Archive for September, 2016

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In Saudi Arabia: Can It Really Change?

Writing Competition: Biography of Imam Ali (as)

 

1.Ottoman Monuments and Persian Poetry: A Case from Istanbul in the 1540s

Lecture by Dr Tim Stanley

London, 5 Octobver, 2016, 6.30 pm

For further information, and ticket details, see

http://www.iranheritage.org/05Oct16/default.htm

 

 

2. Washington University in St. Louis – Postdoctoral Fellow in Islamic

Art or Art of the Ancient Americas

http://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=53566

 

University of Minnesota – Twin Cities – Two Tenure-Track Assistant
Professor positions, specializing in 1) Qur’anic Studies and 2) Muslims in America
http://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=53591

University of Southern California – Assistant Professor, Islamic Studies
http://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=53539

Washington University in St. Louis – Postdoctoral Fellow in Islamic Art or Art of the Ancient Americas
http://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=53566

Yale University – Henry Chauncey Jr. ’57 Postdoctoral Associate
http://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=53582

 

Assistant Professor in Medieval Mediterranean/Islamic Art History, Pomona College, Claremont, CA
Research focus in Islamic art. Creative cultural interactions between global Ancient, Medieval, Early Modern Studies and contemporary issues encouraged.
Review of applications will begin 1 January 2017. Information: ggorse@pomona.edu

Assistant Professor of Arabic, Wofford College, Spartanburg, South Carolina
The position is to begin fall 2017. A Ph.D. in Arabic is required.
Deadline for application: 21 October 2016. Information: www.wofford.edu/modernlanguages/arabicSearch/
 

3. Trading Communities Conference: 2 – 4 October 2016

Merchants and trading communities in early Islam (800 – 1000)

St Andrews, 2-4 October, 2016-09-22

http://tradingcommunitiesconference.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/

 

 

4. Borders, Itineraries on the Edges of Iran

a cura di Stefano Pellò
Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Italia 2016
pello@unive.it

Open Access, at:

http://edizionicafoscari.unive.it/en/edizioni/libri/978-88-6969-101-0/

 

 

 

5. The School of Middle Eastern and North African Studies (MENAS) at the University of Arizona invites applications for a tenure-track position in Persian and Iranian Studies at the Assistant Professor level, to begin in the fall semester 2017.

For a full copy of the job ad as posted on the University of Arizona Human Resources website and application form, please see: https://uacareers.com/postings/13768

 

 

 

6. International Conference: “Heidegger in the Islamicate World”, University of Bern, 2-4 November 2016

This conference explores various aspects of the reception of Heidegger in the Arabic, Iranian, and Turkish intellectual context. The contributions of established scholars and junior researchers introduce and discuss approaches to Heidegger’s philosophy that operationalize, recontextualize, or review it critically in the light of Islamic and Islamicate traditions.

Information: www.islam.unibe.ch or: HeideggerConferenceBern@gmail.com
 

 

7. 8th Annual Gulf Research Meeting, University of Cambridge, 1-4 August 2017

Scholars are invited to apply to direct a workshop focusing on political, economic, security or social issues of the Gulf region. Any proposals dedicated to the study of the Gulf region within the context of the social sciences are welcome.

Deadline for proposals: 10 October 2016. Information: http://grm.grc.net/upload2016/Poster.pdf

 

8. 50-60 Max Weber Post-doctoral Fellowships & up to 20 Jean Monnet Fellowships at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Institute (EUI), Florence, Italy

We offer 50-60 fully funded 1 and 2 year postdoctoral fellowships to applicants in the fields of economics, history, law and social and political sciences. The Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies offers Fellowships for the academic year 2017/18 for scholars who have obtained their doctorate more than 5 years prior to the start of the fellowship.

Deadline for application: 25 October 2016. Information on the Max Weber Program at www.eui.eu/ProgrammesAndFellowships/MaxWeberProgramme/ApplytotheMWP/Why-Apply-Index.aspx and on the Jean Monnet Postdoctoral Fellowships at www.eui.eu/ServicesAndAdmin/AcademicService/Fellowships/JeanMonnetFellowships/Index.aspx

 

9. 2 Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships 2017-18: “Muslim Converts and the Formation of Islamic Civilization”, University of Haifa

Preference will be given to candidates who are well immersed in Islamic history and
proficient in at least two Near Eastern languages, especially, but not exclusively, Arabic, Classical Armenian, Classical Greek, Hebrew, Middle Persian, and Syriac.

