Archive for January, 2025
Shii News – Academic Items
1.New Journal: “Essays in Long Late Antiquity (ELLA)”, Liverpool University Press
The journal is open to submissions dealing with circa the second to the ninth centuries (ca. 100 – 800 CE) and the broader Afro-Eurasian region, taking a stand against disciplinary siloing and recognizing increasing interconnectivity in this period. Submissions dealing with individual periods and places within this wider geographic and temporal scope are also welcome. ELLA acts as a place of publication for those in history, archaeology, art history, religious studies, and philology.
Information: https://liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/journal/ella
2. Kurdish Language Instruction: Spring Deadline Extended
Spring 2025 Kurdish Language Instruction Program
As a key part of our humanistic approach to Kurdish studies, Zahra Institute is committed to offering Kurdish language instruction. Students can enroll in our Kurdish language offerings (Kurmanji and Sorani) as standalone courses or take them as electives in our MA and Certificate programs. Application deadline is extended to 10 January and financial aid is still available. To apply, visit our webpage: https://www.zahrainstitute.org/KLIOverview.html .
Zahra Institute, a research center and graduate school located in Chicago, intends to provide an open, collaborative environment for learning, teaching, and scholarship in the fields of Kurdish Studies and Critical Muslim Studies.
3. Department of Asian Studies, University of British Columbia
Rumi’s Misogyny and Racism and the Limits of Mystical Knowledge
12.00am (Midnight, UK), Sunday 19 January 2025
In this talk, Mahdi Tourage will discuss what we should do with the ample evidence of misogyny, racism, and male-supremacy in the poetry of a globally celebrated mystic like Rumi. He will begin with a survey of the overlooked passages in Rumi’s poetry containing “non-mystical” vulgar stories, jokes, reproving other Sufis, mocking other men, slaves, Jews, and loathing women.
Part of the Alireza Ahmadian Lectures in Iranian and Persianate Studies. Alireza Ahmadian (1981 – 2019) was an alumnus of both UBC and SOAS.
4. Persia Educational Foundation
Maryam Mirzakhani Scholarship Fund
Deadline: 5.00pm, Monday 21 April 2025
In honour of the late award-winning Stanford mathematician, Maryam Mirzakhani (May 1977-July 2017), Persia Educational Foundation has established the Persia Mirzakhani Scholarship for Women. Professor Mirzakhani was the first woman to win the prestigious Fields Medal in mathematics.
The scholarship is designed to support the education of Iranian descent women of any age or citizenship enrolled in a Master of Science or final year of a Doctorate programme studying STEM at the prestigious University College London.
5. Bertha DocHouse
Friday 17 – 19 January 2025
Using her own home movies and a trove of collected 8mm archive, Iranian filmmaker Farahnaz Sharifi reveals the dual existences lived by women in Iran.
Sharifi was born during the Islamic revolution in Iran in 1979, and finds her life divided between a public world of silence and submission, and the domestic world that she shares with other women behind closed doors. Her beautifully-constructed film diary captures the joy, music and defiance of this hidden life, navigating the contrast between unseen freedom and external oppression.
6. The University of Cambridge’s 5th International Conference on Teaching Persian Language and Literature will be hosted by held in Yerevan State University, Armenia on 18-19 September 2025.
The deadline for abstracts is Friday 24 January 2025.
The organisers welcome abstracts related but not
limited to the following topics:
Using AI and Technology in Teaching Persian
Teaching Heritage Students
Persian Language Examination and Assessment
Persian Literature Examination and Assessment
Teaching Persian for Specific Purposes
Teaching Language Skills
Using Resources in Teaching Persian
The main language of the conference is English, but abstracts and presentations in English, Persian or Armenian will be considered. The papers are allocated 20 minutes each. Would interested teachers and lecturers of Persian language and literature send their English, Persian or Armenian abstracts (not exceeding 300 words) by Friday 24 January 2025 to Dr. Mahbod Ghaffari mg695@cam.ac.uk .
The successful applicants will be informed by 28 February 2025.
We encourage successful applicants to approach their institution to cover their travel and accommodation costs during the conference in Yerevan.
