Archive for February, 2020

 

1.The Manchester Journal of Transnational Islamic Law & Practice (formerly the Journal of Islamic State Practices in International Law) is pleased to announce the call for papers and book reviews for its 2020 Issue.

 

MJTILP is a peer reviewed journal and can be accessed on HeinOnline. The journal welcomes submission of articles that meet its objectives for consideration with a view to publication. The journal comprises of three sections: (1) Articles, (2) Recent Developments, and (3) Book Reviews. The normal word length for articles is between 5000-8000 words (10000 including footnotes). The journal also welcomes shorter contributions (between 2000 to 3000 words) for its ‘Recent Developments’ section.

 

The MJTILP is not restricted to any specific field of law and aims to cover a wide range of subjects relevant to Islamic law and practice. Topics of particular interest include: transnational forms of Islamic law; constitutional developments, law reform and application of international law in the Muslim world; application of Shariah in Muslim or non-Muslim States; accommodation of Muslims in non-Muslim State; comparative practices of Muslim majority States; and intersections between Islamic law and international law or other religious and secular legal systems.

The deadline for submissions for the 2020 Issue is June 30th, 2020. The Issue will be published by the end of October 2020.

 

Please get in touch with the Editor-in-Chief Dr Ahmad Ghouri (a.a.ghouri@sussex.ac.uk ) if you have any questions with regards to MJTILP or would like to discuss your paper submission.

 

 

2. The Graduate Student Group of Northwestern University’s Middle East and North African Studies Program is pleased to announce a one-day graduate student symposium, “Locating the Field: New Directions in Middle East and North African Studies,” on Friday, May 22nd in Evanston, Illinois. We welcome contributions from graduate students across the humanities and social sciences.

Symposium Theme:

Recent scholarship has challenged canonical geographical, political, and sociocultural constructions of the Middle East and North Africa, detailing otherwise silenced histories, and theorizing possible future directions for the field. This symposium welcomes papers that challenge, expand, or dismantle the physical and symbolic boundaries of MENA–both as place and as discipline–through critical, interdisciplinary scholarship. Given recent and ongoing developments throughout MENA, there is a heightened need to further our understanding of the relationships between people, the spaces they inhabit, and the places they move through. Through this symposium, we will explore several topics and provide different lenses for locating and (re)imagining MENA. We hope to generate debate across universities about the troubled legacies and potential futures of area studies in the context of ongoing movement and change.

Possible topics for submissions:

We are looking for papers that include, but are not limited to, the following topics:

• Incorporating diasporic communities and their ongoing circulations: How does the movement of people and the circulation of commodities and ideas reframe our understanding of the region? What role do diasporic communities, transnational migrants, and refugees of various conflicts play in shaping home- and host-lands? How are migrant lives shaped by labor demands, institutional pressures, and state policies? In turn, do migrants’ day-to-day practices and movements disrupt academic categorizations? And what about internal migration?
• Frustrated uprisings, derailed revolutions: In the aftermath of the 2011 uprisings, how does MENA fit within/diverge from global resistance? Are emergent patterns around counter-revolutionary effort and the securitization of governance rooted within and/or beyond MENA? How do we address the interrelations of militarized police forces, securitized governance, the global arms industry, and the proliferation of conflict zones – territorial and transborder?

• MENA and the environment: What are locally grounded visions for social, cultural, political sustainability, and where does environmental sustainability figure? How do the legacies of resource extraction, expansionary capitalism, and the lack of sustainability efforts affect communities in the present moment, and in the near and distant future? Are we seeing new efforts or old patterns in indigenous and minority populations’ advocacy for land rights and sustainable development?
• MENA and the production of knowledge: How have recent developments in the field changed the relations between academics and their sites of study? Where have scholars located MENA within studies of the global (world history, international studies, world literature)? How can MENA studies respond to calls to decolonize knowledge production? In what ways can postcolonial, feminist, queer, Marxist, or other critical theoretical approaches contribute to this process?

Logistics:

To submit a paper proposal, please send a title and an abstract of ~250 words to northwesternmena@gmail.com by March 15th. All applicants will be notified about the status of their submission by early April. Accepted applicants will submit a full paper (8-10pp) in mid-May for the symposium. We can help coordinate the pairing of presenters for hotel or other accommodation upon request, though the program cannot cover travel to, or lodging at Northwestern. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be provided for all presenters on the day of the symposium. Attendees will also have a chance to engage with Northwestern’s MENA faculty and will receive substantial feedback from graduate student respondents on their submitted papers.

Please direct any questions to the emails provided below. We look forward to hosting you on the banks of Lake Michigan!

Northwestern MENA Graduate Group Co-Presidents: Nicholas Bascuñan-Wiley: nickbw@u.northwestern.edu

Matthew Randle-Bent: matthewbent@u.northwestern.edu

 

The solitude of the Orphan: Ǧābir b. Ḥayyān and the Shiite heterodox milieu of the third/ninth-fourth/tenth centuries | Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies | Cambridge Core

The community of Shiite alchemists gathered under the pen name of Ǧābir b. Ḥayyān produced an important corpus first studied by Paul Kraus, who dated it between the third/ninth and fourth/tenth centuries. The religious, doctrinal and political issues of the corpus – especially in the last two collections – show that the Ǧābireans were a real sectarian trend unknown to heresiographers.

Dispelling Divides – Shi’a and Sunni Belief

The University of Edinburgh – Dispelling Divides A look at the differences and similarities of Shia and Sunni Belief with SABS Director General Imam Razawi and Shaykh Hassan Rabbani. With an increase in sectarian tensions across campuses in the United Kingdom, an event at the University of Edinburgh was held to bring harmony and dispel misinformation.

A Pioneering Workshop on Legal Maxims

By Kumail Rajani Al-qawāʿid al-fiqhiyya – Islamic legal maxims – have received limited attention in the plethora of works on Islamic law and legal theory published in the last two to three decades. With the aim of further advancing the study of Islamic legal maxims, the Exeter-based LAWALISI (LAW, Authority and Learning in Imami Shiʿite Islam)…

For more information on the LAWALISI project, see here.

Transnational Shi’ism in Southern China and the Party-state’s “Hawza” Diplomacy

This article seeks to transcend the Sunni-centered narratives that often inform the discussions on Islamicate interactions with China. Following a cursory historical view of Shi’ism’s influences on Chinese expressions of Islam, the article presents a rough sketch of the contemporary transnational Shi’ite communities that have emerged over the past few decades in southern China, most notably those of Guangzhou (Guangdong) and Yiwu (Zhejiang).

1.Séminaire « Altérités religieuses en questions : chrétienté(s) et islam(s) : du moyen âge jusqu’à l’époque coloniale », l’Université de Nantes, 20 février 2020

Programme : https://www.univ-nantes.fr/colloques-journees-d-etude-seminaires/seminaire-alterites-religieuses-en-questions-chretiente-s-et-islam-s-du-moyen-age-jusqu-a-l-epoque-coloniale–2557154.kjsp

 

 

 

 

2. International Conference: “Hermeneutics of Quranic Norm Change“, University of Erlangen, 15-16 April 2020

See program at https://www.dirs.phil.fau.de/files/2020/01/Korankonferenz_4S_web.pdf. For registration contact Hadil Lababidi (hadil.lababidi@fau.de).

 

 

 

 

3. International Doctoral Conference in Religious Studies: “Resistance to Order and Authority in Religion“, Central European University, Budapest, 25-27 June 2020

The conference invites contributions studying the conceptualization, management and instrumentalization of religious ideas and beliefs with regard to past and contemporary resistance movements.

Deadline for abstracts: 15 March 2020.

Information: https://religion.ceu.edu/crs-elte-masaryk-phd-conference-25-27-june-2020

 

 

 

 

4. Joint Chair in Area Studies (Middle East Studies), University of Exeter and Tsinghua University

The holder of the post will be based at the University of Exeter but will spend one semester of every year at Tsinghua University. The position is primarily research-focused. Qualifications: the successful candidate should have a research profile concentrated in the anthropology, history, social sciences or cultures of the Middle East with a particular preference for expertise in Palestine Studies, Gulf Studies, or the Politics and International Relations of the Middle East.

