1.Iran: International Law and the Protection of Cultural Heritage in Times of War The humanitarian toll and widespread disruption of life caused by the relentless bombing campaigns in the war on Iran since February 28, 2026, are tragic. Equally significant is the destruction of monuments of profound cultural importance to
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1. HYBRID World Policy Forum: “What is Sharia Law, and is it a Threat to Our Democracy?”, Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy (CSID), Washington DC, 22 April 2026, 16:00 – 17:30 CET Bringing together leading scholars of Islamic law, theology, and constitutional law, the discussion will address
Posted in: Academic items1. The www.asmeascholars.orgAssociation for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA) is offering Research and Travel Grant opportunities in conjunction with its Nineteenth Annual Conferencetaking place in Washington, D.C. on November 7 – 9, 2026. The ASMEA Research Grant Program seeks to support research on topics in Middle Eastern and African studies that deserve
Posted in: Academic items1. The Department of Middle Eastern Studies of the University of Chicago is honored to have Dr. Arezou Azad as the speaker in the Heshmat Moayyad Lecture Series for the Spring 2026 session. The lecture will be in person and on zoom on Wednesday, April 8 at 5:30 PM US Central Time in The Tea
Posted in: Academic items1.António de Gouvea, At the Court of the Shah, A Portuguese Account of Safavid Persia, 16O3–16O8 W Floor, transl. and annot. Mage, 2026 https://mage.com/antonio-de-gouvea-at-the-court-of-the-shah-a-portuguese-account-of-safavid-persia-16o3-16o8/ 2. The Pilgrim’s Companion: The Khalili Anis al-Hujjaj A ground-breaking new translation and comprehensive analysis of the Anis al-Hujjaj (The Pilgrim’s
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Call for Proposals – Conference Taʿzieh, Shared Passions Beyond “Religious Theatre”, or Rethinking the Performative Ritual Event
International conference in INALCO, Paris France on June 2-3, 2026. Organized by Julie Duvigneau and Yassaman Khajehi (ANR THETA, Inalco, Université Clermont Auvergne, IUF)
This international conference with a starting point based on comparative study of ritual performative events, both historical and contemporary, will focus on taʿzieh while placing it in dialogue within European medieval mystery plays, Christian processions, and other forms of rituals arising from diverse cultural contexts. While grounded in a comparative historical perspective, the conference also welcomes multidisciplinary approaches: cultural studies, anthropology, literature, performance studies, religious studies, and digital humanities. The aim is to confront and enrich reflection on the nature, transmission, and reception of these performative events, as well as their capacity to articulate memory, corporeality, emotion, and communal participation.
The objective is not only to establish formal parallels, but also to question the very descriptive categories of these practices. Expressions such as “religious theatre” or “sacred drama” facilitate their inclusion within the history of the performing arts, yet they also tend to impose a theoretical framework centered on representation, fiction, and aesthetics. However, performance cannot only be reduced to a scenic dispositif in these contexts. Rather, it involves symbolic efficacy, an economy of affects, a territorial inscription, and a social function that exceed theatrical logic in the modern sense.
The conference therefore proposes to privilege the notion of the “performative ritual event” in order to conceive these forms as situated collective actions generating social bonds, memory, and identity through corporeality and participation.
Please submit proposals (in French or English), to yassaman.khajehi@uca.fr and julie.duvigneau@inalco.fr before 15 April 2026.
Posted in: Field-specific (academic)1. Reconsidering the Historical Legacy of Ibn Khaldun https://research.ju.edu.jo/research/groups/RHL-IK/home.aspx 2. Journée d’études « Identités, altérités et interculturalité dans un monde en reconfiguration : Monde arabe et Occident », Université de Montpellier Paul-Valéry, 16 avril 2026, 9:00 – 16:00 CET La journée d’étude se propose d’interroger
Posted in: Academic itemsThe Islamic College
133 High Road, London NW10 2SW
Eleventh Annual Conference on Shiʿi Studies
Special Theme:
Shiʿism and the study of the Qur’an
To register:
https://islamic-college.ac.uk/conference-registration/
(in-person and online presentations; in-person audience only
E-mail enquiries to: shiistudies@islamic-college.ac.uk
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