International Symposium: Women Who Left an Impact on the Tradition of Islamic Thought
With the support of Balıkesir University Faculty of Theology and partner institutions, an academic symposium titled "Women Who Left an Impact on the Tradition of Islamic Thought" will be held on May 7–8, 2026.
The symposium aims to introduce the scholarly heritage of women who have contributed to the Islamic intellectual tradition and to evaluate this accumulation of knowledge within an academic framework.
Within the scope of the symposium, it is intended to examine the biographies, works, views, and direct or indirect contributions of influential women in the fields of Islamic Studies, Philosophy and Religious Studies, and Islamic History and Arts.
Through this, the symposium seeks to highlight the impact of women in scholarly fields and shed light on the contemporary intellectual world. In addition, the symposium aims to make their intellectual heritage visible, bring their original interpretations to the forefront, and carry their scholarly legacy into the present.
A chronological limitation has been set for this symposium. In this context, the examination of female figures will begin from the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad (sav), when the Islamic intellectual tradition began to take shape. Due to the increasing representation of women in the academic sphere in the modern era, papers will only be accepted on female figures born before 1950.
The symposium is open to the participation of all researchers, academics, and field experts. Participants are expected to submit original and scholarly studies related to the announced fields for evaluation.
Both domestic and international participants will have the opportunity to present their papers in person or online. Researchers presenting papers at the symposium will not be charged a participation fee.
For detailed information about the symposium, please visit our website: https://kadinsempozyumu.balikesir.edu.tr/
The main theme of the symposium is women's scholarly output. In this context, the symposium will focus on pioneering figures and lesser-known women who have left an impact on our intellectual tradition in the fields of Islamic Studies, Philosophy and Religious Studies, Islamic History and Arts.
This includes:
- Biographies
- Scholarly activities
- Works
- Intellectual contributions
- Their influence within the scholarly tradition and their followers
These topics constitute the main theme of the symposium.
The following topics are NOT included in the symposium:
- Women's social roles and identity
- Family and marriage
- Modern and social issues concerning women
- Abstracts and full papers can be submitted in Turkish, English, and Arabic.
- The similarity index of full papers shall not exceed 25%. The similarity report shall be submitted together with the full text.
- The abstract shall consist of a minimum of 250 and a maximum of 350 words and shall comprehensively address the research problem, objectives, methodology, findings, and conclusions of the study.
- Full papers shall be between a minimum of 6,000 and a maximum of 12,000 words. The full text shall include a detailed analysis and discussion.
- The abstracts and full papers to be submitted to the symposium shall be prepared in accordance with the template announced on our website.
- For full papers, either the ISNAD Citation Style (2nd edition) or the Chicago Citation Style (18th edition) shall be used, with references provided in the form of footnotes.
- Papers shall be prepared in Word format and submitted to izbirakankadinlarsempozyumu@gmail.com
Important Notes:
- The symposium is free of charge; no participation fee is required.
- Papers can be submitted in Turkish, English, or Arabic.
- Accepted papers will be published in the symposium proceedings.
- The symposium has a scientific and advisory committee comprising over 70 professors and researchers from Turkey and various Islamic countries.
Honorary Chair of the Symposium:
Prof. Dr. Yücel OĞURLU - Rector of Balıkesir University
Chair of the Organizing Committee:
Prof. Dr. Mehmet ÖZKAN, Dean of the Faculty of Theology, Balıkesir University
Representatives of Partner Institutions:
Organizing Committee:
Secretariat:
For the complete list of the Scientific and Advisory Committee comprising over 70 professors and researchers from Turkey and various Islamic countries, please see the "Scientific and Advisory Committee" section.