Archive for May, 2020
Shii News – Academic Items
1.The Persian Presence in Victorian Poetry
R Taher-Kermani
Edinburgh University Press, 2020
2. 101 Middle Eastern Tales and Their Impact on Western Oral Tradition
U Marzolph
Wayne State University Press. The book is to be launched 8/18/2020. https://www.wsupress.wayne.edu/books/detail/101-middle-eastern-tales-and-their-impact-western-oral-tradition
3. Call for Submissions:
The Cambridge Middle East and North Africa Forum journal, ‘Manara’, is now taking submissions for the upcoming August 2020 issue.
This is a student publication based in Cambridge, accepting submissions of full-length articles; op-ed style pieces; interviews and book reviews on a variety of topics from the MENA region, including current affairs, culture, foreign policy and so on. The theme for the upcoming issue is ‘As Crises Unfold: How the MENA Region Responds’ – more information can be found on our website at https://www.cmenaf.org/manara-upcoming-issue and on our Facebook page. We are open to submissions from students in any year, from any subject and require no previous publication experience. We also welcome submissions from academics, writers, and faculty experts. We offer honorariums of various amounts for the different length pieces, as well as an opportunity to be published online and in print for a broad international and inter-university readership.
In this issue, we welcome pieces that address the topic of the MENA region in crisis – historical or contemporary; literal or ideological. The coronavirus pandemic is an ongoing and predominant focus, and pieces that reframe and contextualise it will form the core of the issue. The journal aims to offer an opportunity for readers to engage with accessible and reflective content that will offer relevant context for a discussion of the pandemic’s impact in the Middle East and North Africa. That said, any pieces that discuss other examples or types of crises are also welcome – whether the coronavirus is a factor or otherwise. This can include conflicts and protests that were ongoing before the pandemic began or examinations of international relationships outside of the context of the pandemic. In short, submissions will not be limited in any way to solely discussion of the coronavirus.
Please circulate the above information amongst any faculty, department or college peers. For any questions at all, please feel free to reach out to the editor at mb2270@cam.ac.uk .
4. The Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford is looking for a researcher to join the project team for the AHRC-funded ‘PersDoc – Persian in Documents’ project. The project explores the nuances of Islamisation during the first 500 years of Islamic rule in the Islamicate East (a vast area that stretches from Islam to Tibet and includes parts of the modern states of Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and of the wider Central Asian region). Project activities include the transcription, translation and analysis of a variety of texts, most of which reflect everyday, local use – from receipts to personal letters to legal opinions – and others are literary in nature.
Closing Date | 12 June 2020
Further information
5. BRISMES Annual Lecture 2019: The Corporeal Life of Commerce at Sea
The 2019 BRISMES Annual Lecture was presented by Professor Laleh Khalili. During this lecture, Laleh reflected on the lives and bodies of modern seafarers in the west Indian Ocean. It was recorded and is available to listen to through Institute of the Middle Eastern Studies, King’s College London.
Listen to the lecture
6. On Teaching Gender and Islam in the Middle East
This interview explores Lila Abu Lughod’s interdisciplinary thinking and teaching in anthropology, gender studies, and Middle East studies. She reflects on the changing agenda for critical anthropology of gender and sexuality in the Middle East, noting the opportunities for successive generations of scholars to grow the field and further develop classroom approaches.
Read the interview
7. Art and coronavirus: Middle Eastern galleries to view on lockdown
Middle East Eye lists some of the Middle Eastern galleries that can be accessed online.
Read the article
8. Postdoctoral Research Fellow & Translator (Arabic Literary Theory & Poetics), University of Birmingham (UK)
Position Details
School of Languages, Cultures, Art History and Music; College of Arts and Law
Location: It is intended that the post holder will carry out the duties of this role remotely from their home country.
Full time starting salary will be in the range £30,942 to £36,914.
Grade 7
Full Time (part time applications and/or splitting the position between two individuals will be considered)
Fixed term – 6 months, renewable for up to 36 months.
Closing date: June 9, 2020
Background
The Arabic Research Fellow will contribute to the creation of knowledge relating to Islamic poetics by undertaking a specified range of activities, including in particular translation of classical Arabic works of literary theory and criticism into English, as part of the contribution to the ERC funded project ‘Global Literary Theory: Caucasus Literatures Compared (GlobalLIT)’. The postholder will work from their home country, yet will have the benefits of a UK position, including library access and optional pension contributions. Proficiency in translating from classical Arabic will be determined by a timed test. Although this is intended as a full-time position for a single person, part time applications and/or splitting the position between two individuals will be considered.
Summary of Role
- Translation into English of classic texts of Arabic poetics and literary theory
- Assist with compilation of anthology comprising primary sources of literary theory and poetics in the literatures of the Islamic world translated into English
- Coordinate with project team and assist with Arabic-related issues in Persian and Turkic texts being translated
- Gather Arabic texts and manuscripts that will enrich the anthology and related project outputs
- Analyse and interpret research findings and results (as needed, and on request from the Principal Investigator, PI)
Main Duties
The responsibilities include the duties outlined below.
