Archive for December, 2024
Shii News – Academic Items
1. Recordings of all the last term’s Monday Majlises of the Centre for the Study of Islam, Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter and the recordings of the whole series, since October 2022 can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8YRkUahFj_81oJzCSDLTx4kVQQgeHLc-
2. Instructor (Senior Lecturer of Arabic) – U S Naval Academy
LOCATION:
United States Naval Academy, Languages and Cultures Department
APPLICATION TIMELINE:
This position does not have a specific application deadline. Application review will begin on January 10, 2024 and will continue until the position is filled.
ABOUT THE U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY:
The United States Naval Academy is a unique institution of higher learning located in desirable Annapolis, Maryland. As an historic officer accession program and premier undergraduate college, the United States Naval Academy has its own distinctive niche amongst American educational institutions. Our talented faculty and staff are united by one common purpose–to develop the next generation of leaders for our naval service. To deliver on this promise to our nation, we recruit from all segments of society to find faculty, instructors, and support staff who model the highest professional standards.
The United States Naval Academy is committed to building a diverse workforce who collaborate to provide a multi-disciplinary and hands-on approach to student learning and leadership development. We believe that individuals from diverse backgrounds strengthen our programs and positively impact student success. We encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for consideration.
Every year more than one million people tour “the Yard” to experience what our employees already know — the United States Naval Academy is a special place, with a special purpose. Those selected for employment will find challenging and rewarding work; state-of-the-art facilities which inspire academic and athletic excellence; the benefits of Federal employment; and exceptional quality-of-life.
POSITION DESCRIPTION:
The Languages and Cultures Department invites applications for the position of Instructor (Senior Lecturer Arabic) to begin as early as summer of 2025. The anticipated teaching load is four courses per semester. The successful candidate should have expertise in foreign language pedagogy, second language acquisition, Middle East politics, or a related field. Candidates should be able to teach Arabic across all levels of proficiency. The successful candidate will be expected to contribute appropriate service to support the departmental and institutional educational mission.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Prepare for and teach assigned courses from beginning through advanced Arabic
- Assess student performance
- Advise/assist students outside of class
- Contribute to assessment of student learning outcomes
- Design and develop courses, as assigned
- Assist with management of the study abroad programs
- Participate in and contribute to governance and management of the department, programs, courses, school-level activities, yard-wide activities, as assigned
This is an onsite, 10-month compensation model, excepted service federal faculty position with a 3-year renewable appointment. The position includes full federal benefits and a highly competitive salary within the AD-01 payscale, commensurate with experience and qualifications. Please see the AD-1 payscale for salary range: https://www.usna.edu/HRO/_files/documents/Faculty_Pay_Schedule_2024.pdf
MINIMUM AND PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
MINIMUM:
- A. in linguistics, second language acquisition, foreign language pedagogy, Middle East politics, or a related field.
- 2+ years experience teaching Arabic, with preference for experience in college-level language instruction at all levels (beginning through advanced)
PREFERRED:
- Native or near-native proficiency in Arabic
- Extensive practical experience in Arabic in diplomatic, military, business, or similar context
- Prior military service, ideally as an Arabic linguist
- Commitment to inclusive pedagogy and working with a diverse student body and faculty.
HOW TO APPLY FOR POSITION:
Applicants should send the following materials to the Languages and Cultures Search Committee, at lcd-arabic-instructor-search-2025-group@usna.edu :
- Cover letter (including an affirmation of US citizenship)
- Curriculum vitae, and
- Statement of teaching philosophy (no longer than two pages)
- Contact information for 3 professional references. References will only be contacted for those in the advanced stages of the search.
After the Search Committee’s initial screening, select candidates may be asked to provide additional application materials, to include:
- Three letters of reference
- Teaching portfolio (including sample lesson plans and activities),
- Student evaluations (last two semesters), and
- If available, a link to a recent 15-minute language teaching video demo.
Please note: Applications will be reviewed beginning January 10, 2024 and the position will remain open until filled.
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
- S. Citizenship Required
- All Civilian Faculty Positions at USNA are subject to a background investigation. These investigations are conducted to ensure that individuals hired are trustworthy, of good conduct, and reliable. The selected candidate will be subject to a security investigation leading to successful completion of a background investigation with a favorable adjudication. The selectee’s failure to meet this requirement will be grounds for termination. More information about the background investigation process can be found at the Academic Dean and Provost’s website here https://www.usna.edu/Academics/Faculty-Information/Background-Investigation-Info.php.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
NOTICE TO VETERANS: If you are a veteran, you are encouraged to clearly identify your Veterans’ status in your cover letter or elsewhere in your application materials. Please DO NOT provide official documentation, such as a DD-214 or any personally identifiable information, at this time.
NOTICE TO CURRENT ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE MEMBERS: Separating service members will be eligible for employment to an excepted service position within 120 days of discharge given a Statement of Service can be provided. If selected, you will be required to submit a Statement of Service indicating your branch of service, rate/rank, all dates of service, your expected date of discharge and anticipated character of service (Honorable, General, etc.) The statement of service must be printed on command letterhead and signed by your command.
NOTICE TO RETIRING MILITARY: Retired service members cannot be appointed to DOD civilian positions within 180 days of retiring. As such, they must observe a 180 day waiting period starting from their date of retirement. USNA does not waive this waiting period requirement for excepted service positions.
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
The Department of the Navy provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. Applicants with disabilities who believe they require reasonable accommodation should contact our Human Resource Office to ensure that the Department of the Navy can consider such requests. The decision to grant an accommodation will be made on a case by case basis.
OPTIONAL DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION REQUEST:
Applicants are invited to submit a Demographic Information on Applicants Form to rsharps@usna.edu. This form is optional. Your responses will not be shared with the hiring committee or anyone involved in the hiring process.
Announcement: LC-24-25-2
3. ONLINE Webinar: ‘Using early plant remains to understand transmission of farming eastwards through Iran into Asia’
with Hannah Caroe
British Institute of Persian Studies (BIPS), 29 January, 2025, 5:00 pm UK Time
The Middle Eastern Fertile Crescent, whose eastern arc extends along the Zagros Mountains of western Iran, is renowned as a key world area for the origins of domesticated crops and livestock. Hannah’s current research focus is an interrogation of the ‘two corridors’ hypothesis for Neolithisation in Iran which suggests that, owing to Iran’s unique geomorphology (including desert and highland areas which present barriers to movement) transmission of people, animals, plants and ideas eastwards from the Zagros into Iran and, significantly, beyond into South and central Asia would have been funnelled along two ‘corridors’ to the north and south of the country respectively. She is studying charred plant remains from seven sites lying along these hypothesised routes (including in Fars and Mazandaran provinces), aiming to discern when and how Neolithic lifeways arrived in these regions, and any evidence here for de novolocal crop domestication beyond the Zagros.
Information and registration:
4. Articles for “Valonia: A Journal of Anatolian Pasts”, Vol. 2 (2025)
The journal is published by Koç University’s Research Center for Anatolian Civilizations. Appearing online and in limited print runs, the journal aims to bring forth in a timely manner selections of the latest innovative, critical, and synthetic scientific research on a broad range of subjects including the archaeology, architectural and art history, heritage, and history of Anatolia and its affiliated geographies, from deep prehistory through Late Ottoman times.
Deadline for abstracts: 1 May 2025. Information: https://valoniajournal.org/
5. Articles for the “Journal of Religious Minorities under Muslim Rule” (Brill)
Articles are invited that examine religious minorities (such as Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, Hindus, and other minoritarian Muslim groups) under majoritarian Muslim rule. The journal covers the period from 7th century Arabia to 1922 (the end of Ottoman rule), in addition to a large geographic area from North Africa and al-Andalus in the West to Iran, some Central Asian lands, well into Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Indonesia in the East.
We receive manuscripts on a rolling basis, and we publish two issues per year.
Information: https://www.editorialmanager.com/rmmr/default.aspx
6. Call Extended: BRAIS 2025
Call for Papers: Annual Conference of the British Association for Islamic Studies
Monday 30 June – Tuesday 1 July 2025
Old Divinity School, St John’s College, University of Cambridge
New date: 10 January, 2025, 5pm GMT
For further information and to submit your paper or panel proposal, click here: https://www.brais.ac.uk/conferences/brais-2025-call-for-papers
If you have any questions about BRAIS 2025, they might be answered on our FAQ pager HERE .
- December 31, 2024
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
- December 30, 2024
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1.Call for Papers
Special Issue on: “Moratoriums on Islamic Criminal Punishments: Legal Debates and Current Practices”
Publisher: Harvard Law School
Abstract Submission Deadline: January 13, 2025
More information at:
https://iric.org/events/special-issue-of-journal-of-islamic-law/
2. Harvard Divinity School invites applications for a tenured or tenure-track appointment to the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Chair of Contemporary Islamic Religion and Society
Review of applications will begin on January 13, 2025, and continue until the position is filled.
https://iric.org/events/tenured-or-tenure-track-position-in-islamic-studies/
3. Association of East Asian Arabists
International Symposium 2025
Teaching Arabic in East Asia
Researching Arabic, Islamic and Middle East Studies in East Asia
Dates
April 11 & 12, 2025
Venues
On Site at SOAS, University of London or
Online via Zoom or Teams
Languages
Arabic and English
Abstract Deadline
15 February 2025
Association email address:
Association of East Asian Arabists (AEAA) is a forum with three sets of objectives. First and foremost, it welcomes scholars from East Asia specialized in Arabic, Islamic and Middle Eastern studies and invites them to critically reflect on the pedagogy of teaching Arabic to speakers of East Asian languages at different levels, to share their research priorities, agenda, approaches, and methodologies, and to discuss any problems arising from their professional careers. Second, the Association fosters sharing experiences and mutual enrichments in two aspects of pedagogy and curriculum design in the East Asian context: Arabic language pedagogy; enhancement of the curricular connection between language and content courses; and the challenges of Arabic language teaching in the digital age. Finally, and most importantly, the Association will build a support network for East Asian scholars around the world. The Arabists of East Asian backgrounds face triple marginalization. In North America, Europe and the Middle East, they are pushed out both by North American and European orientalists and scholars of Arabic and Islamic backgrounds. In East Asia, the fields they partake in are marginal to mainstream disciplines and areas of study. AEAA offers space for them to engage with each other’s research and teaching and career concerns. The Association will engage its members through regular online and in person meetings, workshops, lectures, and reading sessions, and trigger further questions for discussion and opportunities for future collaboration such as annual meetings The long-term ambitions of AEAA are the development of new paradigms for approaching Islamic and Middle Eastern studies through the prism of East Asian faith cultures and knowledge traditions.
Background
The Arabic language, which originated from the sixth-century north Arabia, became the lingua franca of the Near East with the spread of Islam. The Arabic language and its literary productions are highly imbued with religious ideas and cultural norms of Arabs. Students from East Asian linguistic, cultural, and religious backgrounds without adequate prior knowledge of the region and religion would encounter challenges when they study more advanced texts. The cultural barrier and lack of relevant knowledge also impede them from appreciating the literary conventions, rhetorics, and poetics of the Arabic language.
While language teaching itself is inseparable from introducing the peoples and societies using the language, the need to combine both into a systematic curriculum is hardly realized in East Asia. At present, Arabic, Islamic and Middle Eastern studies in East Asia follows the agenda and pedagogy of either Orientalism or pre-modern knowledge traditions of the Arabic-Islamic world. A coherent curricular structure that takes into consideration the lingual and cultural backgrounds of East Asian students is currently missing.
Technology exerts an unneglectable impact on language teaching. As online Arabic classes and learning tools abound, the efficiency of the traditional teaching methods is called into question. Furthermore, students’ dependence upon technology products such as translation tools and AI programmes for their coursework also undermines the validity of the traditional way of evaluation.
Call for Participation 2025
The Association’s 2025 International Symposium will address two main areas of work that concern teaching and research in Arabic, Islamic and Middle East Studies. It will in addition host a graduate student forum.
We invite and encourage critical reflections on the suitability of textbooks and pedagogy modelled on Orientalism for East Asian lingual and epistemological environments. What are the possibilities of devising curriculum and developing pedagogy that take into consideration the languages and knowledge traditions in which East Asian Arabists are grounded? Papers seeking to reconceptualize religious, cultural, and literary norms and traditions in the Middle Eastern societies in the terms that can be explicated through and even harmonized with East Asian knowledge traditions are most welcome.
First: Teaching Arabic in East Asia
- History of teaching Arabic in East Asia
- Pedagogy and Textbooks
- Syllabi design
- Classroom strategies
- Integrating AI
- Engaging with students of East Asian backgrounds
Second: Research in Arabic in East Asia
- History of research in East Asia
- Engaging with Islam, Christianity and Judaism through the prism of East Asian faith cultures
- Arabic and East Asian Comparative Literature
- Making Arabic studies relevant in East Asia
Third: The Graduate Student Forum
This is an open forum for (post)-graduate students from East Asia to come together to share their experience and concerns with their peers and senior scholars.
All East Asian Arabists are invited to the 2025 international symposium. If you are interested in giving a presentation on one of the two areas identified above, or in taking part in the Graduate Student Forum, please complete the registration form by clicking here.
If you have any enquiries, you can contact us at < AEAAInternational@gmail.com >.
Ouyang Wen-chin (歐陽文津)
Sumi Akiko ( 鷲見朗子)
Su I-Wen (蘇怡文)
Tsung Pei-Chen (叢培臻)
4. Final Chance to Register – Transformative Course on Islamic Philosophy
Explore the timeless wisdom of Islamic philosophy in an intensive online course from January 2–15, 2025, featuring globally renowned scholars such as Dr. Seyyed Hossein Nasr. Gain insights into key philosophical concepts, engage in interactive discussions, and discover the relevance of Islamic thought in addressing contemporary challenges.
Final Registration Deadline: December 30, 2024
Limited Scholarships Available
Learn more and register here:https://hikmat-ins.com/islamic-philosophy
- December 28, 2024
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1.HYBRID Bilingual Interdisciplinary Conference: “Druze in the Levant and the Diaspora – Discourses of Tradition and Modernity”, University of Kansas, Lawrence, 16-17 October 2025
We invite scholars from various disciplines to submit original and unpublished papers that focus on the Druze as a whole, a specific Druze community or communities, or a comparison between the Druze and others. Presentations can be from a discipline-specific approach or those who employ an interdisciplinary approach.
Deadline for abstracts: 28 February 2025. Information: https://druze.ku.edu/2025druzeconference
2. A Full-Time Assistant Professor Position in Social/Cultural Anthropology
The Department of Anthropology at Özyeğin University, Istanbul, invites applications for a full-time Assistant Professor position in Social/Cultural Anthropology, starting in September 2025.
Candidates must hold a PhD in Anthropology or a related discipline (e.g. Sociology, Cultural Studies, STS). The ideal candidate will have an active research agenda, a strong record of international peer-reviewed publications and demonstrated excellence in teaching. While areas of specialization are flexible, a research focus on environmental studies, digital anthropology or market ethnography is an advantage.
Deadline for applications: 1 February 2025. Information: https://mesana.org/resources-and-opportunities/2024/12/19/a-full-time-assistant-professor-position-in-social-cultural-anthropology
3. Head Librarian of the W. F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research (AIAR), East Jerusalem
The AIAR is a US research institute in East Jerusalem seeking a Head Librarian to manage its 125-year-old library collections and promote its use by resident fellows and local students and scholars. Previous experience in library management is required.
Deadline for applications: 26 January 2025. Information: https://aiar.org/archives/13700
4. Assistant Professor in Islamic Theology, Loyola University Chicago
We welcome candidates with strong research and teaching profiles in Islamic Studies, Islamic theology, comparative religion, and theory and method in the study of religion.
Deadline for applications: 15 January 2025.
Information: https://mesana.org/resources-and-opportunities/2024/11/20/assistant-professor-in-islamic-theology
5. Internship Program at Euro-Mediterranean-Arab Association EMA, Berlin
Are you a university student passionate about economics, political science, marketing, events, or communications? Do you want to gain experience in a non-profit organization fostering international cooperation, focusing on the MENA region? We are looking for motivated interns to join our Berlin office for a 3-month voluntary internship. Applications accepted on a rolling basis. Send your CV and cover letter to Mr. Ali Rajat a.rajat@ema-germany.org.
Information:
https://ema-germany.org/company-overview/career/?lang=en#1452160548343-003e17f2-760d4cd8-b881
6. Articles for the “Druze Studies Journal (DSJ)”, Issue 2
DSJ is a peer-reviewed open-access interdisciplinary journal, that is available free of charge for authors and readers on this website: https://journals.ku.edu/druze. We are accepting submissions for the journal’s second issue.
Information: https://journals.ku.edu/druze/about/submissions
7. Congratulations to Prof. Dick Davis on winning the 15th edition of the Lois Roth Prize for his two most recent volumes, Layli and Majnun and Khosrow and Shirin
The American Association of Iranian Studies (AIIrS), our partner for the Persian Translation Prize, announced that Dick Davis (Ohio State Univ.) won this year’s 15th edition of the Prize for his two most recent volumes. Layli and Majnun (Penguin Classics) and Khosrow and Shirin (Mage) capture the most celebrated epic romances of Nezami Ganjavi. A master of the Masnavi style of double-rhymed verse, Nezami is considered the greatest romantic epic poet in Persian literature, in part for his innovation of a colloquial and realistic style. Offering the highest praise for these volumes, the jury wrote: “Davis’s translations exhibit the height of his own poetic ingenuity through his impeccable use of iambic pentameter with end rhymes. So fluently and naturally written, his translations could stand as original poems.”
As AIIrS President Anne Betteridge points out, “The nuanced translations honored by the Prize introduce readers to literary and cultural worlds they would not otherwise be able to enter.” Over the years, Davis has made an immense contribution to the field. This year’s awarded volumes join his translations of Vis and Ramin (2012) and The Conference of the Birds (with Afkham Darband, 2002) in offering global English-language readers a window into the range of classical Persian poetry of the 11th and 12th centuries. At the other end of the spectrum, he won the inaugural Prize in 2000 for introducing the 20th-century Iranian author Iraj Pezeshkzad to readers, with his hilarious novel My Uncle Napoleon.
The Persian Translation Prize is the sole existing award for outstanding translations of classical and modern Persian literature into English. Lois Roth’s interest in and affection for Iran and Iranian culture dated back to the years she lived and worked in Iran (1967-72)—first as USIA’s Deputy Cultural Attaché and then as the Director of the Iran America Society. In a period when Iran was in a ferment of cultural activity and experimentation, this important bi-national organization, which focused on English language learning, cultural exchanges, and fine and performing arts, became one of the most significant centers for such endeavors in the country. Lois was also one of a group of persons who helped initiate and encourage the founding of the American Institute of Iranian Studies.
Wishing you happy and healthy holidays… and happy reading in the New Year! And, as the year comes to a close, please consider making a contribution to support our Literature & Translation programs.
Best,
Dr. Skyler Arndt Briggs
Board Chair
8. University of Calgary – Assistant Prof, Tenure-Track, South Asian or Middle Eastern History, Decolonial
https://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=68368
9. The David Collection – Curator of Art from the Islamic World – The David Collection, Copenhagen
https://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=68379
- December 24, 2024
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1.Indiana University’s Summer 2025 Language Workshop is now accepting applications for its intensive online Turkish program!
- Learn 1 year of language in 2 months
- Enjoy 18 hours of live instruction per week, plus cultural activities
- Combine the effectiveness of intensive study with the convenience of an online class
- Accelerate your learning with daily 1-on-1 skills training
- Speed your learning by studying alongside enthusiastic and talented language learners
Funding Opportunities
- Explore available funding options here: https://languageworkshop.iu.edu/funding
Priority Application Deadline
- 31 January, 2025
Learn more and apply here: https://languageworkshop.indiana.edu/turkish
Questions? Email the Language Workshop at languageworkshop@iu.edu or join virtual office hours.
2. Indiana University’s Summer 2025 Language Workshop is now accepting applications for its intensive online Persian program!
- Learn 1 year of language in 2 months
- Enjoy 18 hours of live instruction per week, plus cultural activities
- Combine the effectiveness of intensive study with the convenience of an online class
- Accelerate your learning with daily 1-on-1 skills training
- Speed your learning by studying alongside enthusiastic and talented language learners
Funding Opportunities
- Explore available funding options here: https://languageworkshop.iu.edu/funding
Application Deadline
- January 31, 2025
Learn more and apply here: https://languageworkshop.indiana.edu/persian
Questions? Email the Language Workshop at languageworkshop@iu.edu or join virtual office hours.
3. Indiana University’s Summer 2025 Language Workshop is now accepting applications for its intensive online Kurdish program!
- Learn 1 year of language in 2 months
- Enjoy 18 hours of live instruction per week, plus cultural activities
- Combine the effectiveness of intensive study with the convenience of an online class
- Speed your learning by studying alongside enthusiastic and talented language learners
Funding Opportunities
- Explore available funding options here: https://languageworkshop.iu.edu/funding
Priority Application Deadline
- 31 January, 2025
Learn more and apply here: https://languageworkshop.indiana.edu/kurdish
Questions? Email the Language Workshop at languageworkshop@iu.edu or join virtual office hours.
4. City University of New York – Program Manager, MESA Global Academy
https://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=68317
5. Missionaries in Persia: Cultural Diversity and Competing Norms in Global Catholicism,
C Windler, translated from German by Pamela E. Selwyn, London-New York-Oxford-New Delhi-Sydney: “I.B. Tauris”, 2024.—XIII+392 pp.
https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/missionaries-in-persia-9780755649365/
6. Open Access Book: The Subtle Meaning. An Outline of Persian ʿilm-i maʿānī
Dal Bianco, Alessia,
Venezia: Edizioni Ca’ Foscari, 2024
Free Download: https://edizionicafoscari.unive.it/it/edizioni4/libri/978-88-6969-782-1/
7. Le CeRMI a le plaisir de vous convier à la prochaine séance du séminaire “Sociétés, politiques et cultures du Monde iranien”, qui se tiendra le jeudi 9 janvier 2025, 17h-19h, en salle 3.15 (veuillez noter le changement de salle) à l’INaLCO (65 rue des Grands Moulins, Paris XIII, 4e étage).
Nous sommes heureux d’accueillir M. Nader Sohrabi (Freie Universität Berlin), pour une conférence intitulée: “Iran’s Constitutional History from Below: petitions, taxes, and democratization, 1906-1911“.
Résumé:
Constitutional revolution is imagined to be about freedom, legal-rationality, and formal democratic achievements such as constitution-making, legislative assembly, voting, and political parties. These goals were pursued by the elite but cannot explain the movement’s broad appeal. The large number of petitions received by the Assembly indicate the public was engaged in a tax revolt throughout Iran, a revolt that merged only eventually with the elite agenda. The blending of the two sustained the constitutional movement and managed also to deepen democracy in its own way. Bargaining over taxes brought the public many local victories with impact on daily lives, and petitions and associations constructed an alternative public sphere that gave voice to the public. These transformed the culture of politics and set the stage for mass movements of the next century. It also set in motion a decentralization drive that manifested itself in the next decade up to the present.
Orientations bibliographiques:
- Kharabi, Faruq. Anjumanha-yi `Asr-i Mashrutah. Tehran: Mu’assasah-i Tahqiqat va Tawsi`a-i `Ulum-i Insani, 2006.
- Majmu`ah-’i Musavvabat-i Advar-i Avval va Duvvum-i Qanun’guzari-i Majlis-i Shura-yi Milli. Tehran: Idarah-’i Qavanin va Matbu`at-i Majlis-i Shura-yi Milli, n.d.
- Schneider, Irene. The Petitioning System in Iran. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2006.
- Zaret, David. “Petition-and-Response and Liminal Petitioning in Comparative/ Historical Perspective.” Social Science History 43, no. 3 (2019): 431–51.
Pour rappel, vous retrouverez le programme 2024-2025 du séminaire mensuel de recherche “Sociétés, politiques et cultures du Monde iranien” sur le site du CeRMI :
8. Workshop “Faking It – Forgery, Fraud, Deception and Dissimulation in the Pre-Modern Mediterra-nean (Including Near East and North Africa)”, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 10-11 April 2025
Proposals are welcome from scholars of all ranks from across all disciplines of the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, as are papers from the Sciences, that engage in the broadest sense with social, historical and cultural aspects of the Mediterranean language, linguistics, literature, culture, society, art, and social, economic and political history, as well as anthropology, sociology, and other related humanities and social science disciplines.
Deadline for abstracts: 6 January 2025. Information: https://calenda.org/1216466
9. Assistant Director of the W. F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research (AIAR), East Jerusalem
The AIAR is a US research institute in East Jerusalem seeking an Assistant Director to manage and grow its academic programs. MA or PhD in any field related to Levantine studies, and fluency in Arabic and/or Hebrew is required.
Deadline for applications: 19 January 2025. Information: https://aiar.org/archives/13726
10. Tenure-track Assistant Professor in History, Languages/Literary Traditions, and Religions of Ancient Iran, University of California Los Angeles
Candidates are invited whose research and teaching in the history, languages/literary traditions, and religions of ancient Iran are diachronic, engage broader cultural and intellectual traditions (in particular the Ancient Near East, the Classical World, and Central Asia), and are transdisciplinary in scope.
Deadline for applications: 31 December 2024. Information: https://recruit.apo.ucla.edu/JPF09993
- December 21, 2024
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
- December 18, 2024
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1. Workshop on GQCS
Introducing The Great Quranic Commentary Software
By: Dr. Mohammad Hasan Ahmadi
Wednesday Dec. 18, 2024
11:30 AM – 13:30 PM (UTC)
For Registration and to receive the meeting link, send your name and affiliate to:
2. Call for Papers
The journal Shadharat, published by the Alawiyya Shrine in Najaf, focuses on topics related to the humanities and Islamic studies, with a social and applied perspective. It is aimed at a general audience rather than a specialist one, making it accessible to a wider readership.
The theme of the next issue is “The Theology of Ziyara (Pilgrimage).” Submissions between 1500 and 4000 words are welcome.
This recently established journal is managed by a team of distinguished scholars. The previous issue featured contributions from respected academics in the West, Arab countries, and Iran.
Submissions are accepted in any language, and the journal will handle translation into Arabic.
Deadline: January 15, 2025
If you are interested, you can submit your paper to shadharatmag@gmail.com
3. Workshop “Islam – Migrations – Gender. Reconsidering the History of Muslims in 20th-Century Europe”, Campus Condercet, Paris-Aubervilliers, 18 December 2024, 11:00 – 18:00 h CET
By focusing on actors and their interactions with religious and state bodies, this workshop offers an original way of writing a social and cultural history that strives to integrate gender as a category of historical analysis. Discussions will focus on the practices and dynamics of everyday life, private and intimate space, and conjugal and family life.
Information and programme: https://genreurope.hypotheses.org/5710
4. Journée d’études « Salaf, salafiyya, salafisme la foi dans le bon vieux temps dans l’islam moderne », LEM, IREL — MSH/EPHE Paris, 17 janvier 2025
Organisateurs: Rainer Brunner et Dominique Avon. – Dominique Avon (EPHE / IREL): La référence aux salaf sous la plume d’azharis (années 1950-1970). – Joas Wagemakers (Université Utrecht): Problematising Salafi Literalism. – Justyna Nedza (Université de la Ruhr, Bochum): On collective takfīr in militant Salafist tought. – Jan-Peter Hartung (Université Erlangen / Nuremberg): The IS in the Wilayat Khurasan: Decontextualitzing an Indigenous Salafi Heritage.
https://iismm.hypotheses.org/111608
5. Berliner Institut für Islamische Theologie
Position: Research fellow (m/f/d) in the field of Islamic Law in History and the Present (1/2 part-time employment, E 13 TV-L-HU, temporary for 4 years)
Qualifications: Completed academic degree in in Islamic theology or Islamic studies; interest in research on Islamic law and related topics such as comparative law, ethics and philosophy of law; knowledge of Islamic and legal research methods; very good knowledge of German, English and Arabic.
Deadline for applications: 27 December 2024.
Information: https://is.gd/iV6nIo
6. Edward Said Associate Professor/Professor of Modern Arab Studies and Literature, Columbia University
PhD required at the time of appointment. Candidates should demonstrate scholarly promise and achievement and excellence in teaching. Candidates for tenured associate or full professor should be widely recognized for their distinction and professional accomplishment.
Deadline for applications: 1 February 2025. Information: https://apply.interfolio.com/159754%C2%A0
7. Summer School “The Archives of Islam in the Russian Empire (16th – Early 20th Centuries)”, Study of Islam in Central Euraria, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, 6-11 July 2025
The goal of this initiative is to draw attention on practices of information-gathering and knowledge production on the Muslim communities inhabiting the vast area encompassing Inner Asia, Siberia, Central Asia and the Caucasus from the fall of the Khanate of Kazan (1552) to the end of the Russian Empire. The summer school promotes an extended reflection on the institutions and the individuals who played a significant role in the creation of the imperial repositories.
Deadline for applications: 28 February 2025. Information: https://www.oeaw.ac.at/sice/events/summer-schools
8. Fellowship for Research at the “Islamic Manuscript Collection” at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
The Collection covers subjects including the Qur’an and its sciences, hadith, theology, jurisprudence (fiqh), Sufism, philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, rhetoric, grammar, poetry, history, geography, and medicine. It consists of more than 1,100 volumes, plus a small number of fragments, dating from the 8th to the early 20th century and containing roughly 1,800 texts primarily in Arabic, Persian, and Ottoman Turkish.
Deadline for applications: 31 January 2025. Information:
9. The deadline for submissions to the upcoming BRISMES Annual Conference—“Destruction, Loss, and Recovery in the Middle East”—has been extended to Friday, 10 January 2025, at midnight (UK time).
This year’s conference will be held at Newcastle University from 1–3 July 2025, co-hosted by the School of Geography, Politics and Sociology. In addition to submissions aligned with the conference theme, we welcome papers on a broad range of topics related to Middle East Studies. Relevant fields include, but are not limited to, politics, culture & society, literature, anthropology, economics, history, linguistics, and translation studies, with a focus on the MENA region. We accept co-authored/individual paper proposals, as well as panel and roundtable submissions.
Please find here the full call for papers.
To submit, please read the instructions for submission.
10. Reconstructing Erpenius’ Library
The First Collection of Oriental Manuscripts at Cambridge University Library
Brill 2024
M Daneshgar
https://brill.com/display/title/71038
11. Massachusetts Institute of Technology – 2025-2026 POSTDOCTORAL / POST-PROFESSIONAL DEGREE FELLOWSHIPS FOR RESEARCH IN ISLAMIC ART, ARCHITECTURE, URBANISM, DESIGN, AND PRESERVATION:
https://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=68339
2025-2026 POSTDOCTORAL / POST-PROFESSIONAL DEGREE FELLOWSHIPS FOR RESEARCH IN ISLAMIC ART, ARCHITECTURE, URBANISM, DESIGN, AND PRESERVATION:
The Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at MIT (AKPIA@MIT) is pleased to announce its postdoctoral / post-professional degree fellowship program for the academic year 2025-2026. The fellowship program is intended for scholars with a Ph.D. and/or practitioners in any field related to architecture — including architectural, art, landscape, and urban history; and also contemporary art, design, landscape, heritage studies, urban planning, anthropology, and archeology. We seek applications both from fields close to AKPIA@MIT’s core research areas, e.g., historical, comparative, artistic and humanistic inquiry, and from complementary fields analyzing contemporary crises and responses. Eligibility criteria for practitioners include the completion of a terminal degree at least 3 years prior, as well as evidence of a research-informed practice. For Postdoc applicants, the degree should be in hand before the beginning of the fellowship.
Applicants should describe the scope of their proposed research project and how they plan to engage with the MIT academic community. Fellows are expected to engage in research, give at least one public lecture, submit an article / publication / exhibition on their input to the subject at the end of their fellowship that will be posted online and possibly included in a publication by AKPIA@MIT, and participate in the program’s scholarly and academic activities during their stay at MIT.
One to three fellowships will be granted. The fellowship duration can range from two months to a maximum of two semesters, or nine months, of residency at MIT, that will have to fall within the academic year (September to June). The fellowship award consists of monthly stipend not to exceed the amount of $5,917 (before taxes) per month.
The Aga Khan Program does not provide financial assistance for travel, housing, or health insurance. Fellows will be responsible for these costs. MIT requires all fellows to have health insurance. Please see these links for healthcare info:
MIT Ship link
Main page info link
Cost sheet link
MIT Insurance FAQ
Please note that the links above are from last year, and the cost sheets above show last years rates, which are there for your reference only. New rates will be released in July 2025, which will most likely be higher than those from last year. MIT does not cover the costs on the sheet, affiliates are responsible for all healthcare costs needed for the insurance coverage.
AKPIA will also provide library cards, email accounts at MIT, and, if available, a workplace in the AKPIA@MIT office that is shared with other fellows. For practitioners, access to various fabrication facilities at MIT will be provided.
Deadline for application is Feb 20th, 2025 and recipients will be announced by April 3, 2025. To apply please complete the electronic form below and make sure to fill all fields marked with asterisks. The form includes a field for uploading accompanying documents, which should be formatted as a single compressed file or PDF file less than 12 MB in size. This file must include a C.V., research proposal, substantial writing sample (obligatory for scholars) and/or a portfolio (obligatory for practitioners), and two letters of recommendation in that order. Letters of recommendation can be sent separately to akpiafellowapp@mit.edu .
If health or other restrictions arise, as in the case of the COVID-19 pandemic, MIT reserves the right to suspend the fellowships at any time before the official start date. No remote fellowships will be allowed and fellows will have to resubmit their applications to a new cycle and compete with new applicants when MIT is reopened.
Applicants are encouraged to seek other sources of funding to supplement the fellowship award. Scholars on sabbatical or with their own financial resources are also welcome to apply to AKPIA fellowships. AKPIA reserves the right to prorate its fellowship when combined with another grant or fellowship.
Apply Here or on the akpia.mit.edu website at AKPIA Post Doctoral Fellowships
For further information please send email to akpiafellowapp@mit.edu
12. Indiana University’s Summer 2025 Language Workshop is now accepting applications for its intensive immersion programs in Arabic, Chinese, and Russian!
- Learn 1 year of language in 2 months and earn college credit
- Accelerate your learning with daily 1-on-1 skills training
- Live the language in immersion housing and classes
- Speed your learning by studying alongside enthusiastic and talented language learners
Funding Opportunities
- Explore available funding options here: https://languageworkshop.iu.edu/funding
Application Deadline
- January 31, 2025
Learn more and apply here: https://languageworkshop.indiana.edu/overview
- December 17, 2024
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
- December 16, 2024
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1.Journal of Qur’anic Studies – free access
The bilingual Journal of Qur’anic Studies encourages and promotes the study of the Qur’an from a wide range of scholarly perspectives. In both English and Arabic, the journal bridges the gap between Muslim and Western scholarship.
Access all articles from 2005 onwards online for free. Ends 31 December 2024: ( https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fddlnk.net%2Fc%2FAQjSfRCbroIHGPmorJQFIKzfxqIBsiDqNhnCsjKh29Zf9uhehegsLCZb_im-2iEjVdFDBmY&data=05%7C02%7C%7C4ee5a1676545489adeff08dd1a025977%7C2e9f06b016694589878910a06934dc61%7C0%7C0%7C638695319607428759%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=l5j%2BUhyF5lPeUXWR3ZkN4CXRhpyC4nqGbjY%2FEftB8fo%3D&reserved=0 )
2. We would like to invite you to join the Muslim Foodways Network, led by Stefan Williamson Fa (Cambridge) and Joud Alkorani (Radboud). The network is dedicated to exploring the social, political, and cultural dynamics of foodways across the Middle East and throughout the wider Muslim world.
The network’s first initiative is an online seminar series, which will begin on January 9 with Larisa Jašarević’s talk, “Taste of Honey: Flavors of the Waning World.” A description of future speakers and dates can be found in the PDF attached.
To learn more about the network and sign up for the online seminars, visit https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cis.cam.ac.uk%2Fhome%2Fmuslimfoodways%2F&data=05%7C02%7C%7Cb8a1d9d4293840d7515c08dd1a9bdd62%7C2e9f06b016694589878910a06934dc61%7C0%7C0%7C638695978944813735%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=2mGW0tE9HBNMOyKOIDfmz1U5zIBDWWbzqXoRUCkCx4o%3D&reserved=0
To sign up for our mailing list, visit https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforms.gle%2F52SVPJZ69hbum7hg6&data=05%7C02%7C%7Cb8a1d9d4293840d7515c08dd1a9bdd62%7C2e9f06b016694589878910a06934dc61%7C0%7C0%7C638695978944841784%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=22dg1iP33G9QSZiJyZQXuSQtf2yuFycGHKMFf7yctVo%3D&reserved=0
Dr Stefan Williamson Fa
Research & Outreach Associate
University of Cambridge, Centre of Islamic Studies
Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Cambridge, CB3 9DA
3. Introduction to Pahlavi: Online Winter School of Zoroastrian Middle Persian
Applications are open until January 7th, and no prior knowledge of Persian is required.
For course details and dates, please visit the following link:
Introduction to Pahlavi – Online Winter School of Zoroastrian Middle Persian
4. Cambridge Muslim College
CfP: Proofs for God’s Existence in Islamic Thought
Conference Overview
In a world where the dialogue between science, philosophy, and theology is increasingly important, the Islamic tradition offers a wealth of insights and arguments concerning the existence of God. This conference seeks to highlight these contributions, encouraging scholars to mine the depths of Islamic thought for novel arguments or to refine existing ones in light of contemporary developments in both science and philosophy.
Key Themes
We invite papers on, though not limited to, the following key themes:
- Historical and philosophical analysis of classical proofs for God’s existence within Islamic scholarship.
- Comparative studies on God’s definition, knowability and proof in Islam and other religious or philosophical traditions.
- The impact of modern philosophical developments, as well as those of science and cosmology, on traditional Islamic arguments for God’s existence.
- Critical examinations of contemporary atheistic challenges in the light of Islamic theological and philosophical responses.
Important Dates
- Abstract Submission Deadline: 31 December 2024
- Notification of Article Decision: 31 January 2025
- Draft Article Submission: 31 March 2025
- Conference Date: 12-13 April 2025
For further details and a link to the online abstract submission form, please visit: https://www.cambridgemuslimcollege.ac.uk/research/existence/
5. The I.B. Tauris Handbook of Iranian Cinema
I B Tauris, 2024
Michelle Langford, Maryam Ghorbankarimi, and Zahra Khosroshahi, eds.,
https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/ib-tauris-handbook-of-iranian-cinema-9780755648160/#
- December 14, 2024
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment