1. The Role of Islamic Coins in Reading the History of a Site: Baalbak and Beirut as example, by Dr. Hassan Akra (Lebanese University)
February, 11th (3h-4h PM CET, 4h-5h PM in Amman & Beirut)
https://www.ifporient.org/archaeology-mena/
Join next conference of Ifpo’s webinar “ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA FROM LATE ANTIQUITY TO THE OTTOMAN PERIOD. FIRST SERIES: LEBANON AND JORDAN”
Abstract
Coins have not only an economic function, as a medium of exchange, but also other relevant functions: for instance, they can be a propaganda instrument intended to propagate the ideology of a political or/and religious power in place. The economic aspect revealed through the material aspect of coins, namely their intrinsic value (weight and alloy), makes it possible to perceive the financial and monetary policy of a State at a specific moment in its history and reflects as well the vicissitudes and vagaries of the political or economic situation as it may appear at the time of the strike. However, the coins legend – « any inscription appearing on the obverse and/or reverse of a coin: a name, a title, an indication of the mint, value, a date, a religious motto or not …” (Dictionnaire de Numismatique 2001) – is also rich in information. Here we will focus mainly on these data and their evolution throughout the medieval period.
By crossing these data both with written sources (especially chronicles of historians of the time) and archaeological documentation, coins become a tool of great importance. On the one hand, they enable us to read the history of a site or a city: in this context, we will present here the history of Baalbek in medieval times through coins (636-1516). On the other hand, coin hoards will help to fill monetary and/or historical gaps on a very precise period: in this context, we will present the Abbasid hoard discovered in Beirut and the Crusaders hoard discovered in Sarepta/Sarfand.
Dr. Hassan Al-Akra holds a PhD in “Archeology, History and Documents” from Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (EPHE) in Paris. He is specialized in numismatic studies of the medieval period.
He is currently Assistant Professor at the Lebanese University, at the Department of Arts and Archeology, Faculty of Human Sciences, Section 3 – Tripoli. He is researcher at the National Museum of Beirut, where he is studying medieval coins (from Islamic and Crusaders periods) and co-director of the archaeological project at Abu-l-Hasan Fort, a fort of the Medieval period, in Sfaray/Jezzine. He is instructor at the Ministry of Tourism, where he teaches the course “Archeological sites” for the diploma in Tourist Guidance.
He published several articles about the political and religious change in the Middle East through the study of coins, and he has given many seminaries on cultural, historical and contemporary heritage of religious and historical sites and museums.
His books “L’Histoire de Baalbek à l’époque médiévale d’après les monnaies” (Presses de l’Ifpo) won the prize of “Medaille Drouin” from the French Academy and the Samir Shamma Prize from the British Museum in 2018.
Since 2018, he is the General Director of the Lebanese National Library.
2. ONLINE: 18th Annual Islamicate Graduate Students Association Conference on “What Does Race Have to Do with Religion? Racialization and Worldwide Islam”, UNC-Duke, 20-21 February 2020
Fields inclusive of, but not limited to: Religious Studies, Political Science, Sociology, History, Art History, Anthropology, Comparative Literature, Philosophy, Asian Studies, African American Studies, Geography, Women and Gender Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, American Studies, and African Studies.
3. ONLINE Discussion “Trans/Formations in Arabic Literary Theory: Prospects and Limits”, Columbia University, 19 March 2021, 10:00 am EST; First Session: 14-17 June 2021; Second Session: 14-17 October 2021
We invite scholars to explore a plethora of thematic issues tied to the challenges of mapping, reconstructing, and studying varied sets of Arabic literary theoretical frameworks with the aim of identifying cross-temporal and trans-local conceptualizations and terms for a genealogy of Arabic literary theory.
Information: https://icls.columbia.edu/news/cfp-transformations-of-arabic-literary-theory/
4. ONLINE Panel on “What Does Diaspora Mean in the 21st Century” during the “12th International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS 12)”, Kyoto, 24-27 August 2021
The conference will explore the meaning of diaspora in the 21st century. The diasporic discourse is at risk of becoming teleological as a means of articulation, and, thereby, masking the very real struggles that may only eventually produce collectiveness. Or, does this disavow any room for dynamics within diasporic studies? The globalisation also brings with it a whole new set of parameters for perspectives on belonging.
Information: https://networks.h-net.org/node/73374/announcements/6752090/icas-conference-diaspora-call-papers
5. Panel on “European Islam and the Emergence of New Religious and Political Authorities between the Local Dimension and Transnationalities” during the “Annual Conference of the European Academy of Religion”, Münster, 30 August – 2 September 2021
The papers, with sociological, anthropological, theological and historical approaches, discuss how new forms of authority undermine the traditional ones and redefine the transnational ties between Islamic communities in Europe and Islamic countries which through various mechanisms influence the construction of European Islam.
