Archive for January 10th, 2026
Shii News – Academic Items
1. Séminaire “L’Afghanistan à travers les âges” – 4e séance mercredi 14 janvier 18h-19h30
nous avons le plaisir de vous convier à la troisième séance du séminaire “L’Afghanistan à travers les âges”, qui se tiendra mercredi 14 janvier 2026, 18h-19h30, en salle 3.01 à l’INaLCO (65 rue des Grands Moulins, Paris XIII, 3e étage).
Nous sommes heureux d’accueillir Mme. Laurianne Sève, directrice de la Délégation archéologique française en Afghanistan, pour une conférence intitulée : Nouvelles recherches sur Aï Khanoum (Afghanistan).
Résumé:
La ville d’Aï Khanoum, située dans le nord-est de l’Afghanistan, à la frontière avec le Tadjikistan constitue l’une des grandes découvertes de la Délégation Archéologique Française en Afghanistan. Fouillée entre 1965 et 1978 sous la direction de Paul Bernard, le directeur de la DAFA de l’époque, elle a révélé un ensemble de monuments de grande ampleur, dont beaucoup sont fortment marqués par la culture grecque (un théâtre et un gymnase notamment). Plusieurs de ces monuments ont fait l’objet de publications parues peu de temps après l’arrêt des fouilles, provoqué par l’invasion de l’Afghanistan par l’URSS. Ces travaux ont permis de proposer une première interprétation de l’histoire de la ville et de son peuplement. Les publications se sont ensuite espacées, et bien que le travail soit encore en cours, la façon dont on envisage la ville et ses fonctions n’a pas toujours beaucoup progressé. Aï Khanoum était marquée par une forte mixité culturelle et c’est principalement à travers cette problématique, fortement renouvelée dans le cadre des post-colonial studies que de nouvelles approches ont vu le jour. L’objet du séminaire sera de présenter ces interprétations et de proposer une autre façon de concevoir la ville et son histoire.
Orientations bibliographiques:
- Hoo, M., « Baktria in Early Hellenistic Times and the Question of ‘Alexandrian Legacy’ », in K. Nawotka et A. Wojciechowska, éds., Legacy of the East and Legacy of Alexander, Wiesbaden 2023, p. 103-127.
- Lecuyot, G., éd., Il y a 50 ans… la découverte d’Aï Khanoum : 1964-1978, fouilles de la Délégation archéologique française en Afghanistan (DAFA), Paris 2014.
- Martinez-Sève, L., « Aï Khanoum and Greek domination in Central Asia », Electrum 22, 2015, p. 17-46.
Vous trouverez l’intégralité du programme 2025-2026 du séminaire mensuel de recherche “L’Afghanistan à travers les âges” en ligne sur le site du CeRMI: L’Afghanistan à travers les âges – Centre de recherche sur le monde iranien
2. The Islamic College
Ta’wil and the Unfolding of Historical Meaning in the Qur’an
Professor Maria Massi Dakake
Friday, 23 January 2026
6:00-7:30 pm (London time)
Online (register for link)
https://islamic-college.ac.uk/tawil-registration/
3. Online Persian Winter School – From Beginner to Advanced
Following the successful completion of the 2025 Ghand-e Parsi Persian Autumn School, we are delighted to announce the launch of our Online Persian Winter School.
The Ghand-e Parsi 2025 Winter School is a seasonal program designed to offer learners from all backgrounds a rich, structured, and immersive experience of the Persian language and Persianate culture. With carefully designed courses at the elementary, intermediate, and advanced levels, the Winter School provides a comprehensive learning pathway—from building foundational communication skills to engaging deeply with historical, literary, artistic, and mystical Persian texts.
In addition to the core language levels, the program includes a diverse selection of cross-level courses that open interdisciplinary perspectives, such as Digital Humanities, Persian through Arabic, and Persian through Music. Taught by distinguished instructors including Mohammad H. Naraghi, Peyman Eshaghi, Domenico Arturo Ingenito, and Mehdi Rezania, the Winter School brings together language learning, cultural exploration, and scholarly expertise in a unique and intellectually enriching environment.
All course sessions are fully recorded, allowing participants to review materials and watch sessions outside of live class hours.
Below you will find the list of courses offered this winter:
Elementary Courses
- Elementary Persian (Mohammad H. Naraghi)
Intermediate Courses
- Intermediate Persian (Mohammad H. Naraghi)
- Intermediate Persian through Short Stories (Mohammad H. Naraghi)
- Intermediate Persian through News Websites in Simple Persian (Mohammad H. Naraghi)
- Persian for Heritage Speakers (Mohammad H. Naraghi)
Advanced Courses
- How to Read Persian Poetry: From Ferdowsi to Forugh Farrokhzad (Domenico Arturo Ingenito)
- Advanced Persian through Mystical and Sufi Texts (Peyman Eshaghi)
- Advanced Persian through Persian Codicology Texts (Peyman Eshaghi)
- Advanced Persian through Safavid Texts (Peyman Eshaghi)
- Advanced Persian through South Asian Persian Texts (Peyman Eshaghi)
- Advanced Persian through History of Art Texts (Peyman Eshaghi)
Cross-Level Courses
- Persian Language and Culture through Iranian Cinema (Peyman Eshaghi)
- Bridging Arabic & Persian: Learn Faster, Remember Better (Mohammad H. Naraghi)
- Digital Humanities and Persianate Studies Bootcamp (Peyman Eshaghi)
- Learning Persian Through Songs: Language, Poetry, and Culture Across the 12 Dastgāh (Mehdi Rezania)
- Persian for Everyday Conversation (Mohammad H. Naraghi)
We warmly invite you to join us for this Winter School and take part in a meaningful journey into Persian language and culture. Whether you are continuing your studies or joining Ghand-e Parsi for the first time, we hope this program will be both inspiring and rewarding.
Dates: January 26 – April 12, 2026
Registration Deadline: January 20, 2026
🔗 Learn more about all courses:
https://www.ghandeparsi.com/winterschool
🔗 Testimonials:
https://www.ghandeparsi.com/testimonials
📝 Register here:
https://forms.gle/RLeytfi9nMU5RpdXA
4. Al-Ghazālī’s Moral Psychology
From Self-Control to Self-Surrender
Joel Craig Richmond
Available in hardback and ebook editions
For more information and to order at a discount visit the webpage:
https://equinoxpub.com/projects/al-ghazali-moral-psychology
5. HIAA ONLINE WORKSHOP: Teaching Islamic Art to Artists – Friday, January 16
9-10:30 am Pacific
11 am-12:30 pm Central
12-1:30 pm Eastern
To register: https://temple.zoom.us/meeting/register/K1dGohPMQyy_DkgTk_5Bqw
Join us for a conversation with Glaire Anderson, Kerr Houston, D. Fairchild Ruggles, and Foad Torshizi about different approaches for teaching the history of Islamic Art and Architecture to students in the art and design disciplines, many of whom are looking to their futures in studio art, architecture, animation, graphic design, and fashion. The objective of the workshop is to share strategies for student engagement in
Islamic art with the broader HIAA community, while critically evaluating how Islamic art history is integral to an arts-based education. Topics of discussion will include the value of hands-on workshops, the teaching of Islamic art objects as precedents to contemporary practice, and digital tools to create immersive experiences of Islamic art. Organized and moderated by Nisa Ari.
URL
https://temple.zoom.us/meeting/register/K1dGohPMQyy_DkgTk_5Bqw
6. The Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali Institute of Iranian Studies, in partnership with the Toronto Book Club, present the Iranian Studies Book Launch Series.
This event will feature Arezou Azad’s latest titles for Edinburgh University Press in The Islamicate East series, The Warehouse of Bamiyan & The Rise and Fall of the Barmakids.
Please join us on Monday 19 January at 12PM EST / 5PM GMT / 6PM CET.Pre-registration is essential.
https://utoronto.zoom.us/meeting/register/IRIPumA0RiywhWQndxY9ZA#/registration
7. The complete programme of the Monday Majlis series (online) in the spring term Centre for the Study of Islam, Exeter
19thof January (Monday) 17:00-18:30 (UK time).
Gabriel Said Reynolds, A Faithful Dog and a Clay Bird: The Qur’an in Its Christian World
https://Universityofexeter.zoom.us/meeting/register/3uYLlGdRRcGlh0sgg2JnOw
26th of January (Monday) 17:00-18:30 (UK time).
Orhan Elmaz, Digital Tools and Methods in (+/- Contemporary) Quranic Studies
https://Universityofexeter.zoom.us/meeting/register/fbHQXhbxSm6-9gtiDQ4ovQ
2nd of February (Monday) 17:00-18:30 (UK time).
James E. Montgomery, A Future, Remembered—The Poet-Prophet al-Mutanabbī
https://Universityofexeter.zoom.us/meeting/register/mUwZSgnkQ3mQLiOxe2qCnw
11th of February (Wednesday) 17:00-18:30 (UK time).
Andrew Marsham, Perspectives on the Umayyad Empire
https://Universityofexeter.zoom.us/meeting/register/mdvrgHS4Sq6MNpJ7eKzrWQ
18th of February (Wednesday) 17:00-18:30 (UK time).
Rosabel Ansari, Al-Fārābī and the Study of Islamic Philosophy
https://Universityofexeter.zoom.us/meeting/register/8TC1t86eSMqXmUAzEP9SQg
23rd of February (Monday) 17:00-18:30 (UK time).
Michael Cook, Women as Jurists: The Case of Kasani’s Wife
https://Universityofexeter.zoom.us/meeting/register/INbq3y5ERAeojbtkOi2aSg
2nd of March (Monday) 17:00-18:30 (UK time).
Yuka Kadoi, Museumisation in Arabia: The Reach and Limits of Cultural Heritage
https://Universityofexeter.zoom.us/meeting/register/T4SPygHTQpm4ICdTA1ThUg
9th of March (Monday) 17:00-18:30 (UK time).
Samuel Hodgkin, The Blind Bard: The Afterlives of Rōdakī’s Poetics
https://Universityofexeter.zoom.us/meeting/register/PqKX8HD6SaulZJfU76hsQQ
16th of March (Monday) 17:00-18:30 (UK time).
Matthew L. Keegan, Islam and Adab: Reading al-Hariri’s Maqamat in an Age of Commentary
https://Universityofexeter.zoom.us/meeting/register/0IINz8EATQKNhFUjkvj7dA
23rd of March (Monday) 17:00-18:30 (UK time).
Mehdi Aminrazavi, Islamic Philosophy and its Receptivity to Non-Islamic Traditions
https://Universityofexeter.zoom.us/meeting/register/31PX0Ik-RuWt6P1XrhM3gw
In the spirit of the label ‘Majlis’ and also to make the talks even more interesting, our speakers present the topic discussed as embedded in their own journey.
You can watch the previous Majlises here https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8YRkUahFj_81oJzCSDLTx4kVQQgeHLc-.
However, we don’t record the Q&A in order to keep the discussion free.
If you’d like to be included in the CSI (Centre for the Study of Islam, Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter) mailing list, please write to I.T.Kristo-Nagy@ex.ac.uk
8. Second European Round Table on Modern Persian Literature, 15-17 January 2026, Institute of Iranian Studies, Austrian Academy of Sciences
https://www.oeaw.ac.at/en/ifi/veranstaltungen/event-details/modern-persian-literature
9. ONLINE Book Talk “Islamic Theology and the Problem of Evil” by Safaruk Chowhury (Cambridge Muslim College), American University in Cairo Press, 13 Jan-uary 2026, 18:00 CET
This rigorous study examines four major dimensions of the problem of evil: human disability, animal suffering, evolutionary natural selection, and Hell, offering fresh insights into how Islamic theology has grappled with these enduring questions.
Information and registration: https://tinyurl.com/3cc9bd39
10. ONLINE Book Launch “International Relations in a Multipolar Middle East” by Francesco Belcastro and Edward Wastnidge, Hosted by the Open University, 23 January 2026, 12:00 – 13:00 CET
This volume explores the international relations of today’s Middle East. The tumult following the Arab Uprisings has expanded the arenas competed over by regional powers, global ac-tors and non-state players. As global politics moves towards a new, multipolar era, the volume’s co-editors help shed important light on how this transition is impacting on the re-gion.
Information and registration: https://tinyurl.com/2h29ccdf
11. Workshop “Jewish Literature under Muslim Rule: Textual Transformations and Inter-Religious Encounters” by the Simon Dubnow Institute (Leipzig) & Unit of Judaic Studies (University of Munich), Munich, 14-16 April 2026
The workshop invites proposals exploring the impact of Muslim rule on Jewish literature, with a particular focus on religious texts – including translations of the Bible, commentaries, and philosophical and legal writings. This workshop seeks to sharpen the lens by examining how the realities of Muslim political authority and Islamic intellectual traditions influenced or shaped Jewish religious writing.
Deadline for abstracts: 20 January 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/mvej4ubr
12. 40th Annual Middle East History and Theory Conference (MEHAT): “Playing with the Scales: The Local, Regional, and Global in Middle Eastern Studies”, University of Chicago, 1-2 May 2026
How do micro-scale engagements with Middle Eastern agents help us to understand global developments, like the transformation of law and statehood and the emergence of capital-ism? What role do regional configurations, whether defined in terms of shared ecological, economic or political contexts, trade, religious or intellectual networks, play in shaping the interaction of individual, local, and global scales?
Deadline for abstracts: 31 January 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/dvzubk37
13. Several Postdoctoral Fellowships (10 Months) in the Humanities and Social Sciences 2026-27, Orient-Institut Beirut
The fellowships are specifically designed for postdoctoral candidates engaged in outstand-ing research projects in the humanities and social sciences. We invite applications across disciplines, time periods, and geographic coverage. Proposals are encouraged to articulate the contemporary stakes of the research project, whether historiographical, cultural, reli-gious or political dimensions.
Deadline for applications: 1 March 2026.
Information: https://www.orient-institut.org/postdoctoralfellowships.html
14. Several Doctoral Fellowships (10 Months) in the Humanities and Social Sciences 2026-27, Orient-Institut Beirut
The fellowships are specifically designed for doctoral candidates engaged in outstanding research projects in the humanities and social sciences. We invite applications across dis-ciplines, time periods, and geographic coverage. Proposals are encouraged to articulate the contemporary stakes.
Deadline for abstracts: 1 March 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/4m4tf77v
15. “DECRIPT Program”: Call for Research and Transfer Projects (Focus Middle and Near East), INALCO, Paris
Deadline for proposals: 30 January 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/3wvr9wbx
16. “DECRIPT Program”: Call for Applications for 20 International Research Residencies (1 Month, Focus Middle and Near East), INALCO, Paris
During their stay, researchers must propose to conduct or formalize high-level academic research related to the program’s core scientific question on civilizational narratives and/or civilizationism, in connection with the Middle and Near East or its methodological area. Compensation: €3,400 covering transportation and living expenses. Location: Paris, Bordeaux, Lille.
Deadline for applications: 28 February 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/2nmn5nyk
17. “Gerda Henkel Prize” for Excellent and Internationally Acclaimed Researchers (Focus Historical Islamic Studies)
The Foundation invites scholars of universities worldwide, as well as renowned cultural and academic institutions, and calls on scholars in these institutions to nominate suitable candi-dates. The prize is open to scholars from all countries. Individuals as well as teams of several researchers can be nominated. The Gerda Henkel Prize is worth 100,000 euros.
Deadline for nominations: 30 January 2026. Information: https://www.gerda-henkel-stif-tung.de/en/prize
18. “Armed Groups and the Politics of International Legitimation” (Including Pales-tine, Afghanistan, Libya), Edited by Stephan Hensell & Klaus Schlichte, Oxford Aca-demic, 15 December 2025
This book is the first comparative study of armed groups that try to gain international legiti-macy. It analyses how and when these attempts are successful. Based on practice theory and global history, it highlights the interaction of practices and publics in the process of le-gitimation and introduces four different historical times, spanning from 1945 to the present.
Complete text: https://academic.oup.com/book/61785
19. “Al-Junayd: The Sufi Master of Baghdad” by Arin Salamah-Qudsi, Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2025, 184 Pages
This book offers the first comprehensive reconstruction of al-Junayd al-Baghdādī based on his own writings, especially his treatises and letters. Tracing his legacy from the classical period to the modern age of media and cyberspace, the study provides a fresh portrait of Junayd and his enduring place in Islamic piety and thought.
Information: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-87094-1
- January 10, 2026
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment