Archive for December, 2017

1.CfP: for a multi-disciplinary colloquium at the University of Cambridge, entitled ‘Reading is Believing? Sacred Texts in a Scientific Age’ (26-28 March 2018). The colloquium is organised by the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion, in collaboration with the Faculty of Divinity, University of Cambridge.

Abstract submissions from any relevant academic discipline are invited until the *deadline* of 31 December 2017. Details on how to submit can be found by visiting www.sciencescripture.org.

Early-bird discounts are available for delegates who register *before 31 December 2017*, at https://readingisbelieving.eventbrite.co.uk/.

2. El Colegio de México. Centro de Estudios de Asia y África

Convocatoria a plaza de profesor(a)-investigador(a) de tiempo completo

Opening for Full-Time Professor-Researcher

Middle East and North Africa studies program

http://ceaa.colmex.mx/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=411

3. Heshmat Mirsepassi Endowed Scholarship

The Shia Muslim Council of Southern California and the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) announce that the University of La Verne has a Muslim Students scholarship opportunity. The scholarship is intended to help Muslim students enrolled at the university for the 2018 Fall Semester.

Dr. Taghi Mirsepassi has generously offered a $1 million endowed scholarship for Muslim students in memory of his wife Heshmat Mirsepassi at the University of La Verne. Please read below for further information and help spread the word to the youth in your community. To apply, please visit: http://univ.lv/mirsepassi

4. University of Edinburgh

Lectureship in History

‘We are seeking to appoint two specialists working on any aspect of history in the period between c. 1450 and c. 1830, and with expertise in one or more of the following geographical regions: Continental Europe, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Australasia.’

Start Date: 3rd September 2018

These positions are both Full time (35 hours per week) and open ended with a start date of 3 September 2018.

The closing date for this post is Thursday 4 January 2018 at 5pm (GMT)

See: https://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=56186

5. Routledge, Taylor & Francis and the co-editors of Middle Eastern Studies, Saul Kelly and Helen Kedourie, are pleased to announce the founding of the Elie and Sylvia Kedourie Prize for Outstanding Article. The Prize will be awarded annually for an outstanding article published in the Journal, beginning in June 2018 for articles published in the previous year.

The Prize is named after Elie Kedourie (1926–1992), founder and Editor-in-Chief of Middle Eastern Studies, until his death in 1992, and Sylvia Kedourie (1925–2016), who took on the Editorship of the Journal from 1992 until her death in 2016. Elie and Sylvia made substantial contributions to the study of the Middle East, both as Editors of the Journal and as researchers and authors, and we are honoured to establish this award in recognition of their legacy.

Recommendations from readers will be welcomed from January 2018 onwards. A shortlist of articles will then be chosen by the co-editors and put before a jury picked from the Editorial Board for a vote. The winning article will be made free-to-access, and the author(s) will receive a prize of £500 and a year’s gratis subscription to Middle Eastern Studies. The runner-up article will also be made free-to-access, and the author(s) will receive a year’s gratis subscription to the Journal.

6. Alexander von Humboldt Final Year Dissertation Write-Up Fellowships in Thirteenth to Sixteenth Century Islamicate Intellectual History

Applications are invited for Final Year Dissertation Write-up Fellowships at the Alexander von Humboldt Kolleg for the Islamicate Intellectual History of the Later Middle and Early Modern periods at the University of Bonn, to commence on 1 April 2018 for one year. Three grants are available for doctoral candidates who are in the process of completing a dissertation on a topic relevant for the thirteenth to sixteenth century Islamicate intellectual history (Philosophy, Theology, Sufism, legal theory, the history of science as well as the so-called occult sciences, political thought, historiography, and adjacent areas). The Fellowship provides a stipend that is intended to permit full-time work on the dissertation, without reliance on part-time employment. Fellows will be expected to deliver a termly presentation on their research in progress at the Alexander von Humboldt colloquia at the University of Bonn as part of a research group under the leadership of Professor Judith Pfeiffer.

Candidates must have, by the time of the appointment, completed all course work (ABD) and must have sufficiently advanced in researching their thesis in a relevant field of study to be able to complete the dissertation during the year of their fellowship.

The Fellow will have a strong command of at least one of the languages Arabic, Persian, or Turkish, and reading knowledge of a second, and should preferably have a reading knowledge of at least one European language other than English; a thorough understanding of the social and political history of the period; sufficient palaeographical skills to work with Islamic manuscripts; good written and oral communication skills; good skills and experience in teamwork; and good planning and time management skills. The criteria for selection are outstanding performance and scholarly promise, and the likelihood that the candidate will complete his/her dissertation within 12 months of the start date of the fellowship.

Applications are welcome from students both at Bonn University and at any other accredited international institution of higher education. The working language at the Kolleg is English. Applicants from other institutions may apply for a recognized student status at Bonn University, but will continue to work with their main supervisor and dissertation committee throughout the fellowship, and will submit their thesis to their home university. As per the stipulations of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Fellowship holders are required to acknowledge the support of this grant appropriately in their dissertation and ensuing publications.

All candidates are expected to pay student fees at the regular rates. Successful non-Bonn candidates will be required to pay the relevant fees (currently 287 € per semester/six months), and international students must be able to obtain a student visa, for which they will receive support from the Alexander von Humboldt Kolleg. These fellowships cannot be held in conjunction with DAAD, DFG, AHRC, or equivalent grants.

Grant value: 1.350,– Euro/Month, plus travel support.

Start date: 1 April 2018.

Fellows are expected to reside for the most part in Bonn for the duration of the fellowship.

To apply for this Fellowship, please submit the application material listed below to fellowships@avh-islamicate.uni-bonn.de.

–        Curriculum vitae;

–        Cover letter with a research proposal;

–        Title and Table of contents of the thesis with a proposed timeline indicating which chapters will be completed during the tenure of the Fellowship;

–        2 letters of reference, one of which must be by the main thesis supervisor. The letter of the main supervisor ought to comment on the current state of the thesis, and the dates by when it is expected to be completed, as well as the date when it is expected to be defended.

Short-listed candidates will be asked to submit a piece of sample writing, which can be a published article, a chapter of the thesis, or another relevant writing sample.

Closing date for applications is 12 noon on Wednesday, 3 January 2018.

Prior questions are welcome and may be directed to judith.pfeiffer@uni-bonn.de.

Tackling Sunni Muslim ultra-conservatism: A Pakistani-US collision in the making

A recent government surrender to militant demands for stricter adherence to Islam mediated by the military coupled with the release from house arrest of a militant leader designated by the United Nations and the United States as a terrorist sets the stage for a confrontation between Pakistan and the Trump administration.

New ADHRB White Paper – Sectarian Discrimination and Extremism in Bahrain’s Security Forces: Questions for US Policy

New evidence suggests that Bahrain’s military has directly propagated sectarian hate speech – yet the Trump administration has dropped reform conditions and authorized new multibillion-dollar arms deals for the kingdom. ADHRB’s white paper, Sectarian Discrimination and Extremism in Bahrain’s Security Forces: Questions for US Policy, analyzes the abusive recruitment and training practices that pervade the Bahraini security sector amidst increasingly unrestricted American defense support.

Divided We Fall: Mehdi Hasan and Wajahat Ali

UMAA comes to Dearborn in December 2017 Buy your tickets today – Click here Mehdi Hasan is an award-winning British journalist, broadcaster, author and political commentator. He is the presenter of both UpFront (filmed in Washington DC) and Head to Head (filmed at the Oxford Union).

AMI Education & Research

Al-Mahdi Institute 60 Weoley Park Road Birmingham B29 6RB +44 (0)121 446 5047 tel +44 (0)121 440 5085 fax

1.Jean Aubin (1927-1998) was a pioneer in medieval and Safavid history of Iran. A collection of his articles is being published with an introduction by Denise Aigle and an index: Études sur l’Iran médiéval. Géographie historique et société, to be released beginning 2018 by Cahiers de Studia Iranica (Paris).

It is still time to subscribe and have your name in the Tabula gratulatoria. (You will get a discount on the price, 45€ instead of 60€…)

Information on the flyer available here:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/9hm3i0alnu8waew/Aubin_Souscrip2.pdf?dl=0

2. Appel à candidatures pour le

Prix de thèse 2018 sur le Moyen-Orient et les mondes musulmans

L’Institut d’étude de l’Islam et des sociétés du monde musulman (IISMM-UMS2000) et le GIS Moyen-Orient Mondes musulmans du CNRS organisent en 2018 la sixième édition du Prix de thèse sur le Moyen-Orient et les mondes musulmans.

Sont éligibles des travaux soutenus en français ou en France entre le 1^er septembre 2015 et le 31 décembre 2017, dans toutes les disciplines des lettres et sciences humaines et sociales.

Plusieurs prix seront attribués et remis solennellement le mercredi 27 juin 2018 :

• Les prix du GIS et de l’IISMM.
• Le prix Mohammed Arkoun en islamologie, avec le soutien du Bureau Central des Cultes (BCC-Direction des Libertés Publiques et des Affaires Juridiques), ministère de l’Intérieur, et du ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur, de la Recherche et de l’Innovation.
• Le prix de la Thèse francophone décerné par le Bureau Moyen-Orient, de l’Agence universitaire de la francophonie (AUF).

Conditions générales de candidature :

• Avoir soutenu entre le 1^er septembre 2015 et le 31 décembre 2017 une thèse en français ou en France sur le Moyen-Orient et les mondes musulmans en lettres et sciences humaines et sociales.
• Avoir obtenu les félicitations du jury (dans les universités où cela se pratique).
• Avoir envoyé un dossier complet à l’IISMM selon les modalités ci-dessous, au plus tard le vendredi 12 janvier 2018.

Conditions particulières pour le prix de l’AUF :

Le candidat, citoyen d’un des treize pays couverts par le Bureau Moyen-Orient de l’AUF, doit avoir soutenu sa thèse en français, soit dans son pays, soit en France même, dans les délais et sur les sujets indiqués ci-dessus.

Composition du dossier :

• Un exemplaire électronique de la thèse au format PDF.
• Deux exemplaires du rapport du jury sur papier. Pour les universités étrangères où il n’existe pas de rapport, prière de joindre deux lettres de recommandation : la première du directeur de thèse, la seconde d’un autre universitaire.
• Un CV et une liste des publications sur papier.

NB : Si le rapport n’est pas disponible le 12 janvier 2018, il est possible de le faire parvenir ensuite.

Dossier à envoyer :

par e-mail (thèse en PDF) : prix.momm@ehess.fr; elise.massicard@sciencespo.fr

par courrier (rapport de soutenance, CV) : Madame Élise Massicard, IISMM, 96 boulevard Raspail, 75006 Paris.

Le règlement du Prix sera bientôt disponible.

3. Middle Eastern and Islamic Materials in Special Collections, University of Otago, New Zealand

http://amirmideast.blogspot.co.uk/2017/11/middle-eastern-and-islamic-materials-in.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+AccessToMideastAndIslamicResourcesamir+(Access+to+Mideast+and+Islamic+Resources+(AMIR))

4. CFP and Announcement:

The American Institute of Afghanistan Studies and Edinburgh University Press are pleased to announce the launch of “Afghanistan”, which will be published every Spring and Autumn beginning in April 2018.

The Editor-in-Chief is Warwick Ball, FSA, a Near Eastern archaeologist and specialist of Afghanistan; and the Managing Editor is Shivan Mahendrarajah (Ph.D., Cantab, ’14), a scholar in Islamic history and Persian Studies.

“Afghanistan” covers all subjects in the humanities including history, art, archaeology, architecture, geography, numismatics, literature, religion, and social sciences from the pre-Islamic and Islamic periods. Articles are not restricted to the present borders of Afghanistan and can include the surrounding regions, but must materially connect to Afghanistan.

Modern Afghanistan occupies unique geographical space and straddles Iranian Studies, South Asian Studies, Central Asian Studies, and Islamic Studies. Its pre-Islamic heritages include Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. We seek submissions from scholars in the above fields. Preferred language is English.

The journal’s first issue will include include articles by established scholars as Juergen Paul, Nile Green, Claude Rapin, and Frantz Grenet; and early career scholars as Elisabeth Leake (Leeds), Francesca Fuoli (Bern), and Paul Wordsworth (Oxford). The feature article is by Zafar Paiman, an Afghan archaeologist publishing the first report of a new excavation in Afghanistan.

Please consider submitting your article to “Afghanistan” and please encourage your institution to subscribe to the journal.

Thank you. The Editors,

Warwick Ball
Shivan Mahendrarajah
Submissions: shivan@caa.columbia.edu
Guidelines: http://www.euppublishing.com/loi/afg

5. University of Nottingham: Assistant Professor in Religious Ethics (full details: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/jobs/currentvacancies/ref/ART436117).

Interview Date: Thursday, 25th January 2018

Closing Date: Wednesday, 3rd January 2018

Job Type: Research & Teaching

Department: Theology

Salary: £35,550 to £47,722 per annum (pro-rata if applicable) depending on skills and experience. Salary progression beyond this scale is subject to performance.

Applications are invited for the above post based in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Nottingham.

The Department is seeking to enhance and complement its existing strengths in teaching and research with the appointment of a new Assistant Professor in Religious Ethics. The successful candidate will be well grounded in the methods and theory of the study of religion, design and deliver modules at the undergraduate level, attract and supervise postgraduate research students, provide students with pastoral care, conduct outstanding research and publish and otherwise disseminate the results of that research and thereby make a significant contribution to the next Research Excellence Framework and subsequent such assessments, and contribute to the efficient and harmonious administration of the Department.

Candidates must have a PhD successfully completed in a relevant subject area. They must show evidence of the ability to make a strong contribution to future REF or other research assessment exercises and to make a strong contribution to the undergraduate curriculum in religious ethics. They must also display training in the methods and theory of the study of religion and the ability to integrate this into undergraduate teaching. The PGCHE or other Higher Education teaching qualification is desirable.

Applicants are invited to upload a current Curriculum Vitae, a covering letter and an up to date publications list in application for this post.

This is a full-time permanent post due to commence on 1 September 2018. Job share arrangements may be considered for this post.

Informal enquiries may be addressed to Professor Jon Hoover, tel: 0115 951 5886 or email Jon.Hoover@Nottingham.ac.uk. Please note that applications sent directly to this email address will not be accepted.

6. Workshop: “The Measure of Integration – Economic Structures and Resources of the Early Islamic Empire”,  University of Hamburg, 16-17 February 2018

This workshop aims at developing an empirically based theoretical framework to gain a better understanding of the economic structures within the early Islamic Empire, as well as their potential as an integrative force connecting the different regions governed by the early caliphate.

Information: https://www.islamic-empire.uni-hamburg.de/en/news-and-events/conferences/economy-workshop.html

7. Colloque International : “L’herméneutique philosophique en contexte islamique”, UCLouvain, Belgique, 9-11 Mai 2018

Soumission avant le 1 janvier 2018. Information : https://iismm.hypotheses.org/files/2017/10/Conference-HERM-ISLA-CFP_FR.pdf

8. Full-time Faculty Position in Arabic Linguistics, Arabic Culture or Relevant Fields, Department of Arabic Language and Culture, National Cheng-Chi University in Taipei, Taiwan (R.O.C.)

Deadline for applications:  2017. Information: https://mesana.org/professional-opportunities/employment.html#NatlChengChiU

Culture matérielle et pratiques dévotionnelles dans les sociétés chiites
Michel Boivin, Annabelle Collinet, Sepideh Parsapajouh

La prochaine séance du séminaire aura exceptionnellement lieu le MARDI 5 décembre 2017 de 13h à 16h, en salle A07_51 (6e étage) du 54 bd Raspail, 75006 Paris

Cette séance comprendra les deux interventions suivantes :

Sabrina Mervin (CNRS-CéSOR)
Najaf , au cœur du chiisme

Pour abriter le mausolée de ‘Alî, le premier imâm, Najaf est appelée « la plus noble » (al-achraf)des villes ; ses habitant se disent « les fils de Alî » (awlâd ‘Alî). D’autres populations y séjournent : d’une part, les étudiants en sciences religieuses qui viennent y puiser un savoir hérité des imams et des grands oulémas qui ont fait de la ville une pépinière de savants et le centre de la marja‘iyya. ; d’autre part, les pèlerins qui viennent faire leur visite pieuse au mausolée. Une organisation élaborée permet à chacun d’y trouver sa place, d’y circuler, d’y accomplir les rituel – d’y vivre à l’ombre de l’imam. Le mausolée « s’exporte » : il diffuse son savoir, mais devient aussi un objet, tout cela pour permettre de reconstituer le centre ailleurs, dans les périphéries.

Michel Boivin (CNRS-CEIAS)
Fragments d’iconographie alide en Asie du sud

L’iconographie chiite a récemment émergé comme nouveau champ d’études qui a rapidement été marqué par l’ouvrage d’Ingvild Flaskerud intitulé Vizualizing Belief and Piety in Iranian Shiism (Continuum, 2010). En Asie du sud, les représentations iconographiques de ‘Alî, et de ses descendants, dépassent le cadre des deux principales écoles chiites : duodécimaine et ismaélienne. En effet, ‘Alî est également vénéré dans les milieux soufis, où l’iconographie apparaît quelque peu différente de l’iconographie chiite, y compris dans les milieux hindous qui se réclament du soufisme. Cette présentation envisage de proposer une rapide introduction à ces iconographies alides d’Asie du sud.