Archive for 2025

1. Book Launch: Language, People, and Society: Iranian Minority Languages and Literary Traditions | Aug 1 at OISE, U of T

Asemana Books, in proud collaboration with the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto, warmly invites you to the launch of a groundbreaking new volume:

🗓 Friday, August 1, 2025

🕑 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
📍 Room 11-164, OISE, 252 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON

This powerful, multilingual volume features original contributions in Persian, Kurdish, Turkish, and includes a pioneering study on Iranian Sign Language—the first of its kind in an academic collection. Drawing on the proceedings of the 2023 McGill Symposium of Language Studies, the book brings together leading voices from across Canada, Europe, and the Middle East to explore urgent questions of language, identity, resistance, and representation.

Featured Speakers:
• Dr. Shahrzad Mojab (University of Toronto)
• Dr. Amir Kalan (McGill University)
• Dr. Mahdi Ganjavi (University of Toronto)

Books will be available on-site
Event Language: English | Multilingual roots celebrated
Free & open to the public

About the Volume

Language, People, and Society is edited by Amir Kalan, Mahdi Ganjavi, Anisa Jafari, and Lale Javanshir, and showcases critical work across languages and disciplines. With chapters by:

Amir Kalan · Shahrzad Mojab · Yalda Kaveh · Sima Hasan Dokht Firooz · Sara Siavoshi · Ardavan Guity · Jafer Sheikholislami · Anisa Jafari · Vahid Rashidi · Samad Pourmousavi · Hajar Kabiri · Saqi Ghahreman · Suzan Karimi · Elmira Bahmani

The collection examines the social lives of minority languages in Iran and among the diaspora—making essential contributions to linguistic justice, cultural memory, and transnational scholarship.

Available now worldwide, including Europe, North America, and Australia.
Order your copy: Purchase the Book
Learn more: Asemana Books Website

 

 

 

 

 

2. The Wonder of the World Book Talk on MELA Notes YouTube Channel

We’re delighted to announce that the recent MELA Notes Book Talk on:

The Wonder of the World: Travel Journals of Hajj Sayyah in the U.S. (1874–1875)

by Mirza Mohammad-Ali Mahallati (Hajj Sayyah)

Edited, Translated, and Introduced by Ali Ferdowsi (Notre Dame de Namur University)

In conversation with Mahdi Ganjavi (MELA Notes Review Editor) is now available for streaming on the MELA Notes Journal YouTube channel.

Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJfMxR_qgc0

 

 

 

 

3. Tajikistan Learning Tour – Sept 2025

Greetings from the Hikmat International Institute,

We’re excited to share that in addition to our premier online course on Islamic Mysticism this August, we are organizing a special Learning and Exploration Tour to Tajikistan in September 2025.

If you’d like to complement your summer with a journey that blends spiritual insight, academic engagement, and cultural discovery — this tour is for you. You’ll explore one of the region’s most beautiful and untouched countries through guided visits, scholarly discussions, and breathtaking natural landscapes.

This program offers a rare opportunity to explore Tajikistan’s historical, cultural, and natural wonders through an academic lens. It’s more than a tour — it’s a carefully curated experience combining scholarship, reflection, and discovery.

🗓️ Dates: September 6 – 13, 2025
📍 Locations: Dushanbe, Hissar Fortress, Sarazm (UNESCO site), Panjakent ruins, Lake Iskandarkul
🎓 Highlights: Guided tours, cultural immersion, scenic exploration, historical and natural sightseeing

⚠️ Very limited spaces are available, so we strongly encourage you to register soon to secure your place!

https://hikmat-ins.com/tajikistan-learning-tour/

 

 

 

 

 

4. Join us for the 7th PMA talk in 2025 by Dr Fuchsia Hart

THE ADES COLLECTION OF CERAMICS AND ITS PROVENANCE

In 1949, Gurgan Faiences by Iranian curator Mehdi Bahrami was published in Cairo. In the work, Bahrami presents a group of 12th/13th-century ceramics which, he argues, were made and recently excavated in Gurgan, in Iran’s northeast. Many of the objects published were owned by Clement and Raymond Ades in Cairo. The V&A now holds 40 examples of these ceramics from Iran once owned by members of the Ades family, with many more in other British collections. Further objects published by Bahrami were owned by Jacques Matossian, an art and antiquities dealer also based in Cairo. In this talk, Fuchsia Hart will focus on the little-known figure of Matossian and his wider role in the lives of the ‘Gurgan faiences’ and the formation of the Ades Collection. While Bahrami’s publication provided a starting point for this research, Fuchsia will draw on documentation still held in the V&A archives to explore the collection histories of the Ades objects. Using additional archival material, the objects will also be contextualised within the wider market for art from Iran in 20^th-century Egypt. While many questions remain about the provenance of the Ades Collection and the larger proposed group of ‘Gurgan faiences’, this talk will begin to explore the story of their journey from Iran to England, via Egypt.

DR FUCHSIA HART
Fuchsia Hart is a historian of the arts of the Islamic world, specialising in the arts of Iran. She has been the Sarikhani Curator for the Iranian Collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London since 2022. She is currently working on a number of projects, including a display of royal dress from Saudi Arabia and an article about British ceramics at the Qajar court. She holds a PhD in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Oxford. Her PhD thesis explored the patronage of major shrines in Iran and Iraq by the second Qajar ruler of Iran, Fath ‘Ali Shah (r.1797-1834). In the past, she has held positions at the Bodleian Library (Oxford), the University of Warwick (UK), and Turquoise Mountain (Kabul).

24 July 2025, 5 – 6.30 pm UK Time
Online Lecture on Zoom

Zoom Registration Link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/m_zhmCKzTWu8qL8bVae2CQ
Kind regards,
The PMA Team
Persian Manuscripts Association
https://persianmanuscripts.org/

 

 

 

 

5. Myth and History in Ancient Persia

The Achaemenids in the Iranian Tradition

R S Zarghamee

EUP, 2025

https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-myth-and-history-in-ancient-persia.html

 

 

 

 

 

6. Tokat Institute for Advanced Islamic Studies

The Tokat Institute for Advanced Islamic Studies is a non-partisan academic body that is informed by a broad and robust approach to Islamic studies. Led by an internationally renowned team of specialists, it draws from the best traditions of scholarship in Islamic thought, taking in fields as diverse and interconnected as philosophy, mysticism, rational theology, science, logic, art, and literature.

https://tokatinstitute.org

 

 

1. Socioeconomic Transformation in the Sasanian Empire

Late Antique Central Zagros

Hossein Habibi

EUP, 2023/2025

https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-socioeconomic-transformation-in-the-sasanian-empire.html?utm_source=Edinburgh%20University%20Press&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=15081781_Copy%20of%20IMES%20May%202025%20NIPs&utm_content=socioeconomic%20transformations%20sasanian%20empire_button&dm_i=CEQ,8Z96D,MWI2D5,11HCHM,0

 

 

 

 

 

2. “International Conference on Turkic Studies”, Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Warsaw, 13-14 November 2025

Proposals for papers and panels are invited in the domains of language, literature, history, culture, society, and politics, and philology of the Turkic peoples.

Deadline for abstracts: 30 July 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/2rey25p7

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. The Standing and Understanding of Scholars in Society: Arab and European Experiences

Arab-German Young Academy of Sciences and Humanities (AGYA), Tunis, 5-7 December 2025

The conference follows two main aims: a) to create a better understanding of the chances and challenges of academics “going_public_” – _be it through their contributions to media discourses, policy counselling, the conduct of blogs or other forms of science communication; b) to reflect on the involvement of stakeholders from society in research projects – _the challenges of participatory and transdisciplinary research for and with society. The ultimate goal is the publication of a peer-reviewed special issue and/or edited volume with an internationally renowned publisher. All conference-related costs will be covered by AGYA.

Deadline for abstracts: 22 July 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/3cs8jsxb

 

 

 

 

 

4. CFP: “Oceanic Crossroads” The Mediterranean Seminar Fall 2025 Workshop (8 & 9 December: Abu Dhabi)

Proposals are welcome from scholars of all ranks from across all disciplines of the Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, or Sciences that engage in the broadest sense with social, historical and cultural aspects of the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean. Junior scholars, graduate students, contingent faculty, scholars of under-represented communities, and those whose work engages with historiographically marginalized groups are particularly encouraged to apply.

Deadline for abstracts: 1 September 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/bdfsdv7w

 

 

 

 

 

5. Three Panels on the Islamic World at the “72nd Annual Meeting of the Renaissance Society of America”, San Francisco, 19-21 February 2026

Panels: Histories, Materials, Myths: Perceptions and Depictions of the Distant Past. – _Presence in Absence, Absence in Presence: Excavating Labour in the Early Modern World. – _Out of Sight: Early Modern Depictions and Narratives of the Unseen.

Deadline for abstracts: 30 July 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/456nhzcf

 

 

 

 

 

6. 26th Symposium of the “International Committee for Pre-Ottoman and Ottoman Studies (CIÉPO), Varna, Bulgaria, 23-27 June 2026

Themes: The Black Sea Region and Crimea in Pre-Ottoman and Ottoman Times. – _Europe, the Mediterranean World, and the Ottomans: War, Trade, and Diplomacy. – _The Nomads and the State. – _Ottoman Agriculture between Tradition and Transformation. – _Demography and Migrations. – _Governance and Corruption, Public Order and Justice. – _Ottoman Studies and Digital Humanities. Languages are English, French, German, and Turkish.

Deadline for abstracts: 31 October 2025. Information: https://ciepo26varna.weebly.com/

 

 

 

 

 

7. Senior Research Fellowship in Modern Languages 2026, Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, All Souls College, University of Oxford

Applicants are expected to have a correspondingly distinguished record of achievement in research. The primary duty of a Senior Research Fellow is to pursue on a full-time basis a programme of academic research in Oxford.

Deadline for applications: 19 September 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/ec9aduj3

 

 

 

 

 

8. Associate or Full Professor in Islamic Studies, Hartford International University for Religion and Peace, Hartford, CT

A successful candidate should demonstrate expertise in a particular area of Islamic Studies, though the research specialization is open. The person must be grounded in the Islamic tradition and able to teach in broad areas related to contemporary issues and themes.

Deadline for applications: 1 October 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/2xaedr9s

 

 

 

 

 

9. Faculty Member in Islamic Chaplaincy, Hartford International University for Religion and Peace, Hartford, CT

HIU seeks an engaged, dedicated practitioner-scholar to join our esteemed faculty. We invite applications for a full-time or half-time faculty position in Islamic Chaplaincy (open rank). The ideal candidate would be classically trained in the Islamic tradition, experienced as a chaplain, inter-culturally sensitive, and actively involved with local and broader Muslim chaplaincy communities.

Deadline for applications: 1 October 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/tuc4fhjt

Registration Now Open for the Islamic Legal Studies Conference on ‘Reason and Rationality in Islamic Legal Theories and Law’

1.New Version of the Daiber Collection Manuscript Database Released

The Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia at The University of Tokyo is pleased to announce the release of the beta version (public test version) of the new Daiber Collection database, which provides access to approximately 520 Arabic-script manuscripts held by the institute. Nearly two decades have passed since the launch of the original database, and a comprehensive update is now underway to enable more advanced use.

This upgrade is being carried out in collaboration with the Uehiro Project for the Asian Research Library (U-PARL) and the Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, both within The University of Tokyo.

On June 30, 2025, we released the first phase of the beta version of the new database, and we warmly invite all users to participate in its testing. This initial release features manuscripts No. 1 through No. 50 from Collection I of the Daiber Collection (which consists of two parts). Additional updates will be made on a regular basis.

[Related Links]

• Beta Version of the Database: https://daiber.u-parl.lib.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/
• Project Overview: https://daiber.u-parl.lib.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/about/
• How to Use the Database: https://daiber.u-parl.lib.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/guide/

 

Call for Cooperation in “Cultivating” the Beta DatabaseThe beta version of the database is an open-ended archive that will grow through the active contributions of a diverse range of stakeholders. We warmly welcome feedback on metadata corrections and general impressions of the beta database. Please share your thoughts using the following form: https://u-parl.lib.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ja/contact . Kindly use “Regarding the Daiber Collection” as the subject line.

Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, The University of Tokyo

 

 

 

 

 

2. V&A collections are open for researchers again!

In case you haven’t heard the news, the V&A collections which were previously stored at Blythe House, and which have been inaccessible for about the last six years, are open again for study appointments! So as you make your plans for summer research trips, factor in the fact that you can finally come and study all those V&A objects you have been unable to access in recent years.

Object study appointments will now mostly take place at the fabulous V&A East Storehouse, which is a brand new visitable storage facility in Stratford, East London, part of the regeneration of the London Olympic site:

https://www.vam.ac.uk/east/storehouse/visit

No appointment is necessary to visit Storehouse itself, which is also free of charge. It has many amazing objects to discover around the public walkway in the central hall. These are all presented through the lens of the ‘working museum’, and include many objects related to Islamic art history, not least the Agra Colonnade and the Torrijos ceiling.

This is where you will also go for most study appointments, and these can now be booked through the new Order an Object service:

https://www.vam.ac.uk/info/order-an-object

You can order upto 5 objects at a time, and you can have appointments of 1 to 3 hours in length. You can book adjacent appointments with different objects and over contiguous days.

The Order an Object service will be available 7 days a week at Storehouse, and will also operate at the V&A South Kensington on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays.

You might find that some objects are not available via this service. This is probably because the object has been assessed as being too fragile for public consultation. In this case, please contact the curators as you have done in the past! We will do what we can to arrange access appointments for you.

We are looking forward to welcoming researchers back into the V&A collections!

URL

https://www.vam.ac.uk/east/storehouse/visit

1. The Egyptian Journal of History and Philosophy of Science (EJHPS)

EJHPS is a peer-reviewed academic journal committed to publishing high-quality research that examines the historical and philosophical dimensions of science. The journal emphasizes contributions that delve into the rich heritage of the history and philosophy of science, including Islamic science and its global influence. For further information, please visit our website: https://ejhps.journals.ekb.eg/.

In addition, EJHPS hosts a monthly online public talk via Zoom, featuring a distinguished scholar discussing a selected topic within their area of expertise. All the members of the list are welcome to give a talk, attend and to participate.

 

 

 

2. Hikmat International Institute

International Academic Course on Islamic Mysticism (ʿIrfān)

Intensive Online Summer School

First, we so excited to announce that registration is now open for our highly anticipated International Academic Course on Islamic Mysticism (ʿIrfān)!
In this unique and deeply enriching course, we will be joined by some of the world’s most renowned scholars to explore the profound spiritual and philosophical dimensions of Islamic Mysticism.

This is a rare opportunity to engage with essential topics such as the nature of the soul, divine love, unity, mystical nature of human and the cosmos, and much more — all within a structured academic framework.

🖥️ Live Online Sessions (August 4 – 23, 2025)
📜 Certificate upon completion
🎓 Limited number of scholarships available

We encourage you to register as soon as possible to secure your spot and, if needed, apply for a scholarship.

https://hikmat-ins.com/islamic-mysticism/

 

 

 

 

 

3. Invitation to Digital British Islam: Westminster Policy Seminar
Digital British Islam: Policy Seminar

Monday 7^th July 2025

Committee Room 18, House of Commons

Houses of Parliament, St Margaret St, London SW1A 0AA

12:00 – 14:00

Sponsored by Ayoub Khan MP

 During the event, Prof Gary R. Bunt (University of Wales Trinity Saint David) and Prof Sariya Cheruvallil-Contractor (Coventry University) will share findings and policy recommendations from the Digital British Islam project on key areas including gender, religious authority and political agency. The event will highlight important findings around digital inclusion amongst Muslim communities and elements of social justice and equality online.

The Digital British Islam project is a collaboration between the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, University of Edinburgh and Coventry University.

Places are limited and require registering in advance to attend. Please book your place on this form no later than Thursday 3rd July 2025: https://forms.office.com/e/kxsmVbFpJw

If you have any further queries, please contact laura.jones@ed.ac.uk

 

 

 

 

 

4. CfP – KNOW Workshop on Scholarly Practice in the Post-Formative Period (Ghent, 2–4 June 2026)

The ERC project KNOW: Polymathy and Interdisciplinarity in Premodern Islamic Epistemic Cultures (1200–1800) invites proposals for its first international workshop:

Problem Areas, Disciplinary Boundaries, and Scholarly Practice in the Post-Formative Period

Ghent University, 2–4 June 2026.

Submission deadline: 31 July 2025.

We welcome contributions that examine how scholars navigated and redefined disciplinary boundaries in Islamic intellectual traditions in the post-formative period.

For further details and submission guidelines, please visit:

https://erc-know.ugent.be/en/call-papers-problem-areas-disciplinary-boundaries-and-scholarly-practice-post-formative-period

 

 

 

 

 

5. The School of Modern Languages at the University of St Andrews invites applications for a fully funded PhD scholarship in Global Digital Humanities,
a dynamic and rapidly evolving field at the cutting edge of interdisciplinary
research.
This award supports innovative doctoral research that either employs or
critically examines digital methodologies within the context of Modern
Languages.
You will join an intellectually vibrant and internationally connected research
environment that draws on expertise from eight language areas, Arabic,
Chinese, French, German, Italian, Persian, Russian, and Spanish, and
collaborates with the School of Computer Science. This is your opportunity to
gain advanced technical and analytical skills while contributing original
research to the evolving landscape of digital scholarship in the humanities.
We welcome proposals across a wide range of topics, including, but not limited
to:
* Digital Pedagogy
* Digital Publishing and Encoding
* Digital Preservation and Archival Practice
* Digital Storytelling
* Languages and Technology
* Memory Studies in the Digital Age
* Quantitative Literary Analysis
* Transmediation through Gaming
Find the full details and application information at
https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.st-andrews.ac.uk%2Fstudy%2Ffees-and-funding%2Fscholarships%2Fscholarships-catalogue-search%2F%3Fquery%3D%2522Digital%2520Humanities%2522&data=05%7C02%7C%7C99eff596e4e743225e5208ddbadc990f%7C2e9f06b016694589878910a06934dc61%7C0%7C0%7C638872178821681494%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=D%2BGclKSzVLgIKf0N2RUgfKbiEPTkappk2eTBzCZBbpI%3D&reserved=0,
which is updated regularly.

Questions to :

Dr Orhan Elmaz
Senior Lecturer in Digital Humanities and Arabic
oe2@st-andrews.ac.uk

 

 

 

 

 

6. Persianate Prose and the Making of Malay Muslim Literature

Text, Translation and Commentary of the Durr al-Majalis

M Daneshgar,

EUP, 2025

https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-persianate-prose-and-the-making-of-malay-muslim-literature.html?utm_source=Edinburgh%20University%20Press&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=15053382_IMES%20June%202025&utm_content=persianate%20prose%20and%20malay%20muslim%20lit_button&dm_i=CEQ,8YN9I,MWI2D5,11EDD3,0

 

 

 

 

 

7. Sufism and Power in the Ottoman Empire

The Writings of Ismail Hakki Bursevi (1653–1725)

K N Atanasova,

EUP, 2025

https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-sufism-and-power-in-the-ottoman-empire.html?utm_source=Edinburgh%20University%20Press&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=15053382_IMES%20June%202025&utm_content=sufism%20and%20power%20in%20the%20ottoman%20empire_button&dm_i=CEQ,8YN9I,MWI2D5,11EDD3,0

 

 

 

 

 

8. Afghanistan: Volume 8, Issue 1.

Following a successful Subscribe to Open campaign, volume 8 of Afghanistan is entirely Open Access! Explore the latest issue for articles on the Afghan Jamiat-i Islami party, the ethnocultural alienation of Hazaras in Afghanistan, the latest books relating to Afghanistan and more.
– Browse the issue: https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fddlnk.net%2Fc%2FAQjSfRDG5JYHGPmorJQFIN61yKYB-aanNJDXWPw9IcNzuPn8j00EB295tfN-

 

 

 

 

 

9. CFP Workshop: Beyond Eurocentrism and Arabocentrism, 12–13 September 2025, University of Aberdeen, UK

The workshop is co-organized by Florian Zemmin, Nicola Carpentieri, Nile Green, Jakub Zbrzeżny, and myself, and will be hosted by the School of Divinity, History, Philosophy, and Art History at the University of Aberdeen, UK.

The workshop will cover travel and accommodation expenses for participants whose papers are accepted. The deadline is 30 July 2025.

The workshop hopes to foster a more nuanced and inclusive understanding of the Arabo-Islamic intellectual tradition, one that recognises its pluralistic foundations and the dynamic interplay of race, ethnicity, religion and language in shaping premodern knowledge production. We hope to inspire a richer, more inclusive understanding of the pluralistic foundations of Arabo-Islamic scholarship and its lasting impact on modern identity and historiography. The workshop invites contributions from the humanities and the social sciences on the nature of diversity throughout premodern Arabo-Islamic history to the modern times. Each paper should present a clear case study that effectively highlights its historical and cultural contexts.

Those interested in presenting papers are invited to submit an abstract (500 words, including references) and a short biography (150 words) through the digital portal on the full CFP on AGYA’s website:

Full information at:

https://agya.info/publications/calls/beyond-eurocentrism-and-arabocentrism

 

 

 

 

 

10. ‘The Ottomans and Diplomacy’, Newnham College Cambridge, 10-12 July.

Information, programme and registration:

https://newn.cam.ac.uk/research/skilliter-centre-ottoman-studies/conferences-and-workshops

 

 

 

 

 

11. International Conference “Minority Law in Arab States: Governing Religious Diversity”, Arab-German Young Academy of Sciences and Humanities (AGYA) & Centre of Expertise for the Law of Arab and Islamic Countries, Hamburg, 14-15 July 2025

The conference foregrounds the complex interplay between legal autonomy and the governance of religious diversity. It brings together scholars from law, anthropology, political science, history and Middle Eastern studies as well as legal practitioners. The conference examines the complex interplay between legal pluralism, minority-state relations, gender and inter-religious relations. It analyzes the impact of colonial policies, regional conflicts, and reform movements on the development of minority law.

Deadline for registration: 7 July 2025. Programme: https://tinyurl.com/3xyfx948

 

 

 

 

 

12. Colloque: Diversité(s) en islam. Fondements et implications d’une pluralité complexe, Strasbourg, 8-9 septembre 2025

Information et programme : https://tinyurl.com/5cyz6uw7

 

 

 

 

 

13. Symposium “Ethnographic Experiments from and with the Arab World”, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, Qatar, 15-16 December 2025

This symposium seeks to critically engage with classical epistemological debates in anthropology by locating them within the diverse intellectual traditions shaping the Arab world and its shifting geopolitical realities. These debates include, but are not limited to, questions of scale and distance, ethnographic excess, critique, ethnographic refusal and the limits and possibilities of comparison in anthropology.

Deadline for abstracts: 10 August 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/mrxfr7xp

 

 

 

 

 

14. 28 Fellowships (10 Months) of the “French Institutes for Advanced Study Fellowship Programme” at Seven Institutes of the Aix-Marseille, Cergy, Loire Valley (Orléans-Tours), Lyon, Montpellier, Nantes and Paris, 2026-2027

The Programme is open to all disciplines in the Social Sciences and the Humanities (SSH) and to all other research fields interfacing with the SSH. FIAS awards fellowships to outstanding researchers of all career levels, from postdoctoral researchers to senior scientists. The minimum requirement is a PhD + 2 years of research experience at the time of the application.

Deadline for applications: 16 July 2025. Information: https://www.fias-fp.eu/fellowships/faq

 

 

 

 

 

15. New “MA in Politics of Energy, Infrastructure and Environment”, Institute for Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter

This MA offers a multidisciplinary exploration of energy use, the transition to sustainable sources, and the environmental impacts of infrastructure and energy. Integrating perspectives from the humanities and social sciences, the course examines these critical issues with a particular focus on the Middle East, a region with paradigmatic struggles around environmental preservation and fossil fuel use.

Rolling deadline – _applications at any time.

Information: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/courses/politics/energy-infrastructure-environment/

 

 

 

 

16. Hybrid Lecture Series: “Humanity, Sufi Thought, and Healing II” Lecture Series, Üsküdar University, Istanbul, 23-27 July 2025

The Institute intends for the lecture series to be a safe space wherein participants can ask the difficult ethical and theological questions and receive fulfilling answers from renowned scholars who have brought back pearls of wisdom from Sufi figures. Simultaneous English-Turkish translation will be provided.

Deadline for applications: 17 July 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/yma42wcr

 

 

 

 

 

17. 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://ibrarspace.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/call-for-papers-1.pdf

 

 

The SALAM project, under the PRISME Initiative, in collaboration with the Sectarianism, Proxies, and De-sectarianisation (SEPAD) project at Lancaster University’s Richardson Institute, invites proposals for an upcoming online workshop focused on the interrelations between sectarianism, transnational politics, and militarization in and with the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
This collaborative workshop seeks to engage scholars, policymakers, and experts – particularly emerging voices – to explore how sectarian identities, sectarian governance, and transnational dynamics have fueled militarization and security dilemmas in the region. Discussions will also identify pathways to shift security narratives beyond sectarian divides and transnational conflicts, aligning with PRISME’s mission of fostering non-militarized, inclusive security approaches.
Workshop Overview:
Scheduled for mid to late September 2025, this online workshop will bring together eight scholars and practitioners from the MENA region, Europe, and North America. Participants will engage in open dialogue on the intersections of sectarianism and militarization, exploring the roles of state and non-state actors, foreign intervention, and alternative governance models. Key topics include:
*   Sectarianism and Security Dilemmas: How have sectarian politics shaped state security strategies? To what extent have sectarian narratives justified militarization and repression?
*   Transnational Conflicts and Militarized Alliances: How have regional and international actors instrumentalized sectarianism to advance geopolitical and military objectives?
*   Militarization of Identity: How have sectarian divides contributed to arms accumulation, paramilitary formations, and regional arms races?
*   De-Sectarianization and Security Reframing: Can alternative security narratives challenge sectarian securitization? How can states and societies move beyond sectarian-militarized paradigms?
*   Case Studies and Historical Perspectives: What can be learned from past efforts at sectarian de-escalation and non-military security solutions?
Submission Guidelines
We welcome proposals from scholars across disciplines, particularly early-career researchers. Abstracts should be 250 words, outlining the central question, argument, and approach of the proposed 2,000-word memo, with a clear focus on how your perspective will contribute to this cross-regional dialogue.
Please send your abstract to office@prismeinitiative.org , by July 9, 2025, with the subject line: “SALAM-SEPAD Sectarianism Workshop Proposal.”
Once selected, authors will be required to submit a full draft of their 2,000-word memo by August 31, 2025. After the workshop, participants will have time to revise their drafts based on the discussions and feedback during the event. Final drafts will be due on October 12, 2025, and the memos will then be published individually on the PRISME and SEPAD websites throughout October and November.
Authors whose memos are finalized and submitted by the October 12 deadline will receive an honorarium in recognition of their contribution.
About PRISME and the SALAM Project
The PRISME Initiative envisions a reconceptualization of security in the Middle East and North Africa beyond militarized frameworks, engaging diverse stakeholders to promote collaborative approaches. By fostering constructive dialogue, PRISME seeks to encourage new strategic relations that contribute to a more peaceful and stable future.
As part of this vision, the SALAM project (Sustaining Alternative Links beyond Arms and the Military), facilitates discussions on sustainable security alternatives to arms-based policies. Previous SALAM workshops have notably explored the role of the arms trade in MENA’s international relations; the economic trade-offs of arms manufacturing and trade; and the socio-political consequences of militarized policies. Each discussion has questioned the reliance on military solutions, highlighting the need for innovative, cooperative approaches to regional security.
About SEPAD:
The SEPAD project (Sectarianism, Proxies, and De-sectarianisation), based at Lancaster University’s Richardson Institute, is an international research network aimed at understanding the conditions that give rise to sectarian violence and transnational conflicts. SEPAD brings together over 60 experts and early-career scholars from more than 20 countries, fostering interdisciplinary research and policy engagement to create space for the de-sectarianization of socio-political life.
Dr. Emma SOUBRIER
Ingénieure de recherche, Institut de la Paix et du Développement, LADIE, Université Côte d’Azur
Directrice, Pathways to Renewed and Inclusive Security in the Middle East (PRISME) Initiative
Associated Researcher, World Peace Foundation, Fletcher School, Tufts University
Non-Resident Fellow, the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington (AGSIW)
Expert, the Forum on Arms Trade