Deadline for applications: 27 February 2020. Information: https://jobs.exeter.ac.uk/hrpr_webrecruitment/wrd/run/ETREC107GF.open?VACANCY_ID=860223RifK&WVID=3817591jNg&LANG=USA

 

 

 

 

5. Book Award Competition 2020, the Association for Middle East Women’s Studies (AMEWS)

Nominations are accepted for any book published in 2019 on women, gender, sexuality and feminism in the Middle East, North Africa, and among diasporic communities from the MENA.

Submission deadline: 15 May 2020. Information: https://amews.org/amews-book-award/

 

 

 

 

6. Graduate Student Workshop: “Networking and Mentoring Workshop in the Humanities and Social Sciences for at-Risk Ph.D. Students”, University of Leipzig, 14-15 May 2020

We invite current and prospective Ph.D. students who have experienced difficulties in pursuing or continuing their dissertations due to political reasons and who have therefore left their country of origin, or are considering doing so. A group of senior academics will offer participants an opportunity to think about future academic possibilities. Travel and accommodation expenses for invited participants will be covered.

Deadline for applications: 29 February 2020. Information: https://www.uni-leipzig.de/veranstaltungsdetail/artikel/networking-and-mentoring-workshop-in-the-humanities-and-social-sciences-for-at-risk-ph-d-students/

 

 

 

 

7. Graduate Workshop on Diversity in the Medieval Middle East, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater OK: 18-22 May 2020)

This workshop invites early graduate students to discuss the place of medieval diversity in the region and consider topics which cross the communal and linguistic boundaries imposed on premodern history by graduate-level specialization in single medieval languages or subfields.

Deadline for application: 15 February 2020. Information: https://mailchi.mp/mediterraneanseminar/call-for-participation-graduate-workshop-on-diversity-in-the-medieval-middle-east-stillwater-ok-18-22-may?e=82aeb6c61d

 

 

 

 

8. Intensive Seminar: “Venice, Cyprus and Trade with the Mamlukes“, Nicosia, 29 June – 1 July 2020

This course will survey a wide range of Venetian sources related to maritime trade in the Mamluk sultanate and to the role of Cyprus in this regard. It will be conducted by Professor Benjamin Arbel of Tel Aviv University.

Deadline for applications: 15 March 2020. Information: https://mailchi.mp/mediterraneanseminar/seminar-venice-cyprus-and-trade-with-the-mamlukes-nicosia-29-june-1-july?e=82aeb6c61d

 

 

 

9. Culture Made in Arabia

The Arabian Peninsula as a new major player on the Arab cultural scene
International Conference
CEFAS / Sorbonne Abu Dhabi / New York University Abu Dhabi
Conveners : Laure Assaf, Clio Chaveneau, Frédéric Lagrange October 31st – November 1st, 2020

Since the turn of the 21st century, the Arabian Peninsula has been both a major producer of cultural goods and a hub of cultural presentation, exchange and commerce. From book fairs to highly coveted literary and translation prizes, from upscale art galleries to ground-breaking museums, from literature to music and poetry, from “starchitecture” to the preservation of traditional material and intangible heritage, culture has become an asset and a stake in the growing influence of the Arabian Peninsula in the Arabic speaking world. State-sponsored as well as private sector and individually driven endeavors have moved the Arabian Peninsula from the margins of contemporary Arabic culture towards the center, where it competes for prestige and soft power with the traditional beacons of urban cultural hegemony, such as Egypt and the Levant. With the help of considerable capital and heavy investment in education and multimedia platforms, cultural productions are not only showcased for local consumption but also exported throughout the Arabic-speaking world. Works of literary fiction, poetry, theater, music, cinema, television programs and fine arts, from high-end productions to commercial pop culture, thus shape a Khaleeji identity in contemporary Arabic culture. This conference aims to stimulate discussion of the Arabian Peninsula as a new contender on the regional cultural scene, from state-led cultural policies to the development of a Khaleeji “pop culture”, understood both as commercial entertainment and as the grassroots cultural forms produced by local youth and by diverse migrant communities. Papers are welcome on all aspects of cultural production and policy in the Arabian Peninsula. Topics may fall under (but are not limited to) one of the following axes:• Cultural policies between nation-branding, regional ambitions, and global pursuits:As countries of the Arabian Peninsula seek to forge a cultural identity that will put them on the global map, papers might examine how they navigate the interplay between local concerns for the preservation of the region’s oral history and craftsmanship, and globalized standards of cultural legitimacy such as universal museums, arthouse cinemas, and iconoclastic artworks. How do they reconcile modes of cultural production and exhibition formed elsewhere with local cultural practices?Contributors might also address the regional and international ambitions of these policies. How are these cultural policies received by competing centers of Arab culture? How is the shaping of a cultural identity informed by economic, diplomatic, and political dynamics?• Production, reception and meanings of an Arabian “pop” culture:Are we witnessing the birth of a new “pop culture” in the Arabian Peninsula? As cultural productions made in Arabia take the front stage, contributors are invited to explore the relation between the fields of entertainment, mass consumption, and the media, in a region where the latter is often state-owned. Is pop culture merely a mass product channeling commercial strategies and dominant representations, or does it have the potential to challenge cultural hegemony? In short, is there a possibility for a “counterculture” in the Arabian Peninsula?Papers might also examine the relationship between contemporary pop culture and traditional local “popular cultures” in the folkloric sense. What does the multiplication of TV shows, artworks, or clothing that repackage the national lore in a parodic and desirable version tell us of the relationship between pop and popular culture, and between local youths and national or regional identity? • Social, ethnic, and gender identities of cultural producers and consumers in the Arabian Peninsula:As this regions’ states are some of the most diverse in the world, papers may look at the respective roles of nationals and immigrants in the cultural industry. Papers will pay a specific attention to the way social, gender, and ethnic perspectives inform the production and reception of cultural goods. Who produces and consumes the contemporary culture of the Arabian Peninsula? How do these productions address the Khaleeji self and its various others?Papers may also question the potential of these cultural productions to forge various communities along ethnic of generational lines. As these productions circulate along migration routes and through diverse media, can they become shared references across the Arabic-speaking world and in neighboring countries whose immigrants form the bulk of foreign residents? Does the inherently referential nature of culture contribute to form a common identity among generations who share a same set of cultural codes? At a time when cultural actors and goods in the Arabian Peninsula are leaving the margin to become mainstream cultural elements of the 21st century, this conference seeks to gather scholars, cultural entrepreneurs, and practitioners, to analyze cultural policy and the emergence of new cultural productions in the region.

Proposals should be between 250 and 350 words and sent to : Laure Assaf (lsa6@nyu.edu), Clio Chaveneau (clio.chaveneau@psuad.ac.ae), Frédéric Lagrange (frederic.lagrange@psuad.ac.ae)
The deadline for proposals is April 15, 2020.

 

 

10. Bugis flower power: a compendium of floral designs

The collection of Bugis and Makassar manuscripts in the British Library, which has now been fully digitised, covers a wide range of genres from court diaries to literature, treatises on a range of sciences, and religious works on Islamic law and Sufism.  Most of the manuscripts are sober textual documents, carefully and neatly written in Bugis/Makassar (lontaraq) or Arabic script, but – save for one compendium of poems – with few formal decorative elements.  On the other hand, many manuscripts also contain notes, calligraphic pen trials and doodles, which often include sketches, primarily of a floral nature.  This text-light but picture-heavy blog post has brought together all the floral drawings discovered in these manuscripts from south Sulawesi, presented here as a sourcebook for Bugis floral designs in the late 18th century.  In each case, the manuscript shelfmarks are hyperlinked to the full digitised manuscript page, so that the sketches can be seen in context.

1.The French National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilisations (Inalco, Paris) organises its first Summer School of Arabic and Kurdish Dialects (June 2nd – July 10th 2020).

Inalco, the university of world languages has a two century long experience in teaching more than a hundred languages as well as social sciences. Our professional instructors will accompany you throughout your journey and help you develop all language skills, whether you are a beginner or already well-versed in Arabic or Sorani. All courses are credited (ECTS).

