Instituti i Bashkepunimit per Integrim dhe Zhvillim

Address: Rruga Robert Shvarc Pallati BEEM 1 Shkalla 9 Ap 2   Tel/Mob.:+355 68 22 40 414

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION TO INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE

Integrating Societies through Religious Harmony and Coexistence.

                                     The Albanian Model ! In Tirana, Albania on 8 May 2019.

Diversities and differences in cultures and religious beliefs are source of conflicts in modern society, but Albania is different in this aspect.  It is the place where diversities live together, cooperate and are integrated in a real harmonious coexistence between each other.

  In Albania, social groups separated by religious beliefs coexist in fraternity, harmony and full acceptance of one another, celebrate together, respect others, contribute and help each other.

Moreover, it can be said that religious communities contribute to calm and improve the climate of political communities in particular and with the society in general, where tension and confrontation come from groups and institutions that need to generate harmony and social development, as are parties and their products in parliament and governance.

It is a cross-legged reality as a bed of companionship, breathing, mentality, interaction and social behavior that sees, touches and experiences from time to time and everywhere.

- Marry, live, arise, and travel to life. They learn, work, feed, and have fun;

- Celebrate and exult, face in bitterness of the earth, with each other, though with different rites in the groupings that are part. It is considered natural or usual the fact of getting married to a person of another religious belief;

- Diversity has contributed and contributes to the social, economic and territorial cohesion of the country.

Albanians do celebrate different events of different religions because they appreciate the fact of feeling good with each other even though being part of a different religious belief.

The aim of this project is to highlight and promote religious tolerance and coexistence for the audience according this topic in Albania. Cooperation, harmony in these integrated communities in Albania is one of the main virtues of Albanian people, a real model of the Albanian society. ICID strongly support idea that this is a precious resource which is very important to be scattered in the modern society.

Through this international scientific conference ICID in partnership with well-established collaborative network format across districts of the country and region, will realize the conference as an integrated part of the First Annual Integrated International Activity “Religions and Society”!

I.2 Thematic research questions

Series of questions await answers to scientific activity through the inflows of scholars coming from different parts of Globe.

Where to look for the roots of brotherhood, harmony, acceptance, diversity and religious harmony in Albania and the Albanians? If we were looking for the roots and causes of this phenomenon, we would stop in many social, historical arguments as we would sing a main argument.

But in advance we want to convey the idea that this indicator is part of the behavior and identity of Albanian society. Part of what distinguishes us as Albanians, and so are we: We live in brotherhood, harmony, coexist, acceptance and respect each other even though we are different. The motto of the EU Society, “United in Diversity”, is best materialized here, in the Albanian space.

While a series of questions await answers to scientific activity through the inflows of scholars coming from different parts of Globe.

• Is there enough evidence to support the idea that it is part of the identity, behavior, mentality of interaction between individuals, groups and the Albanian society itself?
• Is it part of the identity or lack of identity of Albanians?
• Does the behavior of handicap coercion go hand in hand with the other indicators of behavior, the interaction of Albanian society, clearly transmitted by other societies in the region, to support the aforementioned ideas?
• Is it part of the nation's greatness or numbness, being peaceful, integrated, and engaging in society?

I.3 Aims and Objectives of activity

• By this project we aim to organize research actions and informative sections in order to educate and publish as well as present the model of Albanian Society as a MUST SOCIETY  for the future, in accordance with the virtues of the Albanian society and its harmonious coexistence;
• Define the sources of this phenomena and use this models in other societies;
• Contribute for social integrity, peace, and social harmony in the whole world;
• Present the religion as an important virtues in  the modern society;
• Find the challenges of the future and define the ways and actors which will help in facing them;
• Build an institution of virtues, Albanian virtues and promote it as an UNESCO's protectorate;
• Define the role of religion, behavior, and institutional actions in the Albanian Society, regional society and global as well;
• Present, publish the Albanian case in the regional public opinion, European opinion and worldwide.

We aim to include in the project all the levels of society, community level, local and national and regional level, especially in Western Balkan because of historical causes. Consolidating society in this multidimensional aspect of modern society is a point of a great importance. We are demonstrating one of this dimensions which is religious harmonious coexistence.

The main objective of the conference is to enhance the Albanian fraternalism and coexistence of diverse religious communities and their leaders across the Albanian society beyond borders of religious identities and individualities.  We intend to provide the general public, scholarly communities, decision makers, public administrators and more, with research-based insights on religion in contemporary societies, and contribute to and engage with ongoing debates about religion and society.

I.4 Themes of International Scientific Conference

Conference will contribute to further develop the methodologies and theories of research on religious controversies, improve public outreach strategies for academics studying controversial topics, facilitate conversations across disciplines, research projects and countries, generate dissemination tools in an effort to disseminate research presented at the conference to the general public in a reader-friendly manner.

ICID welcomes abstracts that discuss theoretical and empirical research on religious controversies, and how religious controversies are constructed, understood, mediated, debated, and resolved in a variety of contexts such as media, civil society, and legal bodies.

ICID is interested in presentations that shed light on the dynamics of controversy, conflict, and conflict resolution. We also welcome submissions that deal with public outreach challenges related to the study of religious controversies. How do we meet the high demand for popular dissemination about such highly sensitive topics, and how can we engage with and inform public debates? How can we as researchers improve our toolbox with regards to public outreach when dealing with highly sensitive topics, shy from pulling out of public debates all together?

Through this scientific conference we intend disseminating Albanian model of religions coexistence in harmony and integrity, empathizing society and politics in our contemporary society, addressing the challenges for the present and future well-being’s of societal generations.

I.5 Topics of the Conference  

The interdisciplinary study and research presentations will combine findings and perspectives from, but not the only:

• Social theory, cultural anthropology, cognitive psychology, neuroscience, sociology of religion, interpersonal ethics, the role of religion in large-scale civilization cage;  
• Cooperation, tolerance and harmony in religious behavior;
• Behaviors during  religious events, rites, ceremonies, food which define the integrity, and religious belief tolerance;
• Multiculturalism and Religious Diversity;
• Nations and religions;  
• Religious Belief Conflicts;
• The geopolitics of Religious Belief;
• Democracy, Multiculturalism and Religion;
• Education and Religion;
• Albanian social-communism, religion and society;
• Spirituality and lifestyles;
• Religion as a motivating and mitigating factor;
• Integrity, tolerance, coexistence and value harmony versus the absence of identity and de-profilizting nof social individuality;
• The resources of coexistence behavior, harmony, tolerance and cooperation;
• Defining rites of different social groups in accordance with property, territory, agricultural and livestock;
• Social Empathy and religious diversity;
• Land, property and religions;
• Climate changes and religions;
• Migration and religions;

            Etc.

Thematic sections of the conference will be as follows.

Section I – Religions, states, nations; 

Section II – Religions in contemporary societies;  

Section III –Education democracy, multiculturalism and religion;

Section IV – Religions along social empathy, inclusiveness and segregations;  

Section V- Societal vulnerabilities versus coexistence in peace and harmony;    

Language of the conference:   
     -    Language of the Conference will be English and Albanian.

• Conference organizers will provide translation for presentations.

Venue of the Conference

The conference will be held in Tirana, on the premises of the Albanian Museum of History, Albanian Science Academy in Tirana, Albania.

Requirements for papers at the conference:

Accepted papers are expected to be delivered within 15 min.

Persons interested in delivering a paper are requested to send it at events@icidalbania.org. the title along with its abstract, of a maximum of 300 words, by  March 20, 2019.

Scientific Committee of the conference will reply to acceptance of papers by April 1, 2019.

Presentation to the conference must be sent to the above address not later than 25 April, 2019.  

Requests for publication of articles in the form of conference materials in the quoted international scientific magazine;

Articles must be from 8-10 double-spaced computer pages with at least 2200 words. The article should be accompanied by notes on the bottom of the page (footnotes) or at the end of the text (endnotes).

Each article must comply with Standard English language. The full paper must be sent as a Word document, accompanied by a summary (abstract) in English, as well as information about the author /authors, each no long than half a page. Other more details for publication of the selected papers will be sent to you, after the notification on acceptance of papers, while you can send your reviewed paper presentations ready for publication by June 2019.    

Organizational Information:

To participate in the conference the paper presenters are requested to pay a fee of 50 Euro, which must be paid by April 25, 2019 in a given number of bank account.

The Conference participant must submit a proof of payment, sending a scanned copy of the document of the bank, or presenting it to the Finance Office of ICID Albania.

Conference organizers will bear all related costs, including costs of publication of conference materials, conference rooms rent, coffee breaks and lunch during the conference, participants’ transportation to and from conference sites, translation etc.

Participants residing abroad will bear the costs of travel and accommodations in Albania.

The Conference organizing committee will make available to conference participants who are residing abroad, a list of hotels and will provide assistance for booking according to the preferences of the participants and other technical support required to participants in the conference.

Partnerships and collaboration
This International Scientific Conference will be organized in close partnership with Albanian National Historical Museum, Academy of Science, Albanian National Archive, Albanian religions institutions, series of national and international universities, think tank institutions, media, as well as in close cooperation with prominent scientific institutions in the region.  Key speakers coming from prominent international scientific community of related areas will present their ideas and findings in the conference, together with Albanian distinguished professors, academia and researchers of the social sciences.  
Selected presentations by the international scientific board of the conference will be published in prestigious international scientific magazine.  

Organizer:
Institute of Collaboration for Integration and Development. ICID Albania

                      In Collaboration with:

-        Albanian National Museum of History;

-        Albanian Religions Communities;

-        Albanian State Archive;

-        International and Albanian Higher Education Institutions;

For more information, please visit the institute website:  www.icidalbania.org  and its social network: ICID Albania.