Deadline: 24 January 2025
Conference early registration: 28 February to 18 April 2025
7. Workshop – “AI Tools Boot Camp for Researchers: Core Essentials” Course
As AI continues to reshape the academic landscape, staying one step ahead is essential. Join us for Academic Language Experts’ upcoming (free!) AI Tools Boot Camp for Researchers: Core Essentials course.
This course offers practical, hands-on training with essential AI tools to streamline your literature review search, conduct research more efficiently write and edit your papers.
Here’s what you can expect:
- A focused, three-part (free!) coursecovering core topics for researchers
- Training on a curated selection of toolsdesigned specifically for academic needs
- Lifetime access to session recordingsso you can revisit the material whenever needed
- Guidance from Avi Staiman, a world-renowned trainer in AI tools for academia
Whether you’re a seasoned researcher or a new doctoral student, this boot camp will empower you with cutting-edge AI tools to enhance your productivity and research output.
Learn more about the course topics and featured tools and register today: https://www.aclang.com/ai-bootcamp.php?src=hnet
Contact Information
Elana Lubka
Contact Email
8. Whitman College – Visiting Assistant Professor of History
https://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=68417
The successful candidate will offer existing courses such as introductory surveys of Islamic Civilization, International Relations of the Middle East, The Arab Spring in Historical Context, or History of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict, and courses related to their area of expertise for a five course load over the academic year.
Review of applications will begin February 14, 2025.
9. Rappel: Prochaine séance du séminaire “Sociétés, politiques et cultures du monde iranien”, jeudi 9 janvier 2025, 17h, à l’INALCO
Le CeRMI a le plaisir de vous convier à la prochaine séance du séminaire “Sociétés, politiques et cultures du Monde iranien”, qui se tiendra après-demain, jeudi 9 janvier 2025, 17h-19h, en salle 3.15 (veuillez noter le changement de salle) à l’INaLCO(65 rue des Grands Moulins, Paris XIII, 3eétage).
Nous sommes heureux d’accueillir M. Nader Sohrabi (Freie Universität Berlin), pour une conférence intitulée: “Iran’s Constitutional History from Below: petitions, taxes, and democratization, 1906-1911“.
Résumé:
Constitutional revolution is imagined to be about freedom, legal-rationality, and formal democratic achievements such as constitution-making, legislative assembly, voting, and political parties. These goals were pursued by the elite but cannot explain the movement’s broad appeal. The large number of petitions received by the Assembly indicate the public was engaged in a tax revolt throughout Iran, a revolt that merged only eventually with the elite agenda. The blending of the two sustained the constitutional movement and managed also to deepen democracy in its own way. Bargaining over taxes brought the public many local victories with impact on daily lives, and petitions and associations constructed an alternative public sphere that gave voice to the public. These transformed the culture of politics and set the stage for mass movements of the next century. It also set in motion a decentralization drive that manifested itself in the next decade up to the present.
Orientations bibliographiques:
– Kharabi, Faruq. Anjumanha-yi `Asr-i Mashrutah. Tehran: Mu’assasah-i Tahqiqat va Tawsi`a-i `Ulum-i Insani, 2006.
– Majmu`ah-’i Musavvabat-i Advar-i Avval va Duvvum-i Qanun’guzari-i Majlis-i Shura-yi Milli. Tehran: Idarah-’i Qavanin va Matbu`at-i Majlis-i Shura-yi Milli, n.d.
– Schneider, Irene. The Petitioning System in Iran. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2006.
– Zaret, David. “Petition-and-Response and Liminal Petitioning in Comparative/ Historical Perspective.” Social Science History 43, no. 3 (2019): 431–51.
Pour rappel, vous retrouverez le programme 2024-2025 du séminaire mensuel de recherche “Sociétés, politiques et cultures du Monde iranien” sur le site du CeRMI :
- January 07, 2025
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1. February 5, 12:00-1:00 pm
NES, Digital Scholarship @IAS and Beth Mardutho virtual event:
Simtho Unveiled: Launch of the World’s Most Comprehensive Syriac Corpus.
