Archive for 2019

 

1.AIS (Assoc for Iranian Studies) Members and Friends, starting on May 15th, 2019, will be able to submit your paper, panel, and roundtable proposals for AIS 2020. 

Right now, you can update your membership, pre-register for the conference and review information about the conference site, the University of Salamanca, Spain.  Remember, only current members who have pre-registered may submit proposals. Here is a link to get started: https://associationforiranianstudies.org/conferences/2020

 

 

 

 

2. Position Announcement LACMA

Assistant Curator, Islamic Art

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is home to a highly significant collection of Islamic art. These widely diverse arts, from an area extending from southern Spain to Central Asia, trace the distinctive visual imagination of Islamic artists over a period of fourteen hundred years. This comprehensive collection consists of over 2,000 works.

Reporting to the Curator & Department Head of Art of the Middle East, the Assistant Curator provides specific expertise in Islamic art. Primary areas of responsibility include exhibition-related projects, involving preparation of checklists, and research and writing for catalogues and didactics. In addition, the Assistant Curator serves as the department’s liaison to collections management, education and other departments within the Museum.

The qualified candidate will have a recent PhD or advanced ABD in the history of Islamic art, ideally with some professional museum experience and/or a demonstrated enthusiasm for working with objects. The successful applicant will have a sound knowledge of one or both of the following languages: Arabic; Ottoman Turkish, and, preferably, will have a strong interest in Art of the Arab Lands or the Ottoman Empire. Since the Assistant Curator also will have administrative responsibility for the department’s collection of ancient Near Eastern art, a general knowledge of this area would be helpful.

Please send a CV, cover letter, writing sample and list of three references by May 12 (approx.), 2019 to amec@lacma.org  or access the LACMA website http://www.lacma.org/jobs  The position will commence by September 1, 2019.

 

 

 

3. Announcing a one-day Introduction to Arabic Scientific Manuscripts on 10 June 2019 as part of the London International Palaeography Summer School (LIPSS) at the Institute of English Studies, University of London.

 

This course will provide a practical, hands-on introduction for students beginning research with Arabic scientific manuscripts. The main aim of the course is to familiarise students with some of the major features and obstacles specific to scientific manuscripts, while giving practical experience in interpreting a variety of Arabic scientific manuscripts representing a wide range of periods, locations and scientific topics. Manuscript examples will be chosen from amongst the following topics; Astronomy/Astrology, Geometry/Optics, Mechanics, Arithmetic, Chemistry/Alchemy, Medicine, Divination, Agriculture.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until a course is full. Courses fees range from one-day fees of £100 (standard) and £90 (student), to five-day fees of £450 (standard) and £400 (student).

For the full list of courses and further information about the LIPSS please visit the following link https://www.ies.sas.ac.uk/lipss. Questions can be directed to Summer School administrator Georgia Reeves (Georgia.reeves@sas.ac.uk)

 

 

 

4. 15th Great Lakes Ottomanist Workshop at the University of Vermont, from April 26th to 28th, 2019. For further information, please inquire at 2019glow@gmail.com

Great Lakes Ottomanist Workshop (GLOW) April 26-28, 2019 Burlington, Vermont

Friday April 26 

4:45 – 5:00pm	Welcome Message Boğaç Ergene (University of Vermont)
5:00 – 6:30pm	Panel 1: Translating to and from Ottoman Chair:  Victor Ostapchuk (University of Toronto)   Bob Zens (Le Moyne College), “Rising from the Dead in London: Pasvanoğlu Osman Pasha in 1819” Will Smiley (University of New Hampshire), “Translating Trump to Ottoman”

Saturday April 27 

8:30-9:00am	Coffee/Tea and Pastries
9:00-10:30am	Panel 2: Intellectual, Religious, Scientific Chair: Virginia Aksan (McMaster University)   Ahmet Barış Ekiz (University of Michigan), “A Prolegomena to Islamic Paideia: Humanistic Ideals of Ottoman Literati” Özgün Deniz Yoldaşlar (Boğaziçi/Harvard University), “Reading the Ottoman Religio-Legal Dynamics of the Seventeenth Century Through a Religious Debate: Minkarizade Yahya’s Rebuttal to Kürd Molla’s Commentary” Elizabeth Frierson (University of Cincinnati), “Ottoman Pharmacists and New Masculinities”
10:30-10:45am	Break
10:45am-12:30pm	Panel 3: Military, Political, Bureaucratic Chair:  Boğaç Ergene (University of Vermont)   Christopher Whitehead (Ohio State University), “The Veledeş Conflict: Military Reform and Rebellion in the Seventeenth-Century Ottoman Empire” Masayuki Ueno (Osaka City/Yale University), “More than Tax Farmers: The Armenian Patriarchs of Istanbul in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries” Veysel Şimşek (McGill University), “The Mahmudian Origins of the Tanzimat”
12:30-2:00pm	Lunch at the venue
2:00-3:30pm	Panel 4: Sources, Documents, History-Writing Chair: Febe Armanios (Middlebury College)   Ahmet Yusuf Yüksek (Binghamton University), “Surveying Early Modern Istanbul with GIS: The Space of Artisans in Late Eighteenth-Century Galata” Henry Clements (Yale University), “Documenting, Forgetting, and Remembering the Süryani of the Ottoman Empire” Lale Javanshir (University of Toronto), “Poetry and History in the Paşanāme: ‘Anti-Corruption’ Campaign Meets Ṭulūʿī’s Poetic Skills”
3:30-3:45pm	Break
3:45-5:15pm	Panel 5: Away from the Center Chair: Jane Hathaway (Ohio State University)   Tyler Kynn (Yale University), “The Seasonal Empire: Ottoman Authority in Early Modern Harameyn” Ayşe Baltacıoğlu-Brammer (New York University), “The Notions of Border and Border Formation in the Early Modern Ottoman-Safavid Relations” Maryna Kravets (University of Toronto), “Captivity and Slavery in Early Modern Crimea and the Northern Lands (Poland-Lithuania and Muscovy) from a Comparative Perspective”
TBA	Dinner/Reception

Sunday April 28 

9:00am	Coffee/Tea and Pastries
9:30-11:30am	Roundtable: On Ottoman Early Modernity Moderator: Bob Zens (La Moyne College)
11:30-12:30pm	Lunch at the venue

 

 

 

5. POS: Librarian/Curator for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, UCLA

SEE:  https://chroniclevitae.com/jobs/0000478722-01?cid=ja

Department: International Studies

Rank and Salary: Assistant Librarian – Librarian ($60,843 – $119,734)

Position Availability: Immediately

Application deadline for first consideration: April 23, 2019

 

The UCLA Library has initiated recruitment for the position of Librarian/Curator for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, and is actively seeking applications.  The application deadline for first consideration is April 23, 2019.

For your convenience, the complete posting can be viewed here:  https://recruit.apo.ucla.edu/apply/JPF04457

Anyone wishing to be considered for this position should apply online.  Applications should include: a cover letter describing qualifications and experience; a current curriculum vitae detailing education and relevant experience; and the names and addresses for three professional references, including a current or previous supervisor.

 

 

 

6. Call for Papers

Geometry and Colour: Decoding the Arts of Islam in the West 1880–1945

International Conference, Zurich, May 14-15, 2020

Organizers: Sandra Gianfreda (Kunsthaus Zürich), Francine Giese (Universität Zürich), Ariane Varela Braga (Universität Zürich) and Axel Langer (Museum Rietberg Zürich)

Venue: Museum Rietberg Zürich / Kunsthaus Zürich

Deadline for submission: May 31, 2019

 

Keynote Speaker: Rémi Labrusse (Université Paris Nanterre)

The art and architecture of the Islamic world had a decisive impact on the development of decorative and fine arts from 1880 to 1945. Many leading artists such as Paul Gauguin, Henri Matisse, Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee, masters of decorative arts such as Émile Gallé and Max Laeuger, and architects Walter Gropius and Le Corbusier took inspiration from the rich Islamic language of forms and ornamentation. They were inspired by the mathematical principles and unusual harmonies of colours in Persian miniatures and rugs, stained glass windows or Iznik tiles, and punched metal works and ceramics from the Near East, North Africa and Moorish Spain.

While only some of them actually visited the Islamic world and studied its art and architecture in situ, many discovered it through exhibitions and publications. Following on from Paris (1893/1903), Stockholm (1897) and Algiers (1905), Munich set new standards in 1910 with the exhibition “Meisterwerke muhammedanischer Kunst” (“Masterpieces of Muhammadan Art”). Museums, art dealers and private collectors from a number of countries contributed some 3,600 works, including valuable carpets, ceramics, metalwork pieces and Persian miniatures. The exhibition marked a turning point not only for the academic studies of the time, but also in terms of the reception of Islamic arts. Matisse, Albert Marquet and Hans Purrmann travelled from Paris especially to see it, and it was also visited by Kandinsky, Franz Marc and Le Corbusier.

In the Western fine and decorative arts of the 19th century, the “Orient” conjured up motivic imagery heavily influenced by the colonialist perspective, whereas the artists of early Modernism investigated Islam’s stylistic devices in depth, transposing them to their own environment through a process of artistic internalisation. In combination with their own traditions and their respective times, it was this very internalisation that instilled motivating creative processes, out of which artists developed countless new forms of expression.

The international conference, which is being held in conjunction with the planned exhibitions at the Vitrocentre Romont (2020) and Kunsthaus Zurich (2022), aims to cast new light on the effort by Western artists to study a foreign but inspiring culture. The main points of discussion will be as follows:

• Colour and geometry in Islamic arts and architectural ornamentation
• Western studies on the principles of Islamic ornamentation
• Bringing Islamic arts to the West: exhibitions and international art fairs
• Translations and reinterpretations of Islamic colour and geometry in Western arts
• The Islamic contribution to the renewal of Western decorative and fine arts, and architecture

Papers will have a duration of 20 min. Conference languages will be English, French and German. Abstracts of no more than 300 words, together with a short CV, should be sent to: conference@transculturalstudies.ch

 

 

 

7. The City in the Islamic World: Synthesis and Perspective

Special Isuue of Hésperis-Tamuda

Guest edited by: Abbey Stockstill and Mohamed Mezzine

The journal Hésperis-Tamuda is seeking English-language contributors for a special issue revisiting the idea of the Islamic city from an interdisciplinary perspective. Though the concept of the “Islamic city” is one weighed down with associations of Orientalist discourse, the past two decades of research on urbanism have opened up new avenues for readdressing the topic. Characterized by an interweaving of various disciplines, urban studies takes the city—not only in historical dimensions, but in its architectural, social, and economic ones as well—as a research subject that naturally appeals to other sources and methods outside the humanities. Possible themes may include (but are not limited to):

• The city as an organizer of space, requiring decision-making and management
• Lived experiences within urban spaces
• The history (or histories) of the city in the longue durée
• The relationship between Islam and public power

This special issue invites scholars from diverse fields to share their contributions on the conceptualization of the city across the Islamic world in an effort to collect and begin to synthesize the many approaches to the topic. Contributions are sought on any geographic region of the Islamic world, and the editors will consider both historical and contemporary subjects.

If interested in contributing, please send a CV and a 300-word abstract to Dr. Abbey Stockstill (astockstill@smu.edu) by May 7, 2019.

 

 

 

 

8. University of Kent at Canterbury – Postdoctoral Researchers on ERC Synergy Project “The European Qur’an”

http://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=58451

 

Brown University – Visiting Lecturer in Turkish, Center for Language Studies, Brown University

http://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=58416

 

 

 

 

9. PhD position ‘The Muslim Individual in Imperial and Soviet Russia’
Faculty of Humanities – Amsterdam School for Regional and Transnational and European Studies

Project description:
For European historiography, it is self-evident that diaries, correspondences, and other personal documents provide crucial insights not only into how individuals thought about certain issues, but also in how the authors expressed their individuality, and how they saw their active role in history. This holds true both for prominent and ordinary persons, and for a whole variety of genres. In the historiography of Muslim societies, expressions of individuality are rarely ever problematized; the individual is often seen merely as part of a faith community, and the writings of individuals are more often than not just treated as a source for factual information on Islam, politics, or broader social phenomena, not as an effort of personal self-reflection. By analyzing practices of individualization in the personal archives of Muslims in Russia, this program places the Muslim subject at the center. How does a person engage with the Islamic tradition, with the demands of the state and the non-Muslim majority society, but also with other individuals, to design his or her conception of the self (Ar., shakhsiyya)?

For more info, see: https://www.uva.nl/en/content/vacancies/2019/03/19-149-phd-position-the-muslim-individual-in-imperial-and-soviet-russia.html?origin=dxuSI3bDRY2CW7N9J3yPlw&1555271019338

 

 

 

10. 6th International Conference of the International Iranian Economic Association, University of Naples “L’Orientale”, 16-17 May 2019

The purpose of this conference is to showcase the best current research on Iran’s economy and to generate information and encouragement for future high-quality research in this area.

See program at

http://www.econ.cam.ac.uk/people-files/faculty/km418/IIEA/IIEA_2019_Conference/IIEA%20Conference%20on%20Iran’s%20Economy%202019.pdf

 

 

 

 

11. Conference: “Global Religious Translation in the Early Modern Period”, Gotha Research Centre, University of Erfurt, 6-8 June 2019

We are especially interested in papers dealing with interactions involving non-European or non-Christian actors: What negotiations and compromises did translators make? What did they translate and what did they omit? How did they transform meaning through interventions, abridgements, or amplifications? Etc.

Deadline for abstracts: 10 May 2019. Information: https://networks.h-net.org/node/73374/announcements/4001296/global-religious-translation-early-modern-period

 

 

 

 

12. Workshop on “Mosques, Families and Islamic Law”, Göteborg, 21-23 August 2019

We invite scholars in the Nordic countries (and beyond) working in the intersection of mosques, family and Islamic law. How are Muslims in mosques (and beyond) articulating their legal, ethical and normative identities? What kind of institutions are being build? How do the courts and the legal systems in general approach and address these issues?

Deadline for abstracts: 1 May 2019.

Information: https://mosques.ku.dk/activities/mosques-families-and-islamic-law/

 

 

 

 

13. Conference: “Words Laying Down the Law: Translating Arabic Legal Discourse,” Aga Khan University, London, 7-8 October 2019

The Governance Programme at the Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations (AKU-ISMC) invites papers in the disciplines of legal anthropology, law and comparative law, legal pragmatics, sociolinguistics and discourse analysis, politics and translation studies for a two-day conference on translations of legal discourse in Arabic-speaking contexts.

Deadline for abstracts: 31 May 2019.

Information: https://www.aku.edu/govprogramme/conferences/Pages/home.aspx

 

 

 

 

14. Prize for Best Article, Council for British Research in the Levant

The award recognizes excellent research and scholarship that engages with current and emerging issues in the Levant that advances our understanding of the region. We are looking for original unpublished articles from scholars in different stages of their careers and from different disciplines: anthropology, sociology, politics, religion and theology, language and linguistics cultural studies, etc.

Deadline for full articles: 1 July 2019. Information: http://cbrl.ac.uk/news/item/name/call-for-papers-2019-prize-for-best-article

 

 

 

 

15. International ILEM Summer School: “Transnational Islam and Challenges of Being Muslim Ummah”, Istanbul, 29 July – 4 August 2019

The ideal of being an Ummah, and the challenges faced by this ideal in the light of contemporary developments, will be discussed with special emphasis on “Theoretical Frameworks, Contemporary Debates and Future Projections”. We invite graduate students and junior scholars from the fields of philosophy, law, theology, political science, history, sociology, and other related disciplines.

Deadline for abstracts: 10 May 2019. Information: http://iiss.ilem.org.tr/

 

 

 

 

16. New Series “Edinburgh Studies of the Globalised Muslim World”

This is a new series (editor: Frédéric Volpi, Alwaleed Centre, University of Edinburgh) that provides a platform for innovative books exploring the dynamics of contemporary Muslim societies. It considers the boundaries of the contemporary Muslim world and critically addresses the construction of Islamic and non-Islamic categories. It analyses the discourses and practices of individuals, communities, states and transnational actors, while offering multidisciplinary scholarly perspectives on what it means to be part of the Muslim world today.

Information: https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/series-edinburgh-studies-of-the-globalised-muslim-world-html.html

 

 

 

17. The Islamic Art Circle at SOAS is delighted to announce that our April lecture will be given by Professor Lorenz Korn (Islamic Art and Archaeology, University of Bamberg, Germany) on Wednesday, 24^th April at 7.00 pm in the Khalili Lecture Theatre, L/G Phillips Building, SOAS, London University, WC1H 0XG – all welcome. Enquiries to Rosalind Wade Haddon: rw51@soas.ac.uk.

 

Professor Korn’s topic is: Islamic Architecture of Khurasan during the pre-Mongol period (10th-13th cent.) and will cover the following:

 

Khurasan, the eastern province of the caliphate was more than once a region from which political movements and cultural currents originated that shaped the Islamic world at large. Similarly, for the field of Islamic art and architecture, monuments of Khurasan have been viewed as important evidence of innovation, even if they are very unevenly preserved and the urban centres of Nishapur, Marv, Balkh and Herat offer diverging pictures with regard to material from the pre-Mongol period. Looking at mosques, madrasas, minarets and mausolea, the paper characterizes the religious architecture of Khurasan, asking how architectural forms were related to functions. With glances at neighbouring regions, it attempts to determine the position of Khurasan between traditions of Central Asia and developments in Iraq and Western Iran, and to highlight elements that are indicative of artistic exchange between these regions.

 

 

18. Lecturer of Arabic

(AFL and Academic Arabic for Graduate Studies)

The Language Center (LC) at the Doha Institute (DI) seeks to appoint a highly qualified lecturer of Arabic with experience in teaching (1) all levels of Arabic as a foreign language and (2) Academic Arabic for graduate students.  Minimum qualifications include educated mastery of MSA, a B.A. in Arabic, an M.A. in teaching Arabic or related field, a proven record of accomplishment in teaching AFL and Academic Arabic. Additional qualifications include experience in content-based advanced language instruction, testing, or experiential, blended and independent learning.

The position begins in August 2019.  The successful candidate will join a vibrant team in delivering courses in Arabic for Academic purposes and AFL courses at all levels, and participate in the development of other LC research and outreach initiatives. The DI offers internationally competitive salaries and benefits based on rank and experience.

Applicants should submit a CV with the names of three referees and a cover letter in which to expound the relevance of their experiences to the above requirements. Review of applications will begin on May 3, 2019 and the position will remain open until filled. Only short listed candidates will be contacted.

Inquiries and applications (detailed CVs and cover letters) should be sent to careers@dohainstitute.edu.qa

 

 

 

 

 

Short Back and Sides in: Journal of Sufi Studies Volume 6 Issue 1 (2017)

Qalandars have often been depicted in negative terms in medieval and pre-modern literature by Sufis themselves, clerics and historians. Treatises composed by Qalandars are rare, thus the possibility of producing a balanced survey of their form of Sufism and contribution to the socio-political and religious climate of any given period is difficult.

1.CALL FOR PAPERS:  

Narrating the pilgrimage to Mecca: experiences, emotions, and meanings

Conveners: Prof. Dr. Marjo Buitelaar (University of Groningen) & Dr. Richard van Leeuwen (University of Amsterdam).

Date: 12 & 13 December 2019.

Venue: University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Key note speakers:

1. Professor Seán McLoughlin (University of Leeds)
2. To be announced

Respondent:

Professor Simon Coleman (University of Toronto)

For more information: https://www.rug.nl/ggw/news/events/2019/190401callforpapers-conference-hajj

 

 

 

2. The Marie Curie ITN proposal ‘Mediating Islam in the Digital Age’ (MIDA) has been launched end of March 2019.

The MIDA-project rests on the premise that digitisation and technological innovation do have a tremendous impact on Islam, the effects of which are diverse and ubiquitous, and they are reminiscent of technical revolutions in the past such as print technology. The rapid changes that are already occurring are generating a sense of loss of control and instability among the general public, politicians, journalists, academics, and, not least, among Muslims themselves. The spread of modern digital media and new technologies of communication, production and dissemination, prompts researchers and social actors, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, to make sense of and understand these developments.

An international consortium of research institutes, universities and non-academic partners in six European countries will conduct research in the next four years and address a broad spectrum of issues related to the general theme. MIDA is coordinated by the ‘Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique’ (CNRS) in Paris.

We are now searching for young researchers for all 15 research positions within the lager project. For more information about the positions and the conditions, please check the following websites:

https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/395508.

https://www.itn-mida.org/callforposition

https://www.itn-mida.org/applicationform.

 

 

 

3. The VI ARABIC CODICOLOGY Intensive Summer Course is in El Escorial in June 2019. You can apply until the 15th of April.

More info: mss.arabicscript@gmail.com and https://arabiccodicologycourse.weebly.com/programme.html

The VI edition of the course Arabic Codicology: the Islamic manuscript heritage in the El Escorial Collection will provide the students with the basic codicological knowledge and the research procedures needed to study and analyze Arabic manuscripts. Moreover, it will familiarize them with the libraries of the Arabic-Islamic world in Medieval and Modern times, particularly with the library that belonged to the Moroccan sultan Muley Zaydān.

The course is designed on an eminently practical dynamic. In the evenings, the students will be able to apply the theoretical knowledge previously acquired in the mornings to the actual manuscripts hosted at the Royal Library of the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial (RBME). This is the most important Arabic Manuscript Collection of Spain and one of the most relevant in Europe.

The venues of the summer courses are a privileged location due to the proximity to the Library. The course will be taught entirely in English by leading experts in Arabic Codicology Prof. Nuria de Castilla (EPHE, PSL, Paris) and Prof. François Déroche (CdF, PSL, Paris). It is sponsored by the European project SICLE (“Saadian Intellectual and Cultural Life”, ERC 670628) and is designed for historians, art historians, philologists, documentalists, antiquarians, curators, bibliophiles, conservation specialists, etc., preferably with a Master’s degree.

 

 

 

4. United States – Washington, DC – George Washington University – Middle East Metadata Specialist

GW Libraries seeks a temporary, part-time Middle East metadata specialist for a six month term.

 

Position Description:

The metadata specialist will:

 

– Create descriptive, technical, and administrative metadata for digital resources in Arabic, Persian, and other Middle Eastern languages

– Romanize non-Latin scripts following ALA-LC Romanization Table

– Work with Resource Description Coordinator to improve metadata schema and quality

– Establish and analyze metadata description workflow

 

Required Qualifications:

– Strong reading knowledge of Arabic script languages, especially Arabic and Persian

– Experience in metadata creation of digital formats using standards and schema, such as RDA, AACR2, CCO, Dublin Core, and MARC 21 Standards

– Ability to romanize following ALA/LC Romanization Tables

– Familiarity with applying subject thesauri, including Art & Architecture Thesaurus and FAST Subject Headings

– High proficiency with using PC-based applications, such as Microsoft Office Suite, and conducting internet searching

– Excellent problem solving and effective oral and written communication skills

– Ability to work under pressure, pay attention to details, and meet deadlines

 

Desired Qualifications:

 

– Master’s degree in library science or similar areas

– Experience of working in an academic library environment

 

Application package should include a current resume, and a brief letter addressing your qualifications for the position.Review of applications will begin upon receipt. Please email the application package to: TJ Kao (tkao@gwu.edu)

 

The position is based at GW’s Foggy Bottom Campus in Washington, DC. The incumbent may perform other related duties as assigned. The omission of specific duties does not preclude the supervisor from assigning duties that are logically related to the position.

 

 

 

5. The Department of Near Eastern Studies of the University of Vienna has now established the Andreas Tietze Memorial Fellowship in Turkish Studies.

Applicants may write their applications in English or German. We recommend using the language in which you are most proficient. Please send your application as a single PDF file  via e-mail to Dr. Onur İnal (onur.inal@univie.ac.at) by 1 May 2019. Applicants will be notified about the outcome approximately one month after the deadline. If you have any questions about the application procedure or the fellowship programme in general, please contact Dr. Onur İnal (onur.inal@univie.ac.at).

For full details, see: https://tietzefellowship.univie.ac.at/

 

 

 

6. The University of Pennsylvania Libraries is accepting applications for the 2019-2020 Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies (SIMS) Visiting Research Fellowship program.

 

Guided by the vision of its founders, Lawrence J. Schoenberg and Barbara Brizdle Schoenberg, SIMS aims to bring manuscript culture, modern technology, and people together to provide access to and understanding of our shared intellectual heritage. Part of the Penn Libraries, SIMS oversees an extensive collection of premodern manuscripts from around the world (https://dla.library.upenn.edu/dla/medren), with a special focus on the history of philosophy and science, and creates open-access digital content to support the study of its collections. SIMS also hosts the Schoenberg Database of Manuscripts (https://sdbm.library.upenn.edu/) and the annual Schoenberg Symposium on Manuscript Studies in the Digital Age (http://www.library.upenn.edu/about/exhibits-events/ljs-symposium).

The SIMS Visiting Research Fellowships have been established to encourage research relating to the premodern manuscript collections at the University of Pennsylvania Libraries, including the Schoenberg Collection. Affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania, located near other manuscript-rich research collections (the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, the Free Library of Philadelphia, the Science History Institute, and the Rosenbach Museum and Library, among many others), and linked to the local and international scholarly communities, SIMS offers fellows a network of resources and opportunities for collaboration. Fellows will be encouraged to interact with SIMS staff, Penn faculty, and other medieval and early modern scholars in the Philadelphia area. Fellows will also be expected to present their research at Penn Libraries either during the term of the fellowship or on a selected date following the completion of the term.

Applicants can apply to spend 1 month (minimum of 4 work weeks) at SIMS between July 1, 2019, and June 30, 2020. To be considered, applications are due May 15, 2019. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://schoenberginstitute.org/visiting-research-fellowships-2/

 

 

 

 

7. Entangled Literatures and Histories in the Pre-Modern Ottoman World

Call for Papers for Short Articles:

This special issue of The Journal of the Ottoman and Turkish Studies Association (JOTSA) invites short think-pieces (5,000 words including footnotes) that provoke reevaluations of the ways in which we understand the relationship between ‘literature’ and ‘history’ during the pre-modern Ottoman Empire. In particular, we invite contributions that seek to raise theoretical questions that might resonate in broad ways with scholars in both history and literary studies. We also welcome case studies from the diverse literary and historiographic traditions of the Ottoman Empire (Turkish, Armenian, Greek, Persian, Arabic, Syriac, Hebrew, etc.) which might unsettle the binary between the literary and the historical in different ways.

 

For instance, how might literature be used in fresh ways to shed light on how Ottoman subjects lived, worked, or conceptualized their world? In what ways do ‘historical’ sources utilize literary techniques, if not draw on actual literary texts as their models, and what might this tell us about pre-modern practices of reading and composition? How did pre-modern subjects implicitly or explicitly understand the difference between the ‘literary’ and the ‘historical,’ and to what extent does this in turn provoke less prescriptive understandings of genre? And how might ‘literary’ and ‘historical’ sources be juxtaposed, and fruitfully compared, in a manner that prompts different ways of reading both?

 

Or, more simply: in what ways does literature inform, and historiography entertain?

 

Deadlines:

 

We ask interested contributors to submit an initial abstract (approximately 350 words) to entangledliteratures@gmail.com by April 26, highlighting the critical questions the article will raise. Selected contributors will have until August 15, 2019 to submit a first draft for the initial review of the editors.

 

Please email the editors of the special issue, N. İpek Hüner-Cora and Michael Pifer, at entangledliteratures@gmail.com with any questions.

 

Aims of the volume:

-To prompt new methodologies, and fresh theoretical approaches, to reading literature and history from the Ottoman world

-To mark, and call for, a shift in how Ottoman and Turkish studies conceptualizes the boundaries between the literary and the historical

-To challenge previous models of reading ‘literature’ and ‘history’ as fundamentally separate and incongruent

-To shed new light on literary and historiographic production as part of the same cultural ecosystem

-To showcase and promote new comparative grounds between ‘literary’ and ‘historical’ texts

-To engage with broader scholarly debates on the relationship between literature and history, but from the unique perspective of Ottoman and Turkish studies

 

 

 

8. Second Conference on the Mamluk-Ottoman Transition: “Continuity and Change in Egypt and Bilād al-Shām in the Sixteenth Century”, University of Bonn, 12-14 April 2019

While the Ottoman conquest of the Mamluk Sultanate in 1516-17 doubtlessly changed the balance of political power in Egypt and Greater Syria, we will study the extent of continuity and change in various fields over time. We aim to examine a multitude of situations during the 15^th and 16^th centuries and determine how the reconfiguration of political power affected both Egypt and Greater Syria.

See program at https://www.mamluk.uni-bonn.de/mamluk-events/1ask-flyer-the-2nd-conference-on-the-mamluk.pdf

 

 

 

 

9. 48th Annual Conference of the North American Association of Islamic and Muslim Studies on “Muslim Communities in Europe and North America: Contemporary Developments and Challenges”, Boston, 27 September 2019

We invite papers from professors and advanced Ph.D. candidates in the humanities and social sciences. Questions the papers might address include the following: Consequences of Post-war European Labour Shortage of the 50s & 60s: Guest-workers from Pakistan, the Maghreb, and Turkey; Muslim Immigration, Populism, and Popularization in Europe and North America; etc.

Extended deadline for abstracts: 15 April 2019. Information: http://www.bu.edu/cura/48th-annual-conference-of-the-north-american-association-of-islamic-and-muslim-studies/

 

 

 

10. Workshop: “Acts of Rebellions and Revolts in the Early Islamic Empire (600-1000)”, Leiden University, 7-8 November 2019

This workshop aims to examine the act of rebellion and its related categories (revolts, resistance, armed negotiation, contention) as moments of breakdown of social expectations and dependency that were embedded in society. As such, we are mainly interested in the dynamics between social, political, and religious groups and institutions, how rebellions influenced the social and political structures of the caliphate, as well as its everyday life.

Deadline for abstracts: 1 May 2019.

Information: https://emco.hcommons.org/events/event/call-for-papers-workshop-acts-of-rebellions-and-revolts-in-the-early-islamic-empire-6-8-november-2019-leiden-university/

 

 

 

 

11. First Biennial Conference on “Contemporary Iranian Studies”, Faculty of World Studies, University of Tehran, 10-11 November 2019

The themes include contemporary history, sociology, political science, religions and theology, art, international relations, new media and communication studies, diaspora studies, etc.

Deadline for abstracts: 10 June 2019. Information: https://iranianstudies.ut.ac.ir

 

 

 

12. Five Postdoctoral Fellowships in the Program “Europe in the Middle East – The Middle East in Europe”, Forum Transregionale Studien, Berlin

 

The fellowships are intended primarily for scholars in the humanities and social sciences who want to carry out their research projects in connection with the Berlin program, which seeks to rethink key concepts and premises that link and divide Europe and the Middle East. Applicants should be at the postdoctoral level and should have obtained their doctorate within the last seven years.

 

Deadline for applications: 22 April 2019. Information: https://www.eume-berlin.de/call-for-application-ausschreibung.html

 

 

 

13. Assistant Professor or Associate Professor for the History of the Ottoman Empire, University of Virginia

This is a one-year salaried part-time appointment (renewable for up to one additional year), starting 25 August 2019, through 24 May 2021.

The position will remain open until filled. Information: Karen Parshall (khp3k@virginia.edu).

 

 

 

14. GTOT Prize 2020: Awards for Outstanding M.A. Theses and Dissertations in the Field of Turkic, Ottoman and Turkish Studies

Anyone who completed a thesis/dissertation in this fields of studies between 1 September 2018 and 1 May 2020 is eligible to apply. Papers in German, English and French are accepted. The authors of the top three M.A. theses will receive 500 Euros each; the best dissertation will be awarded 1,000 Euros. Abstracts of the awarded works will be published in “Diyâr – Journal for Ottoman, Turkish and Middle Eastern Studies.

Deadline for applications: 1 May 2020. Information: http://www.gtot.org/award/2020_en/?lang=en

 

 

 

 

15. Articles on “Religions and Acts of Violence” for Special Issue of “Violence. An International Journal”

This issue will examine different religious traditions and geographical and historical contexts (including the Arab-Muslim world) and analyze phenomena of violence and the exiting from violence that involve religious elements (actors, discourses, imaginaries, etc.).

Deadline for abstracts: 30 June 2019. Information: http://www.fmsh.fr/en/research/30104

 

 

 

 

16. Proposals for the “Classical Islamic Texts Series” as First Part of the “Library of Arabic and Islamic Heritage”

Gorgias Press and The King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies invite proposals for single-volume translations of renowned classical Arabic works, showcasing texts that are of central importance to the fields of Qurʾānic studies, Islamic law, Ḥadīth, Theology, History, and Philosophy. Each proposal should be for a text that is or will be used as an important reference work. The Arabic text will sit side-by-side with the English translation.

Information: https://www.gorgiaspress.com/library-of-arabic-and-islamic-heritage

 

 

 

 

17. “Journal of Law & Islam / Zeitschrift Recht & Islam” is Now Accessible Online

The complete text of Issue 9 (2017) is now accessible at http://ul.qucosa.de/api/qucosa%3A33661/attachment/ATT-0/

 

 

 

18. Course announcement- Islamic Codicology at MUST, Cairo 15-18 April

The Islamic Manuscript Association—in partnership with the Thesaurus Islamicus Foundation and  the Archaeology and Conservation Research Centre and College for Archaeology and Tourism Guidance at Misr University for Science and Technology (MUST)—is pleased to announce that it will hold a short course titled Introduction to Islamic Codicology at MUST’s campus in 6th of October City in Cairo, Egypt from 15 to 18 April 2019.

This four-day course will introduce participants to the study of Islamic manuscript codices as physical objects, or the archaeology of the Islamic book; and will appeal to art historians, bookbinders, codicologists, conservators, curators, and anyone else researching or working with Islamic manuscripts.

All instruction will be in Arabic.

Registration form at: http://www.islamicmanuscript.org/coursesar/201904_cod_cai.aspx

 

Twelver Shia in Edinburgh: marking Muharram, mourning Husayn

Fayaz S. Alibhai Founded by the Wali-Al-Asir Trust in August 1989, the imambargah in Edinburgh’s Leith district describes itself simply as a ‘Shiʿa Community Centre’ and an ‘Imambargah following the Shiʿa Ithna Asheri (Twelver) school of thought, based in Edinburgh’. It is indistinguishable from the other buildings around it on Great Junction Street.

Marginalization of Shi’a Narratives

Causes event in New York, NY by Muslims United for Justice on Saturday, April 27 2019 with 203 people interested and 52 people going. 6 posts in the…

1.Two Doctoral and Six Postdoctoral Fellowships, the Museums of Islamic Art and Byzantine Art, Berlin, etc.

Applications from all regions and from Art History, Aesthetics, Archaeology, Anthropology/Ethnology, History and neighbouring fields dealing with artefacts, artistic production, material culture, and aesthetic practices relating to objects, images, languages and architectures are welcome.

Deadline for applications: 15 April 2019.

Information: https://www.khi.fi.it/en/aktuelles/call-for-papers.php

 

 

 

2. Lecturer in History of the Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula, University of Exeter

Requirements: a PhD or equivalent in Middle East Studies, History, Politics, Sociology, Anthropology, Gender Studies, Critical Studies or related fields; a strong record in attracting funding for research. Highly desirable are experience of field work in the Gulf and/or the Arabian Peninsula and linguistic proficiency and/or other relevant languages.

Deadline for applications: 3 April 2019.Information: https://jobs.exeter.ac.uk/hrpr_webrecruitment/wrd/run/ETREC107GF.open?VACANCY_ID=536337OBXo&WVID=3817591jNg&LANG=USA

 

 

 

 

3. Two Fully-Funded MA Fellowships, Syrian Oral History Project, Stockton University, New Jersey

The Arab-speaking MA students will enroll in graduate courses and independent studies at Stockton University, and they will travel to Europe during breaks and in the summer to conduct interviews and collect oral histories from Syrian refugees. The MA fellowship consists of a two-year package, including full tuition and fees remission, a stipend of $1,000 each month, and $3,000 for travel each year.

Information: https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/12/27/ugur-umit-ungor-syria-oral-history-project/

Contact: Dr. Raz Segal (Raz.Segal@Stockton.edu)

 

 

 

 

4. Grant for Academic Study Related to Yemen, British-Yemeni Society

Applications for this £500 grant are invited from anyone carrying out research in, or on Yemen, at a British or Yemeni University. Applicants’ nationality is irrelevant. Applications may be made to assist with study in any subject or field, so long as it is concerned with Yemen, and is for a specific qualification (e.g. BA, MA, PhD etc.).

Deadline for applications: 31 May 2019. Information:

http://b-ys.org.uk/activities/bys-academic-grant

 

 

 

 

5. 2019 Prize for Best Article, Contemporary Levant

The award recognises excellent research and scholarship that engages with current and emerging issues in the Levant. We are looking for original unpublished articles from scholars in different stages of their careers and from different disciplines: anthropology, sociology, politics, religion and theology, language and linguistics cultural studies, modern history, social geography, media, film studies and literature.

Deadline for abstracts: 1 July 2019.

Information: http://cbrl.ac.uk/news/item/name/call-for-papers-2019-prize-for-best-article

 

 

 

 

6. Two Postdocs at the Alwaleed Centre, University of Edinburgh

a) Postdoctoral Research Fellow: Mediterranean Islamisms

The Alwaleed Centre at the University of Edinburgh seeks to appoint a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow to implement its research activities and contribute to its teaching and outreach programme.

The successful candidate will be expected to conduct research in the field of Islamist parties and movements’ role in political governance in the contemporary Mediterranean region. Applications would be particularly welcome from candidates who demonstrate expertise in conducting comparative research on different aspects of contemporary politics and Islamism in the countries of the Mediterranean region.

 

The successful appointee will commence on 1st September 2019 or as soon as possible thereafter.

 

This is a full-time (35 hours per week) fixed term position.

 

Salary: £33,199 to £39,609per annum.

 

The closing date for receipt of applications is no later than 5 pm (GMT) 29th April 2019. We anticipate interviews will be held in June 2019, date to be determined.

 

Informal queries are welcome and should be sent via email for the attention of Professor Frederic Volpi, Alwaleed Director, Personal Chair of the Politics of the Muslim World, to llc@ed.ac.uk.

 

The School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures holds an Athena SWAN Bronze award, in recognition of our commitment to addressing an equalities, diversity and inclusion agenda.

 

Further information and details on how to apply can be found at the following link: https://www.vacancies.ed.ac.uk/pls/corehrrecruit/erq_jobspec_version_4.jobspec?p_id=0475043

 

b) Postdoctoral Research Fellow: Grant Writing & Project Development (Globalized Muslim World)

 

The Alwaleed Centre at the University of Edinburgh seeks to appoint a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to develop its research activities to commence on 1st September 2019 or as soon as possible thereafter.

 

The research focus of the position is on the contemporary politics and society of a globalized Muslim World.

 

This is a full-time (35 hours per week) fixed term position.

 

Salary: £33,199 to £39,609 per annum.

 

The closing date for receipt of applications is no later than 5pm (GMT) 29th April 2019. We anticipate interviews will be held in June 2019, date to be determined.

 

Informal queries are welcome and should be sent via email for the attention of Professor Frederic Volpi, Alwaleed Director, Personal Chair of the Politics of the Muslim World, to llc@ed.ac.uk.

 

The School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures holds an Athena SWAN Bronze award, in recognition of our commitment to addressing an equalities, diversity and inclusion agenda.

 

Further information and details on how to apply can be found at the following link: https://www.vacancies.ed.ac.uk/pls/corehrrecruit/erq_jobspec_version_4.jobspec?p_id=047504

 

 

 

7. The Islam-UK Centre at Cardiff University is pleased to invite applications for this year’s Jameel Scholarships, starting September 2019. 

Three fully-funded scholarships are available for the MA course ‘Islam in Contemporary Britain’.  Each scholarship will cover full UK/EU tuition fees and provide students with a £15,000 stipend as well as a £1,000 research allowance.  For more information, refer to the attached poster and here: http://sites.cardiff.ac.uk/islamukcentre/jameel-scholarships/

 

Closing date for scholarship applications: 24^th May 2019.

 

Please circulate among your networks and encourage interested final year undergraduate students to apply!

 

For all enquiries, please contact: jameelscholarships@cardiff.ac.uk

Britain’s Hidden War: Channel 4 Dispatches

Channel 4 Dispatches investigates the extent to which the war in Yemen is made in Britain, finding British technicians working to keep Saudi jets in the sky, Saudi targeting process flaws and liaison officers stuck away from the operations floor

To watch, sign in/register here.

The Idea of Iran: The Second Safavid Century

Date: 11 May 2019 Time: 9:45 AM Finishes: 12 May 2019 Time: 6:00 PM Venue: Brunei Gallery Room: Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre Type of Event: Symposium The sixteenth and seventeenth centuries saw the establishment of the new Safavid regime in Iran, heir not only to the succession of leadership of the Safavid sufi order, but also to the Aq Qoyunlu dispensation of western Iran and more remotely to the Timurid Empire in the East.

1.First Biennial International Conference of the Society of Iranian Archaeology: “Cultural Interactions, Continuity and Disruption”, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, 4-5 December 2019

The conference is dedicated to gather archaeologists focusing on Iran as their major field of research and to discuss their most recent findings and interpretations of past Iranian societies. Recent changes of socio-political perspectives especially in the Near East, encouraged the organizers to dedicate the conference specifically to past cultural interactions within Iran and between Iran and surrounding regions.

Deadline for abstracts: 21 May 2019. Information: http://congress.soia.org.ir/en/

 

 

 

 

2. Research Scholar on the History of the Pre-Modern Arabic World, Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin

Junior and senior scholars with excellent knowledge of classical Arabic, and with suitable experience in the history of science, history of philosophy, history of medicine, or other relevant fields are invited to apply. Candidates should hold a doctorate in one of the above-mentioned fields and have at least two years of postdoctoral experience at the time the position begins (PhD awarded in 2017 or earlier).

Deadline for applications: 31 March 2019.

Information: https://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=58265

 

 

 

 

3. Summer Course: “Art Treasures of Konya: Medieval Islamic Art and Architecture II”, Necmettin Erbakan University, Konya, 1-26 July 2019

The course will combine lectures and many field trips to monuments and museums in and around Konya, taking full advantage of the opportunity to study art in context. By the end of the course, students will have obtained an understanding of the stylistic, historical, and social importance of the medieval Islamic art and architecture of Konya and of its place in the broader framework of Islamic art history.

Deadline for application: 7 June 2019

Information: http://sempozyum.erbakan.edu.tr/arthistory/en/anasayfa

 

 

 

 

4. Two Summer Courses: “Intensive Arabic Language”, Noor Majan Arabic Institute in Ibri and Muscat, Oman, 9 June – 1 August or 18 August – 12 September 2019

Both locations represent a unique experience of the Sultanate and are equally rigorous in nature.

Information http://noormajan-institute.com/our-programs/program-dates/

 

 

 

5. The 26th I.R. Iran World Award for Book of the Year

 

On Tuesday February 5, 2019 an Award Ceremony was held in Tehran Iran, in which all the selected distinguished works and their authors were honored. This year, after the primary selection of more than 2,700 books in different fields of Islamic and Iranian Studies, 244 books were assessed, from which 9 books were selected as winners. The evaluated books have been written in English, French, German, Italian, Arabic, Georgian, Chinese, Greek, Turkish, Bengali and Finnish languages. The winners are from Germany, Russia, Lebanon, Italy, Ireland, Turkey and the USA.

 

The “World Book Award of the Year” winners are:

 

Gülru Necipoğlu. The Arts of Ornamental Geometry: A Persian Compendium on Similar and Complementary Interlocking Figures. Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2017

 

Allessandra Lazzari, Masasimo Vidale. Lapis Lazuli Bead Making at Shahr-I Sokhta: Interpreting Craft Production in the Urban Community of the 3^rd Millennium BC. Rome: ISMEO (Italian Institute for Middle and Far East), 2017

 

Alexander Knysh. Sufism: A New History of Islamic Mysticism. Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2017

 

Maurice A. Pomerantz. Licit Magic: The Life and Letters of al-Sahib b. Abbad (d. 385/995). Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2017

 

Moya Carey. Persian Art: Collecting the Arts of Iran for the V&A. London: V&A Publishing (Victoria and Albert Museum), 2018

 

George Archer. A Place Between Two Places: The Quranic Barzakh. Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press, 2017

 

Hussein Ali Abdulsater. Shi’i Doctrine, Mu’tazili Theology: al-Sharif al-Murtaa and Imami Discourse. Edinburgh University Press, 2017

 

Yousef Casewit. The Mystics of al-Andalus: Ibn Barrajan and Islamic Thought in the Twelfth Century. Cambridge University Press, 2017

 

Juliane Müller. Nahrungsmittel in der arabischen Medizin: Das Kitab al-Aiya wa-l-asriba des Naib ad-Din as-Samarqandi. Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2017

 

See: http://bookaward.ir/Home-En

 

 

 

6. DEADLINE EXTENDED: CFP Vol. on theme Slavery in the Middle East and North Africa in the 19th and 20th Centuries

 

We are pleased to invite contributions to an edited volume on the theme of Slavery in the Middle East and North Africa in the 19^th and 20^th Centuries. The volume will be edited by Janet Afary and Eric Massie and will be published by I.B. Tauris as part of its series on Sex, Marriage, and the Family in the Middle East (Series Editors: Janet Afary and Claudia Yaghoobi).

 

Articles addressing the following themes are particularly encouraged, but all articles related to slavery in the Middle East and North Africa during the 19^th and 20^th centuries will be considered:

 

• The social construction of mastery and slavery in slaveholding-enslaved relationships
• The social construction of freedom and dependency in the process of manumission
• The gendered experience of slavery and use and abuse of the enslaved’s sexuality
• The familial and social lives of enslaved and manumitted persons.
• Legal and customary practices regulating the familial and social lives of the enslaved
• Theorizations about the enslaved’s vulnerability in Middle Eastern contexts

 

Please notify us of your intention to contribute by April 15^th. The article itself should be received by August 30th, 2019. It should be in English and not exceed 10,000-12,000 words. Additional information about formatting will be sent after we receive your notification.

 

Please direct any inquiries to:

 

Eric Massie

emassie@ucsb.edu

 

 

 

7. Call for Papers: Cambridge Graduate Middle East Conference: Languages of Legitimation in the Middle East

 

Conference Date: 6 – 7 June 2019

Conference Venue: Woolf Institute, Westminster College, Cambridge

Submission Deadline: 17:00 (GMT) 12^th April 2019

 

This graduate conference is an opportunity for PhD students to share and discuss their original research employing primary sources in Middle Eastern languages on the question of legitimacy and legitimation in the Middle East across different disciplines, periods and localities. We are delighted to announce that Dr Yossef Rapoport will be delivering the conference’s keynote address on the topic of Tribalisation, Conversion and Tribal Genealogy as a ‘Language of Legitimation’ in the Egyptian Countryside.

 

Throughout history, communities in the Middle East have negotiated various networks of legitimation. A Weberian analysis maintains that political legitimacy may be categorised into traditional, legal-rational and charismatic legitimacies. The use of tradition to explain how various societal formations, from tribes to merchant guilds, sought to legitimise their practices has come under increasing criticism from scholars of the Middle East such as Roy Mottahedeh and Aziz al-Azmeh who emphasise the performative and prosaic nature of legitimation.

 

Paper proposals that consider legitimation as articulated through a plurality of everyday practices, beyond the formal political arena where discussions of legitimacy conventionally reside, are particularly encouraged. The conference aims to discuss these phenomena across time, place and through a wide variety of source materials. Beyond linguistics, we are open to the ways in which legitimacy is communicated through different modes of expression from poetry, liturgy, and laughter, to rhetoric, architecture and fashion.

 

To be considered for participation in this conference please submit the following in single PDF document to languageslegitimation@gmail.com by 17:00 (GMT) Friday 12^th April 2019:

 

• A summary of the paper (max 300 words) including a provisional title, the research topic, the primary sources, theoretical framework, methodological approach, any preliminary results and further directions.
• A brief biography (max 100 words) detailing academic affiliation and research interests.

Please direct any enquiries to the aforementioned conference email address. Participation at the conference is free and open to all, but prior registration is required at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/languages-of-legitimation-in-the-middle-east-university-of-cambridge-conference-2019-tickets-58530042934 .

The organisers are grateful for the support of the School of Arts and Humanities, Cambridge, The Woolf Institute and the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Cambridge.

 

Conference Organisers: Calum Humphreys, Cora Kyler, William Ryle-Hodges, and Christopher Cooper-Davies.

 

 

 

8. The Arthur H. Dadian and Ara Oztemel Chair of Armenian Art at Tufts University and the Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture at Hellenic College Holy Cross in Brookline, MA, are pleased to announce the final East of Byzantium events for 2018–2019.

Thursday, April 11, 2019, 6:15–7:45 pm
Harvard Faculty Club, 20 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA

 

Armenian Merchant Patronage of Early Modern Iran
A lecture by Amy Landau, Freer|Sackler, Smithsonian Institution, discussing the patronage of New Julfa’s Armenian merchant community.

 

Friday, April 12, 2019, 10:00 am–12:00 pm
Harvard Faculty Club, 20 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA

Image-making and Anxiety among New Julfa’s Armenian Artists, Theologians & Merchants
A workshop for students exploring how Armenian artists, theologians, merchants, among others, thought about images and image-making in early modern Iran. Led by Amy Landau, Freer|Sackler, Smithsonian Institution.

Advance registration is required for the workshop. Registration closes April 9. Additional information and registration at https://eastofbyzantium.org/upcoming-events/image-making-and-anxiety/

East of Byzantium is a partnership between the Arthur H. Dadian and Ara Oztemel Chair of Armenian Art at Tufts University and the Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture at Hellenic College Holy Cross in Brookline, MA, that explores the cultures of the eastern frontier of the Byzantine empire in the late antique and medieval periods.

For questions, contact Brandie Ratliff, Director, Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture (mjcbac@hchc.edu).

 

 

 

 

9. CfP: Call for Papers: “Words Laying Down the Law: Translating Arabic Legal Discourse” 

7-8 October 2019, Aga Khan Centre, London

 

The Governance Programme at the Aga Khan University Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations (AKU-ISMC) invites papers in the disciplines of legal anthropology, law and comparative law, legal pragmatics, sociolinguistics and discourse analysis, politics and translation studies for a two-day conference on translations of legal discourse in Arabic-speaking contexts.

 

Please send abstracts of 500 words (excluding bibliography) to ismc.governance@aku.edu by 31 May 2019. Notifications of acceptance decisions will be sent out by 30 June 2019.

A limited fund to support scholars who do not have access to institutional funding will be available to cover travel and accommodation costs. Please indicate if you need this financial support when applying.

 

For further information, see: https://www.aku.edu/govprogramme/conferences/Pages/home.aspx

 

 

 

 

10. PRIX MICHEL SEURAT

APPEL À CANDIDATURES 2019

 

Sociétés contemporaines du Proche-Orient

et du Maghreb

 

Le Prix Michel Seurat a été institué par le CNRS en juin 1988 pour « honorer la mémoire de ce chercheur du CNRS, spécialiste des questions islamiques, disparu dans des conditions tragiques.

Ce programme vise à aider financièrement chaque année un jeune chercheur, ressortissant d’un pays européen ou d’un pays du Proche-Orient ou du Maghreb, contribuant ainsi à promouvoir connaissance réciproque et compréhension entre la société française et le monde arabe ».

 

Depuis 2017, l’organisation du Prix a été déléguée au GIS « Moyen-Orient et mondes musulmans », en partenariat avec l’IISMM-EHESS et Orient XXI.

 

D’un montant de 15 000 € en 2019, le Prix est ouvert aux titulaires d’un master 2 ou d’un diplôme équivalent, âgés de moins de 35 ans révolus et sans condition de nationalité, de toutes disciplines, travaillant sur les sociétés contemporaines du Proche-Orient et/ou du Maghreb.

Il a pour vocation d’aider un (ou une) jeune chercheur (ou chercheuse) à multiplier les enquêtes sur le terrain, dans le cadre de la préparation de sa thèse.

Les enquêtes doivent avoir lieu sur le terrain. La maîtrise de la langue du pays concerné est une condition impérative.

 

Date limite de dépôt des candidatures :

Lundi 15 avril 2019 (minuit, heure de Paris)

 

Constitution du dossier impérativement en langue française :

• un plan et un projet de recherche détaillés précisant de manière claire les enquêtes qui seront menées sur le terrain (10 pages maximum) ;
• un curriculum vitae ;
• une copie des diplômes obtenus, assortie le cas échéant de leur traduction en français ;
• une ou plusieurs attestations de personnalités scientifiques : attestations récentes et en rapport avec la candidature au Prix.

 

Adresser votre dossier uniquement par voie électronique impérativement aux deux adresses suivantes :

prix.michel-seurat@cnrs.fr

prix.michel.seurat@ehess.fr

 

Règlement du 30 janvier 2018 à consulter, en annexe.

 

Conformément au Règlement européen général sur la protection des données (RGPD/GRPD) qui est entré en vigueur le 25 mai 2018, nous vous confirmons que vos données personnelles ne seront en aucun cas délivrées à des tiers et que la gestion se fait uniquement en interne.

 Nous vous rappelons qu’il vous est possible de vous désabonner en nous envoyant un simple courriel à cyrielle.michineau@ehess.fr

 

 

11. Blogs You Should Be Adding to Your Bookmarks

See: http://hazine.info/blogs-you-should-be-adding-to-your-bookmarks/

 

Balochistan: A powder keg at a geopolitical crossroads

Balochistan should be oozing with optimism as Chinese and Saudi investment pours into the troubled Pakistani province. It is not. Instead, Balochistan, a key node in China’s Belt and Road initiative that borders Iran, is gripped by anger, fear and uncertainty.