Deadline for application: 1 February 2017. Information: http://us9.campaign-archive2.com/?u=e1ae5bef9757e58afec01a89a&id=1da2af8942&e=82aeb6c61d
 

 

10. Mary Fox Whittlesey Visiting Professorship in Sociology, American University of Beirut

Position with specific emphasis on the Arab world, to begin 15 August 2017.

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until 15 November 2016. Information:
www.aub.edu.lb/fas/fas_home/academic-employment/Pages/academic_positions.aspx#10

 

 

11. Call for Papers

Ottoman and Turkish Studies Seminar, Columbia University

“Visual Sources in Late Ottoman History”

Date: April 20, 2017; 10:00am-6:00pm

Organizers: Zeynep Celik (zc2162@columbia.edu) and Leyla Amzi-Erdogdular (la2142@columbia.edu), Seminar co-chairs

This conference aims to examine and problematize the use of visual sources of late Ottoman history in an interdisciplinary context. As images become more and more accessible, they are integrated in myriad ways into writing history–political, cultural, social, environmental, urban, art, architectural, and even economic. If they constitute primary documents for art and architectural historians, they enhance textual primary documents in other areas by giving them visual representation.  However, the dialogue between disciplines provokes serious methodological issues, ranging from excessive interpretation based solely on a single visual document (typically in art history) to the reduction of images as light distraction (as observed in social and political history).

The goal of our conference is to identify and discuss key methodological issues in the use of visual documents in an interdisciplinary manner, drawing from new research. The themes we hope to discuss include:

• How to combine visual and textual materials to re-construct buildings and urban forms which no longer exist or which are severely transformed?
• Social and political history’s use of photographic data. What are the precautions that need to be taken?
• How does the authorship of visual documents affect the messages they convey? Who are the authors?  What was the original purpose? What are the ways to read them against the grain?
• How to illustrate a historic event with a small number of photographs and convey an argument? How can the problem of flattening be avoided?
• How does visual material allow for readings that are not textually explicit? How can they be interpreted to do that?
• Use of maps and plans? New technologies?

PdD students and emerging scholars are invited to submit 300-word abstracts and short CVs. Transportation, accommodation, and meals will be provided. The deadline for applications is November 15, 2016. Please send the abstracts and CVs to the seminar rapporteur, Zeinab Alsadat Azarbedegan (zaa2117@columbia.edu)

 

 

12. Position in modern Arabic literature: The Department of Arabic and Translation Studies in the American University of Sharjah (AUS) invites applications for a faculty position in Arabic Studies at the rank of Assistant or Associate professor to begin in the Fall 2017.  A Ph.D. in Arabic studies is required, with a focus on a genre of or regional focus in modern Arabic literature, preferably the Arabic literature of the Gulf or women’s literature or both. The willingness and ability to teach entry-level Arabic heritage classes is essential. Successful applicants will have native or near-native proficiency in Arabic and English. The language of instruction at AUS is English, however, candidates able to teach courses in both Arabic and English are preferred.  Strong scholarly record/potential and relevant teaching experience are expected.

AUS is located in the emirate of Sharjah, adjacent to Dubai, UAE. Founded in 1997 by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qassimi, AUS is an independent, not-for-profit coeducational university in the Gulf, serving some 6,000 students of more than 90 nationalities. The American University of Sharjah (AUS) is accredited by the Commission of Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

Applicants should have experience in and/or familiarity with the North American higher educational system, and experience in dealing with cultural and educational needs of a linguistically and culturally diverse student population. The ability to contribute to other courses offered by the Department will be a distinct advantage.

Interested applicants should send a letter of application, curriculum vitae, a statement of research, a statement of teaching philosophy, and a list of at least three referees to: Dr. Mahmoud Anabtawi, Dean, College of Arts & Sciences, e-mail: cashr@aus.edu

For full consideration, applications must be received by 24 October 2016.

For information about the American University of Sharjah (AUS), please visit:www.aus.edu

 

Bahrain: today’s dissolution of main opposition party is ‘flagrant attack on freedom of expression’

School of Historical Studies Receives Grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York

The myth and history of Sunni-Shia divide

Who Is a Sunni?: Chechnya Islamic Conference Opens Window on Intra-Faith Rivalry – Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington

See also James Dorsey’s Fighting for the Soul of Islam:A Battle of the Paymasters
See also Robert Fisk’s ‘For the first time, Saudi Arabia is being attacked by both Sunni and Shia leaders’
and Brian Whitaker’s ‘Robert Fisk and the Russian war on salafism’

The Early Split, Sunni-Shia: Islam Divided – BBC Radio 4

1.Call For Papers

The Stony Brook Linguistics First North American Conference in Iranian Linguistics (NACIL1) http://www.stonybrook.edu/nacil/

Stony Brook, NY

April 27-30, 2017.

