Archive for May 25th, 2024
Shii News – Academic Items
1.Symposium – “Aesthetic and Symbolic Dimensions of Arabic Writing – New Perspectives on Manuscripts, Epigraphy, and Numismatics”, Wolfson College, University of Oxford – July 4–5
As the disciplines of Islamic history and Arabic palaeography make steady progress, many questions concerning the aesthetic and symbolic dimensions of Arabic writing remain unanswered. This symposium will bring together fourteen scholars working on Arabic calligraphy, epigraphy, palaeography, numismatics, and diplomatics in different regions of Afro-Eurasia, from the seventh to the sixteenth centuries. The aim is to showcase brand new research on a wide range of artifacts (Qurʾanic manuscripts, chancery documents, monumental epigraphy, inscribed objects, coins…), grounded in material evidence but also engaged with textual sources (historiography, biographical dictionaries, philosophical treatises, fatwas and legal compendia, chancery manuals, adab…). Each contribution will shed light on previously unnoticed paradigms and practices, proposing new frameworks and approaches to Arabic writing that could be applied on a macro level, and unveiling the processes by which meaning was conveyed not just textually, but also visually. The symposium will lay the foundations for a methodological shift in the way we understand calligraphic and epigraphic styles, as it will mainly focus on the ‘why’ and ‘how’ such styles originated, developed, transformed, and became extinct, exposing or disproving their links with doctrinal notions, dynastic claims, aesthetic discourses, cultural identities, or the self-representation of distinct professional groups.
These are some of the questions that will be tackled: Why were specific scripts and layouts employed in some Arabic manuscripts, documents, and inscriptions on various media, instead of others? How did such scripts and layouts originate and develop, and how can the available literary sources help us understand these processes? Through what channels did calligraphic and epigraphic styles travel and spread? What role did different social groups (Quranic calligraphers, book copyists, chancery scribes, stone carvers, die engravers…) play in these processes, and to what extent did they affect each other’s work? What influence did certain patrons, intellectual elites, and religious scholars have on the adoption and canonisation of specific calligraphic and epigraphic styles? What meanings were conveyed by calligraphic diagrams, calligrams, or by epigraphy that followed distinctive configurations or colour schemes? How did contemporary viewers and users perceive calligraphy and epigraphy beyond their textual content? How did they engage with their visual properties and material qualities?
For further information and schedule: https://krc.web.ox.ac.uk/event/asdaw-symposium
2. LACISA’s 2024 Colloquium
Muslim Contributions to Civil Society and Philanthropy in the Caribbean
May 29-30, 2024 [ONLINE]
**REGISTER TODAY**
Research on both Muslim communities and their contributions to civil society in the Caribbean is expanding. What might we learn by putting the two into conversation?
In collaboration with the Muslim Philanthropy Initiative (MPI) at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), LACISA is hosting an online colloquium on Muslim contributions to civil society, philanthropy and activism in the Caribbean, May 29-30. 2024.
This colloquium brings together scholars and practitioners to conceptualize overarching patterns, offer case studies, and suggest possible avenues forward in the study of Muslim communities in the Caribbean.
Held over two days, each panel will consist of two presentations, one practitioner interview and time for Q&A and discussion. To register, click on the link below.
Day One (May 29) 11:00 am – 12:30 pm U.S. EST
- Ken Chitwood, Introduction and Moderation
- Anisur Rahman, “The Role of South Asian Muslim community in shaping the Caribbean society”
- An Interview with Sakina Bakharia from the Barbados Association of Muslim Ladies (BAML)
- Suleiman Bulbulia (with Sabir Nakhuda), “From Bengal to Barbados: Muslim contributions to Bajan society”
Day Two (May 30): 11:00 am – 12:30 pm U.S. EST
- Harini Kumar, Introduction and Moderation
- Azhar Goraya, “Humanity First in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean”
- Mina Sanz and Rolando Macias, “Humanity First: Serving Mankind and its work in the Caribbean”
- Muhammad Husayn, “The early roots of Shiiism in the Caribbean”
**Inquiries, and other communication related to the colloquium should be sent to lacisanews@gmail.com .**
3. Islamochristiana is the annual scientific journal of PISAI (Pontificio Istituto di Studi Arabi e d’Islamistica)dedicated to Muslim-Christian dialogue.
