The Diyanet Center of America hosted the 3rd Annual DCA Social Sciences Graduate Student Symposium on May 2–3, 2026, bringing together graduate students, scholars, chairs, and guests for two days of academic exchange, presentations, and meaningful dialogue.
Organized as the flagship academic program of the Diyanet Islamic Research Institute (DIRI) under the Diyanet Center of America, the symposium welcomed more than 60 graduate researchers through 15 thematic panels. Participants joined both in person and online from universities and research institutions across the United States, Türkiye, Europe, and beyond, including Princeton University, Harvard Divinity School, Columbia University, Georgetown University, University of Maryland, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Oxford University, Istanbul University, Marmara University, Ibn Haldun University, ISAM, and many others.
The program covered a wide range of topics, including Islamic studies, theology, political science, sociology, media, psychology, AI, migration, education, and contemporary Muslim communities. Sessions were held in a hybrid format, with in-person panels at the Diyanet Center of America and online panels through Zoom. The sessions were also livestreamed through Diyanet America’s YouTube channel.
The symposium opened with a welcoming remarks by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fatih Kanca, Chair of the Advisory Board of the Diyanet Center of America, and a keynote address by Dr. Ahmet Selim Tekelioğlu, Research Fellow at the Abu Sulayman Center for Global Islamic Studies.