Archive for 2018

Sunni Shia Dialogue – Event Highlights & Full Video Now Available

On April 28th, 2018, the Shia Muslim Council along with its partners, the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California, CAIR, MPAC and Bayan Claremont presented a unique symposium to discuss Sunni and Shia relations.

Articles for Edited Book “Beyond Karbala, New Approaches to Shīʿi Materiality”

This call for papers invites submissions focusing on materially expressed Shiism, with a renewed focus on non-ʿAshūrāʾ rituals, practices and objects.

Deadline for abstracts: 30 August 2018. Information: https://bit.ly/2n4aKzi

1.De-centering the Global Middle Ages

February 8-9, 2019, University of Michigan

The Department of History and Medieval and Early Modern Studies Program at the University of Michigan invite proposals for a February 8-9, 2019 symposium, “De-centering the Global Middle Ages.”

This symposium will contribute to the burgeoning body of scholarship on the meaning of the “medieval” and “Middle Ages” in increasingly interdisciplinary and cross-regional conceptions of the premodern world.

This symposium invites researchers to consider scholarly perspectives of the “global Middle Ages” by presenting research and resources that address the connectivity and mobility of the globe c. 500-1600 CE. What work does the idea of “the Middle Ages” do in our scholarship, and what do we gain from a shared or comparative notion of the medieval? Papers and presentations will aim to contribute to a more inclusive view of the premodern world that de-centers European interpretations of the Middle Ages and recognizes dynamic globalisms. A keynote address will be delivered by Valerie Hansen (Stanley Woodward Professor of History, Yale University), specialist in premodern China and Silk Road Studies, whose current book project is entitled: The World in the Year 1000: When Globalization Began.

Faculty and graduate students are welcome to apply to deliver a lightning talk + complementary paper and/or a primary source-based research presentation. Abstracts should be no longer than 300 words.

Lightning Talks

The symposium will hold two panels of lightning talks (8 minutes each) based on short, pre-circulated papers (approx. 4 pages) summarizing current work on globalized conceptions of and connections within the medieval world. Lightning talks will engage field- or region-specific conceptualizations of “the medieval/Middle Ages.”

Roundtable discussions with respondents will follow.

 Primary Source-based Research Presentations

 Submissions will also be accepted for 15- to 18-minute research presentations, each focused on a particular medieval primary source (text, image, object, etc.) that is useful for thinking in comparative or global perspectives. The source (an image or a selection from the source) should be pre-circulated to attendees.

Each talk will be followed by a moderated discussion.

All presenters are asked to submit a brief bibliography (5-10 entries) on resources related to their lightning talks or research presentations. After the symposium, these bibliographies will be uploaded to the Global Middle Ages Project website (http://globalmiddleages.org/, University of Texas at Austin) and contribute to the development of a canon of literature on the global Middle Ages.

Deadline:        September 17, 2018

How to Apply:

Applications should be submitted in PDF form to conference organizers Paula R. Curtis (prcurtis@umich.edu) and Amanda Respess (arespess@umich.edu by September 17. Those submitting both lightning talks and primary source presentations should prepare separate abstracts. Please include the following information:

Name:

Affiliation:

Faculty/Graduate Student/Independent Scholar:

Field:

Regional Specialization:

Proposed Format (Lightning Talk/Primary Source Presentation):

Abstracts of no longer than 300 words.

Notifications of acceptance will be made by no later than October 15, 2018.

This symposium is made possible by the generous support of the University of Michigan Department of History, Program in Medieval and Early Modern Studies, History of Art Department, Department of English Language & Literature, Asian Languages and Cultures Department, Slavic Languages & Literatures Department, Near Eastern Studies Department, Center for Japanese Studies, Lieberthal-Rogel Center for Chinese Studies, Eisenberg Institute for Historical Studies, Forum on Research in Medieval Studies, and the Japanese Studies Interdisciplinary Colloquium.

Contact Email:

prcurtis@umich.edu

2. CfP: Empires of Pleasure across Eighteenth-Century Cultures Chair: Dipti Khera – New York University
Chair: Meredith S. Martin – New York University
Email: dipti.khera@nyu.edu, msm240@nyu.edu

Now one of art history’s most vibrant subfields, the eighteenth century has played a key role in the discipline’s global turn and in re-thinking conventional histories of art, empire and Orientalism. By tracing the increased circulation of people and objects in different parts of the world, scholars working on this period have highlighted new conceptions of knowledge, aesthetics, power and sociability. Furthermore, they have ensured that formerly devalued concepts tied to eighteenth-century practices and patrons – among them luxury, pleasure, leisure, femininity, sensuality, wonder, hybridity, and consumption – be taken seriously. Yet while the physical exchanges of eighteenth-century artworks, peoples, and things from around the globe has been the subject of recent scholarly inquiry, less attention has been paid to conceptualaffinities – notably a mutual emphasis on pleasure and decline – that existed between disparate geographical and cultural locales. For instance, how might we enrich or complicate the story of eighteenth-century art and culture by putting Indian or Chinese paintings of palace gardens in dialogue with French fêtes galantes? Our contention is that these kinds of global comparisons will not only yield a richer formal and conceptual understanding of each type of artwork, but will also enable us to ask larger theoretical and methodological questions related to the common grounds they share. By examining how intertwined histories of pleasure and power were mediated across local, trans-regional, or intercultural contexts, we hope also to contribute to scholarly debates beyond art history and to encourage new research projects and teaching agendas.

For instructions to submit paper abstract (250 words), see, http://www.collegeart.org/programs/conference/cfp

You may contact panel chairs for any questions. Deadline: August 6, 2018

3. The Royal Lens: Naser Al-Din Shah’s Photography of His Harem (July 2018)

By Pedram Khosronejad
Hardcover: 352 pages
Language: English
Product Dimensions: 8 x 1.1 x 8 inches

https://vimeo.com/281523679

Khosronejad’s unique collection provides us with a treasure trove of images focusing on the daily life of Naser al-Din Shah, his wives, concubines, and slaves of both sexes.
Janet Afary, Mellichamp Professor of Religious Studies, UC Santa Barbara.

Pedram Khosronejad has provided invaluable new information about the history of photography in Iran during the 19th-century Qajar period. In particular he has carefully researched the photographs taken by Naser al-Din Shah, perhaps the Qajar monarch most fascinated by Western technology. These intimate photographs of his own harem are unique and highly informative, not just for their intrinsic value in a period in which human images were disapproved of, but also for what they reveal about Naser al-Din Shah, his self-image, his household and his court.
William Beeman, Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Minnesota.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/099948012X?ref=cp_d_n_u

4. From the Understanding Sharia (www.usppip.eu) project:

1. USPPIP Autumn School (Leiden, 11-17 November) applications: The USPPIP project held a successful “Uses of the Past in Islamic Legal Thought and Practice” summer school held in Exeter (8^th-14^th July – report to follow).  To follow up on this, the project will be holding a second “Autumn School”, to be held at Leiden University, 11^th-17^th The format will be the same (peer review of chapters/articles and collaborative translation of primary source texts).  The deadline for applications is quite soon, Wednesday 5^th September 2018.
2. “Uses of the Past in Islamic Law” Project Conference, 27^th-29^th September, Exeter, will be held in Exeter, .  A list of panel titles and a preliminary programme is available and the final list, with all the participants and titles of papers will be available in late August.
3. HERA fellow Judge Samoud al-Damiri and workshop on Islamic International Law: There was a very successful series of lectures and a workshop at the University of Göttingen, including the presentations of the HERA fellow Samoud al-Damiri, a Palestinian judge, and the workshop on Islamic International Law – 26^th-29^th Report (with pictures!) can be found here.

See http://www.usppip.eu/ for further information.

4. USPPIP Postdoctoral Fellow Success: It is with great pleasure we announce that two of our post-doctoral fellows have recently been appointed to academic positions, following on from their work with USPPIP: Dr Omar Anchassi has been appointed as the Early Career Fellow in Islamic Studies in the School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh. Dr Eirik Hovden has been appointed Lecturer in Arabic at the University of Bergen.  Congratulations to them both.

USPPIP Project Director:

Robert Gleave

Professor of Arabic Studies

Director of the Centre for the Study of Islam

E-mail: r.gleave@exeter.ac.uk

Afghan Shia mosque attack kills 25

A suicide bomber has killed 25 people and injured at least 23 more in an attack on a Shia mosque in Afghanistan, an official has told the BBC. The attacker struck as people were attending Friday prayers in the eastern city of Gardez, Paktia province spokesman Abdullah Asrat said.

See also alJazeera

I CONCURSO LATINOAMERICANO DE CREACIÓN CULTURAL DE EID AL-GHADIR

En el Nombre de Dios, Clemente, Misericordioso. Con el objetivo de celebrar el día en el que el Profeta Muhammad (P) declaró frente a la Comunidad Islámica (Ummah) que tras su fallecimiento el liderazgo de la comunidad recaía en la persona de ‘Ali ibn abu Talib (P), en el evento conocido como Ghadir Jum; el Centro Islámico Amir al-Muminin (P) con sede en la Ciudad de México, México; tiene el placer de publicar la siguiente CONVOCATORIA, para todos los musulmanes de Latinoamérica.

Prominent Saudi Women Activists Arrested

(Beirut) – Saudi authorities have arrested the internationally recognized women’s rights activist Samar Badawi and an Eastern Province activist, Nassima al-Sadah, in the past two days, Human Rights Watch said today. Badawi and al-Sadah are the latest victims of an unprecedented government crackdown on the women’s rights movement that began on May 15, 2018 and has resulted in the arrest of more than a dozen activists.

See also US News and World Report

Precarious Belongings: Being Shiʿi in Non-Shiʿi Worlds (2017)
Edited by Charles Tripp and Gabriele vom Bruck

What is it that makes members of Shi`i communities distinct from other communities? This is the question that lies at the heart of the contributions to this volume. They range across a number of diverse settings precisely to bring out those features of the social and political life of the Shi`a that may be recognisably Shi`i, but are also the outcome of their interactions with specific social contexts.

Read more here.

1.Channels of Transmission:
Family and Professional Lineages in the Early Modern Middle East
Eurasian Studies 15/2 (2017), special issue (pp. 177-377)
(guest edited by Sandra Aube and Maria Szuppe, with the collaboration of Anthony T. Quickel)
distributed by Brill:  [brill.com/eurs]brill.com/eurs

The volume brings together eight papers focusing on family structures and their self-definition, as well as their dependence on geographical, temporal, and cultural factors in the process of developing strategies of transmission of authority and knowledge.  It originates with joint French-German research project on Dynamics of Transmission: Family, Authorithy and KNowledge in the Early Modern Middle East, 15-17th c. (DYNTRAN, CNRS-Marburg University) sponsored by the ANR and the DFG. For more information on DYNTRAN, see: https://dyntran.hypotheses.org/

2. Oxford’s Faculty of Oriental Studies has just announced two four-year postdoctoral positions in Qur’anic Studies, as part of an ERC-funded research project entitled “Qur’anic Commentary: An Integrative Paradigm”. We are looking for two scholars who will produce monographs on the Islamic reception history of surahs 1–4 and on Qur’anic law in its late antique context. More details can be found at the links below. I am happy for prospective applicants to contact me with queries.

Best wishes,

Nicolai Sinai

(nicolai.sinai@orinst.ox.ac.uk)

https://www.recruit.ox.ac.uk/pls/hrisliverecruit/erq_jobspec_version_4.display_form?p_applicant_no=&p_refresh_search=Y&p_company=10&p_display_in_irish=N&p_recruitment_id=135887&p_internal_external=E&p_display_apply_ind=Y&p_process_type=&p_form_profile_detail=

https://www.recruit.ox.ac.uk/pls/hrisliverecruit/erq_jobspec_version_4.display_form?p_company=10&p_internal_external=E&p_display_in_irish=N&p_process_type=&p_applicant_no=&p_form_profile_detail=&p_display_apply_ind=Y&p_refresh_search=Y&p_recruitment_id=135888

———————————————————————————————-

Dr Nicolai Sinai

Professor of Islamic Studies, Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford

Fellow of Pembroke College

New book: The Qur’an: A Historical-Critical Introduction

3. Call for applicants: Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Isfahan, Iran (Fall Semester 2018)

I am writing to kindly inform you that the University of Isfahan is seeking outstanding postdoctoral candidates for Fall semester 2018. You may see the attached recruitment notice for other details.

As you are well aware, the University of Isfahan is one of the leading universities in Iran, which is a public comprehensive university with a good position in both national and international university rankings. The University of Isfahan provides a wide variety of choices in educational programs and offers various high quality facilities to its students. The university is also renowned for its pioneering research and education.

The proposed postdoctoral positions can provide the eligible candidates with a very good chance to increase their expertise and knowledge in their fields.

It will be highly appreciated if you kindly inform the potential candidates. I do thank you for considering this request.

If you have any inquires, do not hesitate to contact us at: postdoc@res.ui.ac.ir.

Sincerely,

Neda Naderi
Scientific Coordinator
International Scientific Cooperation Office
University of Isfahan
University St,
Isfahan 81746-73441, Iran
Tel: +98 313 7932039
Fax: +98 313 6682910
Email: isco1.ui@gmail.com

4. Call for participants in an upcoming workshop entitled “Ibadi Manuscripts and Manuscript Cultures” to be held from 5-6 April 2019 at Al Akhawayn University in Morocco. Arabic, English, and French versions of the call for participants are available here on Academia.edu (https://www.academia.edu/37032158/Call_for_Workshop_Participants_English_French_Arabic_Ibadi_Manuscripts_and_Manuscript_Cultures_5-6_April_2019_Al_Akhawayn_University).

Proposals are due 1 December 2018 and any questions can be directed to the workshop organizers: Paul Love (p.love@aui.ma) or Soufien Mestaoui (smestaoui@ibadica.org).

5. PhD candidate in Iranian Studies/History of Religions (2 positions), University of Leiden

Vacancy number 18-308

Project description

The PhD candidate will carry out research in the framework of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) funded project, Keepers of the Flame: The Reconfiguration of the Zoroastrian Priesthood in Sasanian and Early Islamic Times, led by Professor Albert de Jong. This project examines the history of the Zoroastrian priesthood in two periods of transformation: the Sasanian Empire and the early Islamic period. The project as a whole aims to answer the question how Zoroastrianism survived the loss of its empire. The project will study the build-up and transformation of the Zoroastrian priesthood in the context of innovative theorizing about longue durée history of religion, the transformation of Iranian identity, and the role of religious specialists.

Appointment

The appointment will initially be for 12 months and if evaluated positively, with an extension of 3 years and must lead to the completion of a PhD thesis. The salary range for a PhD student is from €31,624 to €40,430 gross per year (pay-scale P) based on a full-time appointment.

Applications must be received no later than 7 September 2018.

https://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/BLN096/phd-candidate-in-iranian-studies-history-of-religions-2-positions-of-10-fte/

6. The Faculty of Humanities at Tübingen University invites applications for the position of a Professor (W 3) for Islamic History and Culture in the Department of Asian and Oriental Studies

The applicant should be able to cover a broad spectrum of research and
instruction in this subject area. She/he should have a research focus either
on Islamic history or on literary and/or cultural studies. Good knowledge of
Arabic and a second source language is expected.

She/he will contribute to the department’s curricula (BA, MA) as well as
supervise PhD candidates. We also expect an interest in joining the
interdisciplinary research activities within the department as well as with
other departments at the university.

Requirements for appointment are: Professorship status or an equivalent
qualification as well as extensive teaching experience.

Tübingen University is particularly interested in applications from female
candidates for this position and therefore strongly encourages women to apply.

Applications from disabled candidates will be given preference if the
qualifications of these candidates are identical to those of a non-disabled
candidate. In line with its internationalization agenda, the university
welcomes applications from researchers outside Germany.

Applications with the usual documents (Curriculum Vitae, references, list of
publications and teaching experience, overview of research covered, authored
books, up to 5 articles) should be sent to: Dean of the Faculty of Humanities,
Prof. Dr. Juergen Leonhardt, Keplerstrasse 2, D-72074 Tuebingen
(bewerbung@philosophie.uni-tuebingen.de)
Enquiries may also be directed to the Dean.
The closing date for applications is August 31, 2018.

http://www.uni-tuebingen.de/en/university/job-advertisements/newsfullview-job-advertisements/article/professor-w-3-for-islamic-history-and-culture.html

7. 14th Conference of the Italian Society for Middle Eastern Studies (SeSaMO): “Paths of Resistance in the Middle East and North Africa”, University of Turin, 31 January – 2 February 2019

The conference aims at bringing the debate on the paths and forms of resistance, which developed in the MENA region over the centuries, and soliciting different theoretical and disciplinary approaches. The official languages are Italian, English and French.

Deadline for open and closed panel proposals: 5 September 2018. Information: http://www.sesamoitalia.it/convegno-2019-torino-2019-conference-turin/call-for-panels/ (English version at the end)

8. Articles on “Islam and the Category of ‘Religion’” for Summer 2019 Issue of the “Pakistan Journal of Historical Studies”

The journal is published by the Indiana University Press (Bloomington). It aims to develop critical ideas on less explored and innovative themes in social, cultural, art, architectural, political, and economic histories. Scholars engaged with current historical debates about any region and period can submit articles on a particular theme thus initiating a dialogue on theoretical and methodological issues.

Information: http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/pages.php?cPath=4&pID=97

Bahrain: Hundreds Stripped of Citizenship

(Beirut) – Bahraini authorities should restore citizenship to hundreds of nationals whose citizenship they revoked through executive orders or court decisions since 2012, rendering most of them stateless, Human Rights Watch said today.

Quetta: Death toll jumps to 31 in election day blast

At least 31 people have been killed, including two policemen, in a bomb blast near a polling station in the Pakistani city of Quetta, according to officials. More than 40 others were wounded in the blast on Wednesday, Waseem Baig, a spokesperson for Quetta Civil Hospital, told Al Jazeera.

For further news on the election, see al Jazeera
and click on the Dawn and Express Tribune links here on bottom right of the Home page.