Archive for June 27th, 2026
Shii News – Academic Items
1. Lecture – “The Lives of Mughal Artists” by Yael Rice – July 23
Thursday July 23, at 6:30—7:30 pm (EST), Cheek Theater, VMFA:
“The Lives of Mughal Artists” by Yael Rice
The lives of the Mughal emperors often overshadow those of the many painters they employed. And yet it was precisely these individuals who helped to amplify and sustain Mughal dominance over the Indian subcontinent for more than three centuries. In this richly illustrated talk, Dr. Yael Rice addresses the roles that Mughal manuscript paintings, murals, and designs for translation into other media played in broadcasting the imperial court’s and the artists’ own aspirations. Focusing on a number of the objects displayed in the VMFA exhibition India’s Great Mughals: Art, Power, and Opulence, Rice’s lecture considers the construction of Mughal sovereignty from an artist-centered lens.
To watch from the comfort of home, visit our livestream page.
URL
https://www.vmfa.museum/events/talk-the-lives-of-mughal-painters-8077
2. CSMBR Upcoming Lecture:
Staying Fresh in Early Byzantium
Scented Care Products in Aetius of Amida’s «Libri Medicinales»
Maciej Kokoszko
Zofia Rzeźnicka
07 July 2026 – 5 PM (CET)
The lecture will focus on a selection of recipes for body cleansers and powdered deodorants taken from Book VIII of Aetius of Amida’s medical encyclopaedia, Libri medicinales, which was written in the 6th century. As many of the formulas for these care products were borrowed by Aetius from earlier authors, primarily Titus Statilius Crito (active in the 2nd century AD), exploration of the transmission and adaptation of ancient medical knowledge during the early Byzantine period is also included.
This analysis aims to contextualise the topic by demonstrating the value of medical texts in social and economic historical research. Consequently, the speakers will discuss the gendered nature of Byzantine cosmetology.
Furthermore, the presentation will attempt to specify the social groups for whom these care products were intended. To this end, myrrh will serve as an indicator of social status, and the speakers will analyse factors such as its place of origin, varieties, supply routes, trade routes, and the types of preparations to which it was added in order to sketch a picture of the intended users of both myrrh-based and myrrh-free recipes. The issue of aromatic substance adulteration and substitution in the Byzantine Empire will also be discussed along the way.
Thus, the lecture will demonstrate how cosmetic recipes preserved in medical compilations can provide valuable evidence for reconstructing everyday life in the Byzantine world.
To register for this event, please click here.
Kindest regards,
Andreas Hylla
Centre for the Study of Medicine and the Body in the Renaissance (CSMBR) – Assistant Coordinator
Domus Comeliana, Via Cardinale Maffi 48, 56126 Pisa, Italy
Tel.: +39.02.006.20.51 – Mobile: +39.333.13.12.203
Email: ah@csmbr.fondazionecomel.org
3. MARGARET S. GRAVES: Invisible Hands: Fabrication, Forgery, and the Art of Islamic Ceramics. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2026. 344 pp. ISBN 978 0 69127974 9
4. ‘Comparative Shari‘a: measuring support for Islamism cross-nationally’
Politics and Religion, June 2026
Sam Dunham, et al.
5. ‘Portuguese handheld firearms in Asia in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries’
Asian Studies, June 2026
Roger Le de Jesus, et al
6. ‘The waqf al-dashīshah of Mamluk sultan Qāʾitbāy’
T Ito
JRAS, 2026,
7. Treasures from the Golestan Film Studio
The Iran Heritage Foundation is delighted to announce the forthcoming release of Treasures from the Golestan Film Studio, a landmark box set showcasing the pioneering work of filmmaker, writer and cultural figure Ebrahim Golestan.
At its heart is Secrets of the Jinn Valley Treasure (1974), Golestan’s brilliantly inventive and sharply satirical masterpiece, newly restored in 4K through a collaboration between the IHF and the Cineteca di Bologna. Following its international premiere at the prestigious Il Cinema Ritrovato festival in June, the film will receive its first-ever home-video release this September as part of a major collection from Radiance Films.
The beautifully curated box set brings together some of the most important productions of Golestan Film Studio, including The House Is Black, the celebrated documentary directed by Forough Farrokhzad, alongside a wealth of newly commissioned supplementary material. Exclusive video introductions and visual essays provide fresh insight into the films and their enduring significance within Iranian and world cinema.
This release offers a rare opportunity to rediscover the artistic vision of Ebrahim Golestan and the extraordinary legacy of one of the most influential creative institutions in modern Iranian cultural history.
The box set is available to purchase here.
8. Beyond Rumi: Sufi Art and Practice – New Smithsonian Online Initiative
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art is proud to announce the launch of an exciting new online initiative, Beyond Rumi: Sufi Art and Practice.
Beyond Rumi introduces the complexity of Sufi Islam through a unique and accessible multimedia experience. Sufism, generally defined as Islamic mysticism, is a rich religious tradition that is remarkably diverse, dynamic, and complex but also amorphous. Its multisensory rituals have also continuously changed and evolved as traditions flourished—and sometimes vanished—across the Islamic world and beyond.
Use an interactive map to explore eight sites associated with Sufism from Morocco to Indonesia. Watch performances and presentations by scholars, listen to music, and delve into Sufism’s wide-ranging forms of artistic expression, from poetry to the visual arts and architecture.
Beyond Rumi is part of The Arts of Devotion, a six-year initiative at the National Museum of Asian Art dedicated to furthering civic discourse and understanding of religion. This initiative is made possible by Lilly Endowment Inc.
Citation:
Rettig, Simon, Massumeh Farhad, and Sana Mirza, Beyond Rumi: Sufi Art and Practice. Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Asian Art, 2026.
10.5479/si/NMAA/2026.0004
Contact Information
Freer Research Center
Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art
Contact Email
URL
https://beyondrumi.asia.si.edu/
9. HYBRID Seminar “Making Ancients Modern: Coptic Experts, Pharaonism, and the Search for Egyptian Origins” by Amy Fallas, CEDEJ, Cairo, 30 June 2026, 16:00 CET
In the journal for the Association of Coptic Art in 1935, Coptic doctor Georgy Sobhy endeavored to answer a burning question: did Muslims and Christians in Egypt share physiological characteristics with ancient Egyptians? This talk considers the work of Sobhy and other early 20th century Coptic profes-sionals and explores how their scholarly contributions informed sectarian notions of pharaonism and shaped circuits of knowledge production on Egyptian origins.
Information and registration: https://tinyurl.com/3swknkdd
10. Conference “On the Orientalists’ Divan: Questions of Reflexivity from the 18th to the 21st Centuries”, Inalco, Paris,15-16 March 2027
The academic aim of this conference is to highlight the explicit and conscious relationship between the scholar and their subject of study, and to capture the reflexivity of Orientalists – that ‘close, intimate and entirely personal bond they maintain with their work’. Researchers are invited to catch Orientalists in the act of explaining, as historians, the link between the history we have made and the history that has made us.
Deadline for abstracts: 15 September 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/3u2jeyd5
11. Postdoctoral Researcher (3 Years), Focus on Muslim Feminities in the UAE, HAIR Project, Ghent University
Qualification: Doctorate a relevant field (e.g. Arabic Studies, Islamic Studies, Anthropology, Middle Eastern Studies, Gender Studies, Religious Studies, Cultural Studies or related disciplines) obtained max. 6 years ago. – Strong research including publications and/or a developing book project.
Expertise related to the Gulf region and/or the UAE. – Experience with ethnographic and/or qualitative research methods. – Excellent academic writing and communication skills in English. –Etc.
Deadline for applications: 31 July 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/3rws92jk
12. Doctoral Fellow (4 Years), Focus on Muslim Feminities in Egypt, HAIR Project, Ghent University
Qualification: Master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g. Arabic Studies, Islamic Studies, Anthropology, Middle Eastern Studies, Gender Studies, Religious Studies, Cultural Studies or related disciplines). – Exceptional MA dissertation on an aspect of the contemporary Middle East. – Strong interest in gender, embodiment, literature and Muslim societies. – Excellent research and writing skills. – Excellent com-munication skills in Arabic (spoken and reading). – Excellent academic writing and communication skills in English. – Etc.
Deadline for applications: 31 July 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/4uazmywz
13. Doctoral Fellow (4 Years), Focus on Muslim Feminities in Lebanon, HAIR Project, Ghent University
Qualification: Master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g. Arabic Studies, Islamic Studies, Anthropology, Middle Eastern Studies, Gender Studies, Religious Studies, Cultural Studies or related disciplines). – Exceptional MA dissertation on an aspect of the contemporary Middle East. – Strong interest in gender, embodiment, literature and Muslim societies. – Excellent research and writing skills. – Excellent com-munication skills in Arabic (spoken and reading). – Excellent academic writing and communication skills in English. – Etc.
Deadline for applications: 2026. [ed. – sic] Information: https://tinyurl.com/yuuxbnm7
14. Research Associate (1 Year +) in Cairo, Orient-Institut Beirut (OIB)
Only Egyptian nationals or other nationalities with a work permit for Egypt may be employed. Require-ments: MA in a subject relevant to the work of the OIB. – Research in the OIB’s academic areas. – Knowledge of the Egyptian academic and higher-education landscape. – Experience in academic or cultural management in Egypt. – Excellent written and spoken Arabic and English.
Deadline for applications: 31 August 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/bdxsf5a9
15. Visiting Professorship (1Year) in the Political Economy of the Middle East (Open Rank), American University of Beirut
We encourage applications from scholars trained in political science, economics or international affairs, with a specialization in Political Economy, Peace Studies, State-Building, and Post-Conflict Reconstruc-tion with demonstrated policy professional experience in the Middle East with and particularly the Le-vant/Mashriq.
Deadline for applications: 30 June 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/bdh3t3ch
16. Postdoctoral Scholar/Lecturer (2 Years), Bita Daryabari Fellow in Persian Language and Literature, University California Davis
Qualification: PhD within the humanities or humanistic social sciences field. – Persian serving as a primary research language and the applicant’s scholarship focusing on the Persianate world. – Strong and well-developed research program. – Ability to teach an undergraduate seminar in Persian language and literature.
Deadline for applications: 31 August 2026. Information: https://recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07717
17. New Volume: “Muhammad Nejatullah Siddiqi: A Mujaddid and Pioneer of Islamic Economics and Finance”, Edited by Mohammad Ahmadullah Siddiqi & Imtiyaz Yusuf, Center for Islam in the Contemporary World, 18 June 2026, 448 Pages
Professor Mohammad Nejatullah Siddiqi (1931 – November 2022) was a pioneering thinker and devel-oper of the concept of Islamic Economics, Banking, and Finance in the modern age. The memorials and articles in the book highlight the lasting impact of Dr. Nejatullah Siddiqi’s pioneering works on the operations, development, and global growth of Islamic economics, banking, and finance, both in aca-demia and in the practical world of finance and commerce.
Information: https://tinyurl.com/mtafj3z5
18. New Book: “Religion and the Invisible World – Sanctity and Spiritual Transformation in Egypt from Pharaonic Times to the Present” by El-Sayed El-Aswad, American University in Cairo Press, 2 June 2026, 252 Pages
Drawing on forty years of research as an anthropologist, historian, and Egyptologist, the author shows how concepts of sacredness and invisibility have been core elements in the spiritual transformations in Egypt as embodied in the early pharaonic religion, Egyptian-Hellenistic religion, Christianity, and Islam, and how these practices of spirituality and cosmology cut across many divides of ethnicity, gender, region, religion, language, and social class.
Information and reading sample: https://aucpress.com/9781649033710/
- June 27, 2026
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment