Archive for May 30th, 2026

1. Hybrid Conference: Health and the Environment in the Preindustrial World: Multidisciplinary Approaches

Our upcoming conference “Health and the Environment in the Preindustrial World: Multidisciplinary Approaches” that will take place on 23-24 July 2026 in a Hybrid format, with in-person attendance at Monash University, Caulfield Campus in Victoria, Australia. Registration closes on the 26 June. 

This international and interdisciplinary conference brings to a close the activities of the grant team “Pursuing Public Health in the Preindustrial World, 1100-1800.” Beyond the team itself, it involves a dozen scholars working across health history, history of science and technology, religion, archaeology and landscape in areas covering Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean and East and Southeast Asia.

Convener

Guy Geltner, Monash University
Keynote Speaker
Pamela H. Smith, Columbia University

For further details of the conference check out our website click here or program click here.

Both remote and in-person attendance is free. To register, please click the following link (note: if you responded to the pre-registration form, you do need to fill out this registration form to confirm your attendance): https://forms.gle/osAuopLawo9a3e5U6 

For any questions, please direct them towards Lucy Moloney (lucy.moloney1@monash.edu)

 

 

 

 

 

2. Prochaine séance du séminaire “Sociétés, politiques et cultures du monde iranien”, jeudi 4 juin 2026, 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 jeudi prochain, 4 juin 2026, 17h-19h, en salle 4.06 à l’INaLCO(65 rue des Grands Moulins, Paris XIII, 4^eétage).

Nous sommes heureux d’accueillir Mme Ekaterina Nechaeva, Professeure à l’Université de Lille, historienne de l’Antiquité tardive, spécialiste en particulier des relations entre Rome et la Perse sassanide, pour une conférence intitulée :Le destin des captifs d’Amida au début du VIe siècle.

Résumé :

Amida, l’une des principales villes de Mésopotamie romaine, se trouve au cœur de la guerre entre Kavadh et Anastase (502-506). Le siège de la ville par les troupes iraniennes, long de plusieurs mois, compte parmi les épisodes les plus dramatiques du conflit et s’achève par sa prise en janvier 503, dans des circonstances que les sources expliquent de manière divergente, entre défaillance, négligence et récits de trahison. La chute de la ville s’accompagne d’une capture massive de la population, touchant à la fois des groupes urbains, des communautés religieuses, ainsi que des figures de rang plus élevé.

À partir d’un dossier de sources, en particulier grecques et syriaques, cette conférence se propose d’examiner les circonstances de ces captures, puis le devenir des captifs tel qu’il peut être reconstitué : leur sélection et leur dispersion, le maintien d’une partie d’entre eux sous occupation perse, la libération alléguée de certains, ainsi que la captivité prolongée d’autres après la reprise de la ville par les Romains. Une attention particulière sera portée à leurs trajectoires individuelles – qu’il s’agisse de captifs de haut rang ou de figures plus ordinaires  – afin de restituer, au plus près des sources, la diversité de ces parcours.

Orientations bibliographiques :

– Azarnouche, S., Petitjean, M. « Sasanian Warriors in Context: Historical and Religious Commentary on a Middle Persian Chapter on Artēštārān (Dēnkard VIII.26) », HiMA : revue internationale d’histoire militaire ancienne, 2022, p. 331–384.

– Berriah, M., Petitjean, M. « La théorie militaire sassanide : regards croisés », Antiquité Tardive 30, 2023, p. 181–199.

– Debié, M. « Du grec en syriaque », Byzantinische Zeitschrift 96 (2), 2003, p. 601–622.

– Greatrex, G. Rome and Persia at War, 502–532. Leeds, 1998.

– Greatrex, G. « Procopius and Pseudo-Zachariah on the siege of Amida and its aftermath (502–506) », in Börm, H. (éd.), Commutatio et Contentio: Studies in the Late Roman, Sasanian and Early Islamic Near East. Düsseldorf : Wellem Verlag, 2010, p. 227–251.

– Lenski, N. « Two sieges of Amida (AD 359 and 502–503) », in Lewin, A., Pellegrini, P. (éd.), The Late Roman Army in the Near East from Diocletian to the Arab Conquest. Oxford : Archaeopress, 2007, p. 219–236.

– Petersen, L. I. R. Siege Warfare and Military Organization in the Successor States (400–800 AD): Byzantium, the West and Islam. Leiden – Boston : Brill, 2013.

– Shahbazi, A. Sh., Kettenhofen, E., Perry, J. R. « Deportations », Encyclopaedia Iranica, 1994. URL : https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/deportations (consulté le 22/01/2026).

Vous retrouverez l’intégralité du programme 2025-2026 du séminaire mensuel de recherche “Sociétés, politiques et cultures du Monde iranien” en ligne sur le site du CeRMI: https://cermi.cnrs.fr/seminaires-de-recherche/societes-politiques-et-cultures-du-monde-iranien-2025-2026/

Dans l’attente du plaisir de vous retrouver à l’occasion de cette dernière séance de l’année, qui se déroulera comme toujours en présentiel sur le site de l’INaLCO (65 rue des Grands Moulins, Paris XIII).

Bien cordialement,

Les organisateurs –

Simon Berger et Justine Landau

Contact: justine.landau@sorbonne-nouvelle.fr

 

 

 

 

 

3. Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA), Tokyo University of Foreign Studies

Colloque international

Turco-Persianate Popular Romances from Southeast Asia to the Balkans: 

Composition, Transmission, and Reception of Historical-Legendary Epics over the Longue Durée in a Multilingual Space

les 1-2 juin 2026, Paris

• Lundi/Monday, 01/06/2026, 9:00–17:45 
  Auditorium Georges Dumézil, Maison de la Recherche de l’INaLCO (2 rue de Lille, 75007 Paris)
• Mardi/Tuesday, 02/06/2026, 9:30–12:00
  Maison de la Recherche de la Sorbonne Nouvelle(4 rue des Irlandais, 75005 Paris)

Le colloque explore les modes d’expression des communautés du monde musulman oriental à travers la composition, la transmission et la réception de récits populaires centrés autour de protagonistes héroïques, notamment les figures des débuts de l’Islam, ainsi que la culture matérielle associée à leur vénération. Il fait suite au colloque Amir Hamza and Beyond: Historical Narratives and Romances across the Muslim World qui s’est tenu en septembre 2023 à l’Institut de recherche sur les langues et cultures d’Asie et d’Afrique (ILCAA) de la Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.

• Entrée libre dans la limite des places disponibles.
• Information, programme détaillé et abstracts : https://cermi.cnrs.fr/turco-persianate-popular-romances-from-southeast-asia-to-the-balkans/

Ce colloque a été organisé avec le soutien de:

-NIHU Global Mediterranean at the Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA)
-Kyoto University
-Centre de recherche sur le monde iranien (CeRMI, UMR8041 du CNRS)
-Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales (INaLCO)
-Université Sorbonne Nouvelle
-Délégation archéologique française en Afghanistan (DAFA)
-Fondation Max van Berchem
-Institut d’études de l’islam et des sociétés musulmanes (IISMM)
-Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)

• Organisation scientifique:
• Sacha Alsancakli, The Hakubi Center for Advanced Research and Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University
• Yui Kanda, ILCAA, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
• Maria Szuppe, CNRS, CeRMI UMR8041

Contact:

alsancakli.sacha.6s@kyoto-u.ac.jp

kanda@aa.tufs.ac.jp

maria.szuppe@cnrs.fr

 

 

 

 

 

4. Séminaire « L’Afghanistan à travers les âges » – séance de mercredi 3 juin 18h-19h30N

Nous avons le plaisir de vous convier à la séance du séminaire « L’Afghanistan à travers les âges », qui se tiendra mercredi 3 juin 2026, 18h-19h30, entièrement en distanciel. Voici le lien de connexion: https://zoom.us/j/96136711428?pwd=jqZ3lotYx6re8bpoU4uAYPl9GRM1CF.1

Nous sommes heureux d’accueillir M Muhammad Ali Dinakhel, Cermi, pour une conférence intitulée : Pashto Across Borders: Language Planning and Identity in Afghanistan and Pakistan (20th–21st Centuries).

Résumé:

This lecture explores the trajectory of Pashto language planning and identity across Afghanistan and Pakistan from the late 19th century to the present. Situated within the broader framework of language planing policy (status, corpus, and acquisition planning), it examines how the Durand Line (1893) shaped linguistic development, publication practices, and orthographic unity. In Pakistan, Pashto’s role evolved through constitutional debates, literary movements such as the Khudai Khidmatgar and Pukhtun Resala(1928), and institutional initiatives including the Pashto Academy at the University of Peshawar, alongside recent policy directives mandating Pashto in schools. In Afghanistan, shifting regimes from Amir Sher Ali Khan to the Taliban era demonstrate varying approaches to Pashto’s status, from nation-building projects and compulsory policies under Zahir Shah to bilingual compromises and constitutional recognitions in 1964, 1976, 1987, and 2004. Through a comparative lens, the lecture highlights the tensions between politics, identity, and pedagogy in shaping Pashto’s development, illustrating how one language has been molded by two states, two policies, and multiple narratives.

 

Orientations bibliographiques:

Ahady, Anwar-ul-Haq (1995) The Decline of Pashtuns in Afghanistan. Asian Survey 35/7.

Dinakhel, M.A. (2012) Pashto as Official Language in the Swat State Pashto. Bilingual Quarterly Research Journal, Pashto Academy 40-41/642s, pp. 23-35.

Dinakhel, M.A. (2018) Analysis of Conflict Between Pashto and Dari Languages of Afghanistan. Central Asia Biannual Research Journal 83, pp. 79-99.

Dinakhel, M.A. (2019) A Study of Pashto Folklore: Its Aspects and Nation-building in Pakistan. PAKISTAN 55, pp. 61-76.

Dinakhel, M.A. (2021) An Introduction of Pashto Manuscripts in the State Library Berlin, Central Asia Biannual Research Journal88, pp. 57-72.

Dinakhel, M.A. (2023) An Overview of The Development of Novel in Afghanistan (1913-1940). PalArch’s Journal of Archaeology of Egypt / Egyptology 20/1, pp. 422-432.

Dinakhel, M.A. (2023) An Analysis of the Themes of Identity and Sense of Belonging in the Pashto Literary Works of Afghan Refugees from 1979 to 1989. Khair Ul Ummah 3/1, pp.1-19.

Dinakhel, M.A. (2023) Linguistic, Literary and Cultural Impact of Afghan Refugees on Pashto language, literature and culture in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Pakistan 8/2, pp. 14-34.

Dinakhel, M.A. (2023) Reflection of Pak-Afghan Border in Pashto Literature, Its Impacts on Pashto Language and Linguistic Research. Khair Ul Ummah 2/2, pp.53-59.

Dvgryankov, N.A., Pashto Dialects and the Literary Language in Afghanistan, XXVI International Congress of Orientalists, Papers presented by the USSR Delegation.

Henderson, M.M.T. (1983) Four varieties of Pashto. Journal of the American Oriental Society 103/3.

Mackenzie, D.N. (1959) A Standard Pashto, Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies 22/1-3.

Morgenstierne, G. (1925) Report on a Linguistic Mission to Afghanistan. Oslo.

Morgenstierne, G. (1932) Report on a Linguistic Mission to North-western India. Oslo.

Schiffman, H.F. (2012) Language Policy and Language Conflict in Afghanistan and Its Neighbors. Leiden-Boston.

Shinwari, M.M. (1968) Da Afghanistan Milli Jaba aw Adab [National Language and Literature of Afghanistan], Pashto Tolana.

Bien cordialement,

Arezou Azad et Matteo De Chiara

——————————————————–
CeRMI – CNRS UMR 8041
Centre de Recherche sur le Monde Iranien
Campus CNRS Ile-de-France Villejuif
7, rue Guy Môquet – 94800 Villejuif – FRANCE
cermi@cnrs.fr – https://www.cermi.cnrs.fr

 

 

 

 

 

5. Conference “Mecmuas in the Ottoman World: Interdisciplinary Approaches and Current Research”, Department of Near Eastern Studies, University of Vienna, 4-6 June 2026

The conference is dedicated to the study of manuscript miscellanies (mecmuas) as a key yet insufficiently theorised format of knowledge organisation across the Ottoman world and Eurasia. By examining mecmuas as dynamic sites of intellectual, religious, and practical exchange, the conference foregrounds their significance for understanding processes of communication and transformation across regions and periods.

Information, program and registration: https://mecmuaconference.univie.ac.at/

 

 

 

 

 

6. ONLINE Meeting of the “Forum for the Text Encoding Initiative (TEI) in Arabic Scripts”, Harvard University and University of Strasbourg, 25 June 2026, 17:00 – 18:00 CET

The Forum seeks to establish a collaborative space for: • Centralizing researchers working on TEI in Arabic-script materials (Arabic, Ottoman Turkish, Persian, Urdu, and related corpora). • Sharing existing resources for encoding and editing practices. • Discussing various workflows and pipelines, as well as possibilities for automation of annotation, data extraction, and visualizations, including the use of large language models (LLMs) and other computational methods. • Identifying opportunities for shared infrastructures and future collaborations.

Zoom Link: https://tinyurl.com/5eyvsxtc. Meeting ID: 934 9867 7303.

Passcode: 391302. Information: Adam Mestyan (mestyan@fas.harvard.edu)

 

 

 

 

 

7. Workshop “Identifying as Woman in Transnational Religious Spaces: Contemporary Dynamics of Lived Religion, Femininity, and Womanhood“, Department of the Study of Religion with a Focus on Islam, University of the Bundeswehr Munich, 18-20 November 2026

We want to draw attention to the interrelation between women’s everyday religious practices and transnational dynamics that come with performative discourses of femininity and womanhood. We speak of femininity and womanhood as social and cultural discourses of material, aesthetic, and performative social and cultural impact and frameworks that may shape both the spaces we study and our own analytical gaze.

Deadline for abstracts: 30 June 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/4mmwffsr

 

 

 

 

 

8. Workshop for Edited Volume: “A Seat at the Table: Making Space for the Middle East and North Africa in Global Food Studies”, Center for Middle East Studies, Brown University, Providence, RI, 20 November 2026

All submissions should aim to demonstrate, on the one hand, the theoretical and empirical im-portance of MENA to global food studies, and, on the other, how the lens of food and foodways can help us rethink key themes and metanarratives in Middle East studies. The workshop seeks to feature diverse methodological perspectives, including those originating in less-represented disciplines such as art history, architecture and musicology.

Deadline for abstracts: 1 June 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/4a6jd6kw

 

 

 

 

 

9. “7e congrès des études sur le Moyen-Orient et les mondes musulmans”, Université de Montpellier Paul-Valéry, 14-18 juin 2027

Les propositions peuvent relever d’un ou plusieurs domaines des sciences humaines et sociales (anthropologie, archéologie et histoire de l’art, droit, économie, géographie, histoire, islamologie et sciences religieuses, linguistique, littérature, philosophie, sociologie, science politique…), dans une perspective globale ou régionale. Les langues dans lesquelles le programme du congrès est présenté sont le français et l’anglais.

Proposition au plus tard le 30 juin 2026. Information : http://majlis-remomm.fr/74126

 

 

 

 

 

10. World Congress of the Society for Global Nineteenth Century Studies: “Global Imagi-naries, Maritime Power, and Intercontinental Circulations: The Ambivalent Legacies of the Long Nineteenth Century”, Valparaíso, Chile, 20-23 July 2027

Themes: • Visions of international order and global geopolitics in nineteenth-century thought. • Imaginations of post-imperial possibilities for the organization of power and society. • The devel-opment of maritime power in its military, institutional, technological, and commercial dimensions. • The creation of intercontinental and transnational networks of circulation of knowledge, ideas, goods, and practices, and their impact on power structures.

Deadline for abstracts: 15 July 2026. Information: https://www.global19c.com/congress2027

 

 

 

 

 

11. Post-Doc Position (30 Months) for the Critical Edition with Annotated English Translation of Musky Aromas, MOSAIC Project, UCLouvain, Belgium

Qualification: – PhD in Islamic Studies, in Middle Eastern Studies, or related fields. – Excellent command of Classical Arabic (the knowledge of additional languages such as Persian and Turkish is considered an advantage). – Academic writing and presentation skills in English (the working language of the project). – Ability to work both individually and as part of a team.

Deadline for applications: 10 June 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/2axtd8uf

 

 

 

 

12. Academic Career Development Fellow (3 Years) in the Global Politics/International Relations of the MENA, University of Cambridge

Candidates should have a proven academic profile in global politics and international relations in the Middle East and North Africa or South Asia. They will have a PhD in a relevant field already and be able to demonstrate an outstanding research record for their career stage.

Deadline for applications: 4 June 2026. Information: https://www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/55579/

 

 

 

 

 

13. New Book: “The Birth of British Islam – Multiculturalism and the Localisation of Muslim Debates” by Masooda Bano, Edinburgh University Press, May 2026, 304 Pages

This book is based on in-depth ethnographic studies within British Muslim communities, including mosques and dar ul ulooms, to provide real-life insights. It documents young British imams and second- and third-generation Muslims actively working to align Islamic teachings with British val-ues. It highlig hts the crucial role of Muslim women as mothers, educators, and preachers in shaping debates about future of British Muslim communities. And it demonstrates how religious teachings can prevent youth radicalization.

Information: https://tinyurl.com/yfk3sd98

 

 

 

 

 

14. New Book: “Christians in Middle Eastern History: Strangers No More”, Edited by John-Paul Ghobrial, Michael A. Reynolds, Christian C. Sahner, Jack Tannous, Edinburgh University Press, May 2026, 336 Pages

This volume offers a series of case studies by leading scholars that offer different answers to the question of what histories of the region might look like if this demographic situation were taken seriously. Critiquing dominant narratives that conflate the history of the Middle East and the history of Islam, they show how integrating Christian actors, experiences and sources can enrich our understanding of the region.

Information: https://tinyurl.com/yuk3645k

 

 

 

 

 

 

15. New Book: “Sovereignty in Iran – Challenges to Eurocentrism from Ancient Iran to the Islamic Republic” by Shabnam J. Holliday, Edinburgh University Press, May 2026, 376 Pages

This book contains the first comprehensive exploration of sovereignty that considers many as-pects of Iran. It explores sovereignty from ancient Iran to the Islamic Republic including the Woman, Life, Freedom protests. It also provides an inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary ap-proach that moves beyond periodised understandings of history contributes to better understand-ing Eurocentrism.

Information: https://tinyurl.com/yvsbhrbr

 

 

 

 

 

16. New Book: “Islamic Apocalypticism in the Twentieth Century and Beyond: Society, Pol-itics and Technology in a Century of Change” by Waleed Rikab, Edinburgh University Press, May 2026, 272 Pages

This book contains an unprecedented and comprehensive discussion of Islamic apocalyptic and messianic thought in the 20th-century Middle East. Bringing to light numerous unstudied Arabic texts and considering previously undiscussed debates, this book corrects misconceptions about Islamic apocalypticism and enables a better understanding of the variety of thought that appears in apocalyptic materials published throughout the Arab World.

Information: https://tinyurl.com/bdha4zzt