The journal publishes articles, documents and book reviews concerned with the theoretical and practical aspects of Christian-Muslim dialogue, both past and present. Members of BRISMES are able to access articles published in Islamochristiana Volume 49 (2023) through an exchange agreement with PISAI.
Download vol 49: https://mcusercontent.com/6f554375a2851024e355e1bbd/files/2842a6dd-357e-c2e2-042f-2ee01aa51d6b/islamo_49_2023.pdf
4. Centre for Palestine Studies (CPS) Master’s Scholarship
SOAS University of London
SOAS is pleased to announce the new Centre for Palestine Studies (CPS) Master’s Scholarship which is generously funded entirely through donations. There is one scholarship available for 2024/25 which has been established to support a student ordinarily resident in Palestine to study any taught master’s programme at SOAS.
Deadline | 7 June May 2024
More information
5. Lecturer / Senior Lecturer in Politics and/or International Relations X2
SOAS University of London
Applications are invited for two Lecturer / Senior (T&R) Lecturer positions in Politics and/or International Relations starting in the Autumn of 2024. The role holder will be expected to contribute to—and shape—the Department’s research profile as well as the delivery of our undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.
Deadline | 15 June 2024
More information
6. Call for Papers | Imagined Geographies: From Past to Future
Symposium, University of East Anglia, 2-3 October 2024
The New Area Studies Research Centre, the East Centre and the School of Global Development at the University of East Anglia are calling for papers between 5000-8000 words to be presented at a symposium on the topic of Imagined Geographies: from Past to Future. The organisers particularly welcome original, cross-disciplinary topics and approaches, showcasing innovation, evolving, or new methodologies.
Deadline | 1 June 2024
7. Call for Papers | Transregionalism in the Middle East and Northern Africa
Special Issue, Middle East Critique
Submissions are invited for a Special Issue of Middle East Critique edited by Estella Carpi and Luigi Achilli. This Special Issue aims to scrutinize the concept of transregionalism radiating from and revolving around the MENA as a result of migrations generated by conflict and disasters. Against this backdrop, it aims to explore how identities, solidarities, assistance, as well as fear and violence all transcend national borders, thereby reshaping both sending and receiving societies in profound ways.
Deadline | 30 July 2024
8. Prize for Arabic to English Translators
The Bait AlGhasham DarArab Translation Prize proudly invites translators and authors to participate in an enriching cultural exchange that celebrates Arabic literary heritage. This annual prize is designed to recognize and promote Arabic literature by facilitating its translation into English, thereby making these works accessible to a global audience.
Deadline | 31 July 2024
9. The Lure of the East: A Curator’s Fascinating Journey,
Marilyn Jenkins-Madina
Rodin, 2024
10. ONLINE Round Table “Women and Academy in the MENA Region: Comparing Experiences and Sharing Practices”, Mediterranean Universities Union (UNIMED), 27 May 2024, 5:00 pm – 6:15 pm CEST
The Round Table is organised in the framework of the project “WOMEDa – Promoting the overcoming of the Academic Gender Gap in the MENA region”. It will see the intervention of Academics from Italy and Tunisia discussing the current status of the Academic Gender Gap in the Mediterranean region and presenting practices and initiatives to promote the overcoming of this aspect.
Information and registration: https://www.uni-med.net/events/women-and-academy-in-the-mena-region-comparing-experiences-and-sharing-practices-online-round-table-27-may-2024/
11. ONLINE Webinar “The Threats of AI and Disinformation in Times of Global Crises”, Arab Center Washington DC, 29 May 2024, 11:00 am – 12:30 am EDT
Israel’s recent war on Gaza after October 7 has exposed the myriad methods of digital dehumanization and deception that can result in tech-driven atrocities and justifications for war crimes. Whether it is political influence operations, propaganda, deep fakes, biometric surveillance, predictive policing, or autonomous weapons, the threats of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and disinformation are far-reaching.
Information and registration:
https://arabcenterdc.org/event/the-threats-of-ai-and-disinformation-in-times-of-global-crises/
- May 25, 2024
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment