º£½ÇÍø

º£½ÇÍø (IIS) and the Dance, Music andÌýPerforming Arts of the Middle East, North Africa, CentralÌýAsiaÌýand Islamic Southeast Asia () research network are pleased to present the fourth MENACASEA Symposium.Ìý

This international gathering brings together scholars, artists and practitioners to explore dance, music, movement and performance traditions across the Middle East, North Africa, Central and South Asia and Muslim contexts in Southeast Asia. The 2026 symposium focuses on the relationship between music, dance, movement and spirituality in Muslim contexts, examining how embodied and musical practices shape religious experience, artistic expression, cultural identity and communal life.

Across diverse Muslim societies, music and movement have long played important roles in spiritual and cultural practice. From devotional rituals and religious theatre to folk performance traditions and contemporary artistic works, these forms of expression offer valuable insights into questions of meaning, belonging, memory and transcendence.

The symposium encourages interdisciplinary dialogue between scholars and practitioners working across fields including musicology, dance studies, anthropology, religious studies, history, performance studies and related disciplines.

A full programme will be published closer to the event.

Conference themes

The symposium will explore diverse topics including:

• Relation between performance and religious experience
• Ritual, devotion and embodied practice
• Theories of dance, music and performance
• Folk and community-based performance traditions
• Music and dance as expressions of identity and belonging
• Healing, wellbeing and the performing arts
• Contemporary artistic interpretations of spiritual traditions
• Historical and contemporary perspectives on music, dance and movement

While the conference centres on spirituality and performance in Muslim contexts, it also welcomes broader discussions relating to dance, music and the performing arts across various regions.

Special musical event

As part of the symposium, participants are invited to a special evening musical event on 29 October 2026 at the Ismaili Centre, London.

Further details will be announced with the conference programme.

Organisers

This symposium is jointly organised by º£½ÇÍø and the MENACASEA research network.

Please note filming and photography may take place during the event, and be used across our website, newsletters and social media accounts. These could include broad shots of the audience and lecture theatre, speakers during the talk, and of audience members participating in Q&A.

Views expressed in this conference are those of the presenting scholars, and do not necessarily express the views of IIS.