- Translation from Arabic into English of texts selected by the Principal Investigator (PI)
- Assist GlobalLIT team members in translating Arabic passages that occur in Persian and Turkic texts
- Coordinate with the GlobalLIT team in the development of a methodology for translating the classical works on rhetoric and poetics from the Islamic world
- Assist with the dissemination of project results to the Arab world and in Arabic
- Help with obtaining books and relevant research materials relating to Arabic balagha
- Help with coordination, support, and administration of tasks related to the project as needed and determined by the PI, including providing periodic reports on request
- Help with finalizing project outputs, as needed and determined by the PI
- Frequent and timely communication by email and other remote modes of communication as needed and determined by the PI
Person Specification
- PhD in Translation Studies, Arabic Studies, Islamic Studies, or Comparative Literature
- Extensive knowledge of Arabic literary theory and poetics (‘ilm al-balagha)
- Expertise in translating texts from classical Arabic
- Fluency in English and familiarity with Anglophone rhetorical norms and knowledge of Anglophone poetics
- Native or near-native Arabic and familiarity with the world of contemporary Arabic publishing will be an asset
- Preferred but not required: publications in the area of literary interactions in pre-modern Middle East
- Preferred but not required: fluency/advanced reading knowledge of classical Persian and/or Ottoman Turkish or another literary language of the Islamic world
- Ability to synthesize research findings
- Attention to detail, as manifested by the ability to incorporate feedback, and to generate charts and tables to deal with challenges arising in the team’s translation work
- Knowledge of poetry (including various metrical systems)
- Expertise in critical theory and/or in the field of Translation Studies
- Understanding of and ability to contribute to broader management/administration processes
- Co-ordinate own work with others to avoid conflict or duplication of effort
*Proficiency in translating from classical Arabic will be determined by a timed test
Queries can be directed to Ann Evans, Project Coordinator, at a.p.evans@bham.ac.uk
Please apply through this page:
9. Oklahoma State University – Postdoctoral Researcher in Medieval Middle Eastern History
The History Department at Oklahoma State University invites applications for a full-time postdoctoral researcher position in medieval Middle Eastern history, to be held for one year, beginning August 2020. Prior research focus is open within the period 600-1500 CE and the region of the Middle East. Ph.D. required at time of employment.
To apply, please arrange for a cover letter, a CV, two letters of recommendation, and an academic writing sample demonstrating precise use of textual sources to be uploaded to http://apply.interfolio.com/76035 To ensure full consideration, application must be received by June 5, 2020, although the position will remain open until filled.
http://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=60124
10. IHF: Highlighting the Qajar Period
The Qajar period is perhaps not as widely known to the general public as other periods of Iran’s history, but in October 1998 one of the first exhibitions on the arts of this period, Royal Persian Paintings: the Qajar Epoch, 1785-1925, was organised at the Brooklyn Museum in New York, curated by Layla Diba. The following year, the exhibition travelled to London under the auspices of the Iran Heritage Foundation, and took place at SOAS (6 July – 30 September, 1999). It included over a hundred objects, such as paintings, manuscripts and works on paper, including loans from Iran. The exhibition at SOAS was accompanied by several conferences and events sponsored by IHF.
London was the only venue outside of the USA for this groundbreaking exhibition, which generated the subsequent interest in the arts of the 18th and 19th century Iran. Two decades later, in March 2018, the first major exhibition in continental Europe dedicated to Qajar art opened at the Louvre-Lens, entitled The Rose Empire: Masterpieces of Persian Art from the 19th Century. You can watch this guide to the exhibition by curator Gwenaëlle Fellinger (in French), as well as this report in Persian, and read this article written by Dr Sussan Babaie. This impressive exhibition was part of an important cultural exchange between the Louvre and the National Museum of Iran and opened simultaneously with The Louvre in Tehran, a major exhibition, which retraced the creation of the Louvre’s collections and included some of its masterpieces. This exhibition, organised in partnership with IHF, coincided with the 80th anniversary of the National Museum of Iran.
- May 30, 2020
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Bahrain and COVID-19
Bahrain and the politics of COVID-19 – Responsible Statecraft
According to Johns Hopkins University, as of May 22, 2020, Bahrain has registered 8,000 positive cases of the coronavirus, with 12 deaths. The reported numbers are suspect, especially as Bahrain’s neighbors report much higher totals of positive cases- Saudi Arabia more than 67,000, Qatar over 40,000, the UAE over 26,000, and Kuwait more than 19,000.
- May 29, 2020
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – ADHRB: Profiles in Persecution: Ali Husain AlTaraifi
Profiles in Persecution: Ali Husain AlTaraifi – Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain
Ali is a high school student in Jidhafs Secondary Industrial School for Boys, and he is a former volleyball player at the Bani Jamra Club. Ali was arrested several times, sometimes multiple times in one day; on 13 February 2014, when only 12, he was severely beaten by police. At …
- May 26, 2020
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1. Arab American Newspapers Project
Fully searchable database, beta version
https://lebanesestudies.ncsu.edu/YourStory/newspapers.php
2. Discover Egypt’s Monuments
Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
https://egymonuments.gov.eg/en/#
3. ASMEA Research Grant Deadline May 30, 2020
The Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA) is pleased to announce it will offer its Research Grant Program once again! The program is in conjunction with the ASMEA Thirteenth Annual Conference being held November 19 – 21, 2020 in Washington D.C.
Grants of up to $2500 will be awarded to successful applicants with topics that relate to one of the five qualifying subject areas: Minorities and Women, Military History, Governance and Economy, Faith, and Iran.
The program is designed to stimulate new and diverse lines of discourse about the Middle East and Africa. For more information on qualifications and how to apply, visit here.
The deadline to apply is May 30, 2020.
Questions can be directed to info@asmeascholars.org.
