Archive for August, 2017

Africa Federation Archives – Ithna-Asheri Students’ Union of East Africa at Aligarh Muslim University, India -1965 to 1974

Africa Federation Archives – Ithna-Asheri Students’ Union of East Africa at Aligarh Muslim University, India – 1965 to 1974 – French (PDF, 620KB)

Salvation and Suffering in Ottoman Stories of the Prophets

Introduction: salvation history and stories of the prophets The Islamic genre of the stories of the prophets (qiṣaṣ al-anbiyāʾ) derives from narrative exegesis of the various references to biblical and Arabian prophets in the Qurʾān.

Includes a discussion of Fuẓūlī Baghdādī (d. 963/1556).

SMC Statement on Barcelona Attack

Terrorism is a curse of our times that distresses the hearts of all upstanding human beings who inhabit our world. The cruelty of these assassins, has yet again, brought terror and trepidation to all, world over.The Barcelona attack appears to be yet another manifestation of the intolerant and bigoted ideology of considering one self superior than another.

 

1.Call for papers

International conference on ‘Social Policy in the Islamic World’

Tehran, Iran, 12-13 May 2018

Allameh Tabataba’i University (the largest public university specialized in humanities and social sciences in Iran) will hold the first international conference on ‘Social Policy in the Islamic World’ (http://spiw.atu.ac.ir) in May 2018 in partnership with a group of well-known academic institutions from around the world. Lack of a comprehensive social policy agenda is seriously felt amid profound political upheavals in Muslim countries; hence this conference represents a timely response by the academic community.

With a population of about two billion people, Muslims are predominating in nearly 40 countries around the world from Morocco and Algeria through Iran and Tajikistan to Malaysia and Indonesia and still form a considerable part of other mixed societies. One of the most outstanding features of Islamic social teachings revolves around social welfare concepts, principles, as well as strategies and solutions. However, it is not possible to portray a single picture of social policy in Muslim societies given the vast diversity of historical, political, and economic circumstances they have experienced as well as various cultural characteristics they possess. Despite these diversities they have to respond to more or less similar issues and problems with regard to family and gender, inequality and poverty, education, employment and health, housing and social care, as well as juvenile delinquency and criminal justice, etc. Hence, there is an important question on how do they deal with these issues and what is the status and role of Islamic teachings in such social policies. This international conference is aimed to address these broad questions and therefore welcomes papers dealing with a wide range of issues outlined in the conference themes. While focusing on this specific agenda, the conference themes have been designed in a way to cover a broad range of related topics from a multidisciplinary perspective and therefore welcome both individual papers and closed panels from researches engaged in various aspects of social policy.

Conference Themes

1. Historical developments of social policy in Muslim societies
2. Dominant social policy approaches in various policy domains (social security, family and gender policy, inequality and poverty reduction, employment, education, health, housing, social care, environment, social problems and criminal justice policy, etc.)
3. Social policy arrangements regarding the main social policy target groups (children, youth, women, old people, people with disabilities, laborers, immigrants)
4. Emergent patterns of social policies as a consequence of recent political developments (like the Arab Uprising) in Islamic countries
5. State and non-state (NGOs, Charities, Social movements, etc.) forms of social welfare action in Muslim societies
6. Eclectic adoption of elements in mainstream welfare ideologies (social democratic, conservative, neoliberal, etc.) and its relationship to Islamic culture and thoughts regarding social policy and welfare
7. Comparative perspectives between Islam and other religious approaches to social welfare
8. The relationship between social policy failure and the rise of extremism
9. Public attitudes toward social policies among Muslims
10. Globalization and role of international organizations in social policies of Muslim societies and local reactions
11. Status of Co-operations and collaborations in the field of social policy among Muslim societies
12. Appraising systems of financing social policy in Muslim societies
13. Evaluation of successful and unsuccessful social policies in Muslim societies
14. Social entrepreneurship and social innovation for social welfare
15. Local social policies in capital cities of Muslim countries
16. The relation between social policy values, principles, and instruments and Islamic teachings
17. Linkages of social policy interventions with the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals
18. Social policies towards Muslim minorities in Western countries
19. Social policies towards non-Muslim minorities in Muslim majority countries
20. Influence of local and transnational Muslim social actors on shaping social policies towards Muslim minorities in the West

Deadline for Submission of abstracts (and proposals for closed panels) is 2017-10-10

Travel grants

Please visit the following links:

http://spiw.atu.ac.ir/page_569.html

http://spiw.atu.ac.ir/page_570.html

 

Queries

Please do not hesitate to email us (spiw@atu.ac.ir) if you need any further information which could not be found in the conference website.

 

 

 

2. Illumination and decoration in Chinese Qur’ans

http://blogs.bl.uk/asian-and-african/2017/08/illumination-and-decoration-in-chinese-qurans.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+asian-and-african+%28Asia+and+Africa%29

 

 

 

3. ART IN TRANSLATION is pleased to announce the publication of a special issue Spain and Orientalism, vol. 9:1 (2017), co-edited by Claudia Hopkins (University of Edinburgh) and Anna McSweeney (Warburg Institute). For a limited time only the entire issue has been made available for free at this link:
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rfat20/9/1

This is the first English-language journal issue dedicated to Spanish Orientalism in art and visual culture in the 19th and 20th centuries. The peer-reviewed articles, drawn from a panel at the Association of Art Historians conference in 2016, examine Spain’s complex relationship with her Islamic past and with Morocco, through art, architecture, photography and material culture. They address a range of topics including patterns of collecting, the reproduction of Islamic art and architecture for private and public spaces, the role of Spain’s Islamic heritage in the construction of a national identity as exemplified in Spanish exhibition pavilions, the intersections between art and colonialism, and the role of Spanish art and visual culture in the wider debates about Orientalism.

 

 

 

4. National Chengchi University – Assistant Professor and above,
Department Of Turkish Language and Culture
http://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=55286

 

 

 

5. 4th International Conference of the Transatlantic Research Group
In partnership with
Global Institute of Commerce and Technology, Abuja, Nigeria/Nile University of Nigeria, Abuja
University of Nigeria, Nsukka
Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Gregory University Press, Uturu, Nigeria
Africa and Asia Encounters: Historical and Contemporary Perspective

28-30 June 2018
Venue: Public Service Institute of Nigeria, Abuja.

Please submit a 250 to 300-word abstract and a 150-word biography latest by 1 February 2018. The biographical information should mention the presenter’s name and title, affiliation, email address, relevant publications.

http://transatlanticresearchgroup.org/index.php/current-call

 

 

6. Conference: “Re-thinking Nationalism, Sectarianism, and Ethno-Religious Mobilisation in the Middle East”, University of Oxford, 26-28 January 2018

There will be a focus session on “Religion and Sectarianism in the Islamic World” in addition to other themes: New theoretical thinking on ethno-religious borders and boundary making, including processes of minoritisation and majoritisation, and the role of religion in ethnic mobilisation and conflict; impact of new technologies and media, etc.

Deadline for abstracts: 15 September 2017. Information: http://www.pmb.ox.ac.uk/content/call-papers-re-thinking-nationalism-sectarianism-and-ethno-religious-mobilisation-middle
 

 

7. Assistant Professor, History of the Islamic World, Baruch College, City University of New York

The position is to begin in August 2018. Specialization is open, but preference will be given to candidates whose research focuses on the Middle East and/or North Africa. Qualifications: Ph.D. degree in area(s) of experience or equivalent. Also required are the ability to teach successfully, demonstrated scholarship or achievement, and ability to cooperate with others for the good of the institution.

Review of applications will begin 16 October 2017. Information: http://www.aaihs.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Assistant-Professor-Islamic-World-History-August-2017.pdf
 

 

8. Assistant Professor and above, Department of Turkish Language and Culture, National Chengchi University, Taiwan

Qualification: Ph.D. in Turkish Turkology teaching or related fields. Applicants should be able to offer courses either in Turkish, English or Chinese.

Deadline for application: 1 November 2017. Information: http://turkish.nccu.edu.tw/news/news.php?Sn=443

 

9. Research Associate for Project on the Theoretical Reconfiguration of Arab Identities, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies

A full-time Research Associate with Ph.D. is being sought for a research project on “Transcultural Identities: Solidaristic Action and Contemporary Arab Social Movements.” At least 2-3 years work experience related to the field of research required.

Deadline for application: 30 August 2017. Information: http://www.dohainstitute.edu.qa/EN/Careers/Pages/Apply.aspx?JobId=DIAC35
 

10. Professor Peter Sluglett passed away on 10 August 2017

The Middle East Institute of the National University of Singapore announced the death of Prof. Peter Sluglett, the former president of the Middle East Studies Association (MESA):

“It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Professor Peter Sluglett on August 10, 2017. Prof. Sluglett served as Director at the Middle East Institute from 2014-2016. A historian of the 19th and 20th century Middle East, he joined the Institute as a Visiting Research Professor in September 2011, having spent much of his career at the University of Durham (1974-1993) and subsequently at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City (1994-2011).

Prof. Sluglett will be remembered most fondly by all of us. Our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.”

Saudi Arabia’s hidden war

The Saudis have now destroyed the last building in the heart of a Shia town in the east – the centre of growing unrest which the authorities are blaming on ‘terrorist’ groups. Meanwhile dozens of people have died in the clashes and thousands are being displaced as their homes are…

Death sentences of Shiites point to limits of Saudi reforms

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Saudi Arabia’s new crown prince hopes to transform the kingdom and modernize society, but the planned execution of 14 Shiite protesters charged with violence against security forces suggests the government’s handling of sectarian tensions and unrest remains unchanged.

Awamiya: Inside the devastated Saudi Shia town – BBC News

The town of Awamiya has been devastated by fighting between government forces and Shia militants.

See this video also on Youtube.

For more, see analysis by ADHRB.

 

1.The Sixth International Conference on Contemporary Philosophy of Religion

Subject Matter:

Comparative Philosophy of Religion: Basics and Issues

Basics:

– Nature of Comparative Philosophy of Religion

– Possibility of Comparative Philosophy of Religion

– Methodology of Comparative Philosophy of Religion

– Presuppositions of Comparative Philosophy of Religion

– Type of Religion and its Influence on Issues of Philosophy of Religion

– Definition of Religion in Different Philosophies of Religion

Issues:

– Concept of God/Ultimate Reality/the Holy

– Arguments of the Existence of God/Ultimate Reality/the Holy

– Religious Experience and Revelation

– the Afterlife (Immortality)

– The Problem of Evil

– Reason and Faith

– Relationship between God and Nature (Universe)

– Language of Religion (Religious Language)

Time: 6-7 February 2018

Venue: Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

Conference website: http://philorconf.org/

Submissions:
Proposals of papers should consist of a title, a 250-300 word abstract, at least 3 keywords, and the author’s affiliation.

Deadline for submission of abstracts: 21 November 2017

Notes!

– Please submit proposals (in both MS Word and PDF formats) to philorconf@gmail.com 

– To register please go to the Registration tab on the left menu.

– In order to get information about conference’s Academic Board, Accommodation, Visa Application Procedure etc. please refer to the correspondent tabs on the left menu.

– Please direct your enquiries to the following email address: philorconf@gmail.com

 

 

2. CFP: Medievalists Without Borders: Cooperative Projects on Popular Culture in Islamic and Christian Lands

International Congress on Medieval Studies

Kalamazoo, MI

May 10-13, 2018

This session came about when we the organizers discovered that we each work on very similar topics in medieval popular culture, one of us primarily in Arabic and one of us primarily in Latin. We seek to build a roundtable at Kalamazoo as a kind of collaborator matchmaking site, finding scholars working on popular culture east and west who could benefit from knowing one another, and asking these pairs to present the results of their collaboration at the conference.

In so doing, we aim to break down some of the artificial barriers between the popular cultures of different civilizations during the European medieval period. Despite the artificial disciplinary boundaries within which we commonly work, these societies were actually quite mobile and intertwined, and their folklore and popular culture shows a great deal of overlap and influence. Our title, “Medievalists Without Borders,” is a gesture toward this breaking down of walls and barriers between scholars, an act we find especially needful at a time when we are witnessing an intensification of disciplinary borders, of disparities between tenure-track and non-tenure track faculty, and of cultural isolationism.

We propose to set up a coterie of collaborations between scholars working primarily in Latin or in the vernacular languages of “Western” Europe and scholars working in Arabic, Persian, or other languages of North Africa and the Middle East, all in the field of popular culture. We will accept proposals both from pairs of scholars who wish to use this as a forum to collaborate and from individual scholars whom we will match with other applicants. The session is open to literary, artistic, historical, folkloric, and musical forms of non-elite production. Because the elite / non-elite divide of “popular culture” has been challenged, we also welcome proposals for work which pushes at this boundary. We are especially seeking inclusivity in our group of participants: not only do we wish to encourage proposals from scholars at all stages and from all types of academic careers, but also from scholars who are marginalized or who work on marginalized populations.

We will accept proposals in two forms:

A joint proposal from two scholars, no longer than 300 words, suggesting a collaboration, or

A request to be paired with a like-minded scholar, consisting of a CV and/or short bio, and a brief description of your interest in popular culture.

Please send materials to Amanda Steinberg (ahsteinberg@gwu.edu) and Kaitlin Heller (kbheller@syr.edu) no later than Sept. 1, 2017. Proposals should be accompanied by the Participant Information Form, available at https://wmich.edu/medievalcongress/submissions.

 

 

 

3. Media Transitions and Cultural Debates in Arab Societies:
Transhistorical Perspectives on the Impact of Communication Technologies

International Conference of the Arab-German Young Academy of Sciences and Humanities (AGYA)

Tunis, 24-26 November 2017

Call for Papers

In the last decades, the Arab world has witnessed the emergence and broad diffusion of ʻnewʼ media, most prominently the Internet. The opportunities provided by these new communication technologies have not only inspired and empowered a new generation of youth for political dissent, but have also fostered the emergence of new modes of cultural expression, literary styles and genres as well as new layers of readers and writers.

Digital media, however, is not the first ‘new media’ to appear in the Arab world. The adoption of Internet technologies in recent times could be compared to the transition from oral to script culture that took place in the 9^th century, the spread of print technologies after several centuries of a flourishing manuscript culture in the 19^th century, or the emergence of audio-visual media (radio, TV, photograpy, film) in the 20^th century. The transhistorical perspective has proven useful in the field of media studies in general, but requires further exploration with specifics to the Arab region.

With regard to different media at different historical moments (9^th-21^st century), the conference aims at exploring how the emergence and diffusion of ‘new media’ or communication technologies in Arab societies have affected the (conditions of) literary and cultural production, distribution, and reception and how cultural debates are shaped by the use of different media.

Organizers: Barbara Winckler (University of Muenster), Teresa Pepe (University of Oslo), Carola Richter (Freie Universitaet Berlin), and Bilal Orfali (American University of Beirut).

Speakers will be requested to give a 15 minutes paper presentation, followed by a 15 minutes discussion. Travel and accommodation expenses of invited speakers will be fully covered by AGYA.

Please submit an abstract of 250 words and a short CV to mediatransitions@agya.info by 31 August 2017. Do not hesitate to contact us for general inquiries.

For further information, see the complete Call for Papers: http://agya.info/upcoming-events/?tx_calendarize_calendar%5Bindex%5D=8&cHash=2abf1299651b0f6fd885b4c17f1ddcae

 

 

 

4. The Al-Hikmah Institute of Al-Mustafa International University Organizes Conference on Islam in Europe.

7 February 2018        Al-Mustafa International University, Qom, Iran.

The areas of interest include:  

Potentials of Islam and Muslims to Interact with Europe

• Potentials of Religious and Cultural Centers in Europe to Promote Positive Interaction
• Impacts of Islam and Muslims on Europe
• Contributions of Muslim Emigrants in European Countries
• Potentials of Islamic Teachings for the Establishment of Peace and Security in Europe
• Morality and Spirituality in Islam and its Role in Positive Interaction with Europe

Europe’s Potentials in Interacting with Islam and Muslims

• Islamic Studies in Europe; History and Pathology; the Role of Academic Studies in Understanding Islam and Muslims.
• Admission of Muslim Immigrants into Europe; Opportunities and Challenges
• Minorities’ Rights in Europe and its Impact on Peaceful Coexistence of Muslims and non-Muslims
• The Role Scientific and Technological Advances in Europe in Constructive Interaction Between Islamic World and European Countries

Prospects and Challenges in the Relation between Islam and Europe

• Racism and HostilityToward Muslim Minorities in Europe
• Limitations of Islamic lifestyle in Europe
• Extremism; The Common Threat of Islamic and European countries
• The Role of Islamic leaders in controlling the Radical Extremists.
• The Return of Terrorists to Europe; a Challenge for security.

