Time: 6:15 - 8:00pm Venue: Room G.19 , Arts One Building, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Campus, 327 Mile End Road E1 4NS
Exhibition at Queen Mary University of London, Arts One Foyer
Opening Hours: Wed 7 March - Fri 9 March, 9am - 6pm, Sat 10 March 9am - 3pm (University Open Day)
Amission is free and open to all
This exhibition invites you to look at Islam through the eyes of the German-speaking world. It takes you on a journey through the first phase of modern German history, starting in around 1770 and moving through to the end of the First World War in 1918. During that time Germany went from being an idealistic notion to a nation state – indeed it became an Empire with colonial interests in Africa and Asia. Not surprisingly, the German vision of the Islamic world changed greatly, and was shaped by advances in learning, the increased movement of people and objects, and shifts in political, intellectual and cultural history. Germany’s evolving political and cultural relationship with the great Islamic empire of the Ottoman Turks played a central role throughout this period.
The exhibition also considers the position of Islam in German-speaking Austria, which had borne the brunt of Ottoman aggression since the 16th century: later, though, Austria became a multicultural Empire, fused with Hungary and other states, and was also home to European Muslim citizens.
Throughout you will find images and short texts in which contrasting ideas and images of Islam from the German-speaking lands are presented. The banners are arranged in chronological order and a timeline will help you place people and events. Later in the exhibition, several banners offer a brief insight into the position of Islam in Germany today. The exhibition returns to a series of key ideas that help you to consider critically how Islam and Muslims are represented in the material. You will also be prompted to reflect on how these ideas relate to your own experiences, understanding and perception of Islam and Muslims in the UK today. The exhibition is the product of original academic research though is pitched in such a way that it will speak to interested, non-academic visitors. Undegraduate students and ‘A’ Level students of MFL, Religious Studies and History will also find the material accessible. Workbooks are available for school groups on request.
The exhibition is touring in support of the ‘Transnationalizing Faith’ project run by Dr. James Hodkinson at the University of Warwick.
Biography: Dr James Hodkinson is Associate Professor in German in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures, University of Warwick and is a specialist in eighteenth and nineteenth-century German-language culture. His research explores Islam through German history and culture. The Transnationalizing Faith project is a multi-dimensional outreach project, which takes key aspects of James’ research into Islam in German history and culture (1770-1918) and finds multiple pathways along which to engage with this material meaningfully to varying audiences.