Enacting Citizenship in Muslim Communities
In partnership with Emmanuel College, The Tessellate Institute’s annual lecture series #TTILectures presents Enacting Citizenship in Muslim Communities: Lessons Learned from Australian Muslim’s Civic Engagement.
Records show that Australia’s Aboriginal communities have had interactions with Muslim travellers as early as the 17th century, pre-dating the arrival of European settlers. Amid the historical and ongoing climate of Islamophobia and anti-Muslim sentiments, Australian Muslims continue to be active citizens through civic engagement, particularly through volunteer work within their respective communities and the broader Australian society. Join us for a presentation on the motivations and implications of Muslims’ volunteerism by Dr. Mario Peucker, a postdoctoral research fellow at Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia. Stay for a stimulating conversation and Q&A on what Canadian Muslims can learn from the Australian experience, facilitated by Amina Mohamed, a Toronto-based writer, researcher and community organizer.
About Dr. Mario Peucker:
Dr. Mario Peucker holds a PhD in Sociology, Political Science and Islamic Studies, and is a postdoctoral research fellow at Victoria University’s Institute for Sustainable Industries and Liveable Cities in Melbourne, Australia. He has researched Muslim active citizenship, inclusion-exclusion dynamics and far-right political movements since 2003, both in Europe and Australia.
He is the author of Active Muslim Citizenship in the West (2014, Routledge, with S. Akbarzadeh) and Muslim Citizenship in Liberal Democracies Civic and Political Participation in the West (2016, Palgrave Macmillan) as well as co-editor of Muslim Community Organizations in the West. History, Developments and Future Perspectives (2017, Springer, with R. Ceylan). He has also published his research in refereed journals, such as Ethnic and Racial Studies and Politics and Religion, book chapters and research reports. Mario is currently co-editing two edited volumes on The Far Right in Contemporary Australia and on Muslim Volunteering between Islamic Ethos and Citizenship (both Palgrave).
Mario has been invited to consultations with national and international agencies, such as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Racism, the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Australian Human Rights Commission and the German Equal Opportunity Agency (ADS).
About Amina Mohamed:
Amina Mohamed is a Toronto based writer and researcher. She carries a degree from the University of Toronto in Literature and Critical Theory. She has worked for several organizations aimed at complicating Muslim, female, and black narratives, including the Tessellate Institute and the Muslim Voice Magazine as editor-in-chief.
This year, Amina presented a paper at the Department of Comparative Literature’s annual conference “Comparing Canada’s” at the University of Toronto. Her research focused on the establishment of a political Canadian Muslim identity through the establishment and growth of MSAs. This past year she has also facilitated discussions on the status of women within the larger settle-colonial landscape, the black-Muslim identity, and the politicization of the Muslim woman’s body.
As a lifetime resident of Scarborough, she also specializes in the shift in city services, public funding, and TTC service east of Victoria Park beginning with Toronto’s 1999 amalgamation. In her free time you can find her moderating discussions on active citizenship and representative politics, two subjects about which she is extremely passionate.
Please note:
– Light refreshments will be served at 6:00PM.
– There will be prayer space available in the building.
– The event will begin promptly at 6:30PM. Please arrive on time to reserve your spot.