Shaping Muslim Futures: Narratives, Frameworks and Visions

Description
Who gets to imagine themselves as part of the future? For Muslims to project themselves into the future is a radical act in a world where the lives of Muslims and those perceived to be Muslims are continually threatened. Situated at the nexus of critical Muslim studies and critical futures studies, we will contemplate and vision alternative futures. Alternative futures encompass possible, probable and preferred futures. Grounded in the educational journeys of activist Muslim youth, we will read and discuss the dominant narratives they encountered within educational spaces about their futures, as well as the counternarratives they used to forge their preferred futures. With the understanding that narratives can shape realities, we will pay particular attention to the relationship between alternative futures and narratives. This master class is for graduate students with an interest in learning about Muslims, education, and futures thinking, as well as what it might mean to live into liberatory futures.

Date, Time and Format
The 3-hour online synchronous master class will take place on Wednesday, October 26 at 6 pm via Zoom. A Zoom meeting link will be provided upon registration.

Registration
This session is open to 15 students registered in a graduate degree program, with preference given to University of Toronto students. Students from all disciplines are welcome. Registration is via application process given the limited enrollment. To apply, please prepare a cover letter outlining your interest in the master class (one page maximum), and include your abridged CV (three pages maximum). Send all application materials via email to islamicstudies@utoronto.ca by September 29, 2022.

Required Texts
Students who have registered for the master class will receive access to a set of required texts. Students are expected to have reviewed the required texts in preparation for their participation in the class.

Faculty Bio
Dr. Sameena Eidoo is an award-winning educator and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto. Dr. Eidoo is the author of Shaping Muslim Futures: Youth Visions and Activist Praxis (2021). She is a collaborator with the Narrative Change Lab at Inspirit Foundation, which engages Muslim leaders in arts and media to seed new Muslim narratives in pop culture and media in Canada. Dr. Eidoo led the development of the inaugural lab cohort program and designed a narrative change curriculum with a focus on reimagining Muslim narratives. She can be reached at sameena.eidoo@utoronto.ca.

A PDF version of this announcement can be found here: