Symposium on the occasion of Hanna Nieber’s PhD-defense

16 February, 2020

Interdisciplinary approaches to New Materialism, religion, and etnographic writing

Symposium on the PhD defense of Hannah Nieber

Hannah Nieber defends her PhD, entitled ”Drinking the written Qu’ran: Healing with Kombe in Zanzibar Town”, on 28 February 2020. The defense is followed by a symposium that has been organized on the occasion.

Time and place:

PhD defense: 12.45, Academiegebouw, Utrecht University (Domplein 29)
Symposium: 15.00-17.00, Kromme Nieuwegracht 80, Ravensteynzaal (1.06)

Abstract symposium:

On occasion of the defense of Hanna Nieber’s PhD “Drinking the Written Qur’an: Healing with Kombe in Zanzibar Town,” this symposium brings together scholars from an interdisciplinary range who will comment on, respond, and tease out aspects of Hanna Nieber’s work. Particular emphasis will be on the entanglements of new materialism, religion, and ethnographic writing, not only with the aim to showcase interdisciplinary meeting points around the phenomenon of kombe, but also to open up theoretical-methodological implic-ations. 

Program: 

Birgit Meyer and Kai Kresse – welcome and introduction
Hanna Nieber – Drinking the written Qu’ran – writing a PhD thesis
Halkano Abdi Wario – Things in Counter Violence in Kenya
Iris van der Tuin – The Diffractive Method: Past, Present, Future
Rose Marie Beck – response
Open discussion