Islamophobia in Europe

• European Media and Portrayal of Islam and Muslims
• The Role of Takfiri Movements in Creating Negative Image of Muslims
• The Role and Position of Islamic Centers in Europe in Making Peace and Reducing Extremism.
• The Role of Academic and Cultural Centers of Islamic and European Societies in Creating a Positive Approach oward Both Sides.

For more information and registration, please visit:

http://alhikmah.miu.ac.ir/en/index.php/conference/

For any question regarding the event, send E-mail to conference@alhikmah.miu.ac.ir or Mor.Maddahi@gmail.com

 

 

 

5. Conference: “Makkah and the Hejaz in Emerging Pan-Islamic Thought: Imperial-era South-South Networks, Migration, and Evolving Scholarly Demographics, 1800-2000”, King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, Riyad, 5-6 December 2017

The conference will focus on: Scholarly Networks in the Ottoman Hejaz on the Eve of European Imperialism (1500-1800); Imperial Hajj, Exiled Ulema, and Emerging Muslim Internationalism; Merchants, Minorities & Muhājirūn; Identity Politics & The Holy Cities in the 20th-21st Centuries, Between Religious Establishments & Religious Oppositions.

Deadline for abstracts: 17 September 2017. Information: http://www.facebook.com/research.kfcris/photos/pb.178104892527405.-2207520000.1493213561./447714255566466/?type=3

 

 

6. BRISMES Conference “New Approaches to Studying the Middle East”, King’s College London, 25-26 June 2018

The organizers encourage proposals that take up the theme in original ways, exploring not only new approaches, but bringing different new approaches into dialogue with each other, including across disciplines and across regions. In addition, proposals on any topic related to Middle Eastern Studies are invited, regardless of their fit with the conference’s main theme.

Deadline for abstracts: 1 December 2017. Information: http://www.brismes.ac.uk/conference/call-for-papers/

 

7. Two-year Post Doctoral Fellowship in the Social Sciences, Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies, Massachusetts

Applications are invited from outstanding scholars at the start of their careers whose work combines disciplinary excellence in the social sciences (including law) with a command of the language, history, or culture of non-Western countries or regions.

Deadline for application: 1 October 2017. Information: https://academy.wcfia.harvard.edu/programs/academy_scholar

 

8. Associate or Full Professor in Modern Iranian Studies, Princeton University

Research expertise and teaching interests may concern any aspect of modern Iran, from the 19th century to the present; we particularly welcome applications from historians and social scientists.

Deadline for application: 15 November 2017. Information: https://puwebp.princeton.edu/AcadHire/apply/application.xhtml?listingId=2781

 

9. Assistant Professor, Modern Middle East and/or Modern Africa, Gonzaga University, Washington

We seek a teacher-scholar of the Modern Middle East and/or Modern Africa (1800 to present) with experience teaching History of World Civilization II. Qualifications: Ph.D. in History, with specialty in the Modern Middle East or Modern Africa.

Deadline for application: 16 October 2017. Information: https://gonzaga.peopleadmin.com/postings/10685

 

10. Assistant Professor in Ottoman History, University of Pennsylvania

We welcome a range of scholarship in Ottoman history, including transnational and imperial perspectives as well as approaches that address the political, ethnic, and religious diversity of the Ottoman world. Specialists from any period in Ottoman history may apply.

Deadline for application: 15 September 2017. Information: https://facultysearches.provost.upenn.edu/postings/1146

 

11. Persian Literary Studies Journal(PLSJ), a peer-reviewed interdisciplinary periodical designed to comparatively explore literary, artistic and cultural issues, is seeking book reviewers to write essays about the publications it receives.

We also kindly invite publishers to send their publications of interest to the PLSJ office at Farideh Pourgiv, Dept. of Foreign Languages & Linguistics, Eram Campus, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.

For inquiries about titles, our stylesheet and preferred format please contact the book review editor at < massihzekavat@gmail.com > and < zekavat@yazd.ac.ir >. Also, please visit us at <http://plsj.shirazu.ac.ir/ >.

 

Africa Federation

Africa Federation Archives – Haji Fazul Cassam Chenai – The Early Settlers of Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheri in Madagascar Haji Fazul Cassam Chenai was born in Surat, India on 15th July 1877. Since his…