Archive for November, 2019

A New Document in the Early History of the Qurʾān in: Journal of Islamic Manuscripts Volume 10 Issue 3 (2019)

Codex Mashhad in the Āstān-i Quds Library (Mashhad), comprised of Manuscripts 18 and 4116, is possibly one of the most important documents for our understanding of developments in the early history of Qurʾānic text. The combination of all features of this codex as a whole is found in few copies of early Qurʾāns written in ḥijāzī style.

 

1.A testament to diversity: Kurdish manuscript collections at the British Library

https://blogs.bl.uk/asian-and-african/2019/11/a-testament-to-diversity-kurdish-manuscript-collections-at-the-british-library.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+asian-and-african+%28Asia+and+Africa%29

 

 

 

2. Associate Lecturer (Education Focused) in Iranian and Middle Eastern History c. 1700-1950 at the School of History, University of St Andrews, Scotland, UK

Deadline: 5 December 2019

Applications are invited for an Associate Lectureship (Education Focused) in Iranian and Middle Eastern History focused on the period 1700-1950, available from 6 January 2020 for a period of two years. The ideal candidate will be a specialist on the 18th and/or ‘long’ 19th c. This post is intended as a temporary teaching replacement for Professor Ali Ansari who will be on leave during this time.

The successful candidate will be required to teach at least one of the following Honours (third/fourth year) courses: Persia in the 18th Century – 1722-1834 (The Age of the Warlords) and/or Modern Iran from 1834-1941: Enlightenment, Nationalism & Revolution. They will also be expected to contribute substantially to lectures and tutorials of the group-taught sub-honours (second year) module MH2002 Introduction to Middle Eastern and Islamic History. The successful candidate may also be required to contribute to the teaching of other sub-honours modules (e.g. MO1008 Themes in Late Modern History, c.1776 – 1989; MO2008 Scotland, Britain and Empire, c. 1500 – 2000), and the MLitts in Middle Eastern and Iranian Studies.

The successful candidate will join a distinguished cluster of scholars working on aspects of Middle Eastern history. You must have excellent command of Persian and ideally also another Middle Eastern language (e.g. Arabic, Turkish) and be able to contribute to the activities of the Institute of Iranian Studies (http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~iranian/).

You should have completed a PhD in a relevant field and show substantial promise of research excellence. Experience of teaching at university level is also desirable, combined with an ability to bring imagination to tutorials, seminars and lectures. Although undergraduate teaching is based on sources in English translation, the successful candidate will have an excellent command of Persian, and may be required to offer some MLitt level teaching of primary sources in this language, depending on student demand.

 

Further information and the online application form may be accessed through the following link:

 

https://www.vacancies.st-andrews.ac.uk/Vacancies/W/6326/0/251726/889/associate-lecturer-education-focused-in-iranian-and-middle-eastern-history-c-1700-1950-aoac3912rxsb/Referral

 

To discuss this post informally, candidates may wish to contact the Chair of the Department of Middle East Studies, Dr Dimitri Kastritsis (dk19@st-andrews.ac.uk).

 

 

 

 

3. ARMACAD is offering full scholarships to qualified students in Iranian Studies and related fields to participate in Persian language summer course 2020 organized by ASPIRANTUM, Yerevan, Armenia. 

 

The scholarship:

ARMACAD will offer up to 3 scholarships to those students who meet the eligibility criteria and are interested in learning Persian in Armenia.

 

For more details please visit: https://armacad.info/armacad–2019-10-03–full-scholarships-for-persian-language-courses-of-aspirantum

 

 

 

4. PhD position in Iranian Studies, Univ. of Oslo

For information about the PhD fellowship:

https://www.jobbnorge.no/en/available-jobs/job/178544/doctoral-research-fellowship-in-middle-eastern-and-islamic-studies
The deadline is 12th January.

 

 

 

5. New journal: Journal of Material Cultures in the Muslim World (MCMW)

Brill has entered into a partnership with The Aga Khan University Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations, (London, UK) and the Aga Khan Museum (Toronto, Canada) to publish a new peer-reviewed, academic journal called Journal of Material Cultures in the Muslim World (MCMW) in full open access. With the support of the University and the Museum, all author charges will be waived.

The Journal of Material Cultures in the Muslim World aims to be a new reference for field archaeologists, (art) historians, anthropologists, curators, and scholars and students of the archeology, (art) history, architecture, anthropology and ethnography of the Muslim world. This readership represents a new broader definition of material culture that includes not only artefacts, architectural structures and monuments, but also crafts. The journal aims to inform (other) disciplines and historiographies, for example by also including archaeological field surveys.

The journal also focuses on un(der)explored Muslim regions outside of the Middle East and North Africa: sub-Saharan Africa, the Indian Ocean, Central Asia, India, South-East Asia and Europe.

The journal accepts submissions in English, French, German and Spanish and short reports in Arabic, Persian and Turkish with an English abstract.

Submissions should be sent to the Editor-in-Chief, Stéphane Pradines, at Stephane.Pradines@aku.edu.

Further info at:

https://brill.com/page/mcmw

 

 

 

Hakeem AlAraibi Joins Jailed Bahraini Jiu Jitsu Champion in Criticising Regime-Affiliated MMA Event

14 November 2019 – Bahraini refugee footballer Hakeem Al Araibi delivered a letter on 12 November on behalf of imprisoned Bahraini jiu jitsu and mixed martial arts (MMA) champion Mohammed Mirza, urging the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) to “reconsider” their “future partnership with Bahrain.”

For BIRD Weekly 252, click here.

The Uniqueness of the Fāṭimid State : Der Islam

AbstractThis paper focuses on the image the Fāṭimids propagated and disseminated about themselves as is depicted in literary and documentary sources. The narrative the Fāṭimids constructed about their right to rule and the characteristics of their rule are also discussed.

Le Coran des historiensSous la direction de Mohammad Ali AMIR-MOEZZI et Guillaume DYE, 3 volumes (4 tomes), éditions du Cerf, Paris, novembre 2019

Vol. 1 : Etudes sur le contexte et la genèse du texte coranique (20 chapitres, 1014 p.)
Vol. 2 a : Commentaire et analyse philologique et historiques des sourates 1-26 (966 p.)
Vol. 2 b : Commentaire et analyse philologique et historique des sourates 27-114 ( 1420 p.)
Vol. 3 : Bibliographie ( 321 p. uniquement sur internet : www.editionsducerf.fr)

Contributeurs :
Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi (Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes – Sorbonne)
Mehdi Azaiez (Université de Lorraine ; KU Leuven)
Samra Azarnouche (Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes)
Meir Bar-Asher (Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
Mette Bjerrgaard Mortensen (Aarhus University)
Anne-Sylvie Boisliveau (Université de Strasbourg)
Antoine Borrut (University of Maryland)
Eléonore Cellard (Collège de France)
Muriel Debié (Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes)
Julien Decharneux (Université libre de Bruxelles)
François Déroche (Collège de France)
Vincent Déroche (Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes)
Guillaume Dye (Université libre de Bruxelles)
Frantz Grenet (Collège de France)
David Hamidovic (Université de Lausanne)
Frédéric Imbert ( Université Aix-Marseille)
Christelle Jullien (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)
Manfred Kropp (Universität Mainz)
Paul Neuenkirchen (Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes)
Karl-Friedrich Pohlmann (Westfämischen Wilhelms Universität Münster)
David S. Powers (Cornell University)
Gabriel S. Reynolds (Notre Dame University)
Christian Robin (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)
Carlos Segovia (Universidad Saint Louis, Madrid)
Stephen Shoemaker (University of Oregon)
Michel Tardieu (Collège de France)
Tommaso Tesei (Institute of Advanced Studies, Princeton)
Jan Van Reeth (Université d’Anvers)

A Jewish Vizier and his Shīʿī Manifesto: Jews, Shīʿīs, and the Politicization of Confessional Identities in Mongol-ruled Iraq and Iran (13th to 14th centuries) : Der Islam

AbstractThis paper seeks to situate Jewish individuals from the upper echelons of the Mongol government in Iran and Iraq (1258‒1335) in relation to the process of confessional, Sunnī-Shīʿī polarization. Focusing on the case of the Baghdadi Jewish physician and vizier Saʿd al-Dawla (d.

Turkish Journal of Shiite Studies ” Journal Turkish Journal of Shiite Studies ” Journal ” DergiPark

Turkish Journal of Shiite Studies aims to publish studies reflecting the scientific and academic perspective which are related to Shi’ism that one of the most important Islamic thought schools, and all subjects concerned to it. Our journal is an international academic journal published twice a year on JUNE and DECEMBER in electronic media.

Call for Papers;
Turkish Journal of Shiite Studies is a peer-reviewed international and open access scholarly journal. The journal is dedicated to the scholarly study of all aspects of Shia/Shiism.
The journal is published by the academicians who study this area. The Journal accepts the articles in English, Turkish and Persian.

Turkish Journal of Shiite Studies is Abstracted/Indexed in Google Scholar, DRJI, IndexCopernicus, CiteFactor, ResearchBib, Idealonline. Turkish Journal of Shiite Studies is inviting papers for Vol. 1, No. 2. The online publication date is December 31, 2019. Submission Deadline: November 30, 2019
For any additional information, please contact the executive editor at habibdemir06@gmail.com and turkishshiitestudies@gmail.com

Submit Articles: https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/siader

1. Aquinas and ’the Arabs’ International Working Group 

Related Events 2020

Link:  shorturl.at/ftFJ7

or

https://academic.mu.edu/taylorr/Aquinas_and_the_Arabs/AAIWG_2020_Events.html

 

Ancient and Medieval Philosophy Conference websites & Calls For Papers / Panels:

2020:

 

Eighth Annual AAIWG On-Line International Live Video Graduate Student Workshop, Milwaukee, 20-21 March 2020:https://academic.mu.edu/taylorr/Aquinas_and_the_Arabs/Grad_Student_Workshops.html

 

AAIWG annual meeting London 11-13 June 2020: “ Philosophy in the Abrahamic Traditions: Structures of Being, World and Mind” :   https://academic.mu.edu/taylorr/Aquinas_and_the_Arabs/Summer_2020_London_AAIWG.html  (Deadline 15 December 2019)

 

Fifteenth Annual Marquette Summer Seminar in Ancient and Medieval Philosophy 22-24 June 2020: “Causes and Causality in Aristotle and the Aristotelian Tradition:

https://academic.mu.edu/taylorr/Midwest-Seminar/2020_Summer_Conference.html

 

Thirteenth Annual Summer Conference on Philosophy in the Abrahamic Traditions, Marquette University 17-19 June 2020: “Apophaticism in Maimonides and the Latin Tradition”:

https://academic.mu.edu/taylorr/The_Abrahamic_Traditions/2020_Summer_Conference_Milwaukee.html

 

 

 

 

2. The ICA Commission on the History of Cartography will hold its 8^thInternational Symposium from 21 to 23 April 2020 in Istanbul, partnering with the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) – Istanbul Department.

The theme is ‘Mapping the Ottoman Realm: Travelers, Cartographers and Archaeologists’. The organizers invite the submission of abstracts for long (25 min) and short (10 min) oral presentations focusing on one of two main themes: “the cartography of the Ottoman countries in Europe, Asia and Africa” or “the mapping of archaeological sites, landscapes and excavations in the Ottoman Empire in the 19th and 20th centuries”. More information about the symposium (including the abstract submission system) can be found here: https://history.icaci.org/istanbul-2020

 

 

 

 

3. Call for applicants

Interdisciplinary Masterclass on:

Ali ibn-Musa al-Reza’s Sacred Mortuary Complex:

Shiite Pilgrimage, Devotional Practices, and Religious Healing

 

18-24 April 2020- Mashhad, Iran

 

Conveners:

 

Majid Fouladiyan (Assistant Professor of Sociology, Department of Sociology, Ferdowsi University, Mashhad, Iran)

 

Pedram Khosronejad (Adjunct Professor, Religion and Society Research Cluster, Western Sydney University, Australia)

 

Ali ibn-Musa al-Reza’s shrine and its related mortuary complex have been used for centuries by devotees as one of the most important healing sites of the Muslim world. Although pilgrimage to Imam Reza’s shrine should be considered as one of the oldest religious rituals in Shiite Iran, it remains and continues its vibrant movement in the twenty-first century. Pilgrims to this sacred site have and combine different traditional and modern motivations, but most importantly seeking healing for physical disease or spiritual issues. The existence of a huge number of national and international pilgrims to the city of Mashhad for the visitation of this holy Shiite saint’s shrine is testimony to the power that Imam Reza continues to hold for those devotees who undertake these sacred journeys.

In this masterclass, for the first time, through the use of anthropological and interdisciplinary research methods, we aim to examine different and persistent forms of Persian Shiite rituals and practices to expand our understanding of the role of Imam Reza and his holy shrine in the traditional and modern practices of Ziyarat (physical and digital). By focusing on the different dimensions of pilgrimage to the shrine of the eighth Shiite Imam, we aim to perform selected case studies grounded in different research methods to help participants to understand the many ways in which pilgrimage provides help and support to the pilgrims.

During the seven-day program (30 h) participants will be introduced to:

• The history of the martyrdom of Imam Reza and the establishment of his shrine,
• The importance of Imam Reza’s shrine and related sacred sites in the construction of a holy Shiite site,
• Methodologies for studying Imam Reza’s shrine from different aspects of Shiite doctrine,
• The importance of pilgrimage to Imam Reza’s shrine and its social, cultural and political influence at the personal, local, national, and international levels,
• Rituals and ceremonies related to Imam Reza’s shrine and its sacred and religious sites.

The entire masterclass will be organized under the governance of the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad and will primarily be held in the shrine of Imam Reza and its research institute.

Complementary to the theory classes and fieldwork will be the private visitation of the research institute, library and archive of Imam Reza’s shrine (Astan-e Qods), visitation of other saints’ shrines and cemeteries of Mashhad and neighbouring cities for further comparative studies.

Participants:

This program is only open to university-based scholars, registered students, and official researchers.

Visa:

The Ferdowsi University will issue an official invitation for all participants, who should apply for their own visas individually. The Ferdowsi University has no responsibility in this regard and cannot guarantee the result of related applications.

Accommodation:

For the duration of the masterclass, all participants will stay in the hotel booked by the Ferdowsi University.

The registration fee (including: program fee, accommodation, food, and transportation for the duration of the masterclass)

• Registered students: $ 600
• University scholars and researchers: $ 1000

* The registration fee should be paid in cash during the first day of arrival at the university campus.

Deadline for preliminary registration:

15^th January 2020.

For further enquiries, to complete your preliminary registration and reserve your place, please contact Dr. P. Khosronejad (P.Khosronjead@westernsydney.edu.au).

 

 

 

 

4. MESA free access collection of De Gruyters until December 15

http://cloud.newsletter.degruyter.com/mesa?qs=7b2bf21464a6780491bee354a7874117b51cbdd8bdaa013b62986ccb6593e8d9a387ace4acc3a549faa213108fe5eae152fa1ee3de6183bb

 

 

 

5. CFP – Decolonizing Islamicate Manuscript Studies Roundtable at BRISMES 2020

The theme of  annual conference of the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies  (BRISMES) 2020 is Knowledge, Power and Middle Eastern Studies.  The conference organizers have invited participants to “reflect on the concept of decoloniality and practice of decolonization of knowledge and pedagogy in relation to the study and teaching of the Middle East.”

 

In that vein, please see our  call for participants below:

 

Decolonizing Islamicate Manuscript Studies Roundtable

 

Shephard (2006) contends that a French man coined the term “decolonization” with regard to Algeria in 1836. While the meanings of the term changed according to context, it no longer means (simply?) the withdrawal or decline of imperial powers, but also mandates a challenge to white supremacy.  As Tuck and Yang (2012) have pointed out, its use cannot be metaphorical.

How, and should decolonization be operationalized in the field of Islamicate manuscript studies?

For this roundtable discussion at the 2020 BRISMES, we invite participants to critically engage with the possibilities for the decolonization of Islamicate manuscript studies.

