the negative more popular one
is a paradox in great need of scholarly discussion.
Many hypotheses regarding this paradox need to be tested by
an interdisciplinary study and conference on the relations
between Islamic and Christian cultures. The effects of such
a study and discussion would by no means be confined to a
purely theoretical clarification. It is to be expected that
an exchange of opinions on the issue will have concrete
positive public effect for the mutual understanding and
cooperative action between these cultures. A serious
analysis of the factors producing confrontation between
them, especially if it finds due place also in the
mass-media, is an essential means of improving interethnic
and international relations.
The Council for Research in Values and Philosophy
(Washington D.C.), Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski"
and the Minerva Foundation (Sofia) will organize a
scientific conference on the theme "Islamic and Christian
Cultures: Conflict Or Dialogue" to be held on November
12-15, 1998, in Sofia, Bulgaria. The focus will be on
philosophy, but contributions from a range of related
disciplines will be invited in order to overcome the
one-sidedness which thusfar has been unable to provide
satisfactory answers to many important questions concerning
the antagonisms between the Islamic and Christian worlds.
Bulgaria is a specially interesting location for such a
scholarly event on the relations between Islamic and
Christian cultures, being at the frontier between these two
worlds and, with the exception of the several final years of
the communist rule, a place of peaceful coexistence of the
two cultures.
Contact
Address: Professor George F. McLean, Council for Research in
Values and Philosophy (RVP), Cardinal Station PO Box 261,
Washington D.C., 20064, USA; e-mail: mclean@cua.edu; WWW:
http://www.crvp.org; tel/fax 202/319-6089.
Professor Plamen Makariev, Philosophy Dept., Sofia
University "St. Kliment Ohridski, Sophia, Bulgaria; tel
359-2-871-046; fax 359-2-467-187; e-mail:
Makariev@phls.uni-sofia.bg
