Overview
ASMEA’s inaugural conference was held in April 2008 in Washington, D.C. and was entitled: The Evolution of Islamic Politics, Philosophy and Culture in the Middle East and Africa: From Traditional Limits to Modern Extremes. The principal goal of the conference was to seek insights into the unique influence of Islamic traditions on these regions and how they have changed over time. Additional goals include furthering understanding of the Islamic theological, juristic and practical traditions that express themselves in the political arenas in these regions, as well as the modern-day iterations of these traditions. ASMEA President Bernard Lewis, Cleveland E. Dodge Professor of Near Eastern Studies, Emeritus Princeton University, delivered a keynote speech entitled Studying the Other: Different Ways of Looking at the Middle East and Africa at a luncheon banquet.