1.Literature in Persian Language Pedagogy webinar Feb 1: Lyrical Language Learning: A Multisensory Approach to Teaching Persian Language through Literature and Music
The Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali Institute of Iranian Studies
in collaboration with the
Department of Middle Eastern Studies and the
Center for Middle Eastern Studies, University of Chicago
jointly present:
Lyrical Language Learning: A Multisensory Approach to Teaching Persian Language through Literature and Music
Behzad Borhan, Institute of Islamic Studies, McGill University
Saturday, 1 February 2025, 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time (Canada and US)
Zoom Meeting Registration:
https://utoronto.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwrdOuvrD4vGtCiHrAnhttGpwvzmm4qDzdx
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Abstract:
This talk investigates the pedagogical potential of integrating Persian literature and music in teaching Persian. It begins by examining the rationale behind incorporating music in language instruction. Studies highlight music’s effectiveness in facilitating foreign language learning, enhancing memorization, pronunciation, rhythm, cultural immersion, and emotional engagement. Persian, however, presents a unique case. Historically, Persian poetry and music have been intertwined, forming a cornerstone of Persian culture. Poet-musicians like Bārbad, the Sassanian chief minstrel-poet; Rūdakī; and Ḥāfiẓ exemplify the profound synergy between these art forms, which enriched Persian as a cultural and literary language. The presentation also considers the historical and cultural dimensions of Persian as a classical language. For centuries, Persian functioned as the lingua franca of the Persianate world, spanning Central Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and the Ottoman Empire. It served as the primary language of administration, literature, and intellectual exchange, transcending local languages and religious boundaries. Its prestigious status as the language of high culture, with an extensive literary tradition, underscores its significance in language instruction today. Finally, this talk highlights how the integration of music and poetry enhances language learning by fostering a deeper connection to the rhythm, structure, and expressive nuances of Persian. This multisensory approach not only aids in developing linguistic skills but also cultivates an appreciation for the artistic dimensions and cultural context that shape the language.
2. Prof. Mohamad Tavakoli-Targhi as speaker in UChicago’s Heshmat Moayyad Lecture Series: Rights Civilization and Governmentality: The Cyrus Cylinder and ‘Equality Rights’ in Cold War Iran
The Department of Middle Eastern Studies of the University of Chicago is honored to have Prof. Mohamad Tavakoli-Targhi as speaker in the Heshmat Moayyad Lecture Series 2025. The lecture will be in person and on zoom on Wednesday, Feb 19 at 5:00 PM US Central Time at The Tea Room, The Social Science Research Building.
Title
Rights Civilization and Governmentality: The Cyrus Cylinder and ‘Equality Rights’ in Cold War Iran
Abstract
“Rights Civilization and Governmentality: The Cyrus Cylinder and ‘Equality Rights’ in Cold War Iran” explores the interplay between historical memory, social rights, and the contested conceptions of governmentality and constitutionality in the four decades prior to the 1979 Revolution. Offering a corrective to the ideological and linear revolutionary narratives of Pahlavi Iran, this historical inquiry elucidates how a multi-confessional conception of Iran and its constitutionally sanctioned “equality rights” of citizens was reconceived at “a moment of danger” during WWII when Iran was invaded by the Allied forces and Reza Shah Pahlavi (r. 1925-1941) was forced to abdicate. It explores how the endeavor for the promotion of legal equality of women and non-Muslims was opposed on religious and constitutional grounds by those who conceived of Iran as a “Shi‘i nation” (millat-i Shi‘ah). Exploring the concurrent and protracted efforts of lawyers and jurists (fuqaha) to promote two divergent modes of governing the everyday conduct of citizens—one based on “equality rights” and the other on Islamic jurisprudence––this lecture offers a historically situated account of the rights question in Iran in the decades before the 1979 Revolution.
Please register here to get the zoom link:
3. February 26, 12:00-1:00 pm
Near Eastern Studies and Digital Scholarship @IAS virtual event:
Opportunities and Challenges for Indexing a Polyglot Society: The Development of HIMME
Thomas A. Carlson (School of Historical Studies, IAS and Oklahoma State University).
More languages and literary traditions existed simultaneously in the medieval Middle East than any individual scholar can hope to master. Disciplinary norms have mandated that scholars focus on one or perhaps two languages, but the actual historical society was bewilderingly polyglot. Can digital methods provide an opportunity for overcoming our individual scholarly limitations? On the other hand, what dynamics of multilingual cultures challenge modern digital approaches themselves? This talk will open a conversation centered around the development of the Historical Index of the Medieval Middle East (HIMME: https://medievalmideast.org/)
Registration is required: https://bit.ly/HIMME
https://www.ias.edu/hs/islamic-world/events
https://www.ias.edu/digital-scholarship/events_ias
4. Scholarships | The E J W Gibb Memorial Trust
This year The Gibb Memorial Trust is offering three annual scholarships to students undertaking doctoral research in the field of the Trust’s activities.
The Gibb Memorial Trust’s Centenary Scholarship of up to £2,000 is available to postgraduate students at an advanced stage of their doctoral research in any area of Middle Eastern Studies (7th century to 1918) at a British university.
Centenary Scholarship application form & past recipients
Two A. H. Morton Memorial Scholarship for Doctoral Research in Classical Persian Studies for a maximum of £3,000 each and can be applied to any year of a course of doctoral study at a British university, including for an approved period of study abroad.
Applicants may apply for only one of the scholarships in any one year. Previous winners may not re-apply for the same scholarship.
Applications must be submitted by 31 March 2025. The result will be announced at the end of June and posted on our web site.
For any questions, please contact the Secretary, Zuher Hassan, at secretary@gibbtrust.org.
5. The Armenian School of Languages and Cultures – ASPIRANTUM, is organizing a Persian language summer school in Yerevan, Armenia. The program starts on June 22, June 29, or July 6, and you can stay up to 10 weeks until August 29, 2025. If you prefer a shorter program, there are options for 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9 weeks. To get more information and apply, please refer to the details below.
Find more details and apply here: https://aspirantum.com/courses/persian-language-summer-school
Deadline: May 28, 2025.
Deadline for discounted fee: March 15, 2025
2025 Persian language summer school will help the participants master written and oral modern Persian skills, read and interpret Persian texts from different periods, and rapidly deepen their knowledge in colloquial Persian.
10 weeks – 200 contact hours (1 hour = 60 minutes)
9 weeks – 180 contact hours
8 weeks – 160 contact hours
7 weeks – 140 contact hours
6 weeks – 120 contact hours
5 weeks – 100 contact hours
Every day, the participants will receive Persian language instruction for 4 hours and after-class lectures, and extra training. The classes start in the mornings or noon, and the schedule is the following:
09:00 (14:00) – 10:00 (15:00) – Persian language class
10:00 (15:00) – 10:10 (15:10) – Coffee Break
10:10 (15:10) – 11:10 (16:10) – Persian language class
11:10 (16:10) – 11:20 (16:20) – Coffee Break
11:20 (16:20) – 12:20 (17:20) – Persian language class
12:20 (17:20) – 12:30 (17:30) – Coffee Break
12:30 (17:30) – 13:30 (18:30) – Persian language class (fourth and final class)
During the Persian language summer classes, the following components will be covered every day to foster the Persian language knowledge of participants:
Grammar: Everyday class will cover the main grammatical concepts of the modern Persian language as well as parallels with classical Persian.
Vocabulary: During the 10 weeks course it is anticipated that the participants will learn around 1500 new Persian words from literary language as well as words used in everyday life.
Listening: The classes are scheduled so that participants, with the guidance of an experienced instructor, learn the Persian language through songs and movies and watch and listen to the news and other short videos about interesting and sometimes funny topics and stories about Iranian realities.
Speaking: Every day the Persian language classes will push the students to exercise their speaking abilities through discussions, conversations, and role-plays about different texts and topics.
Writing: Each day, the participants of the Persian language class will have assignments and homework to complete for the next day, and the homework will primarily involve writing assignments.
Reading: Everyday students will read and discuss political texts, prose and poetry, conversations, and news. The corpus of texts to be read and discussed during the classes comprises different prominent Persian authors, daily conversations as well as news of the day.
Contact Information
ASPIRANTUM – Armenian School of Languages and Cultures
3rd floor, 6 Yekmalyan St, Yerevan 0002, Armenia
Contact Email
URL
https://aspirantum.com/courses/persian-language-summer-school
6. The Editorial Board of the Journal of Oriental Studies (Արևելագիտության հարցեր; JOS) invites contributions of articles, research notes, and book reviews for the upcoming open-topic volume of the journal to be published in 2025․
JOS is an interdisciplinary and inter-regional journal published by the Faculty of Oriental Studies, Yerevan State University.
