Archive for 2025

1.UCLA: IRANIAN STUDIES OUTREACH/BILINGUAL LECTURE SERIES

Hasan Pirnia and Constitutional Experience: Articulation of Public Law and the Prospects of Modern State in Iran, 1905-1925

Ali Gheissari

University of San Diego

Persian Lecture

Sunday, January, 25, 2026 at 4:00 pm Pacific Time

Royce Hall 314

English Lecture

Monday, January 26, 2026 at 11:00am Pacific Time

Bunche Hall 10383

Hybrid Zoom option is available both days:

https://ucla.zoom.us/j/92182697630

 

 

 

 

 

2. BRAIS Annual Conference 2026: Call for Papers deadline Monday 5 January 2026

 For further information, and to submit your paper or panel proposal, click HERE.

BRAIS 2026 will be hosted by the Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations (Aga Khan University) & The Institute for Ismaili Studies, London on Monday 18 and Tuesday 19 May 2026. We look forward to seeing many of you there!

If you have any questions at all about the conference, please do not hesitate to contact us on: brais.conference@ed.ac.uk.

 

 

 

 

 

3. CfP: Hispano-Arabic Mirror in the Mediterranean: How Art and Culture Keep Crossing Paths in the Basin

Description of the Volume:

This seminal study contributes to the advancement of hybrid cultures and identities, the editors of

this monograph aim to scan and materialize the multiple connections across the Mediterranean basin that

often times are overlooked. Cross-cultural intertwining between the Arab culture and the region of Northern Africa and Spain have been constant since the middle ages, as Andalusia, for example, was a melting pot of ethnicities. The mirror (evoking the “buried mirror” concept developed by Carlos Fuentes in 1992 in the book entitled the same), reflecting north and south, south and north, has been hiding in plain sight for centuries and this intertwined history has countless manifestations, including a current revival of this connection due to global migratory trends. The volume aims to bring to light new ways of understanding these imbrications.

The goal is to contribute to the debate and enhance the relevancy and current nature of these relationships from different perspectives, focusing on how much these cultures have in common rather than looking at the differences. For this reason, this project welcomes proposals that analyze past and present literary, filmic, artistic or cultural manifestations, and new ways in which these civilizations keep sharing paths, inevitably.

This volume is also open to other themes and lines of research not explicitly mentioned but that align with the central vision of the volume.

Possible lines of study, but not limited to:

-Artistic influences, a two directional path

-Aesthetic intertwine and crosspollination

-Literary shared spaces and intertextuality

-Visits, invasions, settlements, and legacies

-History of ideas: Intersections between art and society

-Thought and progress, contributions and mutual symbiosis

-Visible and not so visible overlaps and common understanding

-Revisions of manifestations that highlight the Mediterranean connection

-From the basin to the world: fusion culture exported or implanted in other parts of the world

-Hybridity conceptualization and theorical analysis in relation to the Hispano-Arabic culture

Timeline:

April 15th 2026: Reception of proposals: Title and Summary (200 words approx.).

November 31st 2026: First full version of the chapter to be completed.

Year 2027: Publication of the volume.

Length and Style:

No more than 20-22 pages (including notes, bibliography, illustrations, etc.) MLA style format (word length between 6000-8000 words), written in English.

Send proposals in English to:

Jorge Gonzá lez del Pozo jorgegdp@umich.edu & Wessam Elmeligi elmeligi@umich.edu

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Call for Papers – al-Karmil: Studies in Arabic Language and Literature (2026 Volume)

We warmly invite high-quality, original submissions in the fields of Arabic language and Arabic literature. Articles may be submitted in either Arabic or English. All submissions received by 1 May 2026 will undergo double-blind peer review. Accepted papers are expected to be published in the last quarter of 2026.

Al-Karmil is committed to publishing rigorous and innovative scholarship, and we particularly welcome contributions that engage with classical, medieval, and modern Arabic texts from linguistic, literary, and interdisciplinary perspectives.

For reference, you may consult the journal’s most recent issue (2025) at the following link:

Al-Karmil Volume 46 Issue 1-2 (2025)

 

 

ISMM Seminar 2025-2026

Autority and Political Culture in Qajar Iran and the Ottoman Empire (ca. 1780-1920)

Autorité et culture politique en Iran qajar et dans l’Empire ottoman (ca. 1780-1920)

Conveners :
Charles Ganier, Université Paris-Cité, CESSMA
Denis Hermann, CNRS HDR, CeRMI
Erdal Kaynar, MCF, Université de Strasbourg

Tuesday, 6 January 2026

10-12 (Paris time)

Zeinab Azarbadegan (Yale University)

Mapping a Massacre: Extraterritoriality and International Crisis in Ottoman Karbala 1843

In 1843, Necib Pasha, the Ottoman Governor of Baghdad attached the autonomous city of Karbala after the months-long siege on the city. Occupants of the city, claiming Iranian and Russian subjecthood, reported mass looting, massacre, and desecration of the shrines in the city. Soon, the matter turned into an international crisis for the Ottoman Porte, sending a commission from Istanbul to investigate the event. Concurrently, a British-Russian commission arrived in Karbala to investigate how the non-Ottoman subjects resident in Karbala were affected. These commissions mapped the city and its affected population. The local histories, the nationalist historiographies in Arabic, Turkish, and Persian, and the historiography of the Babi/Bahai movement have all tried to get to the truth of the matter in what happened in Karbala in 1843, projecting the grievances around the event onto their own ideological framings. This paper aims to map these historiographies against the international context within which the commission reports were written. It argues that the commissions and the claims within them could only be made in the context of new conceptions of imperial subjecthood and extraterritoriality, where empires claimed protection of their subjects beyond their borders. It was only then that a matter of Ottoman internal rebellion could be magnified into an international crisis with Iranian, Russian and British governments mapping and claiming populations resident in Ottoman Empire.

To attend the seminar via zoom :
https://ehess-fr.zoom.us/j/98558979025?pwd=1EOFoBWcE9No6JJTZb9fixfu9VamZe.1
Meeting ID: 985 5897 9025
Passcode : 345891

For the full seminar programme :
https://iismm.hypotheses.org/128394

For any enquiries, please contact :
Denis Hermann – dnshermann@gmail.com

Application deadline is 28th February 2026.

1. News from Invisible East

We have made significant improvements to the Invisible East Digital Corpus (IEDC). Alongside a sixth release of documents, and Persian language functionality, tagging has been introduced to the site, which significantly enhances the value of the IEDC as a research tool. We have had a busy term featuring schools outreach, teaching on a six-week lecture series for Oxford Lifelong Learning, as well as presenting at conferences.

We have published three new Documents of the Month, including two on the Bamiyan Papers which are digitised in the IEDC: a Judeo-Persian letter and a fragment of a treatise dealing with pre-Islamic festivals.

The Islamicate East series

Three books in The Islamicate East series are now listed on the EUP website and will be arriving in bookstores soon. Use NEW30 for a discount of 30% from the listed price:

• In print from 31 December 2025: The Warehouse of Bamiyan. Economic Life in Medieval Afghanistan by Arezou Azad, with a contribution by Pejman Firoozbakhsh (former Invisible East Postdoc);
• Expected January 2026: Persian World Histories in the Mongol Era. The Transmission and Reception of Rashid al-Din’s Jami al-Tawarikh, edited by Tomoko Masuya, Osamu Otsuka and Masatomo Kawamoto; and
• Expected January 2026: The Rise and Fall of the Barmakids: Stories from a Forgotten Persian Manuscript, translated and annotated by Pejman Firoozbakhsh and Arezou Azad.

 

The hybrid series Rethinking History: Returning Archives and Documents resumes in January. Registration is essential. Join us for:

• Wednesday 14 January 2026, 5PM UK time: ‘Documents from Turbulent Times: Studying Middle Persian Collections from the Late Sasanian and Early Islamic Periods—Opportunities and Challenges’, with Nima Asefi, Universität Hamburg.
• Wednesday, 11 February 2026, 5PM UK Time: ‘Archaeology as National Archive: Hertzfeld’s History of Iran’, with Jennifer Jenkins, University of Toronto.
• Wednesday, 11 March 2026, 4PM UK Time: ‘Documenting Space: Waqf-Namehs, Architecture, and the Social Function of Qajar Madrasas’, with Maryam Heydarkhani, University of Oxford.

1. Quand la scène s’empare du traumatisme : Métadiscours des artistes arabes contemporains / When the Stage Engages with Trauma: Metadiscourses of Contemporary Arab Artists (Nancy)

Université de Lorraine, Nancy, le vendredi 13 mars 2026

By focusing on the discourses produced by artists – creative correspondence, directors’ notes, interviews, program-matic texts, rehearsal journals, artistic manifestos, and other critical postures and positionings – this study day seeks to shed light on the processes through which scenic and performative practices transform traumatic experience into an aesthetic engine, a political stance, and a form of engagement with audiences and societies.

Deadline for abstracts: 31 January 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/bdhcry9u

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Summer School: “Decompartmentalizing the Study of Religion: The Middle East and its Diasporas (Late 19th – 21st Centuries) – Lexis, Mapping and Staging”, Organized by ANR PredicMO, IREMAM, CNRS, AMU, IFAO, IFPO, EFR, NVIC and University of Groningen, Cairo, 10-17 October 2026

Dive into an innovative, cross-disciplinary exploration of religion in the Middle East and its diasporas (late 19th – 21st centuries). This summer school focuses on breaking down confessional and disciplinary silos through lexicons, media, and spatial dynamics, fostering a connected approach to religious phenomena.

Deadline for applications: 12 February 2026. Information: https://predicmo.hypotheses.org/category/ecole-dete

 

 

 

3. Seeking North African and Arabic Scholars to Write and Edit Bloomsbury’s “Trans Studies” Book Series

High priorities for the series include books explore Arabic influences on transgender issues, as well as works that examine transgender and nonbinary topics with reference to specific North African linguistic, national, and regional groups. We encourage authors from around the world to contribute to the series, incorporating culture-specific insights as feasible. Books written from a postcolonial perspective are especially welcome.

Information: https://tinyurl.com/3sadpnym

 

 

 

 

 

4. Chapters for Sourcebook on “Moving Stories: Sectarianisms in the Global Middle East”

We seek to publish a Sourcebook that reflects the capacious range of sources that speak in the widest way to the interplay between processes of Ottoman mobility, migration, and identify formation in a period of Middle Eastern history spanning roughly from 1860 to 1930. We are especially interested in previously unpublished sources in languages as varied as Ottoman Turkish, Arabic, Armenian, Greek, Syriac, Coptic, Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and English.

Information: https://tinyurl.com/3f7pvjbc

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Call for Articles on “On Both Sides of the Border: Muslims in Garb al-Andalus and Portugal During the Middle Ages” for the Journal “Hamsa: Journal of Judaic and Islamic Studies”

The aim of this monographic issue is to serve as a compilation and new impetus for this research into the Muslim presence in Portuguese lands, both under the sphere of Andalusian influence (Garb al-Andalus) and under Christian rule (Portugal).

Deadline for articles: 28 February 2026. Information: https://journals.openedition.org/hamsa/5249

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. The Transformation of Turkish Foreign Policy

Islamism and Nationalism

Hasan Kösebalaban

Information: https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-the-transformation-of-turkish-foreign-policy.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Parution : “Un printemps ottoman. La révolution jeune-turque de 1908” par François Georgeon, Les Belles Lettres, 16/01/2026, 306 pages

Information: https://www.lesbelleslettres.com/livre/9782251458250/un-printemps-ottoman

 

 

 

 

 

8. “Defying the Violence: Lebanon’s Visual Arts in the 1980s” Edited by Nadia von Maltzahn, Orient-Institut Beirut, Manzir Journal 7, 17 December 2025, 264 pages

Information and complete text: https://bop.unibe.ch/manazir/issue/view/1535

 

 

 

 

 

9. University of Exeter:

Recordings of Monday Majlises

All of them, and those before, starting in 2022, can be accessed on this link:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8YRkUahFj_81oJzCSDLTx4kVQQgeHLc-

 

6^th of October (Monday) 17:00-18:30 (UK time).

John Esposito, Among the Believers: A Journey in Islam, the Muslim World and Global Politics

Recording available at https://youtu.be/2TosfWwvbJg

13^th of October (Monday) 17:00-18:30 (UK time).

Said Reza Huseini, The Arab Conquests in Bactria: Local Politics and Arab Domination (651–750 CE)

Recording available at https://youtu.be/Aoxr-C_RSKs

27^th of October (Monday) 17:00-18:30 (UK time).

Badr Tachouche, The Chanting Faqihs: Retuning Islamic Discourse through Muwashshahs and Zajals

Recording available at https://youtu.be/r9UV0Xyd2f0

3^rd of November (Monday) 17:00-18:30 (UK time).

Michael Shenkar, Sogdian Civilisation and the Arab Conquest.

Recording available at https://youtu.be/dmtOwZXLqM8

10^th of November (Monday) 17:00-18:30 (UK time).

Godefroid de Callataÿ and Laura Tribuzio, A Ruby Which Is Not a Ruby: Symbol, Substance, and Political Imagination in Timurid and Mughal Thought.

Recording available at https://youtu.be/VD81qXyz_l4

17^th of November (Monday) 17:00-18:30 (UK time).

Edith Szanto, Mourning and Performing: Twelver Shi‘ism in Ba‘ath Syria

Recording available at https://youtu.be/akoNLAeKLpI

24^th of November (Monday) 17:00-18:30 (UK time).

Safa Mahmoudian, Palace Gardens in Lower Mesopotamia: 8th–11th Centuries

Recording available at https://youtu.be/7V98hHUe6tc

1^st of December (Monday) 17:00-18:30 (UK time).

Pranav Prakash, Unravelling a 17^th Century Persian Translation of Śiva Purāṇa

Recording available at https://youtu.be/q6IiXrvOD7M

8^th of December (Monday) 17:00-18:30 (UK time).

Alireza Doostdar, Facing Satan: The Iranian Revolution and Its Demons

Recording available at https://youtu.be/9mXzcTmEPD8

 

1. Before World Literature: The Trickster Tales of al-Ḥarīrī in an Age of
Commentary

M Keegan

Is now available for pre-order. Until the end of December, there
is a 40% discount with the discount code PENN-HOLIDAY25, which means the
hardcover should cost less than $40 in the US with shipping

https://www.pennpress.org/9781512828870/before-world-literature/

 

 

 

 

 

2. Summer 2026 Arabic Language Study with Indiana University

https://languageworkshop.indiana.edu/summer-language-workshop/overview/languages/arabic/index.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.Summer 2026 Pashto Language Study with Indiana University

https://languageworkshop.indiana.edu/summer-language-workshop/overview/languages/pashto/index.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Summer 2026 Persian Language Study with Indiana University

https://languageworkshop.indiana.edu/summer-language-workshop/overview/languages/persian/index.html

 

 

 

 

 

5. Global Histories of MENA in the 20th Century – A Primary Source Collection

A new OA primary source collection, “Global Histories of MENA in the 20th Century,” that just went online at Exeter U.’s DAME project at:

https://humanities-collections.exeter.ac.uk/dame/s/en/item-set/15399

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. GLECC2026 Conference – Call for Papers
The second International Conference on Globalisation in Languages, Education, Culture and Communication (GLECC2026) is going to be held 28-30 July 2026, Manchester, UK.
The past two decades have witnessed remarkable advancements in the studies into Education, Second and Foreign Languages, Translation and Interpreting, Cultural Studies, and Communication. This growth, evident in both the number of active researchers and the volume of scholarly throughput and outcomes, can be largely attributed to the forces of globalisation. Consequently, adopting the globalisation perspective is timely and provides a natural framework for connecting these diverse yet interlinked disciplines.
This conference aims to bring together researchers, educators, practitioners, and policymakers from the realms of education, foreign and second languages, cultural studies, translation, interpreting, and communication to disseminate research outcomes, share insights, discuss findings, exchange visions, and identify challenges and trends in an interactive and immersive multidisciplinary environment.
The conference is co-organised by AT Publishing in association with its journals namely, Research in Education Curriculum and Pedagogy: Global Perspectives (RECAP) [ISSN: 2977-1633]; New Perspectives on Languages (NPL) [ISSN: 3033-490X]; The International Journal of Chinese and English Translation & Interpreting (IJCETI) [ISSN: 2753-6149]; and Recent Advances in Humanities Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) [ISSN: 2978-1345]. There is a “conference first” policy in place. Selected papers will be invited to further develop into full journal articles free of APCs.
Conference proceedings will be published open access with an ISBN.
Visit https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fglecc.org%2F2025%2F&data=05%7C02%7C%7C3218ca8c4aaf4ba290d508de3d651984%7C2e9f06b016694589878910a06934dc61%7C0%7C0%7C639015701609963702%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=v2Cfai5dguRn6k5II4B1JPLk7cgHejw8PEMfAexWhzU%3D&reserved=0to find out what the 2025 conference was like and the feedback from the participants, as well as the conference proceedings https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fglecc.org%2Fsubmission%2Findex.php%2Fportal%2Fissue%2Farchive&data=05%7C02%7C%7C3218ca8c4aaf4ba290d508de3d651984%7C2e9f06b016694589878910a06934dc61%7C0%7C0%7C639015701609993132%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=VSv1KjYx8FVQHfzp%2FmQxX7Z8U%2FJvVl4Yx3MAohoh7SI%3D&reserved=0
Submission deadline: 30 April 2026

 

 

 

 

 

7. Intimacies of Global Sufism,

Ne’matullahi Shrines and Material Culture Between Iran and India

Peyvand Firouzeh

Indiana, 2025

https://mngbookshop.co.uk/9780253074140/intimacies-of-global-sufism/

 

 

 

 

 

8. Iranian Solar Calendar and Endurance of Nowruz in Persian Time Culture
Abbas Amanat

Asemana, 2025

https://asemanabooks.ca/solar-calendar-and-iranian-identity/

 

 

 

 

 

9. The Piruzai of Afghanistan: A Visual Ethnography
Nancy Lindisfarne-Tapper and Richard Tapper
Read more

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. Senior Program Officer, Research & Learning
Scholars at Risk Network
Scholars at Risk is seeking a highly-organized, proactive and detail-oriented researcher/trainer for SAR’s research and learning team. The Senior Program Officer will play a key role in building out a new project focused on responding to recent threats to higher education in the US and abroad. The project will focus on producing reports, models, and guidance address recurring patterns of threats to higher education.

Deadline | 5 January 2026
More information

 

 

 

 

 

11. Assistant Professor in Political Science with emphasis on the Middle East
The American University in Cairo
The Department of Political Science invites applicants for an assistant professor position in Political Science with an emphasis on the Middle East starting Fall 2025. The position is on a 2-year fixed-term contract. Teaching responsibilities include a combination of courses at the BA and MA levels in Political Science, Comparative Politics of the Middle East, Introduction to Political Science, Research Methods, International Politics of the Middle East, and Comparative Theory.

Deadline | 10 January 2026
More information

 

 

 

 

 

12. Research Officer, Middle East Centre
London School of Economics
The Research Officer will work under the direction of the Director of the Middle East Centre at LSE, Dr Katerina Dalacoura. They should have proven expertise in at least one aspect in the study of secularity in the Middle East: government policy, religiosity, foreign policy and foreign relations, and the sociological aspects of secularisation (in relation to state institutions).

Deadline | 14 January 2026
More information

 

 

 

 

 

13. Post-Doc on the U.S. and SWANA Region
American University of Beirut
The purpose of the postdoctoral fellowship is to encourage original research on how U.S. economic and financial policies shape outcomes in the Global South, with a particular focus on their consequences for the Southwest Asia and North Africa region. Eligible candidates should hold a PhD (or be close to completing their PhD at the time of application) in Economics or a closely related field.
Deadline | 15 February 2026
More information

 

 

 

 

 

14. Call for Papers | A Sourcebook: The Global Archives of Mobility and Identity in the Ottoman Twilight

The Sourcebook will make available to readers an exciting and wide-ranging set of primary sources, including family records, diaries, correspondence, official documentation, oral history, and community newsletters, in order to present a global story of Ottoman mobility in unprecedented detail. This call for papers invites expressions of interest from potential contributors to this Sourcebook, who are interested in providing examples of relevant primary sources along with short contextual commentaries.

Deadline | 16 January 2026
More information

 

 

 

 

 

15. Small Grants Program “Constantine Zurayk: Nation, Identity, and History: Towards New Agendas”

The Arab Council for the Social Sciences (ACSS) is pleased to launch the ninth cycle of its Small Grants Program and the second on the theme of “Constantine Zurayk: Nation, Identity, and History: Towards New Agendas.” This grant, with a duration of 5-6 months, supports individual researchers up to three years out of the PhD and PhD students in advanced stages of their studies, in the social sciences and humanities, to conduct a research project on the Arab region on the theme of “Constantine Zurayk: Nation, Identity, and History: Towards New Agendas.”

Deadline | 12 February 2026

More information

 

 

 

 

 

16. Louvre Abu Dhabi Research Fellowship & Grant Programme (2025-2026)

The Louvre Abu Dhabi’s Research Fellowship Programme supports innovative work in art history, archaeology, museum studies, conservation, and heritage science. Launched in 2024, this Fellowship Programme enters its second edition in 2025, consolidating the museum’s role as a global platform for research and knowledge exchange. Fellows conduct research on-site using the museum’s Resource Center, Conservation Center and Scientific Laboratory – the first of its kind in the Gulf for material analysis.

Deadline | 7 February 2026
More information

 

 

 

 

 

17. Call for Papers | ​Specters of the Undercommons

This transdisciplinary conference invites contributions from scholars, practitioners, and artists working in the realms of humanities and beyond. Contributions may explore (among other themes): catastrophe and its racial, material, and ecological entanglements; acts and modes of affective witnessing through grief, celebration, and/or resistance; the metaphysical and cosmological as sites of spatialised anticolonial and antiracist thought; and spectral, fugitive, or insurgent modes of knowledge related to the undercommons that challenge institutional politics.

Deadline | 8 January 2026

More information

 

 

 

 

18. The British Institute of Persian Studies (BIPS) is currently seeking a part-time Junior Assistant to support its work in promoting scholarship and research excellence on all aspects of Iran and the wider Persianate world.

The role suits a well organised and methodical person, with an interest in the development of processes. The ideal candidate will be able to work both under supervision and semi-independently when required, will be proactive and enthusiastic and ideally interested in the promotion of the Persianate world, its history and culture.

The Junior Assistant will provide support in the following areas: Communication, Outreach, and Administration. It is expected that from time to time the Junior Assistant will be asked to undertake tasks other than those specified above, under the supervision of their line manager.

To be eligible, candidates must already have the right to work in the UK.
Location: London

Salary: £25,000 pro rata, subject to annual review

Contract: Fixed term

Closing date for applications: 05 January 2026, 5PM
Additional information about the role is available here.

To apply, email your CV and covering letter to:
bips@thebritishacademy.ac.uk

 

 

 

 

 

19. Aria Fani and Adeeba Shahid Talukder’s translation of Bijan Jalali’s poetry (Asemana Books, 2025) has won the MLA–Roth Translation Prize for 2025.

Shape of Extinction
Poems by Bijan Jalali
Translated from the Persian by Adeeba Shahid Talukder and Aria Fani
Preface by Domenico Ingenito
Critical Introduction by Aria Fani
Cover illustration and artwork by Amelia Ossorio

ISBN: 978-1-0690210-8-3
Publication date: May 9, 2025

https://asemanabooks.ca/shape-of-extinction/

 

 

 

 

 

20. First Virtual Research Workshop by the “Middle East Studies Association (MESA)”, 2-4 June 2026

Proposals should relate to MESA’s mission of scholarship and advocacy primarily concerning the region of the Middle East (including Southwest Asia, the Arab world, and North Africa) from the seventh century to today, though not at the exclusion of earlier time periods. Other areas of Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas – including diaspora communities – are also included as part of the study of the transnational dimensions of the societies of the Middle East in an interdisciplinary and comparative context.

Deadline for abstracts: 9 January 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/bdfhh2sv

 

 

 

 

 

21. Conference “Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Landscapes in Language, Society, and Cognition – Emerging Landscapes: Languages and Landscapes in Conflict”, Prague, Czech Republic, 16-18 September 2026

Landscapes are frontiers. We would like to encourage researchers to explore this frontier, emergent character of landscapes from an interdisciplinary perspective incorporating linguistic and extra-linguistic insights.

Deadline for abstracts: 31 December 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/v8ruhww4

 

 

 

 

 

22. Research Seminar on “Reproductive Ethics and Kinship in Contemporary Islamic Thought and Practice”, Research Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics, Hamad bin Khalifa University & SOAS, Qatar, 11-13 January 2027

We seek contributions that explore everyday decisions and moral frameworks that shape intimate and family life, including kinship norms, partner selection, fertility choices and reproductive technologies. The papers should highlight how Islamic ethical reasoning both informs and is shaped by lived experiences, social realities and political agendas. To be published at Brill Publishers.

Deadline for abstracts: 30 December 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/4my48n4n

 

 

 

 

23. 14 Postdoctoral Fellowships (2 years) – Germany

The fellowships are available to researchers from all over the world and from any discipline represented at one of the three universities with a minimum of one year and a maximum of seven years of post-doctoral experience, who cannot conduct or continue their work in the USA appropriately because of actual political pressure.

Deadline for applications: 9 January 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/3j7bh626

 

 

 

 

 

24. Managing Director of the Economic Research Forum (ERF), Cairo

Qualifications: A PhD degree in economics, or a related discipline. – A minimum of 15 years of experience in leadership positions. – Demonstrated excellence across a spectrum of areas, including: Intellectual Leadership. – Management & Financial Leadership. – Funding Mobilization. – Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to manage a network that represents the full diversity of the MENA region.

Deadline for applications: 31 December 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/a8usr6mt

 

 

 

 

25. Research & Teaching Fellow (1 Year) for the Hoover History Lab (Focus GCC), Stanford University

We prioritize research on war and diplomatic history, economic and financial history, political and institutional history, and science and technology history from the 18th century to the present. We are open to any specific topic and to all regions of the world. Candidates must have a Ph.D. or its equivalent by the time they start.

Deadline for applications: 2 January 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/9ymrrm5d

 

 

 

 

 

26. Visiting Assistant Professor of Global Studies (2 Years), Focus on Race and Global Inequality, Colby College, Waterville, Maine

We seek an innovative inter- or transdisciplinary scholar and teacher, either trained in an interdisciplinary program or with a strong and demonstrated commitment to inter- or transdisciplinary methodologies in their research and pedagogy. Areas of focus within race and global inequality could include indigeneity, sovereignty, borders, environ-ment and climate change, human rights, health and medicine, among other areas of specialization.

Deadline for applications: 5 January 2026. Information: https://apply.interfolio.com/178425

 

 

 

 

27. “Mobility Grant for Doctoral Students 2026-2027 (9 Months)”, IFEA Institut français d’études ana-toliennes, Istanbul

Applicants must hold a Master’s degree in research and be enrolled in a doctoral program at a French university at the time of taking up the position (no nationality requirement). The grant is contingent upon residency in Turkey for the duration of the period. Subject Fields: Archaeology, Ethnic History, Humanities, Social Sciences, Urban History.

Deadline for applications: 5 January 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/mrsehtsz

 

 

 

 

 

28. Interdisciplinary Summer Academy: “Reading the City: Epigraphy and Space in Istanbul in Ancient, Byzantine, and Ottoman Times”, Orient-Institut Istanbul, 21-27 September 2026

Through seminars and field excursions, participants will engage directly with epigraphic monuments – from palatial gates to Bosporus shorelines – while discussing their spatial, performative, and material dimensions. The Academy encourages interdisciplinary dialogue bridging philology, history, and art history in a collaborative and inspiring environment.

Deadline for applications: 3 January 2026. Information: https://oiist.org/call-for-applications-reading-the-city/

 

 

 

 

 

29. Contribute: Innovation During The Later Crusades: War & Society 

Innovation During The Later Crusades: War & Society
edited by Martin Neuding Skoog and Stefan Stantchev

Topics: Aspects of “the military revolution” in the context of the later crusades. – Changes in weapons technology and their impact on warfare. – Changes in styles of fortifications and siege warfare in late medieval frontier societies. – Innovation and change within military organizations, tactics and logistics. – Studies of innovation and change within target polities such as the Seljuk Turks, the Mamluks, the Ottomans and others.

Deadline for proposals: 31 December 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/bdhpwbcm

 

 

 

30. Chapters for Volume “Arab Sociologies in Post-Uprising Transformations”,

Questions: 1. How did sociology in the past 15 years contribute to processes of variation of discourses and practices, which may lead to a variety of alternative paths? – 2. How did sociology contribute to selection of particular discourses? – 3. Did sociology contribute to retention of specific resonant discourses, a process in which discourses and practices are included in individual and collective routines and identities?

Deadline for abstracts: 10 January 2026. Information: Contact Sari Hanafi sh41@aub.edu.lb

 

 

 

 

 

31. Call for Articles on “Political and Socio-Economic Transformations in MENA” for the “Journal of South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (JSAMES)”, AUC

Under this general theme, we welcome contributions that focus on political processes and institutions, patterns of conflict and cooperation (both within and across countries and non-state actors), economic transformations, the political economy of inequality, environmentalism, and securitization and change in the region, as well as other related topics.

Deadline for abstracts: 6 January 2026. Information and contact: dina.baslan@villanova.edu

 

 

 

 

32. CfP

If your research touches on authoritarian diffusion, surveillance, policing, regime learning, counter-revolution, digital repression, or international linkages between democracies and autocracies – Fabrizio Leonardo Cuccu and Paola Rivetti at Dublin City University would love to hear from you!

Deadline for abstracts: 10 January 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/4z73fyvr

 

1. Symposium “Ottoman Mobilities and Interactions”, British International Research Institutes (BIRI) & Sabancı University, Istanbul, 13-14 April 2026

Investigating the Ottoman Empire as a dynamic web of circulation in which people, objects, and ideas continually reshaped the imperial fabric.

Deadline for abstracts: 16 January 2026. Information: https://biaa.ac.uk/cfp-ottoman-mobilities-and-interactions/

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Workshop “Gulf-South Asia Relations in an Era of Deepening Interdependence”, Directed by Zahid Shahab Ahmed and Mujtaba Ali Isani at the “16th Gulf Research Meeting”, Cambridge, 21-23 July 2026

The workshop aims to unpack the multidimensional nature of contemporary Gulf–South Asia relations, by focusing on economic, political, strategic, technological, and cultural dimensions. It seeks to analyze the structural drivers of this transformation, including both internal and external factors, to assess how these forces are shaping patterns of interdependence, cooperation, and competition. The workshop will particularly focus on understanding the policy choices and strategic calculations.

Deadline for abstracts: 5 January 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/3e569jhc

 

 

 

 

 

3. Short-term Fellowships on the Theme “Praying in a Machine World: Technology & African and Middle Eastern Religious Cultures”, Library of Congress, Washington DC

Researchers are encouraged to propose projects that utilize new methodologies, interdisciplinary approaches, or comparative perspectives. Fellowships will be offered to individuals with doctoral degrees in the humanities or social sciences.

Deadline for applications: 9 January 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/85ch7zk3

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. PhD Programme of the European University Institute (EUI) on Middle Eastern Studies, Florence

The Department of History at the EUI welcomes projects in Mediterranean history, Ottoman history, and the history of the Middle East and North Africa, represented by Professor Giancarlo Casale and Professor M’hamed Oualdi. Students interested in Ottoman history will also have the opportunity to take part in the Ottoman History Working Group.

Deadline for applications: 15 January 2026. Information: https://iismm.hypotheses.org/138943

 

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5. ONLINE Course “Introduction to Arabic Manuscript Studies”, Summer 2026, Hill Museum and Manuscript Library, Colleville, MN, 22-26 June 2026

The course will introduce students to the study of Arabic manuscripts in their historical, cultural, and material dimensions and to a diversity of Arabic manuscript traditions from West Africa and the Middle East, both Islamic and Christian; provide basic introduction to paleography, codicology, and philological practices, with a special focus on the application of these skills in a digital context; and highlight a wide range of scholarly reference tools for the study of Arabic manuscripts.

Deadline for applications: 6 March 2026. Information: https://hmml.org/programs/arabic-mss-studies/

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Fourth Intensive Summer School on “Comparative Habsburg-Ottoman Paleography”, Au-strian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, 6-17 July 2026

This two-week intensive program is dedicated to the comparative study of early modern (1500–1800) Habsburg and Ottoman primary sources. Paleography courses encompass the study of various scripts in the target languages, the utilization of diverse source materials, their critical analysis, and the examination of intricate linguistic structures in them.

Deadline for applications: 1 February 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/3w2wbd9m

 

 

 

 

 

7. Call for applications | Postdoctoral positions in ERC project “ALiDiM” on Classical Arabic @ Ca’ Foscari | deadline 29.01.2026=
I am pleased to share that we are currently advertisingtwo 2-year postdoctoral positions(“contratto di ricerca”) within the ERC-funded ALiDiM project at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice.
We are seeking two motivated researchers with a strong background in Arabic and Islamic studies; research experience on Classical Arabic and classical texts; and interest in interdisciplinary research on Islamic intellectual history.

Position 1 will examine the intellectual history of the early Arabic linguistic tradition by exploring how ideas were transmitted, adapted, and transformed; while Position 2 will focus on the role of language data in shaping early linguistic discourse and norms.

The selected candidates will be an integral part of our interdisciplinary team, participating in weekly seminar-style meetings where ideas are exchanged, and research is discussed collaboratively. The team emphasizes collaboration and mentorship.
The application deadline is January 29, 2026, 13:00 CET. For full details on the positions, as well as information on the application and selection process, please refer to the calls for applications published on the university website (call Position 1; call Position 2). The positions will start May 1, 2026.

Feel free to share the calls and reach out to us at simona.olivieri@unive.it or alidim@unive.it for further details on our research!
Best regards,

Simona Olivieri

Assistant professor of Arabic language

PI ERC project ALiDiM – Arabic Linguistic Discourse in the Making

Department of Asian and North African Studies

Ca’ Cappello

Calle del Magazen, San Polo 2035

30125 Venezia

1. +39 041 234 8848
2. simona.olivieri@unive.it

0000-0002-0154-9156

 

 

 

 

 

8. JLA Arabic Language and Culture Scholarships – Summer 2026

https://jordanla.com/user_site/site/home_page.aspx

 

 

 

 

 

9. Call for Papers: Thematic Section on Muslim Communities and Conversion to Islam in Latin America

A special call for papers from the International Journal of Latin American Religions

Deadline: Jan 31, 2026

https://www.lacisa.org/call-for-papers-thematic-section-on-muslim-communities-and-conversion-to-islam-in-latin-america

 

 

 

 

10. UCLA: Pourdavoud Institute for the Study of the Iranian World

The recorded lecture of Lucinda Dirven, delivered at UCLA as part of the Pourdavoud Lecture Series on November 5, 2025.

Unlike the tendency to emphasize the multifaceted and diverse aspects of religious life in the Parthian Empire, this talk aims to identify shared characteristics by focusing on the religious preferences of the Arsacid rulers. Although Zoroastrianism was not yet clearly defined at this time, evidence suggests that Zoroastrian ideas influenced the ideology of Arsacid kingship. Conversely, the ideology of the King of Kings influenced the practices of families and rulers who reigned under their suzerainty, including those who were otherwise unaffected by Zoroastrianism. Although such practices were rare, they still had repercussions for the religious lives of the populace in the Arsacid Empire.

https://pourdavoud.ucla.edu/media/videos/zoroastrianism-in-the-religious-context-of-the-arsacid-empire/

 

 

 

 

 

11. Voyant Tools is now fully available for the Persian language, including a complete Persian interface. This update makes it much easier for researchers, instructors, and students working with Persian texts to explore digital methods of reading and analysis.

For those who may not be familiar with it, Voyant Tools is a free, web-based platform for textual analysis. It allows users to upload a text—or a collection of texts—and immediately access a wide range of interactive visualizations and computational tools. These include word frequency charts, keyword-in-context searches, topic clusters, term correlations, and other features that help reveal patterns within a text that are not always visible through traditional close reading.

Voyant is widely used in digital humanities, literary studies, linguistics, and classroom teaching because of its accessibility and intuitive design. With the addition of a Persian interface and improved support for Persian scripts, it is now much more suitable for work with Persian literature, archival materials, historical documents, and student essays.

https://voyant-tools.org/?lang=fa

1. Modern Standard Arabic (MSA)
Language Course

Dates: 27th January- 14th April 2026
Time: Tuesday 06:00 to 08:00 PM
Location: The Islamic College, London, NW10 2SW

More info and registration at:

Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) Language Course

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Amir Khosrow Afshar Visiting Fellowship, 2026-27

The LSE Iranian History Initiative welcomes applications for the Amir Khosrow Afshar Visiting Fellowship for the 2026-27 academic year. The Afshar Fellowship provides an opportunity for an external post-doctoral scholar of modern Iranian history, including both early-career researchers and established scholars, to travel to London and be affiliated with LSE while conducting research on any aspect of the modern history of Iran between 1500 and 1979. This might include research at the UK National Archives, the British Library, the LSE Library and Archives, or other libraries and archives in London and the UK.

The Iranian History Initiative particularly welcomes applications from scholars based outside of the UK; from scholars whose research involves the use of Persian-language primary sources; and from scholars working on any aspect of the history of Pahlavi Iran (1921-1979).

The Afshar Fellowship is tenable for a period of one month during either the Autumn (28 September to 11 December 2026), Winter (11 January to 25 March 2027) or Spring (26 April to 11 June 2027) terms at LSE. Fellowships are not tenable outside of these dates of term. Afshar Fellows will be reimbursed up to £2,000 for the cost of return economy travel to London, up to £125 per night for accommodation for a maximum of 31 days stay in London, and up to £125 for UK visa expenses.

Fellows will be formally affiliated with the Iranian History Initiative and the Department of International History at LSE. Afshar Fellows will receive an LSE ID card, granting them access to campus buildings, including the LSE Library. An IT account, including LSE e-mail and access to the LSE Library’s online resources, will also be provided. Afshar Fellows are expected to attend IHI and departmental events during the period of their residency in London and to present their research in a departmental forum or public event.

Applications, consisting of a research proposal (no more than three pages) and CV, should be made by email to Dr Roham Alvandi (R.Alvandi@lse.ac.uk) by no later than 19 January 2026. Applications will be assessed by a selection committee, and the fellowship will be awarded by the Department of International History’s Research Committee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Iʿjāz al-bayān

Arabic Edition with an Introduction

Ṣadr al-Dīn Qūnawī 

Edited by Anthony F. Shaker 

series: Monographs in Arabic and Islamic Studies

352 pages

Available in hardback and ebook editions

For more information and to order at a discount visit the webpage:

https://equinoxreligionlibrary.com/projects/i-jaz-al-bayan

Quote the code RELIGION for 25% off the print editions or RELIGION35 for 35% off the ebook edition

 

 

 

4. 4th Webinar, Saudi Women: From Where and Whither?

The 4^th Webinar of our ‘ Empowering Muslim Women in Scientific Research’ Series co-organized by the Universities of Sharjah & Manchester.

Dr Fowziyah Abu Khalid,

Title: Saudi Women: From Where and Whither?

17th Dec 2025, 1pm UK time/ 5pm UAE time

Registration at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/saudi-women-from-where-and-whither-fowziyah-abu-khalid-tickets-1977271463173?aff=oddtdtcreator [eventbrite.com]

 

 

 

 

 

5. Islamic Normative Legal Theory: Framework and Applications

Habib Ahmed
Journal of Law and Religion, Volume 40 / Issue 1, January 2025, pp 28 – 58
doi: 10.1017/jlr.2025.10056 Published Online on 27 August 2025

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Call for Expression of Interest for an edited volume on Histories of Islam and Muslims in Canada

We are trying to gauge interest for a potential edited volume examining the history of Islam and Muslims in Canada. This represents an understudied aspect of both Islamic studies and Canadian studies. Since there are very few scholars (professors, postdocs, graduate students) working in the area, we hope this proposed volume will garner interest and hopefully spur further interest in the subject matter.

This call for expression of interest is intentionally broad and encourages a diverse set of methodologies. Potential topics might include:

• Micro- and/or microhistories
• Focus on individuals (e.g., Peter Baker, Yasmin Rantansi, Nazem Khadri)
• Focus on a particular community, ethnicity, religious group (e.g., Twelver, Ismaili, Ahmadi)
• Municipal/provincial/geographic regions
• Historical/archival/statistical/ethnographic approaches (if the latter, please add a historical component.)
• Comparative (e.g., Cedar Rapids, IA, and London, ON; comparative/contrasting trends with other countries: e.g., US, UK, Sweden)
• Reflective pieces by senior scholars

Again, we are asking only for expressions of interest at this point. We will proceed accordingly depending upon what comes in. Please feel free to circulate to faculty, postdocs and graduate students.

If interested, by December 31, please contact:

Aaron W Hughes                                                         Jennifer Selby

aaron.hughes@rochester.edu                                    jselby@mun.ca

 

 

 

 

 

7. Mission Studies,

Volume 42 (2025): Issue 3 (Dec 2025): Special Issue: Indo-Persian Missions and Their Interreligious Challenge, edited by Norbert Hintersteiner and Haila Manthegi

https://brill.com/view/journals/mist/42/3/mist.42.issue-3.xml

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. For the benefit of those who could not attend the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) 2025 conference in Washington, DC, here is the link to their program:

https://www.mazdapublishers.com/images/upload/news/MESA-2025_Final-Program-R.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. The editors of Imago Mundiare pleased to share a call for papers prepared by IM editorial board member Martin Brückner who invites proposals for a thematic issue of Imago Mundi, Maps and the Imagination.

Maps and the Imagination

 

 

 

 

 

10. UCLA:

Panel Discussion on Afghan Refugees in Iran

Monday, January, 12, 2026 at 11:00 am Pacific Time

Online via Zoom

In Persian and English

Registration Required

Registration Link: https://ucla.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_hcYEa8i_QB6EIvQRBb9YEw

 

 

 

 

 

 

11. ONLINE Webinar “A Modern Iraq Convening” Organized by Pietro Menghini, Kiki Santing, and Peter Wien, Academic Research Institute in Iraq (TARII), 18 December 2025, 14:00 – 18:00 CET

The Modern Iraq Convening brings together a new generation of international scholars sharing an interest in Modern Iraqi studies to establish an international network of researchers focusing on Iraq in a multi- and cross-disciplinary fashion. This first edition of the Convening will be held in English, with Arabic editions planned for the near future.

Information, program, and registration: https://www.tarii.org/events/moderniraqconvening

 

 

 

 

 

12. International Conference “Islam and Digitality. Media, Materiality, Hermeneutics”, Goethe-University Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 10-11 July 2026

Main themes: We will address images of Islamic history and explore how their mediation in the digital age relates to contemporary religious identity and forms of theological differentiation. – We will examine how the digitisation of sacred texts and exegetical literature is changing the ways in which Muslim scholars engage with them. – We will investigate how Muslims employ the affordances of digital media to articulate specific interpretations of how Islam should be lived, interpreted and proclaimed

Deadline for abstracts: 19 December 2025.

Information: https://aiwg.de/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/CfP-IuD.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

 

13. Philip K. Hitti Endowed Chair in Middle Eastern Studies, American University in Beirut

We seek a distinguished and collegial scholar with a demonstrated commitment to high-level research relevant to the politics of the Middle East region; a sustained record of teaching and service at an internationally recognized institutions; and an established record of public and student engagement. We are open to applicants in Middle East Studies, particularly in the fields of Politics or Global Affairs, and at the rank of full professor.

Deadline for applications: 30 January 2026. Information: https://apply.interfolio.com/178776