Deadline for abstract submission: November 30, 2016 Decisions on submitted abstracts: February 10, 2017 Conference program posted online: April 20, 2017

*CONTACT:* nacil1@stonybrook.edu

*Call for Papers*

We warmly welcome abstracts on all topics related to Iranian languages and linguistics. Submissions are invited for 20-minute talks (plus 10 minutes for discussion) and/or posters (posters should measure approx. 3ft x 4ft or 90cm x 120cm) on any aspect of Iranian Linguistics.

Abstracts are invited from all areas of grammar (phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics) and their interfaces. Abstracts on language acquisition, psycholinguistics, neurolinguistics, sociolinguistics and computational linguistics are also encouraged.

We strongly encourage contributions exploring approaches to language diversity and typological works (including but not limited to sign languages, under-represented languages and comparative studies).

To propose a paper/poster for presentation at *NACIL 1*, upload an abstract conforming to the guidelines below to the EasyAbs site:

http://linguistlist.org/easyabs/nacil

 

*Abstract guidelines*

 

In order to be eligible for consideration, abstracts should conform to the following requirements.

1. Abstracts, including references and data, must not exceed two A4

pages in length, have 2.5 cm (1 inch) margins on all sides, and be set in

Times New Roman with a font size no smaller than 11pt.

2. Examples, tables, graphs, etc. must be interspersed into the text of

the abstract, rather than collected at the end.

3. The submission must not reveal the identity of the author(s) in any

way.

4. Submissions are limited to two per author, with at most one paper

being single-authored.

5. Abstracts must be submitted in PDF format through EasyAbs by *Wednesday,

November 30, 2016, 11:59pm EST*.

 

 

2. The Classical World in Context: Persia (Villa)

2017/2018

The Getty Scholars Program at the Villa for the 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 terms will address the political, intellectual, religious, and artistic relations between Persia, Greece, and Rome from the ninth century BC to AD 651. The Greeks regarded Media in western Iran as one of the great kingdoms of the East, but it was the Persian Empire, forged by the Achaemenid Dynasty (sixth to fourth century BC), that became their principal adversary. Reaching from the borders of Greece to India, the Persian Empire was viewed by the Greeks as a vastly wealthy and powerful rival and often as an existential threat. When the Macedonian king Alexander the Great finally defeated the Persians in 331 BC, Greek culture spread throughout the Near East, but native dynasties—first the Parthian (247 BC–AD 224) and then the Sasanian (AD 224–651)—soon reestablished themselves.

The rise of the Roman Empire as a world power quickly brought it, too, into conflict with Persia, despite the common trade that flowed through their territories. The 2017/2018 scholar year is the first of two that will be devoted to this theme. Priority will be given to research projects that are cross-cultural and interdisciplinary, and that utilize a wide range of archaeological, textual, and other evidence.

http://www.getty.edu/research/scholars/years/future.html

 

 

 

3. The University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures, 701 McClung Tower, Knoxville, TN  37996

Assistant Professor

The Department of Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures at the University of Tennessee is seeking applications for a tenure-track position in Arabic at the rank of assistant professor, to begin fall 2017. Ph.D. required (or ABD with promise of completion by August 2017), with native or near-native fluency in Arabic and English essential.  Demonstrated research excellence or promise of research and teaching excellence is expected. Preference will be given to candidates who could teach one undergraduate course in French per year, along with three in Arabic.  Specialization is open, but those with expertise in linguistics, pedagogy, classical Arabic, medieval studies, or global studies are especially encouraged to apply.  Faculty from this and other departments are in the process of creating a new Middle East Studies interdisciplinary program offering an undergraduate major and minor beginning Fall 2017. Salary competitive. Review of applicants will begin November 1, 2016, and continue until the position is filled.  The Knoxville campus of the University of Tennessee is seeking candidates who have the ability to contribute in meaningful ways to the diversity and intercultural goals of the University.  Please send a cover letter, CV and transcripts to http://apply.interfolio.com/37597 In addition, applicants should arrange for three letters of recommendation to be sent to the above site by the same deadline.

 

 

4. CfP:

Seminar on “Modern Iranian Literature: Struggles in Memory and Identity” at the annual meeting of the American Comparative Literature Association with whoever might be interested.