Join us for the official launch of the next version Simtho, the most comprehensive digital corpus of Syriac texts ever assembled. 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. Attendees will learn how Simtho’s vast collection of Syriac texts—spanning printed books and manuscripts—has been curated, corrected, and expanded. Discover how natural language processing (NLP) advances have enabled part-of-speech tagging and integration with the Sedra lexical resources, enhancing the corpus’s functionality for scholars, students, and linguists alike. This session will also highlight the scholarly, educational, and technological significance of Simtho for the fields of Syriac studies, linguistics, and digital humanities. Join us to celebrate this major achievement and explore the future possibilities it unlocks for research and education. Don’t miss this opportunity to witness the unveiling of a transformative resource for Syriac studies. Registration is required: https://bit.ly/SimthoUnveiled.
2. Traditions and Transitions: New Directions in the Study of Islam in South Asia
The revised deadline for sending abstracts is 15th January 2025
The conference is hosted by the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore.
Full details at:
https://mgshss.lums.edu.pk/traditions-transitions
3. CALL FOR PAPERS
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE Decolonising Cultural Heritage: State of the Art, Methodologies, and Practices
Siena, May 5-6 2025
Call for Papers: International Conference “Decolonising Cultural Heritage”, Siena, May 5-6, 2025.
Deadline for abstract submission: January 31, 2025
Notification of acceptance: March 15, 2025
Following the launch of the new curriculum entitled “Geografie della Decolonizzazione: sostenibilità, paesaggi e patrimoni culturali” – “Geographies of decolonisation: sustainability, cultural landscapes and heritage”, the University for Foreigners of Siena welcomes the conference “Decolonising Cultural Heritage: State of the Art, Methodologies, and Practices”. It aims at being an opportunity for sharing reflections, case studies and future directions, and possibly at creating new collaborative working networks on such an urgent and complex issue.
The main disciplines involved in the debate will be Archaeology, Art History, Cultural Anthropology, and Geography, but a cross-disciplinary perspective will guide the discussion.
The conference addresses the topic of decolonising cultural heritage especially in the fields of research and teaching of the disciplines involved, questioning approaches and perspectives, and analysing methodologies, categories, and theoretical principles.
We look forward to research works, case studies and projects that focus on decoloniality, especially concerning the heritage, including the presentation of university curricula and teaching courses already existing or being experimented with. We hope that the debate at the conference will show how to articulate and translate the concept of decoloniality into good practices.
These are some sub-topics we would like to deal with:
- Dealing with the cultural heritage of the “others”
- Cultural Heritage and Identity
- Colonial history, international repatriation and the return of cultural objects
- Relationships between collections and the communities
- Cultural heritage in memory politics
- Practices of heritage diplomacy and power relations
- Intangible cultural heritage and people-centred approaches
- Heritage narratives and the right to heritage self-determination
- Decolonising heritage and gender studies
- Decolonising the Academy and Cultural Heritage curricula
- Silenced heritage, muted memories
- Decolonial and/vs postcolonial approaches
- Decoloniality and the Mediterranean
- Decolonising Urban Space and Public Memory
- Participatory approaches to Cultural Heritage
- Critical Geography of Tourism
The conference is organised as follows: the first day will be dedicated to methodological aspects with interdisciplinary sessions; the second day comprises four specific sessions according to the disciplines involved and will be dedicated to specific case studies presented and discussed for each discipline. An interdisciplinary roundtable will close the conference.
Proposals should be in English or Italian and include a title, five keywords, authors’ names and affiliations, and an abstract of a maximum of 200 words; the language of the presentation should be specified. To facilitate the organisation of the programme, we appreciate if the speakers would state the focus of their presentation on methodological aspects or case studies.
Please send the abstract to decoloniality@unistrasi.it
Contact Information
4. The Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali Institute of Iranian Studies
presents:
نخستینهچاپهای فارسی: همگامی چاپ سنگی، سربی و چوبی
“The Persian Incunables: The Convergence of Lithographic, Typographic, and Woodblock Printing” (in Persian)
Ali Boozari
Tehran University of Art
Thursday, January 9, 2025, 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Zoom Meeting Registration:
https://utoronto.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0pd-uorjMvGNQtfHpS_s8YpNuWs8k_O6tj
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
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, 9 janvier 2025, 17h-19h, en salle 3.15 (veuillez noter le changement de salle) à l’INaLCO (65 rue des Grands Moulins, Paris XIII, 3eétage).
Nous sommes heureux d’accueillir M. Nader Sohrabi (Freie Universität Berlin), pour une conférence intitulée: “Iran’s Constitutional History from Below: petitions, taxes, and democratization, 1906-1911“.
Résumé:
Constitutional revolution is imagined to be about freedom, legal-rationality, and formal democratic achievements such as constitution-making, legislative assembly, voting, and political parties. These goals were pursued by the elite but cannot explain the movement’s broad appeal. The large number of petitions received by the Assembly indicate the public was engaged in a tax revolt throughout Iran, a revolt that merged only eventually with the elite agenda. The blending of the two sustained the constitutional movement and managed also to deepen democracy in its own way. Bargaining over taxes brought the public many local victories with impact on daily lives, and petitions and associations constructed an alternative public sphere that gave voice to the public. These transformed the culture of politics and set the stage for mass movements of the next century. It also set in motion a decentralization drive that manifested itself in the next decade up to the present.
Orientations bibliographiques:
– Kharabi, Faruq. Anjumanha-yi `Asr-i Mashrutah. Tehran: Mu’assasah-i Tahqiqat va Tawsi`a-i `Ulum-i Insani, 2006.
– Majmu`ah-’i Musavvabat-i Advar-i Avval va Duvvum-i Qanun’guzari-i Majlis-i Shura-yi Milli. Tehran: Idarah-’i Qavanin va Matbu`at-i Majlis-i Shura-yi Milli, n.d.
– Schneider, Irene. The Petitioning System in Iran. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2006.
– Zaret, David. “Petition-and-Response and Liminal Petitioning in Comparative/ Historical Perspective.” Social Science History 43, no. 3 (2019): 431–51.
Pour rappel, vous retrouverez le programme 2024-2025 du séminaire mensuel de recherche “Sociétés, politiques et cultures du Monde iranien” sur le site du CeRMI :
Dans l’attente du plaisir de vous y retrouver, nous vous adressons tous nos vœux les meilleurs pour la nouvelle année.
Bien cordialement,
Les organisatrices –
Samra Azarnouche et Justine Landau
Contact: justine.landau@sorbonne-nouvelle.fr
6. 2 CfPs:
All those with a keen interest in exploring the fascinating intersection between the Bible and the Qur’an consider submitting a paper to the Qur’an and Islamic Tradition in Comparative Perspective Unit at the International Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature (https://www.sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramUnits.aspx?MeetingId=46). Please find the CfP below.
The conference is scheduled to take place from 23 to 27 June 2025, in the beautiful city of Uppsala, Sweden.
The deadline for paper or session proposals is 15 January 2025.
This international meeting will be held jointly with the European Association of Biblical Studies (EABS), and we will be co-sponsoring a session with the Mariology unit of the EABS.
CfP:
The Qur’an and Islamic Tradition in Comparative Perspective unit invites paper and panel proposals for the 2025 ISBL international meeting. We seek submissions exploring the Qur’an and Islamic tradition’s deep historical relationships with biblical, rabbinic, and Near Eastern traditions from Late Antiquity to the modern period. All proposals must include a comparative element with biblical literature. This year, we plan to offer the following special and open sessions: 1) Panel on Pedagogy for Teaching Biblical and Qur’anic Studies: We invite educators to discuss innovative teaching methods for biblical and Qur’anic studies, considering current political and technological trends. Interested participants should contact the session chairs directly. 2) Mariology in Christian and Islamic Traditions: We are planning a co-sponsored session(s) with the Mariological Discourses unit (EABS) on Mariology in both Christian and Islamic traditions, exploring Mary’s theological, devotional, and cultural significance. Comparative papers on Mariological themes are particularly welcome. 3) Open Sessions on Qur’anic/Islamic and Biblical Studies: We also invite papers exploring any relationship between the Qur’an/Islamic tradition and biblical, rabbinic, and Near Eastern studies, including shared narratives, interpretative strategies, and historical interactions. Membership is required to submit a proposal. For more information, please get in touch with the program unit chairs.
The International Meeting of the SBL does not have a virtual component. However, if for any reason you are unable to travel to Uppsala for the International Meeting, then we kindly encourage you to please participate in the SBL Global Virtual Meeting (https://www.sbl-site.org/meetings/GlobalVirtualMeeting.aspx), instead, which will be held between 1 to 4 April 2025. It requires no travel expenses, and you will still be able to share your insights and gather feedback.
The deadline for proposals for SBL’s Global Virtual Meeting is also 15 January 2025.
7. Conference “Queer Theater Against the State (Including MENA)”, University of Regensburg, 5-6 June 2025
We invite academic and artistic contributions from Gender and Queer Studies, Theater and Performance Studies, Cultural Studies, History, and other disciplines. We welcome abstracts that explore state-funded theaters, underground theaters, and independent theater collectives, as well as directing, drama, and playwriting in the context of global and regional shifts in thinking about non-normative gender and sexuality throughout the twentieth- and twenty-first centuries.
Deadline for abstracts: 29 January 2025. Information: https://tatianaklepikova.com/cfps/
8. Research Fellow for Project “Building a Database and a Digital Archive on the Mixedness in the Red Sea (ca. 1800-2000)”, Department of Historical Studies, University of Turin
Qualifications: MA or a PhD in Digital Humanities; History; Archival Science; Digital Engineering; Social Sciences, or other related areas. They should also have a suitable professional track record. In addition to an excellent knowledge of English, knowledge of other European languages is required, while knowledge of non-European languages is highly valued. Additional requirements are Proficiency in Open-Source Digital Archiving Software; Familiarity with Open-Source Semantic Web Tools; Project Management Skills.
Deadline for applications: 27 January 2025. Information: https://www.asaiafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Building-a-database-and-a-digital-archive-on-the-mixedness-in-the-Red-Sea.pdf
9. Open Rank Position in History, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies (DI), Qatar
Qualification: Hold a doctorate degree in the field of History. – Demonstrate a track record of research and peer-reviewed publications in their field of specialization. – Possess competence and experience in teaching and supervising at the graduate level. – Exhibit proficiency in both Arabic and English.
Deadline for applications: 15 January 2025.
Information: https://mesana.org/resources-and-opportunities/2024/10/16/open-rank-position-in-history
10. Lecturer in Tamazight (2 Years), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Qualifications: 1. M.A. or Ph.D. in Amazigh studies or any other relevant field. – 2. Native or near-native fluency in Tamazight and English. – 3. At least 3 years of demonstrable experience in teaching different levels of Tamazight. – 4. Strong grounding in Tamazight curriculum design and proficiency-oriented instruction. – 5. Strong computer literacy and pedagogical technologies. – 6. Must currently be eligible to be employed in the U.S.
Deadline for applications: 15 January 2025. Information: https://apply.interfolio.com/159053
11. Spring School on “Imagining Futures: Dealing with Disparity” of the “European Network for Islamic Studies (ENIS)” in Cooperation with the “Center for Near and Middle Eastern Studies (Philipps-Universität Marburg)” etc., Tunis, 27-30 May 2025
This ENIS Spring School explores the connection between multidimensional inequality and forward-looking ideas and models in the societies of the historical and contemporary Muslim communities. The focus is on complex social, political, cultural, and economic processes, as well as on issues of common interest and concern that have historically and presently both divided and connected regions with others.
Deadline for registration: 15 January 2025. Information:
- January 04, 2025
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – ‘Exploring Islamic Thought & Philosophy’ – M Rustom
- January 03, 2025
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – AMI: CfP: ‘Islamic Perspectives on Prophecy and Revelation’ – Duke, July, 2025
Call for Papers: Islamic Perspectives on Prophecy and Revelation
The deadline for abstract submissions is 7th March 2025.
- January 02, 2025
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment