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東文研セミナー「Da‘wa as Development: Kuwaiti Islamic Charity in Africa」開催のお知らせ
Dear colleagues,
The Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia (Tobunken), University of Tokyo and the JSPS Kakenhi Project “‘Sunnis’ and ‘Shi‘is’: Historical Inquiries into Confessional Identities and Mutual Perceptions” (23H00674) are pleased to co-host a lecture by Professor Mara Leichtman (Michigan State University), entitled “Da‘wa as Development: Kuwaiti Islamic Charity in Africa,” on Tuesday, September 15, 2026. The lecture will be held in a hybrid format, combining in-person and online participation.
Lecture Title:
Da‘wa as Development: Kuwaiti Islamic Charity in Africa
Speaker:
Professor Mara Leichtman (Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, Michigan State University; https://scholars.msu.edu/scholar/8454/MARA-LEICHTMAN?unitId=665&unitType=2)
Date and Time:
September 15 (Tuesday), 2026, at 16:00-17:30 JST
Venue:
Room 304 (3F), Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, Hongo Campus, University of Tokyo (東京大学東洋文化研究所3階、第一会議室) and online via Zoom.
Chair:
Professor Kazuo Morimoto (Professor of Islamic and Iranian History, Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, University of Tokyo)
Lecture Abstract:
Direct Aid (formerly Africa Muslims Agency), Kuwait’s largest charity focused on Africa, carefully mediates between Gulf donor wishes, aid recipient needs, Kuwaiti and African government regulations, and various development priorities. Since the 1980s, Direct Aid has been centralizing religious and development work in complexes that comprise orphanages, schools, clinics, and mosques. The Islamic NGO therefore cannot be confined to narrow Western categorizations of Gulf Salafi da‘wa (proselytizing) institutions. Direct Aid’s approach is strategically grounded in comprehensiveness/“holism,” which serves to blur established categories of “charity,” “relief,” and “development” to become da‘wa-as-development. What is the cultural and religious impact of Gulf funding in Africa? How do Kuwait headquarters interact with African beneficiaries? Based on multi-sited fieldwork, this talk examines Kuwaiti-funded projects in Tanzania and Senegal.
How to Participate:
Pre-registration is required for online participation and advised for in-person participation. Please register by the end of September 13 (JST). All registered participants will receive a Zoom link on September 14. (Registered participants may change the participation mode without notifying the organizers.)
Registration Form: https://forms.gle/B8KMWLdMw37cGsPp7
Contact Person: Mr. Naoki Nishiyama (nishiyama[at]ioc.u-tokyo.ac.jp)
Co-organized by the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, University of Tokyo (Tobunken Seminar) and the JSPS Kakenhi Project “‘Sunnis’ and ‘Shi‘is’: Historical Inquiries into Confessional Identities and Mutual Perceptions” (23H00674).
登録種別：研究会関連
登録日時：FriAug2813:26:112026
登録者 ：森本・神林
掲載期間：20260828 - 20260915
当日期間：20260915 - 20260915