Paris is a historical and vibrant center of Maghreb culture with a large Arabic-speaking community.
The Inalco Campus is located in downtown Paris.

Doing fieldwork in the Arab world requires a good command of colloquial Arabic.
Come and develop your proficiency in one of the Arabic dialects people speak in the following countries:

Morocco • Algeria • Libya • Egypt • Syria / Lebanon (Levantine)

Interested in Kurdistan and Kurdish studies? Curious to know more about the Kurds in Turkey, Syria, Iraq and / or Iran? Come and learn Sorani or Kurmandji at Inalco!

Kurmandji: Turkey, Syria
Sorani: Iran, Irak

The Summer School includes 20 contact hours a week, 5 hours alternative language activities: movies, music and online learning, conferences and cultural activities. 10 students per class.

For more information:

http://www.inalco.fr/en/study/summer-school/arabic-dialects/kurdish

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. The Zahid Ali Fellowship 2020
Award Amount: £5,000
Application Deadline: 1 April 2020

The Institute of Ismaili Studies is pleased to invite applications for the Zahid Ali Fellowship 2020.

The Zahid Ali Fellowship is awarded every 5 years to an internationally renowned scholar working in the field of Classical Arabic Literature who will use the award to publish research on a topic of relevance to Ismaili Studies.

Click here to see a list of previous recipients.

To apply, please submit the following to scholarships@iis.ac.uk:

1. Covering Letter
2. CV
3. Writing Sample (preferably a publication)
4. Research Proposal (max. 2000 words)

 

The Zahid ‘Ali Fellowship was established in 1997 by the Institute of Ismaili Studies in the name of Professor Zahid ‘Ali (1888-1958), a pioneer of modern Ismaili Studies, at the bequest of Professor Zahid ‘Ali’s son, the late Professor Abid ‘Ali, and his family.

Belonging to a prominent Bohra Ismaili family of India, Professor Zahid Ali was educated at Oxford University, and later taught at the Nizam College in Hyderabad. He produced the first modern studies of Ismaili history and Ismaili doctrines, based on primary Ismaili sources; these works were published in Urdu in 1948 and 1954.

Professor Zahid Ali had also inherited an important collection of Ismaili manuscripts, which had been acquired by several generations of his ancestors. This collection was also bequeathed to the Institute by the late Professor Abid ‘Ali and his family.

The Zahid ‘Ali Fellowship, in the amount of £5000, is awarded once every five years to an internationally renowned scholar working in the field of Classical Arabic Literature who will use the award to publish research on a topic of relevance to Ismaili Studies.

 

 

 

3. The recently published A Literary History of Medicine: The ʿUyūn al-anbāʾ fī ṭabaqāt al-aṭibbāʾ of Ibn Abī Uṣaybiʿah. Edited and translated by Emilie Savage-Smith, Simon Swain and Geert Jan van Gelder, with Ignacio Sánchez, N. Peter Joosse, Alasdair Watson, Bruce Inksetter, and Franak Hilloowala. [Handbook of Oriental Studies, Section 1, The Near and Middle East, Vol. 134] Leiden: Brill, 2020.    (3 in 5 volumes)

Is now available through the Open Access portal of Brill Publishing, at the following address:

 https://brill.com/view/db/lhom

 

 

 

4. The University of Edinburgh: Teaching Fellow in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies. 

https://www.vacancies.ed.ac.uk/pls/corehrrecruit/erq_jobspec_version_4.jobspec?p_id=051334.

 

The successful applicant will be required to teach within the framework of the School’s courses in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching duties in the department. At undergraduate level, this will include, among other duties, the large core survey course “Islamic History”, which covers the history of the Middle East from 500-1100 CE. The post holder will also course organise other relevant history courses. At postgraduate level, this will include, among other duties, the joint-taught Critical Readings MSc core course, which provides a seminar-based introduction to Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies for MSc Students.

The successful candidate will have experience in the design and delivery of teaching units within the higher education sector, and the ability to deliver courses at high level. They will be also expected to contribute to the administration of the subject area, including course organisation.

Closing date: 5.00pm (GMT) on 20th February 2020.

Interviews will be held on 18th March 2020.

Specialized Criminal Court in Saudi Arabia is a political tool to muzzle critical voices

A new report published by Amnesty International today exposes how despite all their rhetoric of reforms, the Saudi authorities are using the Specialized Criminal Court (SCC) as a weapon to systematically silence dissent. Alongside the report, the organisation is also launching a campaign calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all human rights defenders detained for their peaceful expression.

1.Conference: “The Concept of Good, and the Concept of Evil, in Judaism, Christianity and Islam”, Chair of Oriental Philology and Islamic Studies, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, 12-14 February 2020

See program at https://www.kcid.fau.de/die-forschungsstelle/aktuelles-und-ankuendigungen/. Registration: katja.thoerner@fau.de

 

 

 

2. Annual Meeting of the “International Qur’anic Studies Association (IQSA 2020)“, Boston, MA, 20-23 November 2020

Program Units include: The Qur’an: Manuscripts and Textual Criticism; Linguistic, Literary, and Thematic Perspectives on the Qur`anic Corpus; The Societal Qur`an; Qur`anic Studies: Methodology and Hermeneutics; etc.

Deadline for abstracts: 11 March 2020.

Information: https://iqsaweb.wordpress.com/call-for-papers-iqsa-annual-meeting-2020/

 

 

 

 

3. Conference: “Authors as Readers in the Mamlūk Period and Beyond. Al-Ṣafadī and his Pairs”, Ca’ Foscari University, Venice, 10-12 December 2020

At the end of a research project on al-Ṣafadī’s working method, his scholarly network, his habits as a reader and as a scholar in the extremely rich context of the beginning of the Mamluk period the conference will broaden the scope by confronting these results to other situations: other authors, other periods, other places.

Deadline for abstracts: 31 March 2020.

Information: https://networks.h-net.org/user/login?destination=node/5782352

 

 

 

 

4. Graduate Assistant in Studies of Islam in South Asia, University of Lausanne

Start date: 1 August 2020. Length of contract: maximum 5 years. Work rate: 80%. Profile: M.A. in Language and Cultures of South Asia or a related discipline. Interest to write a doctoral thesis in the cultural, social, and political histories of Muslim societies in South Asia. Knowledge of Urdu is necessary. A good knowledge of French and Persian will be an advantage.

Deadline for applications: 1 May 2020. Information: https://career5.successfactors.eu/career?career_ns=job_listing&company=universitdP&navBarLevel=JOB_SEARCH&rcm_site_locale=fr_FR&career_job_req_id=15317&selected_lang=fr_FR&jobAlertController_jobAlertId=&jobAlertController_jobAlertName=&_s.crb=6lIl/EOPiPI94hnrY7In+JKHNjE=

 

 

 

 

5. Doctoral Scholarships in Research Project “The European Qur’an: Islamic Scripture in European Culture and Religion (1150-1850)”, University of Kent

The project studies the ways in which the Islamic Holy Book is embedded in the intellectual, religious and cultural history of Medieval and Early Modern European Christians, Jews, freethinkers, atheists and Muslims. Candidates should have a recent master’s degree (or equivalent) in the humanities, with a specialisation related to the themes of EuQu. They should have a high level of competence in the necessary languages (in particular Arabic or Latin, depending on the thesis topic).

Deadline for applications: 1 March 2020. Information: https://research.kent.ac.uk/euqu/wp-content/uploads/sites/829/2019/12/2020-EuQu-PhD-call-for-candidates.pdf

 

 

 

 

6. Post-doctoral Positions in Research Project “The European Qur’an: Islamic Scripture in European Culture and Religion (1150-1850)”, University of Kent

The project studies the ways in which the Islamic Holy Book is embedded in the intellectual, religious and cultural history of Medieval and Early Modern European Christians, Jews, freethinkers, atheists and Muslims. Applicants should have a PhD in a discipline in the humanities by the time of application, or at least strong assurance that they will obtain the PhD by August 2020. Candidates should be fluent in English and have strong skills in other languages appropriate to their research topics.

