Theme

     The research methods that have been followed and results that the Institute of Asian Cultures has heretofore obtained while in the process of carrying out Area Studies in regions such as the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and South Asia, will be transplanted to the field of Islamic studies, where they will be further expanded as the basic research framework of SIAS. Recently there has been a tendency towards research focused on the political aspects of Islam. In view of this, our primary aim is to conduct research focusing on the social and cultural aspects that lie behind political movements, and which represent the greater diversity of Islam. Our second aim is to promote interregional and interdisciplinary cooperation and comparative research focusing on demotic aspects of Islam taking into account the historical contexts, and finally we seek to create a global network of researchers extending through Europe, the Middle-East, Africa and Southeast Asia, in order to facilitate investigation into the relationship between globalization and Islamic Area Studies.
     Under the above mentioned basic principles, our three research groups will engage in collaborative research activities such as the organization of domestic seminars and international symposiums, whereby we hope to establish an organic academic body.