Deadline for abstracts: 28 February 2021. Information: Dr. Minoo Mirshahvalad (University of Turin), mmirshahvalad2@gmail.com
6. Workshop and Publication: “Islamic Legacy: Narratives East, West, South, North of the Mediterranean (1350-1750). A Thesaurus under Discussion”, University Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 7 September 2021
To achieve a comprehensive understanding of the relations between Christianity and Islam, the conference will especially discuss the following specific terms: Orient – Occident, Morgenland – Abendland, Doğu-Batı – Coexistence, Convivencia – Hybridity – Border-Frontier, Center – Periphery, Holy Land – Reconquista, Rückeroberung, Fetih.
Deadline for abstracts: 1 April 2021. Information: https://is-le.eu/calls/islamic-legacy-narratives-east-west-south-north-of-the-mediterranean-1350-1750-a-thesaurus-under-discussion/
7. ONLINE Workshop: “Rewiring the House of God: Religious Self-World Relations in the Digital Environment (Including Islam)”, Universities of Birmingham, Graz and Erfurt, 15-17 September 2021
The workshop will examine the mutually transformative relationship between digital technologies and contemporary modes of religiosity.
Deadline for abstracts: 1 March 2021. Information: https://www.uni-erfurt.de/en/max-weber-kolleg/kolleg/recent-news/translate-to-english-veranstaltungen/eventdetail/rewiring-the-house-of-god-religious-self-world-relations-in-the-digital-environment
8. Post-doctoral Research Fellow (3 Years, Focus “Age & Generation” in Historical Iran), Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient, Berlin
The research unit “Age & Generation” studies processes of reshaping inter-generational relations. The candidates must hold a PhD in history, anthropology, sociology, area studies, or cognate disciplines. Applications should preferably have a historical perspective.
Deadline for applications: 15 February 2021. Information: https://www.zmo.de/fileadmin/Karriere/Ausschreibung_Age_Gen_Postdoc_1.pdf
9. Academic Coordinator for Joint Project on Democratic Impulses in North Africa and the Middle East since the 19th Century, Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient, Berlin
Requirements: Above-average degree results (MA or equivalent) in the humanities or social sciences, ideally relating to West or North Africa. Very good German and English language skills; French skills desirable. Experience in academic management.
Deadline for applications: 16 February 2021. Information: https://www.zmo.de/fileadmin/Karriere/Ausschreibung_Academic-CoordinatorEZV_ZMO.pdf
10. Post-doctoral Researcher on the “European Qur’an”, Université de Nantes
To join the project “The European Qur’an: Islamic Scripture and European Culture and Religion (1150-1850)”. Requirements: 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 2021. Candidates should be fluent in English and French and have strong skills in other languages appropriate to their research topics. Some knowledge of and experience in digital humanities (e.g., XML-TEI) is welcome.
Deadline for applications: 31 March 2021. Information: https://euqu.eu/research-opportunities/
11. Lecturer in the History of the Middle East, SOAS University of London
The preferred candidate will be proficient in the regional languages relevant for their research, with a demonstrated openness to transnational and interdisciplinary approaches. We particularly welcome applicants working on histories of gender, migration, and the environment. The periodic focus is open.
Deadline for applications: 14 March 2021. Information: https://iismm.hypotheses.org/51899
12. Associate Director, Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies, Stanford University
Requirements: PhD strongly preferred; ability to develop program partnerships and funding sources; excellent oral, written, and analytical skills, exhibiting fluency in area of specialization; ability to oversee and direct staff; basic knowledge of managing budgets and developing financial plans.
Information: https://careersearch.stanford.edu/jobs/associate-director-abbasi-program-in-islamic-studies-11439
13. Appel à Candidatures 2021: Prix Michel Seurat, Sociétés contemporaines du Proche-Orient et du Maghreb
Ce programme vise à aider financièrement chaque année (15 000 € en 2021) un jeune chercheur, ressortissant d’un pays européen ou d’un pays du Proche-Orient ou du Maghreb, contribuant ainsi à promouvoir connaissance réciproque et compréhension entre la société française et le monde arabe.
Date limite de dépôt des candidatures : 15 avril 2021. Information : prix.michel-seurat@cnrs.fr.
14. Summer Programme: “Gender in Muslim Contexts”, Aga Khan University London, 28 June – 6 July 2021
Run by leading experts on gender and Islam, the programme will bring together scholars and students from diverse backgrounds to discuss key issues in the study of gender in Muslim contexts.
Deadline for application: 16 April 2021. Information: https://www.aku.edu/ismc/study/Pages/summer-programme.aspx
15. École doctorale : « Les usages du Coran dans les sociétés musulmanes contemporaines », IRMC, Tunis, 14-18 juin 2021
Cet atelier doctoral entend examiner les modalités de cette reconfiguration en étudiant les incidences et les recompositions induites par ces nouveaux usages du Coran dans les activités ordinaires des croyants, y compris l’éducation religieuse.
Les dossiers sont attendus avant le 15 février 2021. Information: https://calenda.org/830282?file=1
16. MIDA/ENIS Summer School: “Spoken Images of/in Islam:Languages and Translations in Texts and Images”, Università degli Studi di Catania, Sicily, New Dates: 5–9 July 2021
The main objective of this school is to investigate the image–text relations in Muslim traditions by applying to different genres of images and texts and by thinking about how they are affected by translation or interpretation.
Deadline for application: 1 April 2021. Information: http://iismm.ehess.fr/docannexe/file/2147/call_ed2021_06_11_20_final3.pdf
17. Articles for “Diyâr. Journal of Ottoman, Turkish and Middle Eastern Studies“
Diyâr is a new, interdisciplinary and interregional academic journal concerned with research on Turkey, the Ottoman Empire and its successor states, Iran, Central Asia and the Caucasus. We accept articles of a variety of research topics and areas in the field of the humanities, cultural studies and social sciences written in German, English, and French.
Deadline for articles: 15 March 2021. Information: https://www.diyar.nomos.de/index.php?id=7418&L=1
18. Articles on “Muslim Women and Gender at the Margins” for Special Issue of “Religions”
This Special Issue seeks to focus on the heterogeneity and multiply gendered ways of being Muslim by drawing attention to the subjectivities, performativity and experiences of those women who tend to be marginalized even within critical feminist scholarship on women and Islam.
Deadline for manuscripts: 1 December 2021. Information: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/religions/special_issues/Muslim_women_margins
19. Contributions for “The IASA Bulletin” of the International Association for the Study of Arabia (Spring 2021)
The IASA Bulletin compiles notices on research, publications, fieldwork, museum updates, societies, conferences and events in the Arabian Peninsula as well as feature articles and book reviews.
Deadline for contributions: 14 February 2021. Information: https://www.theiasa.com/publications/bulletin/
20. Chapters for the Edited Volume “Marxism in Muslim Contexts: Communist Organizing, Socialist Movement, and Religious Response”
Proposals investigating Muslim responses to Marxism from historical, anthropological, literary, sociological, cultural, and religious perspectives are welcomed.
Deadline for abstracts: 31 March 2021. Information: dwidmannabraham@ursinus.edu.
21. Complex Metallurgy of the Bronze Age-Iron Age Transition in Iran: Archaeomaterials and Forensic Investigations
Funded PhD: EU and UK only; March 15 2021
The Cranfield Forensic Institute and the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory are offering, in partnership with the British Museum, a fully-funded PhD studentship on the archaeometallurgy of Iran during the Bronze Age-Iron Age transition (c. 1200–800 BCE). The student will investigate an exceptional collection of artefacts that includes substantial quantities of bladed weaponry.
For more information and to apply, see:
22. Open Access:
Materials for a History of the Persian Narrative Tradition. Two Characters: Farhād and Turandot.
Author: Orsatti, Paola.
Published: Venezia: Ca’ Foscari, 201
23. University of California – Berkeley
Lecturer Pool All Specializations – Department of History
The Department of History at the University of California, Berkeley invites applications for a pool of qualified temporary instructors to teach courses should an opening arise. Screening of applicants is ongoing and will continue as needed. The number of positions varies from semester to semester, depending on the needs of the department. Positions may range from 16% to 100% time, which would translate to 1 to 6 courses over a two semester academic year.
The Department of History at the University of California, Berkeley, is generating an applicant pool of qualified instructors to teach courses in all areas of History (Africa, Ancient Greece & Rome, Byzantine, Early Modern Europe, East Asia, North America, Jewish, Late Modern Europe, Latin America, Medieval Europe, Middle East, Science, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and other various needs), pending openings.
https://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=61008
24. The Institute of History and the Research group for the Near and Middle East of the Károli Gáspár Reformed University, and the Department of Turkic Studies of Eötvös Loránd University cordially invite you to the following online event:
VÁMBÉRY STUDIES COLLOQUIUM
12 February 2021 (Friday)
Invite Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81972924889
Meeting ID: 819 7292 4889
Opening address:
09.00. (CET). István Vásáry (member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, ELTE University, Department of Turkic Studies, Budapest):
Has Vámbéry’s lifework any relevance for today?
25. The Toronto Initiative for Iranian Studies Presents:
Forugh Farrokhzad, Modernity and Madness
Leila Rahimi Bahmany, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main
Friday, February 12, 4-6 pm EST
Zoom Registration: https://uoft.me/IranianStudies
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/4142168369145728
1.Upcoming conference: Islamic Traditions in ‘Greater Khurāsān’
You are warmly invited to attend Islamic Traditions in ‘Greater Khurāsān: Ismailis, Sufis and Sunnis’ (February 24 – 27, 2021) convened by Dr Dagikhudo Dagiev at The Institute of Ismaili Studies.
The goal of this international conference is to explore a variety of manifestations of Islamic culture over a vast geographical area situated in the easternmost part of the Islamic world, including contemporary Central Asia, Afghanistan, north-eastern Iran, the Xinjiang region of western China and northern and western Pakistan. We have chosen to use the medieval geographic term ‘Greater Khurāsān’ to refer to this area.
Click below to learn more, download the conference programme, and register to attend.
Dates: 24 – 27 February 2021
Time: Sessions start from 11.30 GMT
Location: Online (Zoom)*
*Please note that the conference will be recorded, and may be published online by the Institute for use in teaching, research and marketing.
For further information and registration, please click the above link.
2. Qur’an manuscripts from Southeast Asia in the British Library
The British Library’s collections of manuscripts from the Islamic world of Southeast Asia were largely formed during the early 19th century by officials in the service of the East India Company. These early colonial philologists eagerly sought out original literary, historical and legal texts composed in local languages such as Malay, Javanese and Bugis, but paid little attention to the rich corpus of writings in Arabic, constituting the bedrock of Islamic scholarship in the region. Manuscripts of the Qur’an, commentaries and prayerbooks were usually ignored, being regarded as poor copies of canonical texts already well known from multiple ‘better’ and older prototypes from the Middle East.
3. 18 Feb event – Black Monuments Matter – an insider’s guide to the exhibition.
The Aga Khan University’s Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations and the Zamani Project at the University of Cape Town are pleased to present an online talk, chaired by Professor Stephane Pradines and given by three of the scholars and surveyors who designed and delivered the site.
Ralph Schroeder, Bruce McDonald and Roshan Bhurtha will cover an introduction to Zamani including some interesting documented sites and the recent House of Wonders collapse in Zanzibar.
The lecture will offer an overview of the Black Monuments Matter website and will share an in-depth look at three of the sites; Zimbabwe, Kua and Meroe using video and modelling to illustrate key points with additional insight into how data was used in the creation of the exhibition. The talk will conclude with a preview of the team’s upcoming projects.
Black Monuments Matter recognises and highlights African contributions to world history by exhibiting World Heritage Monuments and architectural treasures from Sub-Saharan Africa.
Black Monuments Matter aspires to create links to living African heritage by making it visible, assessable and known to as many people as possible. In general, we would like to raise awareness of and respect towards Black cultures and Africa’s past to a larger audience.
Black monuments matter and black cultures matter. Sites and monuments are physical representations of histories, heritage and developments in society. This exhibition aims to display the diversity and richness of African cultures as part of world history through the study of African monuments; bringing awareness and pride of African roots and contributions to other cultures.
The African continent has numerous sites and monuments of historic and cultural importance, and our exhibition showcases some of its diversity and richness. From the pyramids of Sudan, the Great Mosque of Timbuktu, to the Swahili cities of East Africa, each site is presented in a virtual room and is introduced by short texts written by African scholars.
Through an approach founded on the latest knowledge and technology developed by the Zamani Project, this online exhibition offers visitors an opportunity to learn more about the glorious monuments and sites of African heritage and black cultures across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Time
18 February 2021 at 12 noon London time
Join Online via Zoom
Meeting ID: 981 1417 2743
Passcode: 017672
Register here for updates.
4. From Malabar to Coromandel: Deccan Heritage, Art and Culture
Seminars and lectures co-organized by the Deccan Heritage Foundation, the Centre of Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge, and the HH Sri Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar Foundation, Mysore, presenting the pioneering scholarship in various cultural fields from both the Northern and Southern Deccan regions of India.
