Archive for May 30th, 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