4. The Association for Middle East Children and Youth Studies Association
invites nominations for the 2020 AMECYS Book Award
The AMECYS is a private, non-profit, international association for scholars with an interest in the study of children and youth in the Middle East, North Africa and their diasporic communities. Through interdisciplinary programs, publications, and services, AMECYS promotes innovative scholarship, facilitates global academic exchange, and enhances public understanding about Middle Eastern children and youth in diverse times and places.
The AMECYS Book Award was established in 2019 to recognize an outstanding contribution on the study of children and youth in the Middle East, North Africa and their diasporic communities.
Nominations for the award can be made by either the publisher or the author. There is no limit on the number of titles that authors or publishers may submit, given they meet the following criteria:
- Books must be non-fiction, scholarly monographs based on original research and published in English.
- Books must have been published in the last three years (copyright date of 2017, 2018, 2019).
- The authors of the books need to be AMECYS members in good standing.
- The subject matter must deal with the study of children and youth – broadly defined – in the Middle East, North Africa and their diasporic communities.
- Works not eligible include edited collections and compilations, proceedings of symposia, new editions of previously published books, bibliographies, dictionaries, textbooks, fiction, translated books, and surveys.
- Nominations must be made by June 30, 2020for books to be eligible for the competition.
The author of the AMECYS Award will receive $300 and a certificate of award. In the event of co-winners, prize money will be divided evenly among the winners. Honorable mentions also receive a certificate of award. Winners will be announced at the AMECYS Member Meeting at the 54th MESA Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. The results will also be posted on the AMECYS and MESA website and in other publications as deemed appropriate by AMECYS.
One hard copy of the nominated book should be mailed to each the three reviewers listed below, along with the address, phone number, and e-mail of the author. Acknowledgment of receipt will be made via e-mail.
*** No additional materials will be considered as part of the submission.
Reviewers
- Leyla Neyzi
Department of History, University of Glasgow
Mail Address:
Leyla Neyzi
52 Airlie Street Flat 2/1
Glasgow G12 9SN
Lanarkshire, Scotland
United Kingdom
- Shahram Khosravi
Department of Social Anthropology, Stockholm University
Mail address:
Shahram Khosravi
Department of Social Anthropology
Stockholm University
106 91 Stockholm
Sweden
- Nancy Stockdale
Department of History, University of North Texas
Mail address:
Nancy Stockdale
3520 Meadowtrail Lane
Denton, TX 76207 USA
5. POSTPONED: Fourth “European Convention on Turkic, Ottoman and Turkish Studies“ (Turkologentag 2020), University of Mainz, 16-18 September 2020
The conference is organized by the Society for Turkic, Ottoman and Turkish Studies (GTOT) in co-operation with the Chair of Turcology of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and addresses the domains of language, literature, history, culture, society, politics, and philology of the Turks and the Turkic peoples. Due to the Corona crisis the conference has been postponed until 24-26 March 2021.
Information: http://www.turkologentag-2020.de
6. International Seminar: “Anti-Migration Politics and Islamic Ethics: Nationalism, Discrimination, Securitization and Vulnerable Groups”, Research Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics (CILE), Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, 20-22 September 2020 (or online)
This seminar aims to explore the current growing hostilities towards migrants, asylum seekers and refugees around the world from the perspectives of Islamic ethical principles, legal and political challenges. Papers should have some empirical content and analysis along with reflections on Islamic ethical principles.
Deadline for abstracts extended to 10 June 2020. Information: https://www.cilecenter.org/resources/news/call-papers-anti-migration-politics-islamic-ethics-nationalism-discrimination
7. 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.
Information: https://networks.h-net.org/user/login?destination=node/5782352
8. PhD Position in Sociology/Gender Studies on Islamic Veiling, University of Lausanne
This study is entitled “Shaping the legal consciousness of intersectional subjects: accommodating, negotiating and contesting regulations on Islamic veiling in France, Switzerland and the U.K.”. Qualifications: MA in Social Sciences and/or gender studies; practical experience with qualitative research methods and analysis; good knowledge of and/or proficiency in German; working language will be English or French.
Deadline for applications: 15 June 2020. Information: https://career5.successfactors.eu/career?career_ns=job_listing&company=universitdP&navBarLevel=JOB_SEARCH&rcm_site_locale=en_US&career_job_req_id=15924&selected_lang=en_US&jobAlertController_jobAlertId=&jobAlertController_jobAlertName=&_s.crb=pGq9/kxpCpVQSXzT9gc+nfcNy8Y=
9. Research Associate / Fellow in Forced Marriage and Modern Slavery, Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Nottingham
The recent PhD graduate will survey and analyse international and domestic on forced marriage from around the world and will build a new global database of law, policy, and practice relating to forced marriage. Applications are welcome from across the globe and different cultures, ethnicities and beliefs.
Deadline for applications: 8 June 2020. Information: https://socioloxy.com/research-associate-fellow-in-forced-marriage-and-modern-slavery,i6796.html
10. MENACS Online Workshop for PhD Candidates Working on MENA-related Topics, 29 June 2020, 2.00-5.00pm
In this workshop the presentations should be 5-10 minutes and will be followed by a short Q&A session and feedback from a panel of multidisciplinary experts in the MENACS Committee.
Deadline for registration: 25 June 2020. Information: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSejyFTkSqLOPLpAdGdZIIX3-LUiRMiG6-ndb7jLPHb2gHGWYQ/viewform
11. Chapters for Edited Book on “Music and Society of Modern Iran” (Ilex, Harvard University Press)
Contributions are invited on the topics of (1) the popular music of Tehran in the 1950s-70s period, including performers like Mahvash, Aghasi and Soosan, (2) pre-revolutionary pop, psychedelic or rock music, (3) post-revolutionary Iranian pop music, and (4) post-revolutionary hip hop, rock, or alternative music. Edited by Nahid Siamdoust and Houchang Chehabi.
Deadline for abstracts: 31 May 2020. Information: nahid.siamdoust@yale.edu
12. New Series of Blogs on the Impact of the COVID-19 Crisis on the MENA Region, Middle East and North Africa Centre at Sussex (MENACS)
The first article deals with “Palestine under Lockdown: What`s New?”
For further information see http://www.sussex.ac.uk/menacs/partnerships
13. The latest issues of International Journal of Islamic Architecture (IJIA), is 9.2 (June 2020). This is the eighteenth issue of a bi-annually published peer-reviewed journal on architecture, urban design, planning, and landscape architecture. IJIA aims to encourage dialogue between practitioners and scholars and enhance appreciation for the urban heritage in the region and pioneering design work. The journal is committed to inviting new research on understudied topics and reaching out to a broad international readership.
This volume is a special issue that explores the theme ‘Field as Archive/Archive as Field’, organized by Eray Çaylı (Guest Editor) and co-edited with Emily Neumeier (In-House Editor). It includes an introductory editorial essay, seven articles from academics and practicing architects addressing the special topic from numerous angles and approaches, book and exhibition reviews, and conference précis. A complete table of contents for this issue can be found here: https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/intellect/ijia/2020/00000009/00000002
In September 2019, IJIA received the Mohamed Makiya Prize for Architecture 2019, also known as the Middle Eastern Architectural Personality of the Year Award, from the Tamayouz Excellence Awards, in recognition of the journal’s nearly ten years of publishing academic work on historical and contemporary architecture in the Islamic world and beyond. Subscriptions to IJIA are available in print and online: https://www.intellectbooks.com/international-journal-of-islamic-architecture
14. The National Library of Qatar is hosting on-line manuscript conservation sessions with experts from the Al-Abbas Holy Shrine Library in Iraq (in Arabic).
June 8&9, 2020, 10:00-11:30 am (Qatar time). Please use the link below to register for the event.
https://events.qnl.qa/event/nKRAv/AR
https://events.qnl.qa/event/nKRAv/EN
Stephane IPERT, Qatar National Library, sipert@qnl.qa
- May 26, 2020
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – SABS and Partners Eid Tribute to NHS and Frontline Workers
SABS and Partners Eid Tribute 2020
24th May 2020 The Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society joins with partners and associates across Scotland, on the blessed occasion of Eid Al Fitr, to pay tribute and extend our gratitude to the NHS and all frontline workers. Eid Al Fitr marks the end of the holy month of fasting; the Month of Ramadan – a time for charity, kindness and reflection.
- May 25, 2020
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1.Largest Collection of Persian Art in Moscow
(State Museum of Oriental Art)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evY_9zBJRzo
Unique collection of Persian Art at the Russia’s State Museum of Oriental Art in Moscow (Produced by BBC Persian’s Pejman Akbarzadeh + An interview with Polina Korotchikova, Middle Eastern Art Curator)
2. The Program for the Study of Religion based at the Department of Literature within the Division of Arts and Humanities at UC San Diego (https://religion.ucsd.edu), is committed to academic excellence and diversity within the faculty, staff, and student population.
We are seeking applicants for temporary lecturer position for Religion 189, a seminar with an intensive analytical-critical focus on the study of religion and politics in Spring 2021.
Religion 189 is an upper-division seminar that introduces students to perennial and contemporary topics related to the relationship between religion and politics from a range of historical and social contexts. Emphasis will be placed on institutional and informal practices related to pluralism, secularism and public religion, with a particular focus on how these themes play out in both local and translocal contexts. Religion 189 provides an in-depth examination of a variety of issues related to institutional religion and state power; diverse practices of religion and established legal norms; study of religion in the public sphere and its political implications both nationally and globally.
The candidate should be capable of teaching in religious studies courses remotely and demonstrate excellence in teaching, as well as professional recognition. We will be paying particular attention to those candidates who are able to teach a course on Zoroastrian religion within this framework.
Qualifications include Ph.D. or ABD in religious studies and strong or potential accomplishment in areas contributing to diversity, equity and inclusion, and in advancing UC San Diego’s commitment to achieving excellence and diversity.
The full list of religion courses can be found on the online catalogue http://religion.ucsd.edu/undergraduate/courses/index.html. Salary is based on qualification and UC pay scale. Proof of authorization to work in the U.S. will be required prior to and through the employment period (Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1985).
3. Six doctoral positions, University of Vienna
Vienna Doctoral School of Historical and Cultural Studies, University of Vienna, October 1, 2020 – September 30, 2023
Application deadline: Jun 5, 2020
Six fully funded doctoral positions
The newly established Vienna Doctoral School of Historical and Cultural Studies (SHCS) invites applications from excellent doctoral candidates who intend to pursue their PhD in a vibrant, international academic environment at the University of Vienna.
Currently, the SHCS comprises 80 faculty members and 230 doctoral students. It offers a unique combination of a broad range of interrelated programs in historical and cultural studies (see more at SHCS.univie.ac.at) and provides well structured support and top level specialist supervision to enhance your excellence in research and provide you with outstanding international visibility.
We invite applications for one of our seven research clusters to begin your doctoral studies in the Winter Semester 2020.