Discussants could speak on, but not be limited to, the following areas:

 

 

Neocolonial  uses of manuscript digitization projects

 

How  politics and social forces shape access (intellectual and physical) to manuscripts

 

Custody  and the repatriation /rematriation of Islamicate manuscripts

 

Colonial  confiscation of manuscripts / Colonial book collecting

 

Critical  provenance of manuscripts in western libraries

 

Use  of Islamicate mss in graduate study

 

The  idea of (some) Islamic manuscripts as sacred texts

 

Biographies/social  histories of specific mss and

 

Over  emphasis of codicology in the study of Islamicate texts

 

Reading  Islamicate manuscripts through an orientalist lens

 

Differences  between western and indigenous scholarship of Islamicate manuscripts

 

The  role of the critical edition as a (de)colonial practice

 

The  appropriateness of the term “decolonization”  for the field of Islamicate manuscript study.

 

Participants are asked to submit a 250 word abstract of their roundtable discussion along with a recent CV  to sumayya.ahmed@ucl.ac.uk  by November 18, 2019.

Roundtable organizers: Nadirah Mansour, Princeton University, USA

Sumayya Ahmed, University College London- Qatar

 

 

 

 

6. International Conference “Imperial Mysticisms: Piety and Power in Early Modern Empires from a Global Perspective”, Central European University Budapest, 27-30 November 2019

The conference aims to explore the political and social impact of mystical movements of different religious traditions on the formation of empires in early modernity. Employing a global comparative approach, it addresses a wide range of imperial settings, such as the Ming Chinese, the Mughal, Safavid and Ottoman Empires, and the Austrian and Spanish Habsburgs.

See conference program at https://religion.ceu.edu/imperial-mysticisms-2019-program

 

 

 

 

7. Conference of the Islamicate Graduate Student Association: “Who Speaks for
Islam?: Approaches to Authority within the Academy and Beyond”, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 29 February 2020

In light of recent attempts at intimidation by the state, we are particularly interested in thinking through the politics of power. As such, we are seeking papers that interrogate questions of authority and power. Potential topics include, but are not limited, to the following: who gets to speak for Islam and Muslims? What landscapes of authority exist in the Islamicate world? For example, what geographies constitute the Islamicate world? Etc.

Deadline for abstracts: 15 November 2019. Information: https://www.jadaliyya.com/Details/40033

 

 

 

 

8. Assistant Professor (Tenure-Track) in Middle Eastern Diasporic Literatures and Cultures, York University

We are particularly interested in candidates whose research can be situated within the fields of Postcolonial and World Literature in English within and across periods, genres, and regions. Interdisciplinary and intermedial approaches are especially welcome. The successful candidate will have a PhD in English Literature or a related field with a specialization in Middle Eastern Diasporic Literatures and Cultures; a dynamic, substantial, and ongoing research portfolio; etc.

Deadline for applications: 25 January 2020.

Information: http://webapps.yorku.ca/academichiringviewer/viewposition.jsp?positionnumber=2025

 

 

9. Assistant Professor in Gender, Post-Colonialism, and the Islamic World, York University

A PhD by the start of the appointment in Political Science or an appropriate related field is required. The successful candidate’s research should complement the present scholarly profile of the Department of Politics in the study of gender, post-colonialism, anti-imperialism, and the Islamic World, conceived to encompass not only “Islamic countries” but in a diasporic sense, and to develop the conception in new and innovative ways.

Deadline for applications: 25 January 2020.

Information: http://webapps.yorku.ca/academichiringviewer/viewposition.jsp?positionnumber=2029

 

 

 

 

10. Director of the Middle East Studies Center (MESC), American University in Cairo

Requirements: PhD degree in a discipline relevant to MESC’s field of study. Candidates should have well established and extended experience in policymaking and implementation related to the Middle East. They should have research and publications records showing interest and contributions to the field of Middle East studies. They may also bring evidence to contributions to negotiations, policymaking or policy advice in the Middle East at a high level in government, international organizations and/or think tanks.

Deadline for applications: Open until position is filled.

Information: https://academiccareers.com/job/4902/director-middle-east-studies-center-mesc-115424/

 

 

 

 

11. Hamad bin Khalifa Endowed Chair in Islamic Art, Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts, Qatar

Required qualifications: PhD in art history; well-developed scholarly/research portfolio with evidence of multi-disciplinary applications; university teaching experience.

Deadline for applications: 15 December 2019. Information: https://www.vcujobs.com/postings/94363

 

 

 

 

12. Tenure-Track Instructur in Persian Language and Culture, Department of Asian Studies, University of British Columbia, Vancouver

Requirements: advanced proficiency in Persian; a Ph.D. in Persian Language and Linguistics, Persian Applied Linguistics, Persian language pedagogy, or a closely related field; evidence of substantial experience and excellent teaching ability in Persian for both heritage and non-heritage learners at the post-secondary level in North America; etc.

Deadline for applications: 18 December 2019. Information: https://asia.ubc.ca/department/careers/

 

 

 

 

13. Assistant Professor of Arabic (Tenure-Track), Virginia Military Institute, Lexington

Specialization open; Ph.D. in Arabic, Arabic Studies, Middle Eastern Studies or related field required. Native or near-native fluency in Modern Standard Arabic and at least one dialect of Arabic required. The successful candidate should provide evidence of excellence in teaching Arabic language, literature and culture at the college-level using the integrated approach.

Position open until filled; review of applications begins immediately. To ensure full consideration, please submit all materials by 15 December 2019. Information: https://virginiajobs.peopleadmin.com/postings/168558

 

 

 

 

14. Teaching Assistant Professor of Arabic, George Washington University, Washington, D.C.

Requirements: All applicants must have PhD in hand in Arabic or a closely related field, teaching excellence at the university level as demonstrated by course evaluation summaries, potential for curricular development, native or near native fluency in Arabic as well as in English, and experience in use of instructional technology.

Review of applications will begin on December 2, 2019 and will continue until the position is filled.

Information: https://www.gwu.jobs/postings/71608

 

 

 

 

15. New Professional One-year Master Program in English on “Contemporary Art in the Arab World, Iran and Turkey”, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice in Collaboration with the University of Geneva

Starting in February 2020, the Program balances theory and practice. It starts from a global perspective and focuses on modern and contemporary artistic production in the Arab world, Iran and Turkey. The training course includes a six-week internship at one of the partner institutions and concludes with the completion of a project or a final paper.

Registration deadline: 11 December 2019. For further information see https://www.unive.it/pag/33862/

 

 

 

 

16. Request to Answer a Questionnaire on “Emotional Stress among MENA Researchers”

The questionnaire has been designed for a qualitative assessment of stress-induced emotional difficulties of researchers working in (or on) the Middle East and North Africa after many colleagues have reported about deteriorating working conditions, not only in terms of actual research possibilities, but also concerning psychological challenges. You are invited to answer the 24 questions at https://de.surveymonkey.com/r/HR3KF5Z until 30 November 2019.

Information: Dr Jan Claudius Völkel, Senior Researcher, Arnold Bergstraesser Institute, University of Freiburg, jan.voelkel@politik.uni-freiburg.de

 

 

 

ʿAli Qoli Jebādār et l’Occidentalisme Safavide – Une étude sur les peintures dites <i>farangi sāzi</i>, leurs milieux et commanditaires sous Shāh Soleimān (1666-94) | brill

Table des matières Remerciements Transcription du persan Liste des abréviations dans les notes Liste des illustrations et crédits photos Introduction  Farangi sāzi L’objet de la recherche : le mécénat sous Shāh Soleimān Méthodologie et sources Plan ʿAli Qoli Jebādār : l’artiste aux titres royaux  Introduction La question des origines de ʿAli Qoli Jebādār et son importance relative Une main, une signature Jebādār et la question de Jebākhāneh La carrière de ʿAli Qoli Jebādār : une nouvelle datation Bilan Farangi sāzi ?

Newport Beach Invocation

On Tuesday, November 5th, Sayed Mahdi al-Qazwini was invited to recite the opening invocation on behalf of the IECOC leadership at the Newport Beach City Council meeting at City Hall. The IECOC is proud to contribute to local religious, civic, and social communities and organizations. We pray for the well-being of our entire extended community.