Archive for August 9th, 2025
Shii News – Academic Items
1. Lecture Series on Persian Lithographic Printing – Recordings Now Available
Lecture Series: The video recording of ‘Persian Lithographic Printing’, hosted by the Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali Institute of Iranian Studies and co-convened by Dr. Mohamad Tavakoli-Targhi, Dr. Shabnam Golkhandan, and Dr Mahdi Ganjavi, the full inaugural academic year of the lecture series, are now publicly available on the Institute’s YouTube channel. You can view all sessions here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5XZ6qJgIIpmn22AsWb6xTecM1pWCyJQZ
Highlights from the past year include:
A Comparative Study of the Printing of Persian Mystical Prose Texts – Maryam Hosseini
An Examination of the Historical Evolution of Persian Lithographic Book Publishing – Torfeh Abtahi
*Sani‘ ol-Molk’s The Thousand and One Night – Elham Etemadi
The Persian Incunables: The Convergence of Lithographic, Typographic, and Woodblock Printing- Ali Boozari
Picturing Readers and Writers: An Iconography of Book Culture – Ulrike Stark
The Development of the Military and the Public in the Shadow of Lithography – Majid Jalise
Persian Printing in Comparative Context – Nile Green
2. Tenure-track position in medieval history of science and medicine
Job posting for Baylor University for a “tenure-track, assistant professor search for a historian of the Global Middle Ages (with a preference for someone whose work engages the history of science, medicine, or technology).”
https://apply.interfolio.com/169126
You can reach out to Daniel Watkins (Daniel_Watkins@baylor.edu) in the History Department with questions.
Closing date: Sept 15, 2025.
3. The Department of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures and the Penn Language Centre at the University of Pennsylvania have announced a position at the rank of part-time Lecturer in Persian Language for the Spring 2026 semester with a possibility of renewal.
4. Research Awards – 2025 Canadian Friends of Sufi Arts, Culture, and Knowledge (CFSACK)
Note: Eligibility for the CFSACK Research Awards spans a wide range of disciplines. Any research project related to Sufi art, culture, or knowledge is welcome, including but not limited to: art history, fine arts, anthropology, archaeology, architecture, classics, cultural studies, ethnomusicology, history, literature, musicology, philosophy, psychology, religious studies, sociology, and other related fields. This interdisciplinary scope reflects the program’s commitment to advancing a holistic and nuanced understanding of Sufi traditions across academic and creative domains.
Application Period: August 4 – October 13, 2025
The CFSACK Research Awards, supported this year by the American Friends of Sufi Arts, Culture, and Knowledge (AFSACK), aim to advance the study and appreciation of Sufi arts, culture, and knowledge. For 2025, eligibility has been expanded to include students and researchers affiliated with higher education or cultural institutions in both Canada and the United States.
Award Amounts
- Undergraduate & Master’s Students: up to $2,000 CAD
- PhD Students/Candidates & Postdoctoral Fellows: up to $5,000 CAD
Supported Activities
Funding may be used for academic activities such as fieldwork, archival research, conference travel, and organizing scholarly workshops. For full terms and restrictions, including a list of eligible and ineligible costs, please visit the 2025 Online Application Portal.
Eligibility
Applicants must be one of the following, enrolled in or affiliated with a Canadian or U.S. higher education or cultural institution (e.g., university, college, research institute, museum, archive) for the duration of the award:
- Undergraduate Students (Bachelor’s level)
- Graduate students (Master’s and Doctoral Students/Candidates)
- Postdoctoral Fellows
Special Opportunity
Awardees may receive exclusive access to the Musée d’Art et de Culture Soufis MTO™ in Chatou, France, including:
- Complimentary admission
- Consultation with curators and researchers
- Privileged access to the museum’s library and collections
Important Dates
- Application Opens: August 4, 2025
- Deadline: October 13, 2025
- Awards Commence: January 2026
For more information, to access the online application portal, and to view the 2024 Research Awards Recipients, please visit: https://www.cfsack.org/research-awards
Contact Information
Nooshin Esmaeili, Chair, CFSACK Research Awards Committee
Contact Email
URL
https://www.cfsack.org/research-awards
5. CFP – American Council for Southern Asian Art Symposium – National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian – Deadline: Oct. 1st
We are happy to announce that the XXIIst Biennial Symposium of the American Council for Southern Asian Art (ACSAA) will be held in Washington, DC, at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art.
ACSAA symposia are opportunities to meet our colleagues, re-connect with mentors and graduate school cohorts, and share current research with the field. Occurring every two years, hosted by academic institutions and museums, and often in conjunction with major exhibitions, ACSAA symposia are one of the primary ways that members gather, share ideas, and participate in the ACSAA community.
Submissions should reflect original and unpublished scholarship in the history of South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Himalayan art. Registration for the 2026 symposium is free.
We invite Individual Paper proposals and Pre-formed Panel proposals. We especially encourage submissions related to the following themes:
Caste and race / Gender / Ecology (especially water) / Intermediality / Temples and sacred spaces / Southeast Asia-South Asia relations / Trade networks / Cosmos / Beauty
Individual papers and/or panel proposals honoring the life and work of ACSAA’s founding members and the organization’s supporters, especially those who have passed away recently, are also welcome.
To learn more about ACSAA, its current board members, and its activities click here.
All presenters, panel chairs, and discussants must be ACSAA members in good standing. To join or renew your ACSAA membership, please visit https//acsaa.us/membership/
To encourage a range of voices, an individual scholar may present only one paper but may participate in two formal roles (e.g. as a speaker in one panel and as a chair/discussant of another panel).
Individual paper proposals should include a title, abstract (250 words maximum), and one-page CV of the presenter.
Pre-formed panel proposals should include a panel title and abstract (250 words maximum), individual paper titles and abstracts (each 250 words maximum), and a one-page CV for the panel chair and each presenter. Panels may include a minimum of three and a maximum of five speakers. Each panel will have an allocated time of ninety minutes.
Submit all materials and inquiries to: FreerResearchCenter@si.edu
Deadline: 1 October 2025
Symposium Organizing Committee
Chairs: Debra Diamond & Emma Natalya Stein (National Museum of Asian Art)
Rebecca Brown (Johns Hopkins University)
Robert deCaroli (George Mason University)
Deepthi Murali (George Mason University)
Mika Natif (George Washington University)
Karin Zitzewitz (University of Maryland)
A symposium website will be launched in the coming weeks and be updated periodically.
Contact Email
6. Workshop “MENA Diasporas: Migration, Identity, and Belonging”, American University of Sharjah, UAE, 12-14 November 2025
This workshop seeks to explore the dynamic and evolving experiences of diaspora communities in/of the region, with particular attention to the interconnected issues of labor migration, refugee displacement, mercantile histories, and religious pilgrimage, among others.
Deadline for abstracts: 1 September 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/mtwmxxb9
7. CFP: “Oceanic Crossroads” The Mediterranean Seminar Fall 2025 Workshop (8 & 9 December: Abu Dhabi)
8-9 December 2025
We invite papers, workshops and round-table conversations that deal with any aspect of the Oceanic Crossroads, whether literal or metaphorical, historical or imagined, as seen from disciplinary perspectives as diverse as economic, social, cultural, or political history, literature, history of philosophy, history of science and medicine, art and art history, musicology, anthropology or other related humanities and social science disciplines.
Deadline for abstracts: 1 September 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/2374dya5
8. Graduate Student Research Workshop – New Directions in the Study of the Arab World 2026
NYU University Abu Dhabi, 11-13 February 2026
The workshop provides the opportunity for advanced doctoral candidates who are currently in the writing stage to present, discuss, and receive valuable feedback on their Ph.D. research related to the Arab world. Accepted appli-cants will pre-circulate an English-language chapter of their project and orally present a short overview of the project, raising questions or challenges to be discussed with the group.
Deadline for applications: 30 September 2025. Information: https://apply.interfolio.com/167904
9. “7th International Conference of the Mediterranean Maritime History Network”, University of Zadar, Croatia, 25-26 May 2026
Main themes: – _On the sea (seamen, ships, navigation, sea trade, war, piracy). – _Around the sea (maritime communities, islands, port cities, shipping, shipping-related, fishing and touristic businesses). In the sea (fishing, maritime resources, environment). – _Because of the sea (maritime transport systems and entrepreneurial networks, maritime empires, international and national maritime institutions and policy). – _About the sea (the maritime culture and heritage).
Deadline for abstracts: 30 September 2025. Information: https://conference.unizd.hr/mmhn2026/
10. Researcher (Postdoc) in Comparative Area Studies (Focus Middle Eastern Studies), Charles University, Prague
Qualification: Proven experience with approaches that compare contexts within or across global regions. – _Demonstrated capacity to apply social science research methods to area studies, moving beyond traditional linguistic-cultural approaches while avoiding purely universalist, theory-driven models of explanation. – _High proficiency in spoken and written English, Czech language proficiency is not required.
Deadline for applications: 15 September 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/mrkz3nyj
11. Research Group Leader (Postdoc) in Comparative Area Studies (Focus Middle Eastern Studies), Charles University, Prague
Qualification: Experience with academic management or coordination of research activities ideally within a university or research institute. Proven experience with approaches that compare contexts within or across global regions. – _Demonstrated capacity to apply social science research methods to area studies, moving beyond traditional linguistic-cultural approaches while avoiding purely universalist, theory-driven models of explanation.
Deadline for applications: 15 September 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/ytkjp9dn
12. Juynboll Fellowship (1-2 Months) to Study the Arabic and Islam Special Collections of Leiden University Libraries in the Field of Arabic and Islam
Fellows are expected to conduct their research in Leiden University Libraries and/or The Scaliger Institute during the period of the Fellowship. Applicants should indicate their preferred dates on the application form. The allowance is € 1500 per month. _
Deadline for applications: 1 April 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/5apb42db
13. Assistant Professor in the History of Arab Migration, Mobility and Diaspora, Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies, North Carolina State University
Candidates are expected to have a Ph.D. (or foreign equivalent) in History or a related field. They should demon-strate a strong record of research and training related to Arab history, migration and mobility.
Deadline for applications: 26 September 2025. Information: https://jobs.ncsu.edu/postings/218338
14. 2025 – The Middle East Section of the American Anthropological Association invites submissions for our Student Paper Award. Both undergraduate and graduate students (who have not defended at time of submission) are eligible.
Papers should be ethnographically grounded or engaging with anthropological literature and focused on peoples and cultures of the Middle East and North Africa and/or its diasporas. Both undergraduate and graduate students (who have not defended at time of submission) are eligible. Papers should not exceed 10,000 words and not yet be published or accepted for publication.
Deadline for submissions: 5 September 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/4ezh94hn
15. Articles on “A Sociolinguistics of Islam: Exploring Multilingualism & Meaning in Faith” for a Special Issue of the “Journal of Multilingual & Multicultural Development”
This special issue seeks to foreground the theoretical and empirical orientation of Sociolinguistics of Islam by attending to how Islam, as faith, worldview, and cultural practice, shapes – _and is shaped by – _linguistic practices at various social, cultural, and political sub-strata.
Deadline for abstracts: 22 August 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/44aedwnj
16. Articles for Journal “Anatolica”
Submissions on the archaeology and history of Anatolia and neighboring regions from prehistory to the Ottoman era are welcome. Original scholarly papers from the disciplines of archaeology, history, history of archaeology, history of art, anthropology, epigraphy, geographical information systems (GIS), cultural heritage management, digital hu-manities, museum studies etc. are in the scope of the journal.
Deadline for submissions: 1 January 2026. Information: https://www.nit-istanbul.org/publication/anatolica
- August 09, 2025
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment