8TH INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON MATURIDI THEOLOGICAL STUDIES

The Culture of Coexistence in the Maturidi Heritage

(25-26 December 2026 – Konya/TÜRKİYE)

The symposium planned at Selçuk University’s Faculty of Theology will examine coexistence among different religions, schools, interpretations, intellectual traditions and social identities under the theme “The Culture of Coexistence in the Maturidi Heritage”. The Maturidi heritage will be considered through Imam al-Māturīdī’s thought and its later interpretations, with attention to its connections with Abū Ḥanīfa, Hanafi jurisprudence and the historical experiences of the Hanafi-Maturidi tradition. Alongside faith, law and social life, debates about difference and legitimacy in Qur’anic readings, Sufism and philosophy will be examined in relation to the culture of coexistence.

The event aims to bring historical, contemporary and comparative scholarship into dialogue and to examine the possibilities, limits and tensions of coexistence. Peer-reviewed papers and academic discussion will form the basis of a lasting scholarly publication. The two-day, in-person program is planned to include six academic sessions and approximately thirty presentations.

Thematic areas

1. Disagreement, belonging and the theoretical foundations of difference in the Maturidi heritage
2. Abū Ḥanīfa, difference and coexistence in the early Hanafi tradition
3. Reason, guidance and engagement with difference in Imam al-Māturīdī
4. Intra-school and inter-school relations and coexistence
5. Non-Muslims, legal statuses and coexistence in Hanafi jurisprudence
6. Historical experiences of coexistence: The Hanafi-Maturidi tradition in Ottoman and wider Islamic contexts
7. Identity, school affiliation and religious plurality in the Maturidi heritage
8. Emerging issues of coexistence in the modern period: Secularity, deism, the digital religious sphere and new orientations
9. The ethics of disagreement, tolerance and the culture of coexistence
10. Comparative studies: Experiences of coexistence in different traditions
11. Qur’anic readings, conceptions of the Qur’an and the legitimacy of difference in the Hanafi-Maturidi tradition
12. Sufism in the Hanafi-Maturidi tradition: Legitimacy, boundaries and coexistence
13. Philosophy, wisdom and epistemic difference in the Hanafi-Maturidi tradition

Submissions and academic review

Submissions will be assessed for their relevance to the Maturidi heritage and the culture of coexistence, originality, academic quality, use of sources and research ethics. Comparative studies must also demonstrate their connection with this theme. Authors will receive acceptance, revision or rejection decisions. Presentations are planned for fifteen minutes, followed by a fifteen-minute discussion at the end of each session. Papers that complete the editorial process will be published in printed or digital proceedings.

The submission channel, deadlines, abstract and paper lengths, presentation and publication languages, and any participation fees will be announced after committee approval. The approved committee lists and final program will be published on the symposium website.

Website: https://maturidisempozyumu.selcuk.edu.tr/