MARCH 2021
Evrim Binbas, University of Bonn, March 5, 1pm GMT
Subhashini Kaligotla, Yale University, March 26, 2pm GMT
APRIL 2021
Nicolas Roth, Harvard University, April 9, 1pm GMT
Julia A. B. Hegewald, University of Bonn, April 30, 1pm GMT
MAY 2021
Navina Najat Haidar, Metropolitan Museum of Art, May 14, 1pm GMT
William Dalrymple in conversation with George Michell, May 28, 1pm GMT
JUNE 2021
Richard Eaton, University of Arizona, June 11, 2pm GMT
Marika Sardar, Aga Khan Museum, June 25, 1pm GMT
Registration: https://www.deccanheritagefoundation.uk/events/webinars
Centre for Visual Culture Seminar: New York, Lahore: In Dialogue with Shahzia Sikander and Salman Toor
March 10, 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM GMT
Shahzia Sikander changed the game of the art world with her breakthrough at the Whitney Biennial in 1997. This year, Salman Toor, debuted his first solo museum exhibition at the Whitney, How Will I Know. In June, Sikander will open a career retrospective, Extraordinary Realities, at the Morgan Library & Museum co-organised with the RISD Museum. Centered on issues of gender, identity, global affiliations, appropriation, and narrative, this conversation engages the relationship between two artists on how they have navigated the shifting worlds of New York and Pakistan. In dialogue, we will pause and reflect over how we got here and anticipate where we are going.
Registration link: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/centre-for-visual-culture-seminar-2020-21-tickets-138079279843
5. NES Lecture: The European Qur’ān: The Qur’ān in European Religious and Cultural History, February 10, 2021, 12:00 pm (EST)
Mercedes García-Arenal (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [CCHS-CSIC], Madrid), Jan Loop (Københavns Universitet), John Tolan (Université de Nantes) and Roberto Tottoli (Universita degli Studi di Napoli L’Orientale). Hosted by Sabine Schmidtke (School of Historical Studies, IAS).
“The European Qur’ān” (EuQu: https://euqu.eu/) is an ongoing project funded by a Synergy Grant of the European Research Council (ERC), dedicated to the important place of the Muslim holy book in European cultural and religious history. From the 12th century to the 19th, European Christians read the Qur’ān in Arabic, translated it into Latin, Greek and various vernacular languages, refuted it in polemical treatises, and mined it for information about Islam and Arab history. The “European Qur’ān”, in its various manifestations (Arabic editions, Latin and vernacular translations) should be conceived as scholarly efforts to understand Islam; as weapons in polemical exchanges between divergent versions of Christianity; as financial ventures on the part of printers and publishers; and as tools for the understanding of Semitic languages, Arab history and culture, and the history of monotheism.
The team that leads the project —Mercedes García-Arenal, John Tolan, Roberto Tottoli, Jan Loop— with their respective units in Madrid, Nantes, Naples and Copenhagen, will be dealing with various aspects of the transmission, translation, uses and study of the Qur’ān in Europe, on the role the Qur’ān played in debates about European cultural and religious identities, and more broadly about the place of the Qur’ān in European culture.
Register in advance for this webinar here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
6. ReOrienting Histories of Medicine, Encounters along the Silk Roads
Ronit Yoeli-Tlalim
Bloomsbury 2021
7. Leiden University – Lessons in codicology and palaeographybased on manuscripts from the Middle East, Islamic Africa and beyond
This is a collection of lessons in codicology – the study of handwritten documents or codices – and palaeography from the Muslim world. The lessons will guide you through the ways books were made and used there before the printing press, by investigating the traces left by producers, owners and readers of manuscripts. Using your mouse, you will come close to people in the manuscript age as they produced, transmitted, cherished and “consumed” the written texts.
The lessons are centered around fully digitalised manuscripts from the oriental collection of Leiden University Libraries. They include samples in Arabic, Persian and Coptic, from cultures ranging from the Maghrib to Mughal India. The lessons can be read in any order. All include suggestions for further reading and questions (with answers) or assignments.
8. I am writing on behalf of the Editorial Board of Essays in History (EiH) to announce that the journal is currently soliciting submissions for its upcoming fifty-fourth volume. We welcome submissions from scholars of the history of Middle Eastern politics.
Essays in History (EiH) is an open access journal for emerging historians. EiH publishes peer-reviewed articles and historiographical essays in all areas of historical inquiry, as well as reviews of the most recent scholarship. The journal has been staffed by graduate students at the University of Virginia since 1954. EiH aims to provide a supportive experience for our editors, authors, and referees. The editorial team is committed to ensuring that equity, anti-racism, and accessibility are at the heart of who we are, how we operate, and the work we publish.
Essays in History welcomes submissions from graduate students, scholars who have received their PhD within the last five years, and accomplished undergraduates. The deadline for submissions is April 2, 2021. You may submit your work or volunteer to serve as an anonymous referee through our website: https://www.essaysinhistory.com
Regards,
Alice King, Managing Editor,
The Editorial Team of Essays in History
essays_in_history@virginia.edu
9. Arab Translators Association (ArTA) is pleased to invite you to attend the Lecture titled:
Translation as an intercultural encounter
Dr. Ayman Nazzal
An-Najah National University, West Bank, Palestine
Day: Wednesday 10/2/2021
Time: 8 p.m. Jerusalem Time, 6 p.m. GMT
Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89615401270
Free Certificate of Attendance sent to your email on the same day.
Dr. Ayman Nazzal:
Assistant Professor: Taught courses in General Linguistics, syntax and semantics, sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, and Rhetoric & Public Communication
PH.D. in General Linguistics, Speech Communication, and Humanistic Studies
State University of New York at Albany, Albany, N.Y. 1996-2001
M.A. Degree in General/theoretical Linguistics & Cognitive Science
NYU, New York, N.Y. 1990-1993 Part-time
M.A. Degree in Applied Linguistics & Pedagogy
S.U.N.Y AT Stony Brook, N.Y.
Page: https://www.facebook.com/ArabTranslatorsAssociation /
Translation Courses:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/ArTACourses/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQSdhuPN8G050I_IyqxoAQA
10. The programme of the second semester of the monthly seminar “Companies, Policies and Cultures of the Iranian World” organized by the Iranian World Research Center (CeRMI, UMR 8041) can be accessed at:
https://cermi.cnrs.fr/seminaire-de-recherche/
“Free Speech, Scholarly Critique, and the Limits of Expression in Islam”
The 9th Annual AMI Contemporary Fiqhī Issues Workshop 1st – 2nd July 2021
Considering the current circumstances surrounding COVID-19, Al-Mahdi Institute (AMI) will host the Workshop virtually.
Many western liberal democracies uphold the right to free speech and expression as a fundamental freedom, which albeit not an absolute right, extends to the mockery of venerated figures. Critique of Islam and ridicule of the Prophet Muhammad have disconcerted some Muslim factions. As a result, some Muslim jurists condemn many expressions that fall under the rubric of free speech in liberal democracies as blasphemy, which they consider to be a punishable crime.
Considering ongoing tensions and the perception that critique of religion is not tolerated in Islam, the 9th Annual Contemporary Fiqhī Issues Workshop, hosted by the Al-Mahdi Institute, seeks to provide a virtual forum for discussions surrounding free speech, scholarly critique, and the limits of expression in Islam. The Workshop invites papers from seminarian trained jurists or those with an understanding of the traditional seminarian system that shed light on how freedom of expression and its limits are understood in the Muslim legal discourse and the extent to which it may be influenced by various socio-political factors.
These important contemporary questions at the intersection between political theory and jurisprudence are positioned within broader discussions regarding the parameters of expression within Islam. As such, the Workshop welcomes a range of papers from multidisciplinary backgrounds dealing with, but not limited to:
➢ Philosophical, theological, and ethical analysis regarding freedom of expression.
➢ Analysis of the scope and limits of free thinking and scholarly critique in Islam.
➢ Analysis of legislation in both Muslim and non-Muslim countries relating to the freedom of expression and blasphemy.
➢ Empirical research analysing the lived experiences of Muslims and the impact of the discourse on gender relations, intra and inter-faith relations, and societal relations.
The inclusive model of the Workshop is pleased to host presenters from diverse academic backgrounds, alongside relevant practitioners, from a range of disciplines. As has become an effective format in our previous annual workshops, fiqhī debate will be positioned alongside contributions from broader legal and social science approaches – thereby enriching a multidisciplinary understanding of contemporary outlooks dealing with expression and its limits in Islam.
Proposals for a single presenter should include the following:
– Contact information, and a brief bio of presenter
– Tentative title
– Abstract(s) (400-word limit)
The deadline for submission of proposals is 31st March 2021.
Proposals and queries should be sent by e-mail to: Mahdiyah Abdul-Hussain (mahdiya.abdulhussain@almahdi.edu)
1.ONLINE Lecture by Prof. Abbas Amanat (Yale University): “Kings and Clerics in Modern Iranian History”, Department of Middle East Studies, USC, 13 March 2021, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm PST
This is a part of the Iranian Studies Initiative Annual Distinguished Lecture Series arranged by the USC Department of Middle East Studies.
Information and registration: https://usc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_yCHea1iwRly2ToYcyGp27g
2. ONLINE Workshop on “What Does Decolonizing Kurdish Studies Mean?”, Middle East Studies at Yale University and Brown University, 9 April 2021
Proposal should engage with the themes of decolonizing epistemologies and methodologies and its implications in the field of Kurdish studies. We welcome novel approaches, creative strategies, and emerging scholarship informed by first-hand data that brings in “the Kurdish voice and perspective” into discussion.
Deadline for abstracts: 15 February 2021. Information: https://cmes.macmillan.yale.edu/events/decolonizing-kurdish-studies-initiative
3. ONLINE 54th Seminar for Arabian Studies, International Association for the Study of Arabia (IASA), Casa Arabe, Cordoba, Summer 2021 (Date to be Announced)
This is the only international forum that meets annually for the presentation of the latest academic research in the humanities on the Arabian Peninsula from the earliest times to the present day or, in the case of political and social history, to the end of the Ottoman Empire (1922).
Deadline for abstracts: 28 February 2021. Information: https://mailchi.mp/d561f3a9ad87/reminder-call-for-papers-2021-seminar-for-arabian-studies?e=18cf0337f7
4. International Conference: “Musical Sources and Theories from Ancient Greece to the Ottoman Period”, Ruhr-University Bochum, 10-12 June 2021
Papers will focus on Arabic, Persian and Byzantine music theory, instruments and ways of transmission, with their roots in Ancient Greece and an outlook onto Ottoman and Safavid music. Call for Papers closed. Guests are welcome!
Information: https://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/orient/aktuelles/index.html.en
5. International Colloquium: “Itinerant Prophets – Rewritings, Appropriations and Metamorphoses of Prophetic Figures in the Religious, Literary and Historiographical Texts of Pre-modern Islam”, Paris, 16-18 Septembre 2021
This colloquium will seek to grasp the itinerant figures: the prophets of the pre-modern Arab world, between Judaism, Christianity and Islam, between sacred model and familiar figure of popular literature, between mythical authority and historical hero. It will welcome proposals devoted to Islamic Studies, literary or historiographical approaches, as well as those that explore the continuities and discontinuities between these different fields.
Deadline for abstracts in French, English or Arabic: 26 March 2021. Information: https://f-origin.hypotheses.org/wp-content/blogs.dir/1460/files/2021/01/LES-PROPHETES-ITINERANTS-Appel-a-contributions.pdf
6. Third NEHT Workshop on “Environmental Histories of the Ottoman and post-Ottoman World: The Anthropocene: From Empire to Nation-States”, University of Vienna, 16-18 September 2021
The workshop will discuss the ways of integrating the concept of the Anthropocene into the field of Ottoman/post-Ottoman environmental history. It will open a space for analysing the role of human activities in transforming the Ottoman/post-Ottoman landscapes in the age of the Anthropocene.
Information: https://orientalistik.univie.ac.at/en/disciplines/turkish-studies/events/neht-2021/
7. International Workshop: “Religion as an Object of Historical and Social Scientific Study: Global Perspectives (Including Middle East)”, University of Leipzig, 4-5 November 2021
We are especially interested in the global presence and characteristics of religion as an object of study in the History of Religion; Comparative Religious Studies; Sociology; Anthropology and Political Science (excluding Theology and Philosophy). Central questions concern the place, status and history of research on religion in these disciplines.
Deadline for abstracts: 30 April 2021. Information: https://multiple-secularities.de/events/event/religion-as-an-object-of-historical-and-social-scientific-study-global-perspectives/
8. International Workshop: “Religion as an Object of Historical and Social Scientific Study: Global Perspectives (Including Middle East)”, University of Leipzig, 4-5 November 2021
We are especially interested in the global presence and characteristics of religion as an object of study in the History of Religion; Comparative Religious Studies; Sociology; Anthropology and Political Science (excluding Theology and Philosophy). Central questions concern the place, status and history of research on religion in these disciplines.
Deadline for abstracts: 30 April 2021. Information: https://multiple-secularities.de/events/event/religion-as-an-object-of-historical-and-social-scientific-study-global-perspectives/
9. W1 Assistant Professor (Juniorprofessor) with a W2 Tenure Track for “Islamic Philosophy”, Centre for Islamic Theology (CIT), University of Münster
The candidate must hold a university degree in Islamic theology or Islamic studies, pedagogical aptitude and special ability at pursuing advanced, independent research which is substantiated by a subject-relevant, above-average doctoral degree. Research and teaching experience in the field of Islamic philosophy with a focus on Islamic ethics and very good, subject-specific Arabic skills should be proven.
Deadline for applications: 19 February 2021. Information: https://universitoxy.com/juniorprofessur-fuer-islamische-philosophie,i10659.html
10. Post-doctoral Researcher for Project “The European Qur’ān: Islamic Scripture in European Culture and Religion (1150-1850)”, University of Nantes
Each candidate should propose an original, innovative research project on an important aspect of the role played by the Qur’ān in Medieval and Early Modern European culture and should be fluent in English and French and have strong skills in other languages appropriate to their research topics.
Deadline for applications: 31 March 2021. Information: https://mailchi.mp/mediterraneanseminar/postdoc-european-qurn-nantes?e=82aeb6c61d
11. Post-Doctoral Fellowship (History, Arabic, Islam Studies) in the Program “ReLRace – Religions, Lignages et ‘Race’”, Le Mans University
Qualifications: PhD in history (preferably) but also sociology, anthropology, Arabic philology; proficiency in Classical Arabic; good knowledge of ancient and contemporary Muslim sources; French and English fluent.
Deadline for applications: 5 January 2022. Information: https://relrace.hypotheses.org/post-doctoral-fellowship-2
12. Online 4-Week Course: “Christian-Muslim Relations”, School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh, Commencing 15 February 2021
You’ll explore some of the key historical moments, compare the teachings of both the Bible and the Qur’an, will learn about the everlasting theological debates that concern the study, and will also decipher how politics and societies have been directly impacted by Christian-Muslim relations.
Information: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/christian-muslim-relations.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5myqlYXPPM
13. ONLINE Course: “Manuscripts in Arabic Script: Introduction to Codicology”, Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations, Aga Khan University, London, 23-24 April 2021, 11:00 am – 15:00 pm GMT
This introductory course is intended for students, researchers and librarians who are working in the field of manuscript studies. The lecturers will cover a wide range of aspects for those who are acquiring basic knowledge in this field.
14. ONLINE Course: “Manuscripts in Arabic Script: Introduction to Codicology”, Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations, Aga Khan University, London, 23-24 April 2021, 11:00 am – 15:00 pm GMT
This introductory course is intended for students, researchers and librarians who are working in the field of manuscript studies. The lecturers will cover a wide range of aspects for those who are acquiring basic knowledge in this field.
15. Chapters for Edited Book on “Muslims and Societies in Africa” (Including Arab Muslims of North Africa), University of Abuja
To what extent has the Muslim life been resilient or influenced by colonialism and globalisation? What is the extent of conformism or dissonance from the various constructs that determine Muslim identity. How does being a Muslim matter in the social, political and economic spheres of African societies.
Deadline for abstracts: 10 April 2021. Information: https://networks.h-net.org/node/73374/announcements/7149932/muslims-and-societies-africa
16. Chapters for Edited Book on “Übersetzerforschung in der Türkei II” for Series “Germanistik in der Türkei”
In the chapters the life and / or works of translators who translate from Turkish to a foreign language or from a foreign language to Turkish are discussed.
Deadline for abstracts: 15 March 2021. Information: https://networks.h-net.org/node/73374/announcements/7175074/cfp-%C3%BCbersetzerforschung-der-t%C3%BCrkei-ii
17. A call for submissions: Journal of Arab & Muslim Service, Tourism and Hospitality Research (https://www.jamsthr.com/) is a multidisciplinary, free of charge, peer-reviewed academic journal aiming at publishing a large variety of articles focused on consumer and organizational behavior in the Arab and Muslim world. JAMSTHR accepts qualitative and quantitative, theoretical and applied, articles focused on themes pertinent to the understanding of business and consumer phenomena related to Service, Tourism, Hospitality and related fields from the supply and demand perspective. The Journal also publishes case studies, literature reviews, and opinion pieces. The journal encourages researchers and academics to share their work and contribute to building a knowledge base focused on this important and yet invisible and misunderstood consumer and business market. Descriptive/exploratory and explanatory papers are welcome.
The Journal’s website: https://www.jamsthr.com/
Send your paper (and/or) interest to join our Editorial Board to:
Editor-in-Chief Dr. Omar Moufakkir at: moufakkir.o@gust.edu.kw
Gulf University for Science and Technology, Kuwait.
18. Women of Faith and the Quest for Spiritual Authenticity
Comparative Perspectives from Malaysia and Britain
Sara Ashencaen Crabtree
Routledge 2021
19. Events at Cambridge this week:
Wed 3 Feb
2:00pm – 3:00pm – Qatari Women and the Labour Market- Towards an Empowering Alternative
(Dr. Mawahib Abubakr (Research Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics))
2:00pm – 3:00pm – Equality and difference: some reflections on religion, ethnicity and the pandemic in South Asia
(Radhika Coomaraswamy (Former Under-secretary General of the United Nations))
7:00pm – 8:30pm – A Christian Insurgency in Islamic Syria: The Jarajima (Mardaites)between Byzantium and the Caliphate
(Christian Sahner (University of Oxford))
Fri 5 Feb
5:00pm – 6:30pm – The Place of Religion After the Uprisings
(Shadi Hamid (Brookings) and Nadia Oweidat (University of Kansas) Chair: Dr Usaama Al-Azami (Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford))