Deadline for applications: 1 March 2020. Information: https://research.kent.ac.uk/euqu/wp-content/uploads/sites/829/2019/12/2020-EuQu-postdocs-call-for-candidates.pdf

 

 

 

 

7. Workshop: “Introduction to Arabic Manuscript Studies“, Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota, 1-5 June 2020

The course will provide basic introduction to paleography, codicology and philological practices; engage with printed and digital scholarly tools for the study of Arabic manuscripts; introduce participants to a range of Arabic manuscripts from West Africa and the Middle East, both Islamic and Christian.

Deadline for applications: 1 April 2020.

Information: http://hmml.org/hmml-offers-intro-arabic-manuscript-studies-course/

 

 

 

8. Cambridge Centre of Islamic Studies

Current Vacancies

Teaching and Outreach Associate

We are looking for an experienced professional to plan and deliver the Centre’s teaching programmes – namely, Arabic language courses for university students and modules on Islam for primary and secondary schools and other organisations. The deadline for applications is 24 February 2020.

 

Closing date – 24 February!

 

 

Research and Outreach Associate (Fixed Term)

The University of Cambridge is seeking to appoint a Research and Outreach Associate in the Centre of Islamic Studies, to begin in September 2020. The post is a three-year, fixed-term position.

 

Research Associate. Islamic Art (Fixed Term)

The University of Cambridge is seeking to appoint a Postdoctoral Research and Outreach Associate to design and conduct original research into Islamic art, aesthetics and/or material culture in the Centre of Islamic Studies, to begin in September 2020. The post is a three-year, fixed-term position.

 

The closing date for these two roles in 19 April 2020.

 

 

 

9. Indigenousing Islam: Changing Dynamics of Islamic Authority in the West

4 March 2020
Masooda Bano, University of Oxford

Time and Venue
Wednesday 4 March 2020, 18.00-19.30
Atrium Conference Room,
Aga Khan Centre,
10 Handyside Street,
London N1C 4DN

Booking
This event is free but booking is essential:
To attend in person, please click here.
To attend online, please click here.

 

 

 

10. THE AGA KHAN PROGRAM FOR ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE (AKPIA) AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE ITS POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP/ASSOCIATESHIP PROGRAM FOR THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2020-2021.

APPLICATION DEADLINE IS APRIL 1, 2020.

The Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture is pleased to invite applications for Harvard-funded Fellowships as well as self-supported (unfunded) Associateships, to conduct advanced historical research in Islamic art, architecture, material culture, and archaeology at Harvard University. AKPIA Fellowships and Associateships are intended preferably, but not exclusively, for overseas scholars from Muslim countries. Our program positions do not support professional design, conservation, or urban development projects, nor are they intended for research travel. AKPIA Fellows and Associates are expected to be in residence, except for one or two short research-related trips. Please note—we offer unfunded Associate positions, and a limited number of fully funded (or partially funded) Fellowships. We will consider applications of scholars who can provide partial funding, or who have no other outside funding.  Application proposals may be for up to an entire academic year in duration (9 months), with a minimum of one semester (3 months).

AKPIA Fellowship and Associateship positions are full-time, immersion research appointments, to result in a lecture delivered to the AKPIA community, and a submission to the journal Muqarnas: An Annual on the Visual Cultures of the Islamic World (published by Brill). AKPIA Fellows and Associates are expected to meet with the Director of the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture, to discuss their research and to consider potential submission topics for publication. We do not allow scholars to take on any other major responsibilities during their time at Harvard, including any teaching jobs. AKPIA Fellows and Associates are expected to be active participants in the academic life of our program at Harvard University. They are encouraged to attend lectures hosted by AKPIA and HAA (History of Art and Architecture department), and to meet with faculty, students and other visiting scholars.

We welcome applications both from senior scholars and from recent graduates. AKPIA Fellows and Associates have an affiliation with Harvard University’s Department of History of Art and Architecture (HAA). They are free to pursue their own research; they are expected to present a public lecture on their research project as part of the AKPIA lecture series A Forum for Islamic Art and Architecture; they are also expected to submit an article based on their research at Harvard for consideration by the editor for publication in Muqarnas. AKPIA Fellows and Associates have access to all Harvard University libraries, museums, and facilities; they are also welcome to audit Harvard seminars or lecture courses, if they so choose.

 

Click here for a list of previous visiting Fellows and Associates and their topics of research.

 

For more information, visit the website.

 

Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture

Harvard University

Sackler 415

485 Broadway

Cambridge, MA 02138

 

Sovereignty, Legitimacy and Authority in Twelver Shia Islam: Clerics and the State, Past and Present

10-11 September 2020

A University of Birmingham Conference at the Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient (ZMO) Berlin

The question of what constitutes legitimate authority – both religious and secular – has been a core theological concern of Twelver Shia Islam. Emerging with the question of the succession of the Prophet Muhammad, Twelver Shia theological discourse invested sole sovereignty and legitimate authority with the Imams, the male members of the ahl al-bayt, designated to lead the Muslim community. The occultation (ghayba) of the Twelfth Imam led to the emergence of the notion of the collective deputyship (al-niyaba al-‘amma) of the learned class within Twelver Shia Islam, the ‘ulama’, who assume some of the prerogatives of the Imam. From the period, Twelver Shia clerical authorities had to address the question to what extent secular political authority is legitimate and how to relate to it.

With the establishment of the first Twelver Shia state in Iran in the 16th century, clerics had to define their relationship to the Safavid dynasty and the extent of their support for it. During the Qajar period in 19th century Iran, Twelver Shia clerics assumed a more pro-active political role, considering themselves as mediators between the ruler and the people. The rise of the modern nation-state in the Middle East in the early 20th century led to debates around the role of the clergy in the state and the nature of an Islamic state. While Khomeini’s understanding of the “guardianship of the jurisconsult” (wilayat al-faqih) has been the most prominent and influential intervention, other models of clergy-state relations, that have emerged, do not advocate direct clerical involvement in the affairs of the government. Clerical figures nevertheless play a central role in Shia Islamist parties, networks and movements across the Middle East and South Asia, remaining thereby important political actors in the context of weak or failed nation-states, ripped by sectarian divisions, civil conflict and corruption.

This conference invites papers on the topic of clergy-state relations in Twelver Shia Islam, from the post-ghayba period (ca. 941 CE) to the present. Placing clergy-state relations in the context of Twelver Shia discourses on sovereignty, legitimacy and authority, the conference seeks to investigate clerical positions towards secular authority and power in different historical periods. While the focus of the conference will be the Middle East, it intends to adopt a wider geographical perspective with contributions welcome on similar debates in South Asia and other parts of world where Shia clerics were or have become influential political actors.

Papers can address – but are not restricted to – the following issues:

– definitions of sovereignty in Twelver Shia theological and jurisprudential discourse
– conceptions of legitimate political authority in Twelver Shia Islam
– approaches and conceptions of clerical authority and its relation to secular power in Twelver Shia Islam
– case studies of clergy-state relations from past and present
– binary between clerical quietism and activism and its validity and relevance
– clerical responses to the rise of the modern nation-state
– role and position of Twelver Shia seminaries (hawza) in the context of the modern nation-state
– conceptions of an Islamic state in modern and contemporary Twelver Shia discourse
– role of clerical leadership in modern and contemporary Twelver Shia political movements
– transnational and diasporic reach of clerical movements and networks
– mediatisation of clerical authority as actors within the state and transnationally

Confirmed keynote speakers:

Prof Andrew J. Newman (University of Edinburgh)
Prof Rula Abisaab (McGill University)

The deadline for abstract submission is 15 March 2020. Abstracts of up to 300 words and a short bio of (up to 200 words) should be sent in MS Word format as an email attachment to alterumma@bham.ac.uk. For enquiries about the conference, contact Prof Oliver Scharbrodt (o.scharbrodt@bham.ac.uk).

The conference is part of the Alterumma project, funded by the European Research Council and hosted at the University of Birmingham. The conference will take place at the Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient (ZMO) in Berlin.

A number of travel bursaries are available for conference presenters. Enquiries should be made to Prof Oliver Scharbrodt.

Timeline:

Deadline for abstract submission: 15 March 2020

Notification of acceptance: 3 April 2020

Dates of the conference: 10-11 September 2020