We publish research articles on diverse topics related to the fields of history, religion, linguistics, literature, archaeology, social and cultural anthropology of the Arabic Countries, Iran, Central Asia, Turkey (the Ottoman Empire), and the Caucasus as well as Armenian Genocide and Diaspora Studies.
Every article submitted to JOS has to pass a double-blind peer review process before being considered for publication. Before entering the peer review process, the submissions have to pass a first assessment round conducted by the editors aiming to determine whether the overall composition of the manuscript (topic, language, length) meets the journal’s requirements. If the article does not comply with the topics of the Journal, it is excluded from revision, and the author is being notified about it.
Contributions for publication can be submitted via the journal’s website https://journals.ysu.am/index.php/j-orient-stud.
A typical article for the JOS should be between 25000-30000 symbols (including spaces). Publication languages are English and Russian.
For more details and information, please visit: https://journals.ysu.am/index.php/j-orient-stud/about/submissions .
No fee is charged to the authors for the articles to be published in our journal.
The deadline for submission of articles for Volume XVII is 1 April 2025.
Please direct any questions about submissions to jos@ysu.am
Contact Information
Dr. Naira Poghosyan, Associate Professor, Yerevan State University, nairapoghosyan@ysu.am .
Contact Email
URL
https://journals.ysu.am/index.php/j-orient-stud/announcement/view/11
7. Lecture – “Using Linked Open Data to Make Visible Links between Islamic Heritage Collections across the British International Research Institutes Network,” VIAHSS – February 4
We are pleased to invite you to join us for our next talk, which will take place on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, at 12:00 NYC / 17:00 London / 20:00 Istanbul.
Jessica Holland (British School at Athens), David Maina (British Institute of East Africa), and Anne Marie Williamson (British Institute for Libyan and Northern African Studies) will present “Using Linked Open Data to Make Visible Links between Islamic Heritage Collections across the British International Research Institutes Network.”
To attend, please make sure to register in advance here:
https://wellesley.zoom.us/meeting/register/t_-oLYqESaydiWgrfEZSpA
Upon registration, you’ll receive the link to access the lecture.
As always, you can find a full schedule of upcoming talks and register for our list-serv on our website at viahss.org. Although not every talk is recorded, we also have recordings of several recent talks available on the VIAHSS Vimeo page at vimeo.com/viahss. Lastly, you can follow us on X at @viahss and on Instagram at @theviahss to stay up to date on upcoming events!
Contact Information
Drs. Alexander Brey, Jaimee Comstock-Skipp, and Rachel Winter
Contact Email
URL
8. THE TEXTILE MUSEUM JOURNAL AUTHOR INTERVIEW SERIES
Dear Colleagues,
Please join us for the last program in the 2025 The Textile Museum Journal Author Interview
Between Ornament and Structure: Carpets in Modern Art and Architecture
January 29, 12pm EST (virtual)
Farniyaz Zaker explores the role of carpets in modern art and architecture. Drawing on Gottfried Semper’s idea that architecture has its roots in textiles, Zaker investigates how modern architecture and art use textiles — especially carpets — to shape our perception of space, creating a sense of enclosure and physicality. For a description of this segment of the program and registration, please visit: https://museum.gwu.edu/textile-museum-journal-between-ornament-and-structure-carpets-modern-art-and-architecture
The author interviews from the previous four years are available at the museum’s Vimeo site for viewing. Please feel free to share the links with your friends, colleagues, or anyone whom you think will be interested in learning about the subjects.
TEXTILES ACROSS TIME
2024
A 14th-Century Asian Silk in a Monastic Manuscript with Dr. Nikolaos Vryzidis
Link: https://vimeo.com/903797919
Two Velvet Letter Pouches and Their Role in Safavid Diplomacy with Dr. Anna Jolly and Dr. Corinne Mühlemann
Link: https://vimeo.com/906100824
Reading Mosurin Wool Textiles in Imperial Japan with Yu-Ning Chen
Link: https://vimeo.com/908387173
TEXTILES AND MATHEMATICS
2023
Keeping Nasca Time: The Brooklyn Museum Textile as a 365-Day Calendar with Dr. Lois Martin
Link: https://vimeo.com/790174356
Indigenous Knotted-Cord Records in Costa Rica with Dr. Scott Palumbo and Dr. Keilyn Rodríguez Sánchez
Link: https://vimeo.com/790913337
Crafting Novel Knotted Textiles with Mathematics with Dr. Nithikul Nimkulrat
Link: https://vimeo.com/793090266
Weaving a No-Waste Garment on the Loom: Understanding Gaussian Curvature with Dr. Eva Knoll, Département de mathématiques at the Université du Québec à Montréal
Link: https://vimeo.com/795343342
GLOBAL AFRICA
2022
The Quilts of Bisa Butler with Dr. Nancy Demerdash
Link: https://vimeo.com/673313352
Reconstructing the Historical “Akhnif” of Southern Morocco with Dr. Myriem Naji
Link: https://vimeo.com/675956827
Getting to Know Early Modern Kongo Textiles with Dr. Cécile Fromont
Link: https://vimeo.com/680523397
Royal Garments of the Emir of Kano with Dr. Elisha P. Renne
Link: https://vimeo.com/681476100
Indigo Reimagined with Peju Layiwola with Dr. Jean Borgatti and Dr. Peju Layiwola
Link: https://vimeo.com/687199309
Zohra Opoku’s Poetic Image Making with Dr. Silvia Forni
Link: https://vimeo.com/687508079
COLOR
2021
Brilliance, Color, and the Manipulation of Light in Andean Textile Traditions with Dr. Elena Phipps
Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Asian Textiles in Portuguese Collections with Dr. Jessica Hallett, Dr. Raquel Santos, Dr. Blythe McCarthy, Dr. Ana Claro, Dr. Maria João Ferreira, Curator
Color, Expectations, and Authenticity in Oriental Carpets with Prof. Dr. Walter Denny
Dyers’ Notebooks in Eighteenth-Century England and France with Dr. Anita Quye
https://player.vimeo.com/video/522876661?h=3291189d3e
We very much hope that you will join us in as many programs as you can and also enjoy reading our current volume.
With best wishes,
The Textile Museum Journal Editorial Tea
Contact Information
The Textile Museum Journal (tmjournal@gwu.edu)
Contact Email
URL
https://museum.gwu.edu/textile-museum-journal
9. What is Islam About: Concept and Conceptualization of Islam from an Interdisciplinary Perspective
21-22 February 2025, Goethe-University Frankfurt
The terms ‘Islam’ and ‘Muslims’ are part of our scientific discussions and social reality. We conduct research on Islam in the past and the present and study texts, artefacts and people in various disciplines from different perspectives and in many places. A preliminary overview of research shows that the two terms signify different things both within different disciplines and in exchanges between them. Nevertheless, the various academic fields seem to share several premises: Muslims are often viewed as a collective, Islam is regarded as a subject (or a ‘thing’) and the historical continuity of Islam is assumed. An interdisciplinary discussion of these assumptions is absent. At this workshop, we look at different academic disciplines and their explicit and implicit premises about Islam. In particular, we examine how Islam has been, and is, defined and conceptualized by modern scholars from Islamic Theology, Islamic Studies, Religious Studies, History, Art History, Archaeology and Anthropology. At the same time, we explore the concept and conceptualization of Islam in different periods in history and in various sources. Through this interdisciplinary and diachronic comparison, we would like to start a discussion on what Islam could mean and how to apply the concept in our research.
Program in the link: What is Islam About, Frankfurt, 21-22 February 2025
Contact Information
Hagit Nol
Contact Email
10. CFP – Islamic Archaeology Conference, Warsaw – November 5-8
Islamic Archaeology as a discipline has seen a spectacular growth in complexity and amount of themes in the last two decades. After a long period, in which Islamic Archaeology and Art History in Middle Eastern and North African countries were entangled, the discipline has found a new life in the 21st century by adopting new perspectives and expanding to new research areas. The materials that constitute its subject of study and the groups of researchers that address it are spread worldwide, and therefore a range of points of view and expectations from different archaeological traditions have been developed. It is a good time now to address this variety in the discipline in search of common trends and interests.
Islamic Archaeology Conference 2025 invites researchers and professionals worldwide to comprehensively explore the Islamic material culture and analyse historical narratives and syntheses that the discipline contributes to. The committee welcomes abstracts from scholars of all nationalities. We particularly encourage submissions from graduate students and early career researchers. Abstracts will be peer-reviewed by a committee of international experts and accepted or rejected solely on the basis of academic merit.
We welcome paper submissions on a wide range of topics related to the archaeology of the Islamic world of all periods, including but not limited to:
We also invite pre-arranged panels dedicated to well-defined themes in Islamic archaeology.
Submission Guidelines
Papers: 150-250 word abstract outlining the research objectives, methodologies, and preliminary findings. Please note that each conference presentation will be 20 minutes long maximum.
Panels: 300 word abstract including:
Formatting: Abstracts should be submitted in Times New Roman, 12-point font, and include a title and the author’s names and affiliations. The conference’s language is English.
Speakers fees:
25€ for Professionals
Free of charge for students
Important Dates:
Abstract submission deadline: 31 March 2025
Notification of acceptance: 31 May 2025
Contact Information
Karol Juchniewicz and Agnieszka Lic, Institute of Mediterranean and Oriental Cultures, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw
Contact Email
URL
https://www.academia.edu/127102550/CfP_Islamic_Archaeology_Conference_2025_Wars…
11. Ilkhanid Capital Cities: Transcultural Interactions, part of the Edinburgh Historical Studies of Iran and the Persian Worldseries by Edinburgh University Press.
Atri Hatef Naiemi
https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-ilkhanid-capital-cities.html
(Use the code NEW30 for 30% off the listed purchase price.)
1.We are pleased to announce the launch of “The Emamzadeh Yahya at Varamin: An Online Exhibition of an Iranian Shrine.”
An online exhibition, exhibition catalog, and academic edited volume in one, this website offers an alternative museological space for exploring the Emamzadeh Yahya’s many looks, functions, resonances, and stories over the last 700 years. The mirrored website in English and Persian includes six thematic galleries with over 70 contributions, including essays, films, digital interactives, and catalog entries. Through its holistic exploration of the shrine’s complex and layered histories, this website seeks to nuance and improve how the site is understood across many audiences and contexts.
The primary aim of this project is to increase awareness and understanding of the Emamzadeh Yahya and its dispersed collections and archives worldwide, without pursuing commercial, political, or institutional objectives. The project has been created and governed by individuals beyond institutions and is committed to the open and equitable dissemination of knowledge.
The website is an independent production of 33 Arches and is hosted by Khamseen: Islamic Art History Online.
https://khamseen-emamzadeh-yahya-varamin.hart.lsa.umich.edu
For questions about the project or website, please contact: Dr. Keelan Overton, Director, keelanoahu@yahoo.com
YouTube channel (for our films): www.youtube.com/@EmamzadehYahyaExhibition2024
Instagram: eyvexpo2024 (for basic posts, news)
2. Zahra Institute: 2025 Spring Speaker Series Begins on February 5
We are excited to bring together a great lineup of lectures for our 2025 Spring Speaker Series. Please join us to learn more about Kurdish women’s histories, Alevi Kurdish music, Yezidi shrines, and more! The series kicks off on February 5 with Ahmet Kuru speaking on “Populism, Islamism, and Nationalism: A New Partnership Worldwide.”
For more information on Zahra Institute’s upcoming events, please see the program and event flyers attached and visit our website: https://www.zahrainstitute.org/
Critical Muslim Studies Program: Featured Lecture
Populism, Islamism, and Nationalism: A New Partnership Worldwide
Wednesday, 5 February: 12pm Central / 1pm Eastern
Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/94922534268?pwd=pZySRzwpE33a9AvPeVZ2AcAjTTaAVU.1
Ahmet T. Kuru (Ph.D., University of Washington) is the director of the Center for Islamic and Arabic Studies at San Diego State University. His recent book, Islam, Authoritarianism, and Underdevelopment: A Global and Historical Comparison (Cambridge University Press, 2019), co-won the American Political Science Association’s International History and Politics Section and was included in the Times Literary Supplement’s Books of the Year.
Vegetarian Diet at the Intersection of Kurdish Identity, Religion, and Class
Wednesday, 19 February: 12pm Central / 1pm Eastern
Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/96379673159?pwd=myi0KdQtMdeSRkKynz9Iipao0VtsSl.1
Jihan Mohammed (Ph.D., Michigan State University) is a sociologist whose research focuses on investigating how ethnic and sectarian identities are constructed and deconstructed in the contemporary Middle East. She has published work on Kurdish identity and ethno-religious dynamics.
3. Submissions are now open for the 2025 BRISMES Early Career Development Scholarship. The aim of this award is to support activities geared towards strengthening the academic profile and CV of an early career scholar. This year, two awards of £3,000 each are available.
In order to be eligible for this award, applicants must be members of BRISMES, must have submitted a PhD dissertation in the last 2 years in any disciplinary field, on a topic related to the study of the Middle East and North Africa and must not have a permanent academic position when they receive the grant.
Priority will be given to applicants with limited or no access to institutional support (whether time or funding) for research-focused activities.
Eligible activities include (but are not necessarily limited to):
The deadline for submissions is 5 PM (UK time) on 24 March 2025.
More information: https://www.brismes.ac.uk/awards/ecds
4. 2025 Winter School: Ghand-e Parsi Persian School:
Persian Language and Literature Courses & Persianate Studies Coaching Program
After some 1000 hours of instruction and coaching to a large number of faculty members, researchers and students from many different universities (see Testimonial section), Ghand-e Parsi starts its 2025 Persian Winter School
More information and registration: https://tinyurl.com/persiancourses
5. Le CeRMI a le plaisir de vous convier à la prochaine séance du séminaire “Sociétés, politiques et cultures du Monde iranien”, qui se tiendra jeudi prochain, 30 janvier 2025, 17h-19h, en salle 4.15 à l’INaLCO (65 rue des Grands Moulins, Paris XIII, 4eétage).
Nous sommes heureux d’accueillir M. Jeffrey Kotyk (Max Planck Institute for the History of Science), pour une conférence intitulée: “Alternative Views on Sasanian History: Contemporary Chinese Accounts of Persia“.
Résumé:
Over the last century in Western scholarship, the history of late Sasanian history has been built up using the accounts recorded in the works of al-Ṭabarī, Theophanes, and others. The narrative created is one of court intrigue, with many conversations and details included, which historians today generally read as objective. Encyclopædia Iranica and other resources digest these sources, providing a detailed history of the late kings and their interactions. We read of a palace coup d’état and Khosrow being condemned by his son.
The Chinese records of the early seventh century—preserved in an array of different court records and histories—however, present a different picture of what happened. They record that it was the Western Turks who killed Khosrow. They also name his successors, with names that align with the numismatic evidence. The Chinese records are brief by comparison, but they represent largely unmodified court records that were simply copied. Modern historians have rarely considered these, or otherwise the Chinese accounts have been simply dismissed. Still, Iranology accepts the Chinese account of Pērōz and his exile to China, while ignoring the other record of Khosrow that does not align with the Greek and Arabic histories.
This talk will introduce the contemporary Chinese records of Persia, highlighting their value while discussing the possibility of revisiting late Sasanian history.
Orientations bibliographiques:
– János HARMATTA. “La Médaille de J̌eb Šāhānšāh.” Studia Iranica 1982/2, p. 167–180.
– Samuel N. C. LIEU. “Byzantium, Persia, and China: Interstate Relations on the Eve of the Islamic Conquest.” In David Christian and Craig Benjamin (eds.). Silk Road Studies IV: Realms of the Silk Road, Ancient and Modern. Turnhout: Brepols, 2000, p. 47–65.
– Jeffrey KOTYK. Sino-Iranian and Sino-Arabian Relations in Late Antiquity: China and the Parthians, Sasanians, and Arabs in the First Millennium. (Crossroads – History of Interactions across the Silk Routes, Volume: 8). Leiden: Brill, 2024.
– Katarzyna MAKSYMIUK. “The Two Eyes of the Earth: The Problem of Respect in Sasanid-Roman Relations.” Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies 2018/58, p. 591–606.
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 :
6. CALL FOR PAPERS
International Journal of Islamic Architecture (IJIA)
Special Issue: Environment in Architecture’s History and Architecture in Environment’s History
Guest editor: Esra Akcan
Thematic volume planned for: 2027
Abstract submission deadline: June 1, 2025
One may misleadingly infer from the data on the built environment’s responsibility in causing climate change that architects have not paid attention to climate. To the contrary, however, there is hardly any other criterion as ordinary and as omnipresent as climate in architectural design. A forthcoming special issue of the International Journal of Islamic Architecture will address the intersection of geopolitical and ecological concerns in architecture and explore the multidirectional and multilateral relations between the three words in its title—architecture, history, environment. Articles will evaluate architecture’s role in climate change by writing not only the history of architecture with respect to climate but also the history of climate due to architecture.
From the writings of Vitruvius to guidebooks on corporate environmentalism, references to environmental regulation and considerations of the sun and the wind, the heat and the cold, rain and snow, have been regular inputs for designers of buildings around the world. Established historians have provided a large spectrum of definitions for climate, ranging from a criterion to be controlled to one that inspires difference: Johann Winckelmann’s climate determinism has long shaped the Euro-American notions of beauty and artistic superiority; Bruno Taut has critiqued climate imperialism in Japan and Turkey; Reyner Banham has offered a history of western modern architecture as a chain of technological inventions that move towards a seamless closed interior; Ken Frampton has critiqued this chain as a trivialization of cultural heritage; and Daniel Barber has endorsed midcentury climatic modernism by foregrounding the façade as the mediator between the interior of a building and the climate of its exterior. This issue of IJIA will build on this discourse, but pay particular attention to architecture’s accountability for climate change over time. It particularly calls for contributions that critically analyze historical examples when concerns over climate were complicit with colonialism, nationalism, ethnocentrism, or religious fundamentalism. Given that climate has served as a proxy for nation and race for much of the modern and colonial periods, this special issue calls for a layered understanding of the intertwinement between social, global and environmental issues in architectural history.
The issue hopes to provide a layered global and planetary history that extends the narrative beyond the recent ones on the colonization and decolonization of the world due to the British, French, and Spanish empires. Though helping to right earlier accounts and expose the entanglement of modernity, capitalism, and coloniality, these studies still exclude large portions of the world. Their accumulated outcome ignores differences between lands before and after they were colonized by either of the European imperial powers, and modernity’s other dark sides, including environmental degradation caused by national partitions, religious divides, or ethno-centrism.
Contributors are encouraged to submit rigorously researched articles that acknowledge the unity of the earth’s ecosystem while engaging the unique challenges of places traditionally associated with the ‘Islamic world’. Authors might submit or analyze architectural projects that come to the realization that the division of the global ecosystem into nation-states produces environmental damages, and those that envision ways of multispecies co-living. The special issue hopes that place-based – but not place-bound – historical analyses will contribute to the writing of global and planetary histories of modern architecture in a way that responds to call for understanding geopolitical and ecological issues together.
Welcome are theoretically engaged articles that demonstrate the important role of history writing in the intersectional matters of global peace and environmental sustainability, and in bringing societies to a confrontation with the relation between political and ecological harms of the past. Questions addressed by contributors might include:
Contact Information
IJIA Editorial Assistant, Dana Katz at IJIAclimate@gmail.com
Contact Email
URL
https://www.intellectbooks.com/asset/91083/1/IJIA_CFP_16.2.pdf
7. The Orient-Institut Beirut (OIB) awards a number of fellowships-in-residence normally lasting 7-11 months beginning on 15 September 2025 or shortly thereafter, specifically designed for doctoral and postdoctoral candidates engaged in outstanding research projects in the humanities and social sciences.
We invite applications across disciplines, time periods, and geographic coverage outlined in our mission statement. Proposals are encouraged to articulate the contemporary stakes of the research project, encompassing historiographical, cultural, religious and/or political dimensions.
Please see https://www.orient-institut.org/support/fellowships.html
Contact Email
bewerbungen@orient-institut.org
URL
https://www.orient-institut.org/
8. Friederike Weis (editor), Eighteenth-Century Indian Muraqqaʿs: Audiences – Artists – Patrons and Collectors (Islamic Manuscripts and Books, vol. 23), Leiden: Brill, 2025
This book is available in print and as an open access publication, for full access please click on this link: https://brill.com/display/title/71240
9. CFP – “Rethinking Middle Eastern and Islamicate Studies”, New Generations Annual Graduate Student Conference at the University of Texas at Austin
Dates: April 1–2, 2025 || Abstract Deadline: February 10, 2025
Topic: Rethinking Middle Eastern and Islamicate Studies
Contact: jiljadidconf@gmail.com
Description:
The Center for Middle Eastern Studies and the Department of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Texas at Austin are delighted to announce the patr Annual Graduate Student Conference, New Generations (Jil Jadid). We invite applicants from all disciplines researching various topics relating to the study of the Middle East, North Africa, and the Islamicate world, broadly defined. Interdisciplinary approaches are welcome. New Generations aims to provide an accessible forum for young scholars, spread across a variety of disciplines and fields to come together, share ideas and research, and discuss the future of research on the Middle East. Against the background of changing modes of knowledge production, this year’s theme encourages researchers to rethink consolidated methods within Middle Eastern Studies disciplines.
This year, the conference will feature a keynote address on Tuesday, April 1st, delivered by Dr. Alexander Key (Stanford University).
Topics:
Applicants are welcome to present papers treating topics in the languages, histories, politics, religions, and literatures of the region, from any period. In addition to original research, we will also consider state-of-the-field papers that provide a focused overview of a specific sub-field and propose new research prospects in the chosen area. Papers to be presented at other conferences are likewise accepted, as New Generations is an ideal venue for students to further develop and refine their research.
Abstracts:
Current graduate students and recent graduates of master’s and doctoral programs may submit abstracts not exceeding 250 words to jiljadidconf@gmail.com no later than February 10, 2025. Abstracts should not include identifying information on the abstract itself (i.e. no first or last name in the header). You must, however, indicate the highest degree you have obtained and your current position (e.g. M.A., Graduate Student, etc.) in your email. Only submissions from current or recent graduate students will be considered. Limited funds are available to defray the cost of in-person attendance. Please indicate in your email if you would like to apply for travel funds (to be reimbursed following the conference in April). Questions may be directed to jiljadidconf@gmail.com.
Contact Information
Contacts: Saghar Bozorgi, Jens Inden, Pouya Nekouei
Contact Email
URL
https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/mes/graduate-studies/current-student-resources/n…
10. Amir Khosrow Afshar Visiting Fellowship, 2025-26
The Iranian History Initiative (IHI) at the London School of Economics and Political Science invites applications for the Amir Khosrow Afshar Visiting Fellowship for the 2025-26 academic year.
This fellowship was established with the generous support of Mr Allahyar Afshar and honours the memory of Amir Khosrow Afshar, a distinguished Iranian stateman who served as Iranian Ambassador to France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, and as Foreign Minister of Iran from 1978 to 1979.
The Amir Khosrow Afshar Visiting 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 (29 September to 12 December 2025), Winter (19 January to 2 April 2026) or Spring (5 May to 19 June 2026) 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 ) in the first instance by no later than 21 February 2025. Applications will be assessed by a selection committee and the fellowship will be awarded by the Department of International History’s Research Committee.
The Iranian History Initiative (IHI) was established in 2024 to promote the study of modern Iranian history at LSE. The IHI brings together faculty and research students at LSE who teach and research various aspects of the history of modern Iran from the 16th century to the present, including the history of Safavid, Qajar, and Pahlavi Iran. Please consult the IHI website for more information:
https://www.lse.ac.uk/International-History/IranianHistoryInitiative/Iranian-History-Initiative
11. “The Positionality of Muslims in the Study of Islam”, at the University of Cambridge in May 2025. This event aims to foster critical discussions on the methodological, theoretical, and epistemological challenges surrounding positionality in the study of Islam.
Deadline for abstracts: 15 February 2025. Information: ae375@cam.ac.uk
12. Intern to Work with a Research Associate at the Orient-Institut Beirut (OIB)
The task entails filling in information on manuscripts into an already designed online platform. This is is an exciting opportunity to join a project towards its fruitation. If you are interested in Islamic manuscript studies, this internship is for you! Knowledge of Arabic is a plus.
Information: https://www.orient-institut.org/support/internships/oib-internships-2025-english-version.html
1.HYBRID Workshop “Fieldwork and Gender Studies in the Middle East”, University of Copenhagen, 25 March 2025, 9:30 – 17:00
It explores how scholars evaluate the opportunities, obstacles, or challenges they have encountered, and the negotiation or compromises they have made to complete their fieldwork. The speakers share practical advice on the real conditions in the Middle East. This workshop also aims to equip participants with ethical guidelines, safety considerations, and practical strategies for navigating complex cultural and political landscapes in the region.
Information und registration: https://ccrs.ku.dk/research/centres-and-projects/mobilization-of-the-law-in-gulf-states-gulffeminisms/calendar/fieldwork-and-gender-studies/
2. Workshop “Decolonization and Its Forms of Knowledge Histories, Pedagogies, Methods, & Praxis”, Geneva Graduate Institute, Switzerland, 12-13 May 2025
We ask: How did decolonization – as a response and reckoning with colonialism and its forms of knowledges – hinge on (re)figuring new forms of knowing and subjecthood? Did the institutionalization of new knowledge practices linked to decolonization in academic and non-academic contexts innovate or reproduce old pathways and thereby create neocolonial legacies?
Deadline for abstracts: 21 February 2025.
Information: https://decolonization-now.com/decolonization-and-its-forms-of-knowledges/
3. “22nd International Conference on Turkish Linguistics (ICTL22)”, Izmir, 4-6 September 2025
The conference aims to share current research in Turkish linguistics, increase interdisciplinary interaction, and prepare the ground for scientific discussions. Studies covering the subfields of Turkish linguistics and other disciplines related to linguistics will be evaluated. The conference language is Turkish and English, and papers will be accepted in both languages.
Deadline for abstracts: 17 March 2025. Information: https://dilbilim.deu.edu.tr/first-call/
4. Research Fellow for Project “People and Communities of Mixed-Ancestry in the Red Sea: Historical and Social Dynamics (1800-2000)”, Department of Historical Studies, University of Turin
Qualifications: MA or PhD in History, Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences, Digital Humanities, Digital Engineering, or other related areas. They should also have a suitable scientific/professional track record. In addition to an excellent knowledge of English and possibly a second European languages, knowledge of a language from the Red Sea region or appropriate to the case study to be investigated within the project is also required.
Deadline for applications: 27 January 2025. Information: https://www.asaiafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/People-and-communities-of-mixed-ancestry-in-the-Red-Sea.pdf
5. Juynboll Fellowship to Study the Arabic and Islam Special Collections of Leiden University Libraries (1-2 Months)
Deadline for applications: 1 April 2025.
Information: https://www.library.universiteitleiden.nl/special-collections/fellowships/juynboll-fellowship
6. NYU Abu Dhabi Travel Grants for Research within the Arab Heritage and Gulf Crossroads Collections of the NYUAD Library
These travel grants may be used for research for Ph.D. dissertations, MA and undergraduate theses, publications, and other research projects.
Deadline for applications: 1 February 2025.
Information: https://www.hrf-arabworld.org/apply/call-for-applications/travel-grant
7. ‘Ibrāhīm b. Yaʿqūb al-Saʿdī al-Jūzjānī (d. 259/873?) and his Aḥwāl al-rijāl: an early systematic approach to Rijāl criticism’
BSOAS, 2025
I-Wen Su,
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000661
8. Yale University: Lara Harb (Princeton): ‘Mimesis and Adab’
3 February, 2025 5pm
Full information at:
https://complit.yale.edu/event/lara-harb-princeton-mimesis-and-adab
9. Williams College – Visiting Assistant Professor Late-Medieval/early Modern Western Europe, Byzantium, or the Islamic World
https://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=68441
10. Amherst College – One-year visiting position in Middle Eastern History
https://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=68453
11. Yale University – Council on Middle East Studies: Palestinian Studies Postdoctoral Associate, 2025-26
https://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=68461
12. The Centre of Islamic Studies (CIS) at the University of Cambridge is seeking to appoint a Postdoctoral Research and Outreach Associate with a research specialism related to Muslims in the UK and Europe. The post is a three-year, fixed-term position which will commence in September 2025. It is full-time and based in the Centre of Islamic Studies, which is located in the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies.
Deadline: 31 January, 2025
https://www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/49718/
13. Safa Mahmoudian. Palace Gardens in Lower Mesopotamia: 8th to 11th Centuries. Edinburgh University Press, 2024
For more information, including the table of contents, please visit: https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-palace-gardens-in-lower-mesopotamia.html
14. Persian Language and Literature:
Two upcoming online courses in February and March.
The first course, Classical Persian through Living Books: Introduction to Persian Manuscripts, will take place from February 17th to 27th. Over two weeks, we’ll examine key Persian manuscripts, focusing on their scripts, orthography, and calligraphy. The course will also cover the historical development of Persian writing traditions and provide participants with tools to engage critically with Classical Persian handwritten materials.
The second course, Introduction to Khayyam and His Rubaiyat: Learning Persian through Masterpieces, is a six-week program running from February 6th to March 13th. This class meets once a week, on Thursdays, and focuses on Khayyam’s authentic quatrains. We will explore their language, meaning, and cultural context, while also discussing the scholarship surrounding their authenticity. Each session will offer an opportunity to practice Persian language skills and delve into the literary and historical aspects of Khayyam’s poetry.
If you’re interested, you can find more details by following the links. All materials will be provided, and further instructions will follow after your application is accepted.
Ferdowsi School of Persian Literature
Yerevan, Armenia
Website: www.ferdowsi.org
The seminar is focused on developing the skill of reading Islamic legal texts as opposed to surveying Islamic legal doctrines. It is designed for beginners seeking to build their capacity to investigate Islamic law. The deadline to register is April 15.
1.Medicine in the Islamic World: A History through Manuscripts
Part of the UCLA Islamic Studies one-day symposium, Islam and Medicine: Past and Present
Saturday, February 8, 2025
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM PST
Location provided upon RSVP
2. Grant Opportunities at GINGKO – Call for Applications
Grant Date
January 1, 2025 – April 6, 2025
Location
United Kingdom
Subject Fields
Architecture and Architectural History, Art, Art History & Visual Studies, Islamic History / Studies, Middle East History / Studies, Religious Studies and Theology
GINGKO provides grants to support academic research into the history, art history and religions of MENA. GINGKO also offers grants for people organising transformative interfaith and intercultural encounters between people from MENA and the West.
In 2024 successful applications included grants to support the forthcoming online exhibition ‘The Emamzadeh Yahya at Varamin: An Online Exhibition of a Living Iranian Shrine’ and ‘Unveiling Narratives: the material Culture of West Asian Ethnology in America’, a research project seeking to investigate the formation of the Hall of Asian Peoples (now known as the Gardner D. Stout Hall of Asian Peoples) at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. You can read more about our previous grant recipients and the projects we support here: gingko.org.uk/grant-recipients/
If you have a research project or an encounter that you would like to pursue, pleases consider applying.
We are open for applications until 6 April 2025. You can read more about the GINGKO Grants Programme and find information on how to apply by visiting: gingko.org.uk/how-to-apply
We look forward to hearing from you!
Contact Information
4 Molasses Row
London, SW11 3UX, UK
+44 (0)20 36379730
Contact Email
URL
3. “Analyzing Ottoman Külliye Architecture through the Climate Lens,” Onur Öztürk, VIAHSS – January 21
The first lecture in the spring 2025 Virtual Islamic Art History Seminar Series will take place on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, at 11:00 Chicago / 12:00 NYC / 17:00 London / 20:00 Istanbul.
Onur Öztürk (Columbia College Chicago) will present “Analyzing Ottoman Külliye Architecture through the Climate Lens: The Little Ice Age and the Yeni Valide Mosque.”
To attend, please make sure to register in advance here:
https://wellesley.zoom.us/meeting/register/Ny2fnYJ_RqO3-K43YMBUKw
Upon registration, you’ll receive the link to access the lecture.
As always, you can find a full schedule of upcoming talks and register for our list-serv on our website at viahss.org. We will be posting our full spring 2025 schedule soon. Although not every talk is recorded, we also have recordings of several recent talks available on the VIAHSS Vimeo page at vimeo.com/viahss. Lastly, you can follow us on X at @viahss and on Instagram at @theviahss to stay up to date on upcoming events!
Contact Information
Drs. Alexander Brey, Jaimee Comstock-Skipp, and Rachel Winter
Contact Email
URL
4. Conference – 9th Islamic Archaeology Day, UCL, London – February 1
The programme for the 9th annual Islamic Archaeology Day co-hosted by SOAS and UCL and held at the UCL Institute of Archaeology on Saturday February 1st 2025 between 11 and 6pm.
We invite you to register online at https://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/events/2025/feb/islamic-archaeology-day-2025. There is an early-bird registration fee of £18 (£12 for students – limited numbers) for those who register before January 14th; registration from the 15th is £25 so we encourage you to register as soon as possible! Registration will cover a sandwich lunch, refreshments and a wine reception.
There will be a dinner afterwards for anyone who would like to attend at a cost of ca £45pp (meze, main course and wine included) and has registered by the Early Bird deadline of January 14th. We’ll confirm final numbers and the price for the dinner with all those interested on Jan 15th.
Finally, please do pass this onto others who may be interested in attending. Everyone is welcome!
All best wishes for a wonderful 2025,
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/events/2025/feb/islamic-archaeology-day-2025
5. Graduate Student Meeting – Call for Papers
20th Colloquium of the Ernst Herzfeld-Gesellschaft | Ernst Herzfeld Society
Cairo (Egypt) 3 July 2025
Are you a graduate student in Islamic Art, Architecture, or Archaeology? Are you interested in meeting other students working on related topics? Would you like to discuss your research with your peers? How about presenting a paper based on your research at the graduate student meeting of the Ernst Herzfeld Society?
The graduate student meeting offers an opportunity for graduate students in the fields of Islamic Art History, Archaeology, and Architecture to present their ongoing research while providing a platform for discussion and networking. It is organised by Salma Azzam of Vienna University. It will take place at the American University in Cairo, Tahrir Campus on the 3rd of July in conjunction with the 20th Colloquium of the Ernst Herzfeld Society for Studies in Islamic Art and Archaeology.
Please submit your proposal for a paper by 31 January 2025 to Salma Azzam:
salma.azzam@univie.ac.at . The proposal should include a title and an abstract of 250-300
words. You should also include your full name, the name of your university, and whether you
are an advanced BA student, an MA student, or a PhD student. Papers are given in English.
Acceptance will be notified by 28 February 2025
For further info:
https://ernst-herzfeld-gesellschaft.com/en/graduate-student-meeting-call-for-papers-3/
6. CfP: Historicisms in Islamic Art: Narratives, Materials and Perspectives
20th Colloquium of the Ernst Herzfeld Society for Studies in Islamic Art and Archaeology
Cairo (Egypt), American University in Cairo – Tahrir Campus
July 3–6, 2025
Deadline for submissions: January 31, 2025.
Notification of acceptance: February 28, 2025.
Historicism is generally understood in a sense of historical periodisation, and more specifically in art and architecture as a term and a period that refer to the use and revival of historical forms and ‘styles’ in nineteenth-century Europe and the West. It is, however, in the broader sense of a conscious and intentional recourse to artistic forms and visualities of earlier times that we would like to address this issue in the 20th Colloquium of the Ernst Herzfeld Society, jointly organised by the German Archaeological Institute, Cairo Department, and the American University in Cairo. Under the heading “Historicisms in Islamic Art: Narratives, Materials and Perspectives”, we invite to look at instances of such recourses to historical forms and styles in the wide geographical and temporal context of Islamic Art from early Islam to the present, and across all media.
The city of Cairo, as a product of several foundations, relocations and refortifications, and the site of architectural and artistic activities of a long chain of successive rulers, dynasties, and social groups, belongs to the most important historical urban ensembles in the Eastern Mediterranean. The city therefore lends itself perfectly as a vantage point for a critical reflection about how architecture and visual arts serve as markers for the continuity and change over time and as clues about how various historical societies lived with, viewed, and took recourse to, their history.
The 20th Colloquium of the Ernst Herzfeld Society invites recent research on historicism in Islamic art that examines how historical awareness has shaped artistic production in different periods and regions. The conference aims to explore the different categories of historicism in Islamic Art and the role of historiography and Islamic material cultural production in shaping narratives. Besides papers and panels that discuss theoretical approaches and case studies within different regional socio-political contexts, the conference also welcomes presentations on revivalist art movements in the 19th and 20th centuries as well as discussions on contemporary cultural production engaging with historical themes in different media and techniques.
This conference hopes to explore the different ways historicism has shaped narratives, mediums, and discourses surrounding Islamic art, while also exploring its contemporary production. The concept of historicism in Islamic art, which involves the conscious use and sometimes revival and reinterpretation of historical forms and visualities, offers an interesting way to explore the evolution and continuity of Islamic artistic traditions. The organisers aim to bring together and encourage the dialogue between art historians, archaeologists, cultural historians, and practitioners, and to highlight the need for the preservation and promotion of the Islamic artistic heritage in contemporary times.
Key Questions:
The Colloquium will also host a panel for other themes of current research in Islamic art and archaeology, for which we also invite applications.
The four-day conference will be held at AUC’s Tahrir Campus in Downtown Cairo and will include a keynote lecture, panel sessions and round table discussions, poster presentations, a graduate meeting, and field trips in Cairo.
Application
Please submit your proposal for a paper or a panel by January 31, 2025 to Heba Afifi:
heba.afifi@dainst.de
Individual papers: Please submit a title and an abstract of 250 and no more than 300 words, together with a short CV (max. 1 page).
Pre-arranged panels: will preferably include three to four presentations. Please submit a title and an abstract of no more than 500 words presenting the topic and aim of the panel, and a provisional list of speakers with abstracts and CVs (see above).
The preferred colloquium language is English. Each presentation is limited to 20 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of discussion (or 30 minutes of discussion per panel).
All proposals will undergo a peer review selection process. Acceptance will be notified by the end of February 2025.
If you want to submit a paper proposal for the graduate meeting (separate call), please send your title and abstract to Salma Azzam: salma.azzam@univie.ac.at
Registration for and participation in the Colloquium are free for members of the Ernst Herzfeld Society. Other speakers and participants are asked to join the Society by paying the annual membership fee. Please see: https://ernst-herzfeld-gesellschaft.com/en/beitrittsformular/
We kindly request that speakers and participants make their own travel and accommodation arrangements. A list of hotels located in the vicinity of the Colloquium venue, some of them offering AUC special rates, will be made available in due course. For a limited number of student participants of the graduate meeting, accommodation can be provided at the premises of the German Archaeological Institute depending on availability.
7. The Islamic College:
Islamic Ethics for Professionals
Online Course – 24th January 2025 – 20th May 2025
A Unique Online Course Covering: Biomedical Ethics, Environmental Ethics, Business Ethics and Public Life, Social Media Ethics and Ethics of Journalism, Islamic Ethics and AI
£400 for working professionals: £80 for single topics (two sessions)
£200 for students and trainees: £40 for single topics (two sessions)
Registration Deadline: 22nd January 2025
Course Overview:
This specialized course offers a comprehensive exploration of Islamic ethics as applied to contemporary professional contexts. Divided into 11 sessions, each lasting 1 hour and 45 minutes, the course provides a unique blend of academic insights and practical applications.
Course Structure:
Each topic features two expert speakers: one discussing the ethical implications of a specific topic from a general perspective and the other offering an Islamic ethical analysis. This dual approach provides a well-rounded understanding of the subject matter. There are two exceptions to the above structure: biomedical ethics will be discussed in three sessions while AI and Ethics in one session.
Session Format:
Lecture (1 hour): A detailed presentation on the chosen topic, covering both general and Islamic ethical perspectives.
Q&A Session (45 minutes): An interactive discussion where participants can ask questions and engage in dialogue with the experts.
Info at:
https://islamic-college.ac.uk/study-short-courses/islamic-ethics-for-professionals/
8. EUP: Call for proposals: Ancient and Medieval Afghanistan
Introducing Ancient and Medieval Afghanistan, a brand new series dedicated to Afghanistan.
Series editors: Warwick Ball and Rachel Mairs
This new, interdisciplinary book series is dedicated to the ancient and medieval history of Afghanistan and its surrounding regions, raising the country’s profile as a focus of study in its own right. If your research centres on the ancient history, archaeology, art, architecture, cultural heritage, religion, numismatics or epigraphy of Afghanistan, we want to hear from you.
Visit the series homepage to find out more: https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fddlnk.net%2Fc%2FAQjSfRCDj4UHGPmorJQFIMfViqIBqiUF3GjxeISVqWe0htWyiL4tfVViwjBbeFj-95mgrHs&data=05%7C02%7C%7C9262391de9ab415ebf2e08dd36e624e9%7C2e9f06b016694589878910a06934dc61%7C0%7C0%7C638727084266806687%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=hy%2Fn38Gtu1WRfaOmJDDgQYQsYLgzwOwIYiiePSH9Ems%3D&reserved=0
9. ONLINE Meeting “Simtho Unveiled: Launch of the World’s Most Comprehensive Syriac Corpus”, Syriac Institute and Institute for Advanced Study Princeton, 5 February 2025, 6:00 pm CET
This landmark release represents over five years of dedicated work, from its initial beta version of 6 million words to its current size of over 25 million words. Leveraging cutting-edge OCR technology, artificial intelligence, and the meticulous efforts of the MelthoLab, this first formal release offers unprecedented access to Syriac literary heritage.
Information and registration:
https://theias.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUqfuqrqjsuGtVoNhb90u7yk59hC-ykXE2E#/registration
10. ONLINE Conference “The Concept of Religious Leadership and the Concept of Religious Community in Judaism, Christianity and Islam”, Bavarian Research Center for Interreligious Discourse (BAFID), FAU Erlangen, 19-20 February 2025
Deadline for registration: 12 February 2025.
Program and registration: https://www.bafid.fau.de/files/2024/12/KCID_02.25.pdf
11. Conference “Once, We Were Here: Traces of Mobility across the Ottoman Empire”, LMU, Munich; 8-10 July 2025
We invite scholars to explore the wealth of material traces travelers left behind, shedding light on the motiva-tions, experiences, and broader social, religious, and economic dynamics they reveal.
Deadline for abstracts. 30 January 2025.
Information: https://www.naher-osten.uni-muenchen.de/forschung/majlis1/mobasccfp/index.html
12. ESA Sociology of Religion Research Network 34 Mid-term Conference: “The Liquid Presence of Religion in the Public Sphere”, Tilburg University, The Netherlands, 20-21 August 2025
We welcome papers that examine how secular institutions take on ‘religious’ characteristics and how religious organizations or groups incorporate secular elements into their practice. The conference aims to further our understanding of how current developments – such as globalization, neoliberalism, the rise of authoritari-anism, and digitalization – influence and transform values, social relations, and religious communities.
Deadline for abstracts: 31 January 2025.
Information: https://esareligion.org/conferences/current-conference/
13. Assistant Professor (Tenure Track) in South Asian or Middle Eastern (Decolonial), History, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Preference will be given to scholars of the early modern and modern periods. Research must demonstrate thoughtful engagement with decoloniality, Qualification: PhD in History; record of research excellence in either South Asian or Middle Eastern history; possess non-European language skills relevant to the appli-cant’s research field; demonstrate expertise in decolonial approaches to South Asian or Middle Eastern history.
Deadline for applications: 31 January 2025.
Information: https://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=68368
14. “Prix de thèse Islam, Moyen-Orient et mondes musulmans 2025”, IISMM, GIS Moyen-Orient et mondes musulmans
Sont éligibles des travaux soutenus en français ou en France entre le 1er janvier 2023 et le 31 décembre 2024, dans toutes les disciplines des lettres et sciences humaines et sociales. L’organisation de ces prix de thèse entend distinguer des travaux de recherche portant sur l’Islam, le Moyen-Orient et les mondes musul-mans, caractérisés par leur excellence et leur caractère particulièrement innovant en sciences humaines et sociales.
Date limite : 31 janvier 2025. Information : https://iismm.ehess.fr/appel/appel-candidatures-prix-de-these-islam-moyen-orient-et-mondes-musulmans-2025
15. Chapters for Book Project on “The Post/Colonial Eye: Visual Discourses of Empire” (Routledge)
We invite contributions that address issues of representation and the self, visual communication between coloniser and colonised, visual technologies, visual subjectivities, forms of gazing, ethics of looking etc. The second section will focus on how these visual discourses have been and are complicated, challenged, appropriated or potentially reversed in decolonial and postcolonial visual discourse
Deadline for abstracts: 31 January 2025. Information: https://networks.h-net.org/group/announcements/20055700/updated-call-chapter-abstracts-postcolonial-eye-visual-discourses
Submit your scholarly work to the 14th Razavi Book of the Year Festival, an international event dedicated to recognizing and celebrating outstanding contributions to Islamic culture, history, and Razavi studies.
The festival welcomes works published by non-Iranian publishers between March 21, 2021, and March 19, 2025. Submissions are evaluated based on their alignment with the festival’s themes, which include:
• Imam Riḍā’s (P.B.U.H.) Life, Teachings, and Legacy
• Islamic Ethics, Jurisprudence, Philosophy, and Theology
• Razavi Culture and Lifestyle
• Social Sciences, History, and Anthropology related to Imam Riḍā
• Pilgrimage Studies and Razavi Endowments
• Children’s and Adolescents’ Literature on Razavi Teachings
• Interfaith Dialogue and Comparative Theology, especially from the perspective of Islam and Shi‘a studies
The best international work will be awarded €2,000, along with the festival sculpture and a letter of commendation. Selected authors will also be invited to attend the closing ceremony in Mashhad, Iran, with all expenses covered by the festival’s secretariat.
We kindly ask you to consider sharing this invitation with other scholars or academic colleagues who may have relevant contributions or interest in these topics.
The submission deadline is March 19, 2025.
For futher information:
https://library.razavi.ir/ketabsal/en/307080/14th-intl-festival-razavi-book-year
1.HYBRID Conference “(Un)Freedom in Global Perspective: Actors – Perceptions – Agencies”, Innsbruck, 3-4 February 2024
Challenging static and binary concepts of freedom and unfreedom, the conference examines nuanced forms of agency within local, regional, and global frameworks of the early modern and modern periods. Through diverse case studies, the programme highlights overarching trends, offering comparative perspectives and fresh insights into historical continuities, transformations, and lived experiences of (un)freedom.
Information, programme and registration: https://conferences.uibk.ac.at/event/44/
2. Journée d’étude « Iran contemporain : résilience, défis et ripostes », Fonds Ricoeur Paris, 4 février 2025, 9h30 – 18h00
Nous proposons d’organiser un colloque pluridisciplinaire sur la réalité sociologique, politique et culturelle de l’Iran. Les raisons qui mobilisent l’argumentaire de ce colloque sont multiples : l’extrême complexité de l’Iran ; les événements tragiques qui se sont succédés depuis plusieurs décennies ; le monde foisonnant de l’art et de la culture iraniens qui ne cesse d’introduire des artistes imaginatifs , etc.
Information : https://iismm.hypotheses.org/113092
3. ONLINE Workshop “Intertextuality in the Qurʾān and Early Qurʾānic Exegesis: Exploring Christian Apocryphal Texts”, Berlin Institute for Islamic Theology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin / Institute for Islamic-Theological Studies, University of Vienna, 13-14 February 2025
The workshop will focus on investigating the nuanced relationship between Christian apocryphal texts and Islamic religious literature. We aim to scrutinize the dialogues that unfold between the Qurʾān and various Christian texts, both canonical and apocryphal.
Information and registration: https://shorturl.at/BLGkk
4. 4th Annual International “Islamophobia Studies Research Association (IISRA) Conference”, University of Granada, Spain, 20-22 May 2025
The conference will question whether categories such as Left and Right retain analytical and strategic value in the struggle against Islamophabia. We invite papers that engage with these questions from various critical perspectives and from a range of intersectionalities, histories, and contexts that flesh out the interconnected nature of oppressions and emancipations.
Deadline for abstracts: 15 February 2025. Information: https://www.iisra.net/4th-iisra-conference
5. Conference: “Disquiet: Auditory Cultures of the Late Ottoman Empire”, University of Cambridge, 22-24 May 2025
We aim to explore the manifold auditory histories of the late Ottoman Empire and surrounding eastern Mediterranean. In doing so, we hope to further elucidate possibilities for sound studies and global music history to engage more substantively with the Ottoman Empire as part of a broader “remapping” impulse, and for Ottoman history to deepen its understandings of the sensory and phenomenological experiences of the long nineteenth century.
Deadline for abstracts: 19 January 2025. Information: https://ottomanauralities.com/conference/
6. HYBRID Workshop: “Writing Global Histories of Socio-Economic Rights”, University of Sheffield, 5-6 June 2025
seeks to develop new conceptual approaches to writing a global history of socio-economic rights. To this end, there are no temporal or geographic restrictions for workshop papers. Theoretical and methodological contributions – rather than empirical case studies alone – are especially welcome. Themes: Gender and Work – Child Labour – Work and the Family – Intergovernmental Organisations and Social Rights – Decolonisation and Labour Rights, etc.
Deadline for abstracts: 15 February 2024. Information: https://www.glosoc.org/events/
7. Workshop “Why Location Matters: Doctoral Research in the Arab World”, American University in Cairo, 29 June – 3 July 2025
The workshop will bring together a select group of doctoral students from North American, German, and Arab universities to discuss the possibilities, critical approaches, epistemological, and practical challenges of undertaking archival and/or ethnographic research in the Arab region. Applicants from disciplines in the social sciences and humanities are encouraged to apply.
Deadline for abstracts: 20 February 2025. Information: https://mesana.org/resources-and-opportunities/2025/01/09/call-for-applications-mesa-acss-oib-summer-2025-workshop
8. PhD Position in Islamic Law in History and the Present, Berlin Institute for Islamic Theology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
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
Extended deadline for applications: 31 January 2025. Information: https://is.gd/N8RyMG
9. Assistant Director of the W. F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research, East Jerusalem
We seek an experienced administrator with an international reputation in Levantine research to serve as Assistant Director. The Assistant Director will oversee the Institute’s research activities, particularly its fellowships program. The ideal candidate will have proven leadership experience and the ability to work in a culturally diverse environment that hosts scholars from many religious, ethnic, and national backgrounds
Deadline for applications: 19 January 2025. Information: https://aiar.org/archives/13726
Head Librarian and Archivist of the W. F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research, East Jerusalem
The ideal candidate will have expertise in library sciences, strong organizational skills, and a commitment to creating a user-friendly research environment.
Deadline for applications: 26 January 2025. Information: https://aiar.org/archives/13700
10. Visiting Scholar in Religious Studies (Focus on Judaism or Islam), Definance College, Northwest Ohio
The successful applicant will hold a Ph.D. in Religion or Religious Studies or other relevant field. An advanced ABD candidate will also be considered. We are especially interested in (but not limited to) a scholar who has experience in teaching newer subfields such as those involving trans-nationalism, post-colonial studies, race, gender, sexuality, and/or ability.
Deadline for applications: 30 January 2025.
Information: https://mesana.org/resources-and-opportunities/2025/01/07/visiting-scholar-in-religious-studies
11. Visiting Assistant Professor (1 Year) in the History of Islamic Worlds, Department of History at Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA
We seek a candidate whose research and teaching will offer avenues for interdisciplinary and cross-regional understandings of the many cultures and political systems that encompass historical experiences of Islam. These could include migration, science, technology, and medicine, post-colonial, and/or digital histories potentially creating synergies with other existing or emerging interdisciplinary programs. A Ph.D. is required upon starting the position.
Deadline for applications: 14 February 2025. Information: https://apply.interfolio.com/161396
12. Call for Applications: Master’s Program in Islamic Studies, Institute for Islamic Studies, Istanbul University
This program provides a rigorous and interdisciplinary platform for advanced studies in Ottoman/Turkish history, Ottoman jurisprudence, hadith studies, Islamic political thought, and Islamic economy. Designed to integrate classical methodologies with contemporary research tools, the curriculum includes innovative courses in digital humanities and manuscript studies, ensuring students gain both traditional knowledge and modern analytical skills.
Deadline for applications: 17 January 2025. Information: https://networks.h-net.org/group/announcements/20054916/call-applications-masters-program-islamic-studies-institute-islamic
13. Summer Language Programm: “Qur`anic Arabic”, University of Toronto Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, 23 June – 31 July 2025
Eligibility: Open to advanced undergraduate and graduate students, researchers and scholars. You need to be at the intermediate level of Arabic.
Deadline for applications: 1 February 2025.
14. Chapters on Trans Cinema from the Middle East, Africa and South Asia for “The Handbook of Trans Cinema”
We welcome chapters focusing on any country, with the following examples: Trans Cinema from Egypt, Iran, Iraq, and Israel, etc.
Deadline for abstracts: 30 January 2025.
15. Forthcoming Series: “Non-Mainstream Religion in the Middle East” Edited by Khanna Omarkhali and Philip Kreyenbroek (BRILL)
The term “non-mainstream” is intended to cover both non-orthodox, self-confessed Muslim traditions (e.g. Ismaili groups from Syria to Tajikistan, Syrian Alawites, and Shiʿite groups in Afghanistan; the Rawshaniya movement among Pashtuns) as well as Druzes, the Yaresan or Ahl-e Ḥaqq of Iran and Iraq, and the Alevis from Turkey; and also Zoroastrians, Yezidis, Mandaeans, Bahais, Jews outside Israel, and Christian minorities.
1. The Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali Institute of Iranian Studies and Invisible East present a series of monthly online seminars about archives and documents.
Convened by Arezou Azad and Mohamad Tavakoli, the seminars are held monthly on Zoom.
Please join us this month to hear from Dr Roxana Zenhari on ‘The Archive of Early Illustrated Persian Books as Historical Record’. Thursday 16 January at 12PM EST / 5PM GMT. Pre-registration is essential.
2. SOAS Centre for Iranian Studies and the Persian Manuscripts Association
5.00pm, Thursday 23 January 2025
This lecture examines lajvardina vessels within the broader context of the Ilkhanid aesthetic, and investigates how the interplay between ceramics and manuscript paintings can enhance our understanding of both media.
3. Intellect is pleased to present International Journal of Islamic Architecture 14.1!
For more information about the journal and issue click here>>
Aims & Scope
The International Journal of Islamic Architecture (IJIA) publishes peer-reviewed articles on the urban design, architecture and landscape architecture of the historic Islamic world, encompassing the Middle East and parts of Africa and Asia, but also the more recent geographies of Islam in its global dimensions. The main emphasis is on the detailed analysis of the historical, theoretical, and practical aspects of architecture.
This title is indexed with Scopus and the Web of Science’s Arts & Humanities Citation Index (AHCI).
Issue 14.1
Commentary
CHRISTIANE GRUBER
Dialogues
DANIEL E. COSLETT
Design in Theory Articles
ZIAD JAMALEDDINE
MUHAMMAD NAUFAL FADHIL AND JULIE NICHOLS
ZOHREH SOLTANI
Design in Practice Articles
MUHAMAD NAQSHBANDI
CAN ÖZERDEM
Architectural Spotlight
ŞEBNEM YÜCEL
Book Reviews
ZOHREH SOLTANI
MIRIAM COOKE
JOSEPH C. WILLIAMS
ADEDOYIN TERIBA
Exhibition Reviews
BAHAR AKGÜN
SARAH ROGERS MORRIS
Conference Précis
AMALIE ELFALLAH
4. Image archive of Turkish (Anatolian) Architecture and Art
Tom Klobe of Honolulu, Hawai’i, announces that his images of Turkish (Anatolian) architecture and art are now available online at the stated url: https://digital.library.manoa.hawaii.edu/collections/show/85
His Iranian slides are soon to follow.
Contact Email
klobetm@hawaii.edu
URL
5. I’m writing to invite you to a Hamandishi /هَماندیشی (a term roughly translating to “symposium”) we are organizing on the topic of archiving Iranian underground performances.
The symposium named Archive: In-Progress will be held online from January 7th to 14th. It is free to register via this link.
Over the past two years, a significant shift has occurred among theatre practitioners and performers in Iran. Many have chosen to forgo licenses for their performances and disregard mandatory dress codes, resulting in a burgeoning scene of unlicensed performances in small private venues and apartments. This has created a new performance landscape in Iran, unprecedented in its scale and nature.
The symposium will explore the necessity (or lack thereof), ethics, agents, and methodologies of archiving these performances. It will feature approximately 34 sessions, including roundtables, papers, video essays, and lecture-performances. We are curating this under the umbrella of the Reconnect Festival. Presenters include practitioners and scholars from Tehran and Shiraz of Iranian or Afghan heritage, and several international participants joining from East and South West Asia, Europe, and North America.
Most events will be conducted in Persian, and several in English. We have integrated an AI-powered live translation feature in Google Meet, allowing real-time translation into 50 languages.
Kind regards,
Reconnect Festival Team
6. UCLA
IRANIAN STUDIES OUTREACH
BILINGUAL LECTURE SERIES
Film Screening and Director Q&A
Mohammad Ehsani
Sunday, February 2, 2025 at 4:00 pm, Royce Hall 314
Alternate live stream on Zoom:
The Water Will Take Us (2022)
(Persian with English subtitles)
In the spring of 2019 Iran experienced a near apocalypse event that went by almost unnoticed by the world. Widespread flash flooding affected large parts of the country over the course of one month, leading to major damages countrywide and leaving the already impoverished population in utter disarray. The film is a look at how years of mismanagement, poor spatial planning and climate change are impacting civil society in Iran.
Lady Urmia (2013)
(Persian with English subtitles)
The film is a poetic documentary about Lake Urmia, in the northwest of Iran, which is drying up completely. The environmental catastrophe will affect also neighboring countries such as Iraq and Turkey. The film is narrated in the voice of the lake itself, crying for help and trying to gain international attention to its suffering.
University of Edinburgh
7. Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Research Seminars,
Mondays and Tuesdays, Spring 2025
‘Taxes, taxes, taxes. All the rest is bulls*it in my opinion’
Organised by the Caliphal Finances Team
Dalia Hussein, Marie Legendre, Noëmie Lucas, Georgi Obatnin, Eline Scheerlinck
and the Edinburgh Centre for Late Antique Islamic and Byzantine Studies (CLAIBS)
Monday 13 January 5.15pm
(week 1)
Caliphal Finances Team (IMES)
‘They have come to a place where there is no one who can read them.’ The many lives of the Aberdeen papyri from Egypt to Python
Tuesday 28 January 1pm
(week 3)
Simon Loynes
(IMES)
From esoteric communication to verbatim revelation: The conspicuous absence of the root w-ḥ-y in the schematics of revelation in medieval tafsīr
Monday 10 February 5.15pm
(week 5)
Nik Matheou
(History)
Crisis of accumulation in the Chinggisid world-order: Land, capital and fiscal administration in Ilkhanid Ani, 1256-1335
Tuesday 25 February 1pm
(week 6)
Caliphal Finances Team (IMES)
People and Money: The agents of Abbasid taxation from the village to the caliph
Monday 10 March 5.15pm
(week 8)
Caliphal Finances Team (IMES)
Accounting practices in the multilingual administration of the Abbasid era
Tuesday 25 March 1pm
(week 10)
Stefano Nicastro (History)
The Port of al-Iskandarīyya: The physical infrastructures and administrative roles of the Mamluk Dīwān and the Genoese funduq in shaping Egyptian-Genoese commerce and interactions (twelfth-fifteenth centuries)
All sessions take place in the Project Room (1.06) at 50 George Square, the University of Edinburgh
The Monday 5.15pm seminars will be followed by a reception
For zoom access to the sessions please email caliphalfinances@ed.ac.uk.
Caliphal Finances, The Finances of the Caliphate: Abbasid Fiscal Practice in Islamic Late Antiquity is an ERC funded project, follow our weekly posts on:
8. Samuel Hodgkin (Yale University) will be giving an online talk titled Love, Translated: Sentimental Internationalism and Nâzım’s Late Style at Boğaziçi University’s Nâzım Hikmet Research on January 15th.
For the link and abstract, please visit the link below:
https://nazimhikmetmerkezi.com/samuel-hodgkinin-konferansi-15-ocakta-love-translated/