Deadline for abstract submission is September 23. The 2017 Annual Meeting will take place at Utrecht University in Utrecht, the Netherlands July 6-9, 2017.

Description:

More than three decades after the revolution, issues of reading and revising public memories in Iran remain urgent, incomplete, and contentious. This panel seeks innovative papers that generally pertain to matters of national, ethnic, religious, or gender identity within the broad sphere of Iranian literature, both domestic and diasporic. The papers are expected to contribute to the ongoing scholarly debates about modern and contemporary literature of Iran, which can include, but is not limited to, modern and postmodern poetry, memoirs of wars, revolutions, and civil strives in the past century, and contemporary political fiction. Studies relevant to the crises of memory and identity during and after the revolution of 1979 and the rise of the Islamic Republic are particularly welcome.

More Info:

http://acla.org/modern-iranian-literature-struggles-memory-and-identity

 

 

 

5. Webinar in Islamic Material Culture
“Communication in Public and Domestic Spaces”
The Social Use of inscriptions and Epigraphy in the Islamic World

5 lectures – Thursday, 4-6 pm CEST – Starting October 27, 2016

Islamic Material Culture

The webinar is part of the ‘Webinar Initiative in Islamic Material Culture’ jointly organized  by The Universität Bonn (Bethany Walker), the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich (Andreas Kaplony), The Bard Graduate Center in New York (Abigail Balbale), and Universität Hamburg (Stefan Heidemann).

More information under

https://www.islamic-material-culture.uni-hamburg.de/en/current-webinar.html

 

 

 

6. Conference: “Islam and the Role of Intellect”, Three Cultures of the Mediterranean Foundation, Seville, 28-29 September 2016

Detailed Program: http://www.tresculturas.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/ICMES-DRAFT-22-8-16.pdf
 

 

7. 10 Fellowships for Experienced Researchers, Max Weber Centre for Advanced Cultural and Social Studies, University of Erfurt

The fellowships will be awarded to experienced researchers who are conducting advanced interdisciplinary research in cultural and social studies (especially in sociology, economics, religious studies, law, philosophy, history and theology) for the period 1 September 2017 – 31 August 2018 with the possibility of extension for another year. All experienced researchers regardless of seniority are invited to apply.

Deadline for application: 1 October 2016. Information: http://www.uni-erfurt.de/max-weber-kolleg/projekte/kooperative-projekte/mwk-fellows/call-application/

 

8. M.S. Sofia Chair in Arabic Studies, Ohio State University, Columbus

The preferred field of specialization of the Associate or Full Professor is pre-modern Arabic Islamic texts and traditions or classical Arabic language and literature. Areas of expertise may include Qur’an and tradition literature, pre-Islamic poetry, philosophy, Islamic theology, belles-lettres, and Arabic grammar and lexicography, among others.

Deadline for application: 1 November 2016. Information: https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/7874
 

 

9. Open Rank Position with Specialty in Islam, Iowa State University, Ames

The position will begin 16 August 2017. The successful applicant will be expected to teach sections of an introductory World Religions course and/or Religion in America in addition to courses in his/her specialty.

Deadline for application: 24 October 2016. Information: http://www.iastatejobs.com/postings/21158

 

10. Four Research Internship Positions, Centre for Mediterranean, Middle East and Islamic Studies (CEMMIS), University of Peloponnese

The internships are on a voluntary basis for the 2016-2017 academic year. The interns will be supervised by senior associates and will be dealing with the study and analysis of ongoing events.

Deadline for application: 2 October 2016.  Information: http://www.cemmis.edu.gr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=638%3Adokimoi-2016-2017&catid=71%3Aanakoinoseis&Itemid=67&lang=en
 

 

11. Grants for Doctoral Program in the History of 19th and 20th Century Middle East, Department of History, George Washington University

The program will start in the Fall of 2017. Candidates with interests in the history of the Ottoman and twentieth century Fertile Crescent are encouraged to apply. Successful candidates will receive a 5-year package consisting of full tuition, stipend etc.

Application deadline: 2 January 2017. Candidates should apply at https://history.columbian.gwu.edu/graduate-admissions
 

 

12. On behalf of the South Asian Muslim Studies Association (SAMSA) please find attached [not attached – contact the sender, below, for details – ed.] the Program of the SAMSA Third Pre-Conference to be held at the Concourse Hotel, Madison, Wisconsin as part of the 45th Annual Conference on South Asia hosted by the Center for South Asian Studies, University of Wisconsin, Madison. The Pre-Conference is scheduled for Thursday, October 20, 2016.

In the program on page 31 you will find the Call for Contributors to the first volume of the “SAMSA Collected Papers” series. We invite contributions in any area of South Asian Muslim studies in any of the countries of South Asia, in any discipline, and from a historical or a contemporary perspective.

Finally, on page 32 you will find a Call for Papers for the 4th SAMSA Pre-Conference we hope to host at Madison in 2017. In commemoration of the seventieth anniversary of independence we have titled the pre-conference “Postcolonial Scholarship at 70: Seven Decades of Research on South Asian Muslims 1947-2017”. Please contact us if you are interested in presenting your research at this pre-conference.

Please get in touch if you have any questions or comments.

 

Thank-you.

With regards,

Professor Roger D. Long, Ph.D, FRAS, FRHistS
Department of History and Philosophy
Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilanti, MI 48197
Rlong@emich.edu
Rogerlong1@gmail.com
Phone: 734-484-4424; Cell 734-635-6038
Fax: 734-487-6835

 

 

13. I’m happy to inform you that my dissertation
Architektur Osmanischer Karawanseraien. Stationen des Fernverkehrs im Osmanischen Reich (Architecture of Ottoman Caravanserais. Stations for Long-Distance Traffic within the Ottoman Empire), Technische Universität Berlin, is available now as an Online Digital Resource. You can find the two volumes, and If interested download, here:

https://depositonce.tu-berlin.de/handle/11303/5872

Robin Wimmel
Berlin / Germany
robbyn1@gmx.de

 

 

14. Call for Papers

Muslim cultures of the Indian Ocean

International Conference

The Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations

Aga Khan University, London

18-21 September 2018

Rationale:Over the past couple of decades, significant new research has been undertaken across East Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and the Indian subcontinent leading to fresh insights on a number of facets of Indian Ocean Cultures. Our objective is to study these multiple facets through the prism of one religion, Islam.  How did one religion managed to unite different people from different area with different cultures?  Since the Prophet, Islam was a mercantile religion par excellence and was favored through trade all over the Indian Ocean. As it was defined by Fernand Braudel for the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean became a “Muslim Mare Nostrum”.

This conference aims to understand the development of Muslim cities and states related to port areas as places of exchange, but also through time and competition as places of conflict. Understanding the relationship between ports, travel, economy and religion requires an in depth examination of archaeological remains and written sources, but also knowledge on existing populations. It’s striking to see that Islam until very recently was considered by some scholars as a kind of foreign and coercive influence, sometimes associated with a kind of proto-colonialism, especially in Africa. These observations and theories were done mainly by archaeologists and some historians ignoring all the data provided by the ethnography and social anthropology.

Instead of trying to divide cultures and people, the objective of this conference is to bring together experts of Muslim cultures around the Indian Ocean. We are not seeking nationalism, regionalism and differences but we are looking for diversity and cultural exchanges. We particularly intend to draw specialists from the following geographic areas: Africa, Arabia, Persia and India. These specialists will be from different backgrounds to stimulate debate amongst archaeologists, historians and anthropologists. In recognition of the multidisciplinary nature of the endeavour, the conference will include papers on history, material culture and social anthropology. Accordingly, the conference aims to bring together specialists as well as emerging scholars in the discipline to deliberate on issues related to culture as well as to elicit new approaches to its growing field of study.

This conference is convened to provide a platform for sharing the recent learnings on Indian Ocean Cultures in Muslim Context and mark the coming of age of a reconnaissance of Muslim Cultures as a vital area of study, through the publication of select proceedings of the conference.

Planning & Organisation

The opening call for paper proposals starts the 1^st October 2016.

Proposed papers (title and abstract of 250-500 words) should be sent before 1^st June 2017 to the following:

Dr. Stephane Pradines (stephane.pradines@aku.edu)

Associate Professor, Ismc, Aga Khan University

London, United Kingdom

Papers will be reviewed and selected by a scientific committee and authors of the accepted papers will be informed in October 2017.

The final conference programme will be announced in January 2018.

The conference will be held over 4 days in September 2018, at a central London location; in the new building of the Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations in Kings Cross.

We hope to have up to 30 participants comprising of specialists as well as young scholars emerging in the field of Muslim Indian Ocean Cultures.

The participants will be required bear their own costs for travel, accommodation and subsistence.  However, there will be no registration fee for the participants. Plus we will provide a limited number of travel grants to those who have the competence to participate but lack the financial means to do so.  Our priority will go first to PhD students and researchers from the Indian Ocean world.

Language of the Conference: English