– Ancient, Byzantine and Medieval Studies
– East European and Eurasian Studies
– Archeology and Material Culture
– Art History and Visual Culture
– Social and Economic Spaces
– State, Politics, Governance in Historical Perspective
– Women’s and Gender History
To apply, you must hold an MA or equivalent degree. Please send an outline of your research project (15.000 characters), a CV, reference letters by two senior scholars, and a statement, why you would like to join the cluster of your choice. Applications will be accepted until June 5th, 2020. You will be informed about the outcome of your application by September 6, 2020. The semester begins October 1st, 2020
The successful applicants’ primary task will be to complete a PhD degree. Active involvement in the activities of the SHCS is expected, while participation in relevant graduate courses offered at Vienna University is required. You will conduct courses and you will participate in the evaluation and quality assurance of the school. The salary is corresponds to the collective agreement for Universities and is limited to a duration of three years. In addition, travel and publication funds are partly available upon application and depending on budget restrictions. Successful applicants will be employed as University Assistant (prae doc). Their contract will run for 3 years and comes with full social security and health insurance benefits. No extra housing allowance will be provided.
Further Information:
English:
German:
4. Online Documentary Film Program and Debate
Religious Healing and Sacred Health Curing
The Network of the Anthropology of the Middle East and Central Eurasia (AMCE)
The Network of the Anthropology of the Middle East and Central Eurasia (AMCE) of the European Association of Social Anthropologists (EASA), will organise a new series of online biweekly documentary film presentations regarding “religious healing and sacred health curing” from June 2020.
During our current complex situation caused by COVID-19, this program should be considered a unique platform for specialists of the field in which they will be able to watch collectively documentary films which in one way or another discuss the role of religion, religious rituals, sacred sites and material religion in religious healing and sacred health curing. The film presentations will be continued by a debate between the moderator, filmmakers and the specialists of the field.
1- Our program is open to all religions, rituals, and related topics and there is no limit for the date of production;
2- If you are aware of such documentary films which would be suitable for this program, please contact the moderator to provide the name of the film, the filmmaker and the related e-mail address. Films should be subtitled in English and open access to all for a period of 24 hours prior to the presentation;
3- If you are interested in participating in this initiative as an audience member, a filmmaker, or a discussant, please contact the moderator;
4- While films will be presented online and based on the platforms that filmmakers will provide for watching them (individuals registered to the program), the general debate will be organised via zoom (individuals registered to the program);
5- With the agreement of filmmakers and discussants, the online debates and discussions will be recorded to be used as open access resources for further academic research.
Those who are interested in being part of this program can contact Dr. P. Khosronejad (P.Khosronejad@westernsydney.edu.au ).
5. Open Access Journal :
Ilāhīyāt-i taṭbīqī = Comparative Theology = Journal of Comparative Theology
Published : Isfahan, Iran : Dānishgāh-i Iṣfahān,
Date: 2010-
ISSN 2322-3421
In Persian and English
6. Arab Americans in Film: From Hollywood and Egyptian Stereotypes to Self-Representation
Waleed F. Mahdi
Syracuse University Press
Paper 9780815636816
Hardcover 9780815636717
eBook 9780815654964
Summer 2020
https://press.syr.edu/supressbooks/2977/arab-americans-in-film/
7. Online workshop 7: “Searching for premodern pandemics: the plague in African History”
IFRA-NIGERIA ONLINE WORKSHOPS PROGRAMME
As you may know, in accordance with the latest government statement regarding measures to contain the COVID-19 virus, IFRA-Nigeria’s offices are closed until further notice, library included. However, IFRA’s team has come up with alternative solutions to continue its training activities.
We are hosting a series of online events using Facebook Live as a platform.
7TH ONLINE WORKSHOP: “SEARCHING FOR PRE-MODERN PANDEMICS: THE PLAGUE IN AFRICAN HISTORY”
This seventh online workshop on “Searching for pre-modern pandemics: the plague in African History” will be facilitated by Prof Gerard Chouin (William&Mary, USA). It will be held on Tuesday 26th of May 2020 at 7pm (Nigerian time) on our Facebook page.
/!\ This week workshop is held at 7pm (Nigerian time) / 1pm (EDT) because Prof Gerard Chouin is based in the USA. /!\
What is the workshop about?
In this era of Covid-19, how not to think of past diseases, healing processes, and pandemics in Africa? During this workshop, Prof Gerard Chouin will address theoretical and methodological issues about the history of diseases, medicine, health, and healing in premodern Africa, a broad yet understudied field in African history, dominated as it is by colonial and postcolonial studies.
First, he will revisit the African conceptualization of the term ‘disease.’ To do so, and he will build on classic anthropological-historical works by pioneers like John Janzen, Eric de Rosny, and, more recently, Clapperton Chakanetsa Mavhunga. Secondly, he will survey different possible methods to build a history of health and medicine in tropical Africa between the 15th and the 18th century and engage with the question of the so-called ‘disease burden’ which, according to many authors, would have characterized Tropical Africa. Finally, he will discuss the plague hypothesis, which suggests that sub-Saharan Africa was not spared by the infamous ‘Black Death’ or second pandemic of plague which struck Western Europe in 1347, and remained an enduring feature of the epidemiological landscape until the 19th century. Prof Chouin will describe the methodological approach used in a series of four papers published in December 2018, using archaeological, documentary, and biological sources. He will also resituate new questions and methodological insights currently emerging from the HIATUS informal research group on the plague in premodern Africa in the context of the new paradigm in Black Death Studies that emerged out of research in genetics over the past decade and a half.
How to participate?
It is pretty easy, everybody can participate:
- Like IFRA-Nigeria’s Facebook Page
- Click on the link to watch the live on Tuesday 26th of May at 7pm (Nigerian time).
- You have the possibility to comment during the live. Please only ask relevant questions in line with the discussion.
- Toward the end of the session, there is an opportunity for a short Q&A session where the facilitator, Prof Gerard Chouin will pick up from the comments and answers the questions live.
- May 23, 2020
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – ‘Persian Poetry, Sufism and Ismailism’ – S. Virani
Persian Poetry, Sufism and Ismailism: The Testimony of Khwājah Qāsim Tushtarī’s Recognizing God | Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society | Cambridge Core
Abstract Khwājah Qāsim Tushtarī’s recently discovered Recognizing God (Maʿrifat-i Khudāy taʿālā) is one of the only texts known to have survived from the early Alamūt period of Ismaili Muslim history. This article analyses the work in the context of the “new Invitation” (daʿwat-i jadīd) to the Ismaili faith that al-Shahrastānī (d.
- May 22, 2020
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – ‘Young British Iraqi Shii in London’ – Z. Ali
Being a young British Iraqi Shii in London: exploring diasporic cultural and religious identities between Britain and Iraq
Relying on an ethnographic research conducted both in the UK and Iraq, this article explores issues of cultural and religious identities among London-based young British Iraqi Shiis. Using Stuart Hall’s notions of ‘articulation’ and ‘new ethnicities’, I analyse how different realities and experiences of space and class shape young British Iraqi Shiis self-identification in relation to socio-political, religious and ethnic belongings.
- May 21, 2020
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – ‘Be(com)ing British Muslim’, Webinar, 21 May (UK Time)
Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Be(com)ing British Muslim: Building Identity Across the Divide(s). After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.
While Muslim communities in Britain are arguably under greater scrutiny than ever, there remains a dearth of understanding regarding issues of minority representation and diversity among Muslims from different branches of Islam. In the face of reported rising intra-communal antagonism, and against the backdrop of ongoing sectarian tension in the Middle East, there is a pressing need for more nuanced understandings of the Muslim community in the UK.
- May 19, 2020
- by Andrew Newman
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Shii News – Academic Items
1.Postponed: Seventh Conference of the School of Mamlūk Studies, scheduled to be held in Nicosia, Cyprus, July 2–4, 2020, will be postponed, not cancelled. All being well, the conference will be held in the same location July 1–3, 2021. The accompanying intensive course will be held June 28–30, 2021, and the trip to visit Famagusta will follow the end of the conference on July 4, 2021.
More information will be available on the official website of the SMS: https://mamluk.uchicago.edu/school-of-mamluk-studies.html.
2. ‘Why Religious People Support Ethnic Insurgency? Kurds, Religion and Support for the PKK’
E. Karakoc, Z. Sarigil
3. Digitised East India Company ships’ journals and related records
British Library
4. Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute for Islamic Theology:
(Contact Persons: Prof. Mira Sievers / Prof. Serdar Kurnaz)
Two PhD positions, limited to three years
Application deadline: 02.06.2020
- https://www.personalabteilung.hu-berlin.de/de/stellenausschreibungen/research-assistant-all-genders-welcome-with-1-2-part-time-employment-e-13-tv-l-hu-for-a-limited-period-of-3-years
- https://www.personalabteilung.hu-berlin.de/de/stellenausschreibungen/research-assistant-all-genders-welcome-with-1-2-part-time-employment-e-13-tv-l-hu-for-a-limited-period-of-3-years-1
5. Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main, Institute for the Study of Islamic Culture and Religion:
(Contact Person: Prof. Rana Alsoufi)
Two research fellow positions, limited to two years
Application deadline (extended): 29.05.2020
6. Ristow Prize in the history of cartography–June 1, 2020 deadline
Students of the history of cartography are invited to submit papers for the 2020 Ristow Prize competition. Undergraduate, graduate, and first-year postdoctoral students of any nationality are eligible to compete. Papers must be in English, not exceeding 7500 words, and should be submitted digitally as a PDF document to kaparker18th@gmail.com by 1 June 2020. Appropriate illustrations, especially maps, are encouraged. The winning essay will receive a cash prize of $1000 USD and will be published in The Portolan, the journal of the Washington Map Society. The prize, named in honor of the late Dr. Walter W. Ristow, is sponsored by the Washington Map Society of Washington, D. C. For more information, including a list of previous winners, go to the website www.WashMapSociety.org or contact Dr. Katherine Parker at kaparker18th@gmail.com.
7. The University of Hamburg’s Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures and Islamic Painted Page are happy to announce the launch of a new online facility, specifically to assist Qur’an manuscript scholars and researchers.
The database at www.islamicpaintedpage.com now has a new “Qur’an Details” search page, which allows scholars to search among 4,700 detailed entries for historically interesting Qur’an pages, spanning 110 collections from all over the world, and representing all eras and all places of production. Using this facility, scholars can make specialist searches for terms including
- Qur’an page description (type of illumination, decoration or binding),
- Qur’an type (fragment, Juz etc.),
- Qur’an Sura reference,
- Script (kufic, naskh, etc.),
- Number of lines per page,
- Page size (height and width),
- Qur’an name (e.g. Oljaytu’s Baghdad Qurʼan), and
- Calligrapher name.
This is in addition to all the standard search parameters such as date and place of production, holding collection, accession number and folio, and full publication details. The data covers items published online as well as in print and includes bindings. Search results include images for about 20% of the entries.
Meanwhile the website’s existing “Main search” page remains unchanged and now offers access to all 48,000 entries in the site’s overall database, which covers published Islamic manuscript miniatures, illuminations, bindings and other painted works, as well as the Qur’an entries, from over 300 collections worldwide. At present the site is able to display images for about 50% of the overall database, and supportive item-specific links are also provided to VIAF, WORLDCAT and FIHRIST.
The Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures aims to enable the continued development of the Islamic Painted Page database, and the site is hosted and supported by the University of Hamburg. We hope that the new facility will assist Qur’an scholars and their work. We also invite and warmly welcome feedback as well as any suggestions for future developments,
Stephen Serpell
Islamic Painted Page & Research Associate,
Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC),
University of Hamburg
e-Mail: stephen.serpell@uni-hamburg.de
8. Qur’anic Matters, Material Mediations and Religious Practice in Egypt
N. Suit
Qur’anic Matters spans the time between two important technological shifts-the introduction of printed Qur’anic books in Egypt in the early nineteenth century and the digitization of the Qur’an almost two centuries later. Throughout, Natalia Suit weaves together the theological, legal, economic, and social “presences” of the Qur’anic books into a single account. She argues that the message and the materiality of the object are not separate from each other, nor are they separate from the human bodies with which they come in contact.
9. OPEN CALL FOR BOOK CHAPTER CONTRIBUTIONS
Handbook on Islamic Environmental Law
Editors: Nadia Ahmad, Saba Kareemi, and Oluwakemi Ayanleye
Islamic Environmental Law is simultaneously a classical legal framework and contemporary approach for environmental protection, human rights, and an earth-centered jurisprudence. This area of the law, while nascent in many respects, but developed in others, may be able to reconcile many global environmental challenges and corporate disputes; disputes that emerge from human and commercial interactions with nature along with the tensions between the Global North and Muslim-majority countries in the Global South due to scarce natural resources.
The book develops the synergies between Islamic Law, Environmental Law, and Corporate Social Responsibility to situate the concern of environmental degradation looking at regional, transboundary and global disputes between the state, corporate actors, and stakeholders. This book will lay the foundations of Islamic thought related to environmental protection, air quality control, and water rights. Through the lens of environmental law, the work will broaden the framework for Islamic law and critique political and economic dynamics in Muslim-majority countries that give rise to increased levels of environmental toxicity, hazardous waste, water stress, and rampant extractivism. This collection examines these concerns in terms of rigidities and interdependencies, between competing claims to resources, rights and responsibilities, strategy and governance, between state and corporate actors, and the implications for equity and the common good over the long term.
The book explores three jurisprudential features of classical Islamic thought and integrates them with a contemporary formulation for environmental protection: 1) Taharah – Cleanliness of the Earth; 2) Hurmah – Sanctity of Life; and 3) Waqf – Endowed Future. The majority of research on Islamic Environmental Law has thus far focused on the field as the unit of analysis, set within a developed Islamic Law framework. Less examined is the ongoing debate within Muslim-majority countries in the Global South (on pragmatic and ideological grounds) about whether environmental legal constructs are a function of an Earth-centered approach to jurisprudence. There is a desire for self-determination and sovereignty, which is wedged between the harnessing and extracting of scarce human, natural, and financial resources, and a desire to contextualize the responsibilities and duties of Investor and Host Nations in the Islamic Environmental Law framework.
There is also a desire to consider the significance of stakeholders in the national and subnational legal constructs as agents of environmental innovation, compliance, and enforcement. To what extent have faith-based approaches to environmental protection worked to achieve and enhance efforts at sustainability? What is the possibility of Islamic Environmental Law as an alternative legal framework to aspire to sustainability?
This book will be a valuable resource to researchers, professors, lecturers, practitioners, postgraduate and final year undergraduates in environmental studies, environmental law, international relations, area studies, business strategy, international business and international management, public sector policy and management, international development, political economy. It is also suitable for more specialist courses on sustainability, corporate responsibility, governance, international development, Islamic law, water law, and transboundary disputes.
We seek contributions that provide theoretical and empirical perspectives on these issues from scholars around the globe, in any relevant discipline and at any career stage.
Handbook is organized by section, around the following key topics:
1) A Historico-Legal Trajectory of Islamic Environmental Law
2) Challenging Existing Environmental Law Paradigm
3) Reconciling Islamic Customs and Norms
4) Corporate Actors and Sustainability for a Faith-Based Approach
Authors’ Instructions
Interested colleagues are requested to submit extended abstracts of 400-500 words by June 15, 2020. Please indicate which of the sections above you see as the best fit for your contribution. Contributions should be no more than 8,000 words. Please direct all submissions to nahmad@barry.edu.
Decisions regarding abstracts will be communicated by late June 2020.
Timeline for completion of papers:
- First draft of papers due by September 2020
- Final revised pieces received and edited late 2020
- Plan to submit final manuscript in spring 2021
10. MESA Undergraduate Research Workshop of the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA), Washington, DC, 10 October 2020
The workshop is an opportunity for students in any academic discipline with a focus on the Middle East to present their research in conjunction with MESA’s annual meeting.
Deadline for abstracts: 1 June 2020. Information: https://mesana.org/annual-meeting/undergraduate-workshop
11. 5th Annual International Conference of the Gulf Studies Centre: “Social Change in the Gulf Societies in the 21st Century, Qatar University, 11–12 November 2020
This conference aims to explore the role of economic transformation, education, social media, migration, and urbanization in the social changes in the Gulf societies, with a focus on their directions, magnitudes, and relevant policy options.
Deadline for abstracts extended: 30 June 2020. Information: http://www.qu.edu.qa/research/gulfstudies-center/events/Social-Change-in-the-Gulf-Societies-in-the-21st-Century
12. Two Workshops on „Jews in the Muslim World: Histories, Memories, and Narratives“, Penn State (February 2021) and Ben Gurion University (June 2021)
Proposals are invited on histories, memories, and narratives about Jews in the Middle East in the 20th and 21st centuries in order to counter the broad narratives that lament the end of Jewish existence in the Middle East and the Muslim World and promote a one-dimensional understanding of the Jewish experience in the recent century and a half.
Deadline for abstracts: 30 June 2020. Information: https://networks.h-net.org/node/73374/announcements/6151424/jews-muslim-world-histories-memories-and-narratives
13. 7th Regional Conference of the Central Eurasian Studies Society (CESS), University of World Economy and Diplomacy, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, 24-27 June 2021
We invite submissions relating to all aspects of humanities and social science scholarship. The geographic domain of Central Eurasia encompasses Central Asia, the Caucasus, Iran, Afghanistan, Tibet, Mongolia, Siberia, Inner Asia, the Black Sea region, the Volga region, and East and Central Europe.
Deadline for abstracts: Early 2021. Information: https://www.centraleurasia.org/conferences/regional/
14. Professor (W1, Tenure Track) of the History of the Medieval Middle East and the Mediterranean (7th-15th Century), University of Tübingen
Requirements: Completed doctorate which demonstrates potential for outstanding publications in leading international journals; teaching experience; ability to read historical sources in at least two different languages (Greek, Arabic, Syrian, Persian, Coptic, etc.).
Deadline for applications: 29 June 2020. Information: https://mailchi.mp/mediterraneanseminar/job-history-of-the-medieval-middle-east-and-the-mediterranean-tbingen?e=82aeb6c61d
15. Fellowships for Research about Oman, Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center
The fellowship is open to PhD candidates and university academics who are US citizens or affiliated with an American university, and funds one scholar or team of scholars to carry out research in Oman each year. The fellowship awards up to $51,000 for the fellow or team of fellows.
Deadline for applications: 15 September 2020.
Information: https://www.sqcc.org/Scholarships-0024-Fellowships/Research-Fellowship-Program.aspx
16. Posts:
Lecturers in Middle East and South Asia Studies, University of California Davis
The Middle East/South Asia Studies Program seeks instructors for lecturer positions in the broad areas of Middle East studies and South Asia studies, pending administrative approval and funding, for the academic year 2020-2021. Demonstrated experience in teaching and advanced degree in the specific language or related discipline is desirable.
Deadline for applications: 22 May 2020.
Information: https://professorpositions.com/lecturer-in-middle-east-south-asia-studies,i9140.html
Lecturers in Arabic, Hebrew and Persian, University of California Davis
Demonstrated experience in teaching and advanced degree in the specific language or related discipline is desirable.
Deadline for applications: 22 May 2020.
Information: https://professorpositions.com/lecturer-in-middle-east-south-asia-languages,i9032.html
Lecturer in Turkish Language, University of California Los Angeles
The candidate must have experience teaching Turkish language courses at the university level. A Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages or related field is required.
Deadline for applications: 1 June 2020.
Information: https://professorpositions.com/lecturer-in-turkish-language,i8989.html
Eastern Armenian Language Lecturer, University of California Los Angeles
The candidate must have experience teaching Armenian language courses at the university level. A Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages or related field is required.
Deadline for applications: 1 June 2020.
Information: https://professorpositions.com/lecturer-in-eastern-armenian-language,i8988.html
17. Malcolm H. Kerr Dissertation Awards Offered by the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA)
Students completing their dissertations between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020 may submit entries for the 2020 Malcolm H. Kerr Dissertation Awards. Winner in each category (social sciences and humanities) is awarded $1000.
Submission deadline: 1 July 2020.
Information: https://mesana.org/awards/category/malcolm-h-kerr-dissertation-awards/kerr-guidelines
18. Graduate Student Article Prize of the “Women Historians of the Middle East (WHOME)“
Applications and nominations are invited for the annual prize for the best article about Middle Eastern history written by a female-identifying graduate student (Masters or PhD).
Deadline for applications: 1 July 2020. Information: https://networks.h-net.org/node/8378/discussions/6152822/whome-graduate-student-article-prize-call-applications-and
19. TOMidEast Summer School: “Understanding the Middle East: Dis(order) in the Middle East: Space, Power and Politics “, University of Torino, 22-27 June 2020
The aim is to critically deconstruct the relationship between space and politics by exploring the role they have played not only in redefining the boundaries of sovereignty and power, but also of socio-cultural and economic identities and assets.
Deadline for registration: 2 June 2020. Information: http://www.to-asia.it/to-mideast/
20. New Book Series “Worlding the Middle East“ (Stanford University Press)
Books in this series engage in three areas: Rule: Who rules, who is ruled, and how has this dynamic been contested over time? – Resilience: How do contemporary issues like climate, energy, and health shape social, economic, and political life? – Religion: How do religious perceptions and beliefs (or a lack thereof) shape social life throughout the region and around the world?
Information: https://cmes.berkeley.edu/worlding-middle-east-book-series
- May 19, 2020
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment