Archive for 2024
- November 21, 2024
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Shii News – CfP: IIS – ‘Devotion to the Prophet’s Family in Islamic Thought and Practice’ (London, May 2025)
- November 20, 2024
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Shii News – Academic Items
1.University of California Los Angeles – Assistant Professor, History, Languages/Literary Traditions, and Religions of Ancient Iran
https://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=68185
“To assure full consideration, applications should be submitted by December 15, 2024.”
2. The American of Research in Amman 2025–2026 Fellowships
Applications are open for the American Center of Research 2025–2026 Fellowship Cycle! The deadline to apply is February 15, 2025. ACOR offers fellowships for undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers (of all levels). Some of these fellowships are residential at our center in Amman, while others are for field/independent research conducted in Jordan. For the current cycle, we are offering:
- Two or more two- to six-month fellowships for postdoctoral scholars and scholars with another terminal degree in their field, pursuing research or publication projects in the natural and social sciences, humanities, and associated disciplines relating to the Middle East. U.S. citizenship is required. Maximum award is $34,200. Awards must be used between June 1, 2025, and May 31, 2026, and fellows must reside at the American Center of Research. Funding for this fellowship is provided by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
- Two or more two- to six-month fellowships for master’s and doctoral students. Fields of study include all areas of the humanities and the natural and social sciences. Topics should contribute to scholarship in Middle East studies. U.S. citizenship required. Maximum award is $27,600. Awards must be used between June 1, 2025, and May 31, 2026, and fellows must reside at the American Center of Research. Funding for this fellowship is provided by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
- Eleven or twelve Named fellowships for shorter research periods in Jordan, ranging from $500 to $3,000 each. Some of these fellowships provide the opportunity to reside and conduct research at the American Center!
- Four awards for Jordanian students, ranging from $1500 to $3000 each
- Two awards for Jordanian citizens to participate in international conferences
Applications should be submitted online at https://orcfellowships.smapply.org. Please direct any inquiries to fellowships@acorjordan.org. For further information, please visit our website: https://acorjordan.org/fellowships-2/
3. The ERC project Polymathy and Interdisciplinarity in Premodern Islamic Epistemic Cultures (KNOW) at Ghent University is looking to appoint one PhD student (4 years) and one postdoctoral researcher (3 years).
For details and instructions on how to apply:
PhD position: https://www.ugent.be/en/work/scientific/phd-student-37
Postdoc position: https://jobs.ugent.be/job/Ghent-Postdoctoral-Researcher-9000/807717802/
Project website: https://erc-know.ugent.be/en
Applications are due by 31 December 2024.
4. UCLA: Order and Disorder in the Ottoman Empire: A Book Roundtable
Co-sponsored by the Ibn Khaldun Chair in World History
Friday, November 22, 2024
12:30 PM PST
Bunche Hall 10383 & Online
To register:
https://www.international.ucla.edu/cnes/event/16801
5. UCLA: Women’s Political Imagination in the Kurdish Movement
Co-sponsored Event
Thursday, November 21, 2024
12:30 PM – 1:45 PM PST
Online
To register:
- November 19, 2024
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- November 18, 2024
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Shii News – Academic Items
1.William Morris & Art from the Islamic World
9 November 2024 to 9 March 2025
The William Morris Gallery in Walthamstow, London presents the first exhibition on the influence of art from the Islamic world on William Morris (1834-1896), one of Britain’s most important 19th-century designers and thinkers. A principal founder of the Arts and Crafts Movement, Morris was responsible for producing hundreds of patterns for wallpapers, furnishing fabrics, carpets and embroideries, helping to introduce a new aesthetic into British interiors. While it has long been acknowledged that Morris was inspired by Islamic art, this will be the first exhibition to explore this important aspect of his artistic journey in depth.
https://www.wmgallery.org.uk/event/william-morris-art-from-the-islamic-world/
The exhibition is accompanied by a new publication, Tulips and Peacocks: William Morris and Art from the Islamic World (Yale University Press).
William Morris & Art from the Islamic World is curated by Rowan Bain, principal curator of the William Morris Gallery, and Qaisra M. Khan, Curator of Islamic Art, The Khalili Collections.
2. Events with Shahzoda Samarqandi
The major Uzbekistan-born Tajik novelist Shahzoda Nazarova Samarqandi is on a US tour for the release of the English translation of Zamini Modaron/Zamin-e Mādarān, previously published in Tajik, in Arabic-script Persian, and in Russian, as Mothersland (trans. Shelley Fairweather-Vega). It’s a postcolonial gothic novella in which a girl, cast as her Soviet labor hero mother in a Russian-directed film about the ecological violence of the Uzbek cotton crop, loses her mind in the hall of mirrors of historical representation and reenactment. Zamin-e Mādarān is a dense, formally original work, and I highly recommend it.
Samarqandi is in Seattle now, with a book launch with Fairweather-Vega and UW’s Professor Aria Fani scheduled for tomorrow 7pm at Thirdplace Books.
Next Monday 11/18 in Washington DC, Prof. Erica Marat and George Mason University will host an event at 7pm at Busboys and Poets.
Next come two events at Yale, both of which will be accessible on Zoom. Tuesday 11/19 at noon, our MacMillan Center Writer in Residence, the brilliant Homeira Qaderi, will host a webinar conversation in Persian with Samarqandi (register here), continuing her speaker series that has previously included talks by Aliyeh Ataei, Prof. Fatemeh Shams, Mujib Mehrdad, and Reza Mohammadi.
Wednesday 11/20 at noon, Samarqandi will read from the English translation of the book, and discuss it with me and my colleague, Prof. Claire Roosien (you can attend in person at 320 York St, rm. 131, New Haven, or register online here).
3. ASPIRANTUM’s Persian language summer school will start on June 22, 2025, in Yerevan, Armenia.
45% BLACK FRIDAY DISCOUNT if students apply till November 30, here: https://aspirantum.com/courses/persian-language-summer-school
4. Muslim Materialities Lecture Series
University of Toronto
Department of Historical Studies
Timur Hammond
November 21, 2024
3–5pm EST
Fluid Geographies: Water, Mediation and Infrastructure in an Istanbul Shrine
As scholars of Islam know, water occupies a key devotional position for Muslims. This includes everything from sacred wells to fountains established through pious endowments to the provision of water for one’s ablutions. This talk, drawing on my recently published book, focuses on the fluid geographies built into the Istanbul mosque-shrine complex of Eyüp Sultan. Following water’s overlapping infrastructures and the debates and desires that surround water’s use, I offer one way to consider the broader geographies of Islam.
https://utoronto.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3Y3AI0TmTnSslzcSjIyGcQ#/registration
5. Call for papers for the international conference Badr – Writing and remembering the battle of Badr (7th-21st century)
Conference dates: 13-14 November 2025
Venue: University of Strasbourg, France
Organisers: Nourane Ben Azzouna (Unistra, Faculty of History, ARCHIMEDE), Anne-Sylvie Boisliveau (Unistra, Faculty of History, ARCHIMEDE), Adrien de Jarmy (Unistra, Faculty of Languages, GEO), Clarck Junior Membourou Moiméchème (Unistra, Faculty of Languages, GEO), Renaud Soler (Unistra, Faculty of Languages, GEO), Moussa Abou Ramadan (Unistra, Faculty of History, DRES) et Éric Vallet (Unistra, Faculty of Languages, GEO)
Conference funded by the French Institute of Islamology (IFI)
Summary of the project
The Battle of Badr (2/624), the first major victory of the Muslims led by Muḥammad and the only battle explicitly named in the Qur’an, is a key event in early Islam. Mentioned in Sura 3, verse 123, and associated with the exegesis of Sura 7 al-Anfāl (The Booty), the Battle of Badr has been the subject of numerous memorial constructions over the centuries. Used in various historical conflicts, it serves as a repertoire of actions and discourses in different contexts of confrontation. The BADR project aims to study the evolution of accounts of this battle and their use in Islamic societies, from their earliest traces in texts to their contemporary reinterpretations.
This project has led to the organisation of the ‘Islamology and Digital Humanities’ research seminar at the University of Strasbourg during the academic year 2024-2025. Led by Adrien de Jarmy and Clarck Junior Membourou Moiméchème, the first sessions of the seminar will be devoted to presenting the development of a TEI-XML database of texts relating to the Battle of Badr, as well as the creation of an encoding standard for ancient Arabic texts. The second part of the seminar will welcome international researchers who will discuss the impact of digital humanities on their work in Islamology. The full seminar programme is available at https://islamologie.unistra.fr/actualites/seminaire-de-recherche-islamologie-et-humanites-numeriques/.
The aim of the colloquium is to broaden reflection beyond the strictly technical aspects addressed in the seminar and within the restricted project team, to focus on the reception of accounts of the Battle of Badr up to the 21st century.
We particularly encourage contributions from researchers working on regions outside the Arab world, notably in the Turkic, Persian, Asian and African worlds.
Themes of the conference
- Development and transmission of accounts of the Battle of Badr
The study of the Battle of Badr begins with a detailed exploration of the way in which its narratives have been elaborated, transmitted and reworked over the centuries. This battle, often regarded as the first military triumph of the Muslim community under the leadership of Muḥammad, has given rise to a multitude of oral and written traditions. Researchers are invited to examine the anecdotes, poems, lists of combatants and other traditions, which have been integrated to form a coherent narrative. Analysis will focus on how these narratives were compiled in historical works and biographies of the Prophet (sīra, maghāzī). Particular attention will be paid to the integration of these traditions into different genres of Islamic scholarship, such as Qur’anic commentaries (tafsīr), Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh), prophetic traditions (ḥadīth), theology (kalām) and genealogy, in order to show how these traditions reinforce each other to legitimise various religious authorities, associating the event of Badr with a divine intervention in favour of the Prophet. Contributors are also invited to explore how these narratives have circulated throughout the different eras and regions of the Islamic world. Contributions may address the reception of the Badr narratives in various cultural and political contexts and analyse how they have been adapted to meet the needs and expectations of different Muslim communities.
- Badr in contemporary political and religious contexts
The Battle of Badr continues to resonate strongly in modern and contemporary Islamic history. Researchers are encouraged to examine the mutual influences between the Badr narratives and the socio-political contexts in which they have been reproduced, particularly in periods of religious conflict or reform, in order to show how the Battle of Badr has been used to legitimise or challenge the powers that be. This theme will look at the political and religious uses of Badr in the Ottoman era, in modern and contemporary contexts, as well as during the Iran-Iraq war, in propaganda and in various inter-state conflicts. Researchers are invited to explore how the memory of Badr is mobilised in current political discourse and practice, and how it is used to legitimise contemporary politico-religious causes. This theme will also address the way in which the Badr narratives are reinterpreted in the light of the current challenges facing Muslim societies, through the analysis of continuities and breaks with traditional interpretations.
- Materiality and visual culture of the Battle of Badr
The aim of this theme is to study the Battle of Badr through the various archaeological materials, epigraphy and iconographic supports, in order to verify the existence of a possible gap between the written sources and the existing material traces. Researchers will be invited to examine the contribution of these sciences, which shed new light on this high-profile event. The study of illuminated Ottoman and Persian manuscripts, such as the Siyar-i Nabī (1595) commissioned by Sultan Murad III and preserved in the library of the Topkapı Palace Museum in Istanbul, also offers a possible field of investigation, which would enable us to renew our knowledge of this famous confrontation. Analysing the illustrations of the Battle of Badr not only provides an opportunity to analyse the differences in treatment between the written word and the image, but also to see how different artistic traditions treated the event. In addition to printed works, the study of manuscripts should finally make it possible to highlight the many interactions between the account of Badr and its readers, materialised by the various notes they left in the margins of the chapters devoted to the battle.
Submission of proposals
Proposals should include a title, a 300-500 word abstract, a short biography of the author (200 words maximum) and full contact details. Proposals should be sent by e-mail to the following address: projetbadr2025@gmail.com before 15th March 2025. Papers may be presented in French, English or Arabic. Applicants will be informed of the acceptance of their proposal at the beginning of June. The proceedings of the conference will be published as a collective volume in 2026.
If you have any questions or require further information, please contact the project managers at the same address: projetbadr2025@gmail.com.
Contact Email
URL
https://islamologie.unistra.fr/actualites/appel-a-contributions-pour-le-colloqu…
6. Kurdish Women Through History, Culture and Resistance
Shahrzad Mojab
Mazda, 2024
http://www.mazdapublishers.com/book/kurdish-womenthrough-history
7. Colloque international « Sur les routes d’Arabie : itinéraires terrestres et maritimes » — IMA Paris, 12-14 décembre 2024
Le colloque international se propose d’étudier les routes de la péninsule Arabique, qu’elles soient terrestres ou maritimes, et les échanges qu’elles ont favorisés via l’archéologie, les sciences historiques, philologiques et religieuses mais aussi les sciences de la vie.
Information : https://iismm.hypotheses.org/106050
8. “4th International Conference on the Military History of the Mediterranean Sea” (Focus Turkey and Greece), Ibn Haldun University & University of Ioannina, Greece, 9-11 June 2025
This conference aims to offer a vertical history of war in the Mediterranean from the early Middle Ages to the Early Modern period (c. AD 1700), putting the emphasis on the changing face of several of war’s aspects and contexts over time. This is a collaboration between academics from Turkey and Greece that aspires to bring together scholars of military history and stimulate academic discussion in different aspects of the military history of the Mediterranean Sea.
Deadline for abstracts: 30 December 2024.
Information: https://hist.ihu.edu.tr/en/4th-international-conference-on-the-military-history-of-the-mediterranean-sea
9. 3rd Kurdish Studies Conference, London School of Economics, 11-12 June 2025
The conference welcomes paper submissions with social sciences and humanities disciplinary approaches to any aspect of Kurdish studies. These might include but are not limited to: history; political movements; social movements; gender; political representation; governance; displacement; anthropology; nationalism; ethnography, ecology, politi-cal economy; international relations; cultural studies; diaspora; security; and religion.
Deadline for abstracts: 21 November 2024.
Information: https://www.lse.ac.uk/middle-east-centre/news/kurdish-studies-conference-2025
10. University Assistant Predoctoral in Turkish Studies (4 Years), University of Vienna
Qualification: MA or Diploma in Turkish Studies (Ottoman History and Culture) or a related discipline. – Interest in DH and Ottoman Studies, Armeno-Turkish Texts, Cultural Heritage, Environmental History. – Excellent knowledge of Turkish and knowledge of Ottoman Turkish. – Excellent command of written and spoken English (C1).
Deadline for application: 29 November 2024.
Information: https://jobs.univie.ac.at/job/University-assistant-predoctoral/1137021301/
11. Tenure-track Assistant Professor on the History of the Modern Middle East, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Requirements: A PhD in History, or a related field by the start date of the appointment. Candidates will be considered based on their scholarly research as well as strong potential for effective undergraduate and graduate teaching.
Deadline for applications: 25 November 2024. Information:
- November 16, 2024
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- November 15, 2024
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Shii News – CfP: Tenth Annual Conference on Shi`i Studies (London, 10.5.25)
For further information:
https://islamic-college.ac.uk/publications/acss/cfp/
- November 14, 2024
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Hybrid: ‘Narrative Development of a Shīʿī Hadith and Its Transmitters in the Eighth Century’ (I-Wen Su, Tokyo, 4.12.24, 18.00 JST)
Lecture Title:
‘Who I was his master, ʿAlī is his master’: the Narrative Development of a Shīʿī Hadith and Its Transmitters in the Eighth Century.
Speaker:
Dr. I-Wen Su (Professor in Islamic Studies at Department of Arabic Language and Culture, National Chengchi University; https://arabic.nccu.edu.tw/PageStaffing/Detail?fid=6949&id=2472)
Chair:
Dr. Kazuo Morimoto (Professor in Islamic and Iranian History, Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, University of Tokyo)
Date and Time:
December 4 (Wed), 2024, at 18:00-19:40 (JST)
Venue:
Conference Room No. 1, The Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia 3F, Hongo Campus, The University of Tokyo (東京大学東洋文化研究所3階、第一会議室), and online via Zoom.
Lecture Abstract:
This lecture addresses a Prophetic tradition, ‘Who I was his master, ʿAlī is his master’ (man kuntu mawlāhu fa-ʿAlī mawlāhu). This hadith is cited by Shīʿī and Sunnī Muslims alike to articulate ʿAlī’s exclusive legitimacy to rule or his privileged standing in the first Muslim community; however, its origins remain understudied. The lecturer will present the results of an analysis of this Prophetic hadith through the isnād-cum-matn method, which not only pinpoint the time of its circulation or creation, but also identify the key transmitters responsible for the circulation of its variants. The sectarian tendencies of the pivotal figures in the dissemination of this hadith as depicted in early Arabic biography also provide valuable insights which can help to navigate the ambiguous sectarian boundaries in early Islam.
How to Participate:
Pre-registration is required for online participants. Please fill in the form at https://tinyurl.com/yphprp2h, by Dec 1, at 24:00 JST.
In-person attendance does not require registration.
Contact Person: Naoki Nishiyama (nishiyama[at]ioc.u-tokyo.ac.jp)
This event is organized by the JSPS Kakenhi Project “ ‘Sunnis’ and ‘Shi’is’: Historical Inquiries into Confessional Identities and Mutual Perceptions” (23H00674) based at the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, University of Tokyo.
- November 13, 2024
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Shii News – Academic Items
1.HYBRID 15th Conference of the Asian Federation of Middle East Studies Associations (AFMA), Kyoto, Japan, 7-8 December 2024
Information and programme: https://www.james1985.org/uploads/files/AFMA15_2024_Program_1.pdf
2. Sixième édition du Congrès des études sur le Moyen-Orient et les mondes musulmans, Strasbourg, 24-27 juin 2025
Les ateliers pourront couvrir un ou plusieurs domaines des sciences humaines et sociales (anthropologie, archéolo-gie et histoire de l’art, droit, économie, géographie, histoire, islamologie et sciences religieuses, linguistique, littéra-ture, philosophie, sociologie, sciences politiques), dans une perspective globale ou régionale, en lien avec l’étude du Moyen-Orient et/ou du Maghreb, des mondes musulmans au sens large ou de l’islam dans le monde.
Les propositions doivent être soumises avant le 8 décembre 2024.
Information: https://momm-strasbourg.sciencesconf.org/?lang=fr
3. Postgraduate Symposium on “Muslims of the UK and Europe”, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Centre of Islamic Studies, University of Cambridge, 29-30 September 2025
Current Masters and PhD candidates to present their research on issues pertaining to Muslims of the UK and Eu-rope, from any discipline. Topics vary widely, from Sufism to Salafism, from charity to burial rites, religious travel to therapy, Islamophobia, deradicalisation initiatives and more. Accommodation will be provided and economy travel expenses will be reimbursed up to £300.
Deadline for abstracts: 15 January 2025. Information: https://www.cis.cam.ac.uk/call-for-papers/
4. Conference “59th Annual Meeting of the Middle East Studies Association (MESA)”, Washington, DC, 22-25 November 2025
Deadline for abstracts: 13 February 2025. Information: https://mesana.org/
5. 130 Fully-Funded, Four-Year Scholarships in the Doctoral Programmes in Economics, History and Civilisation, Law, Political and Social Sciences, European University Institute (EUI), San Domenico di Fiesole, Italy
Deadline for applications: 31 January 2025.
Information: https://www.eui.eu/en/services/academic-service/doctoral-programme
6. Online event: ‘Contemporising Islamic Art’ with eL Seed and Dr Zahra Kazani, Monday 18 November, 1pm GMT
You are warmly invited to a special online conversation this coming Monday celebrating UNESCO’s International Day of Islamic Art.
We are delighted to be welcoming French-Tunisian contemporary artist, el Seed, and art historian Dr Zahra Kazani (University of Cambridge) to discuss ‘Contemporising Islamic Art: Arabic Calligraphy Across Time’. The event will take place online via Zoom from 1pm-2pm GMT on Monday 18 November.
The event is free to attend but registration is essential. For further information and registration visit the Alwaleed Cultural Network website here: https://www.alwaleedculturalnetwork.org/en/events/contemporising-islamic-art/
7. We are inviting you to our 11th IDHN Conference on November 21, 2024.
We will hear five exciting presentations:
Rahmi Oruç: Introducing MunazaraGPT v.01
Fateme Najjarzadehgan: A Digital Exploration of Narrations on Women
Covadonga Baratech Soriano: Authorship attribution of a premodern Arabic work through stylo
Jehad Mohammed Oumer: Modeling Hadith Narrations Using Property Graphs
Yıldırım Leman: Decline and Science According to Kâtib Çelebi (1609 – 1657)
In order to attend the conference please register at: https://georgetown.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYucu2hrDkqGdf4jpuue6nP2-GEyvv8zdbm
- November 12, 2024
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Shii News – Academic Items
1.The Great Mughals: Art, Architecture and Opulence
Call for Papers
27 – 28 March 2025
Hochhauser Auditorium, V&A South Kensington, London
This conference is organised in conjunction with the V&A exhibition The Great Mughals: Art, Architecture and Opulence (9 November 2024 – 5 May 2025). This major exhibition celebrates the extraordinary creative output and internationalist culture of the ‘Golden Age’ of the Mughal Court (c. 1560–1660) during the reigns of its most famous emperors: Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan. Continuing the V&A’s long history of fostering advanced research in the field of South Asian art history, this conference will provide an opportunity to share impactful, innovative and emerging research on Mughal art and design.
Participation in the two-day conference will be both in person at V&A South Kensington and online. Keynote speakers will include Rajeev Kinra, Associate Professor of South Asian history and comparative literature at Northwestern University, and Susan Stronge, Senior Curator in the Asia Department at the V&A and curator of The Great Mughals exhibition.
We welcome proposals from researchers at all stages of their careers, including academics, curators, conservators and scientists, especially those which respond to the Mughal collections of the V&A or place them in their wider context. We particularly welcome proposals from early career scholars. Topics of particular interest include:
• Mughal patronage and collecting
• Mughal workshops and regional production
• The impact of Iran on Mughal art and design
• Hindus at the Mughal court
• The Mughals and Europe
• Mughal architecture and gardens
• Technology, especially relating to Mughal warfare
• Museum practice in displaying, conserving, and interpreting Mughal collections
Conference papers will be 20 minutes each.
Proposals for papers, comprising a 250-word abstract and 150-word biography, should be
sent to greatmughals.conference@vam.ac.uk by Friday 6th December 2024.
Deadline: 6th December 2024
Notification to speakers: 20th December 2022
Please send all enquiries to greatmughals.conference@vam.ac.uk
2. CFP – “The image in Muslim religious contexts”, Congress of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies – deadline: December 8
Dear colleagues,
I am writing to share the CfP for a panel I am organizing at the 6th Congress of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies in France, Strasbourg, 24-27 June 2025. I hope you will consider submitting a proposal.
The CfP for the panel is below.
The full congress CfP can be found here: https://momm-strasbourg.sciencesconf.org/
To offer a paper:
- You need to provide your name and institutional affiliation (if any), a title and an abstract (up to 2000 characters) for a 20-minute paper.
- Please upload your paper proposal directly via this link: https://framaforms.org/proposition-de-contribution-individuelle-a-un-atelier-du-6e-congres-du-gis-momm-strasbourg-24-27
- Deadline for submissions: 8 December 2024
Contact Information : benazzouna@unistra.fr
CfP: The image in Muslim religious contexts
The “Bilderverbot“, the ban on images of living creatures in Islam, and its circumventions, have been the subject of constant debate for several centuries. As far as we know, the first traces of such debates, or more accurately accusations, date back to the Council of Nicaea II in 787. The first “Critical Dissertation” devoted to “this question, whether the figures of men and animals are banned in the Alcoran” was published in 1789 (Toderini 1789). There are still many publications on the topic today. These debates themselves have been the subject of historiographical analyses, for example by Christiane Gruber (Gruber 2019) or Finbarr Barry Flood (Flood 2022). The longevity and passionate nature of the discussion can be explained, among other things, by the fact that it is marked by the radical paradigms of incoherence and even contradiction. As Islam is generally considered to be “a fiercely trancendent and iconoclastic doctrine” (Moin 2015), the image is often confined to the limbo of anomaly, from “irregularity” (Toderini 1789) to “implausibility” (Papadopoulo 1976).
The aim of this workshop is to contribute to the debate precisely by reconsidering the supposed fundamental contradiction between the Muslim religion and the representational image, by crossing the testimony of Muslim normative texts and Islamic representational images. While the Qur’ān contains no passage comparable to the second commandment, it is the Ḥadīth, the Traditions of Prophet Muḥammad, and Muslim law that are considered the reference sources on the status of the representational image in Islam. Yet neither of these two corpora has yet been the subject of an in-depth study from this perspective. What might the “isnād-cum-matn” or “matn-cum-isnād” method (Motzki 2005; Natif 2019) contribute to our knowledge of the history of the status of the image in the traditionalist milieu? Similarly, what would a systematic analysis of the legal corpora, from fiqh manuals to collections of fatwās, reveal? And more importantly, how to evaluate the impact of the ulamāʾ on the conception and practice of the image and, more generally, of the visual arts in the Islamic world?
Cross-referencing textual and visual sources is also possible at the level of material culture. In fact, many Islamic works bear both texts and images in dialogue. While the text-image relationship is beginning to be studied in scientific and narrative illustrated manuscripts, this is not yet the case in other forms of material culture, from architecture to art objects. There are many cases where not only a text, but also a religious text such as an excerpt from the Qur’ān, a reference or an invocation to God, the Prophet or another holy figure, is displayed alongside an image. The best-known case is that of the coins predating the reforms of Umayyad caliph ʿAbd al-Malik in 77 H / 696-7, but many other examples can be cited. In this respect, pre-Islamic spolia reused in Muslim monuments deserve particular attention. For example, are there convergences between Byzantine capitals and reliefs incorporated into mosques such as al-Aqṣā or al-Azhar? How do Qurʾānic quotations and iconographic spolia interact in public buildings, from Seljuk Anatolia to Mamluk Egypt? How do Muslim texts and images created ex nihilo fit together in Andalusi and Fatimid textiles, Iranian and Iraqi inlaid metalworks or lustre tiles from Kashan…?
In attempting to address some of these questions, the contributions will take a fresh look at both well-known and lesser-known works, with particular attention to the relationship between religious texts and representational images. The aim is to move beyond the paradigm of anomaly towards an analysis of the image as a language in its own right in Islamic societies.
References cited :
Flood, Finbarr Barry, “Islam and image: Paradoxical histories», in Axel Langer (ed.), In the name of the image. Figurative representation in Islamic and Christian cultures, Berlin, 2022, p. 301-318.
Gruber, Christiane (ed.), The Image debate: Figural representation in Islam and across the world, Londres : Gingko, 2019.
Moin, A. Azfar, 2015, “Sovereign violence: Temple destruction in India and shrine desecration in Iran and Central Asia”, Comparative Studies in Society and History 57/2, pp. 467-496.
Motzki, Harald, 2005, “Dating Muslim Traditions: A survey”, Arabica 52/2, pp. 204-253.
Natif, Mika, 2019, “‘Painters will be punished’ – The politics of figural representation amongst the Umayyads”, in Gruber, Christiane (ed.), The Image debate: Figural representation in Islam and across the world, Londres : Gingko, 2019, pp. 33-45.
Papadopoulo, Alexandre, 1976, L’Islam et l’art musulman, Paris : Editions d’Art Lucien Mazenod.
Toderini, 1789, « Dissertation critique sur cette question, si les figures d’hommes et d’animaux sont défendues dans l’Alcoran », in De la littérature des Turcs, trad. de l’italien par M. l’abbé de Cournand, Paris : Poinçot, vol. 3, pp. 47-78 (le texte original est daté de 1785).
Key words
Art history, image, figurative representation, Islam, Muslim religion, religious space, text-image relationship
Contact Email
URL
https://momm-strasbourg.sciencesconf.org/
3. Persian cultural heritage in Bosnia and Herzegovina
SOAS Centre for Iranian Studies,
5.00pm, Monday 18 November 2024
Dr. Haverić will present the Bosniaks’ Literary Legacy in Persian, highlighting valuable manuscripts of Persian works preserved in libraries in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Her talk will explore the Influence of Persian Classics on the literary heritage of Bosniaks written in Persian, Turkish, and Arabic. Bosnian writers have drawn inspiration from prominent writers and poets of Arab, Turkish, and Persian literature, resulting in a significant body of works in these oriental languages. Her book, “Words of Persian Origin in Bosnian Language,” co-authored with Amela Šehović, contains a comprehensive list of 1,808 words of Persian origin
Registration is necessary.
4. SOAS Shapoorji Pallonji Institute of Zoroastrian Studies
Book Launch: Zoroastrianism in India and Iran by Alexandra Buhler
6.30pm, Thursday 21 November 2024
This book examines the cultural, religious, and political ties between the Zoroastrian communities of Iran and the Zoroastrian communities of India during the late Qajar and early Pahlavi periods.
A major theme is the increase in philanthropy directed to the Zoroastrians of Iran by the Parsis and the involvement of the British in encouraging Parsi feelings of patriotism towards Iran. Not only were Parsis affected by events taking place in Iran, they also contributed to the broader change in attitudes towards Zoroastrians in that country.
Registration is necessary.
5. SOAS Shapoorji Pallonji Institute of Zoroastrian Studies
Film screening: Derbent: What Persia Left Behind
7.00pm, Tuesday 26 November 2024
“Derbent: What Persia Left Behind” is a comprehensive documentary that explores the unique history and archaeology of this UNESCO World Heritage Site. The documentary features exclusive footage shot in Derbent just before the Russo-Ukrainian war, along with interviews with renowned scholars who illuminate the rich yet often overlooked history of the fortifications. Funded by the Persian Heritage Foundation and the Soudavar Memorial Foundation, the film also highlights the critical condition of the Middle Persian (Pahlavi) inscriptions found in the region, the northernmost of their kind in the world.
6. School of Arts, SOAS
2025 Yarshater Lectures in Persian Art
16 – 21 January 2025
This four-part series looks at both familiar and overlooked aspects of deluxe Persian manuscript production during the early modern period, roughly the fourteenth through seventeenth centuries.
Individual lecture topics include paintings as frontispieces and finispieces, the presence of page markers, manuscript illuminators and their graphic styles, and the image of the book in illustrated manuscripts. The overall aim is to explore some of the material and artistic features, forms and functions that shaped the making of Persian manuscripts in the past and that contribute to the continuing appeal of this celebrated tradition in the present.
The Yarshater Lectures in Persian Art at SOAS are sponsored by the Persian Heritage Foundation.
7. Inperson only: AKU-ISMC Studying State Muftis: The Case of Egypt,
Lecture by Professor Jakob Skovgaard-Petersen
4 December, 2024
London, 5.30
8. Call for Submissions to Oxford Middle East Review
OMER is currently accepting submissions that reflect on the position of the MENA’s people, civil societies, organisations, and governments, within a broader context of hegemonic and subaltern powers, with a broad temporal theme (though typically the contemporary MENA world, from the mid-1800s onwards).
Papers will be considered for the journal’s two sections: a policy section (shorter pieces up to 2,000 words in length) and a research section (in-depth articles from 7,500-10,000 words).
They are also welcoming interest in individuals who would like to review some of the latest books on the MENA region.
Students can enquire about the book review at omerjournal@gmail.com, and can submit to editors@omerjournal.com.
Further information about the theme and this call are in the attached document.
Deadline for Submissions: January 3, 2025
Full Submission Guidelines: https://omerjournal.com/submit/
To submit, please email: submissions@omerjournal.com
For general queries, please email: editors@omerjournal.com
9. Call for Papers: Muslims of the UK and Europe Postgraduate Symposium
Organised by the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Centre of Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge
The Centre of Islamic Studies invites applications from current Masters and PhD candidates to present their research on issues pertaining to Muslims of the UK and Europe, from any discipline. This postgraduate symposium, taking place on 29th/30th September 2025 at the Moller Centre in Cambridge, will be a platform for students to present and exchange current research on any topic in this field in a dynamic forum. Papers should present, analyse or interpret research findings, data or material. Participants are expected to attend all sessions. Accommodation will be provided and economy travel expenses will be reimbursed up to £300.
To apply please submit a 500-word abstract, with curriculum vitae outlining current research interests, to admin@cis.cam.ac.uk by 15 January 2025.
Successful candidates will be notified at the start of March 2025 and invited to submit draft papers of no more than 3000 words by 1 Sept 2025.
Click here to read about the bi-annual ‘Muslims of the UK and Europe’ Postgraduate Symposium.
10. IQP Series of Meetings (15th):
Partners in Sacred History
(The Animals in the Qur’an and hadith and early Islamic history)
Prof. Sarra Tlili, University of Florida
Nov. 13, 2024
11:30 AM – 13:30 PM (UTC)
For Registration and to receive the meeting link, send your name and affiliate to:
11. The Making of Persianate Modernity: Language and
Literary History between Iran and India
A Jabbari
Cambridge University Press, 2023
https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/making-of-persianate-modernity/A796FA74ABF9B0B6FAE1C81F60D75891
12. ONLINE Conference “58th Annual Meeting of the Middle East Studies Association (MESA)”, 11-16 November 2024
Information, final programme and registration: https://mesana.org/pdf/MESA2024_Nov4_sm.pdf
13. ONLINE Lecture “Re-Imagining Jerusalem: The Ritual Recreation of Pilgrimage between Syria and Georgia” by Prof. Emma Loosley Leeming, University of Exeter, 15 November 2024, 6:00 pm CET
This lecture will introduce some of the ways that believers recreated the rituals of Jerusalem pilgrimage without leaving their hometowns and villages. It will introduce examples from Syria and Georgia in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, and encourage future research in this widely under-studied area of ritual practice.
Information and registration:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_vWTAIvvFQPiKXEjgPRFszA#/registration
14. PhD Fellowships in the Arabic, Islamic, and Middle East Studies Program, University of Ghent
PhD candidates are invited for studies on: The history of Egypt, historical Syria, and the Ottoman Empire (focus on state formation, knowledge practices, historical consciousness, etc.). – The anthropology of the Middle East (focus on love, sexuality, materiality, identity, gender and modernity). – The analysis and preservation of source materials relevant to the study of epigraphy, historiography, and documents in various languages.
Deadline for applications: 1 December 2024.
Information: https://www.middleeast.ugent.be/en/research/research-fellowships/
15. Junior and Senior Postdoctoral Fellowships via the Research Foundation Flanders (3 Years) in the Arabic, Islamic, and Middle East Studies Program, University of Ghent
The Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO) funds postdoctoral fellowships at junior and senior levels for excep-tional researchers to pursue independent research projects for three years. If you are interested in pursuing one of these fellowships, please contact the professor in the program whose research interests most closely align with the project you would like to pursue.
Deadline for applications: 2 December 2024.
Information: https://www.middleeast.ugent.be/en/research/research-fellowships/
16. Lecturer or Assistant Teaching Professor of Arabic, Pennsylvania State University
Requirements include native or near-native fluency in English and Arabic, a Master’s degree or its equiva-lent in Arabic or a related field (Ph.D. preferred) by the appointment date, and relevant teaching experience. Candidates who have experience with communicative and standards-based methodologies, program-building experience such as supervision or curriculum development, etc.
Deadline for applications: 18 November 2024. Information: https://apptrkr.com/5740511
- November 09, 2024
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