Shii News and Resources > 2026 > August > 25

Archive for August 25th, 2026

Shii News – Academic Items

1. New Book:

International Relations of the Middle East: Theories and Case Studies,

30 September 2026, Cambridge University Press.

A sample chapter (Introduction) is available here:

https://www.book2look.com/book/9781009617697

2. IMC 2027 CALL FOR PAPERS

MAKING KNOWLEDGE: EDUCATION AND SOCIAL PRACTICE IN MEDIEVAL ISLAMIC AND JEWISH SOCIETIES

How was knowledge made, shared, and sustained within medieval Islamic and Jewish societies? And how did practices of teaching and learning shape the communities in which they took place?

This panel explores education as a social practice through which relationships, identities, authorities, and communities were formed. We invite papers examining the people, places, practices, and material cultures involved in making knowledge across medieval Islamic and Jewish contexts.

Possible topics might include formal and informal learning; teachers, students, families, and scholarly networks; institutions and spaces of education; oral, textual, and manuscript practices; language and translation; religious and professional formation; gender and access to learning; mobility and the circulation of knowledge; and the ways educational practices created or contested boundaries of belonging.

We particularly welcome papers that foreground lived practices of learning and consider how knowledge both emerged from and helped constitute medieval communities.

*Papers may focus on medieval Islamic history or Jewish history individually; comparative and interdisciplinary approaches are also welcome.

If you are interested in proposing a paper, please submit a title & 250-word abstract with a short biography to mahima.khan@qmul.ac.uk or n.a.reiter@qmul.ac.uk by 14th September 2026. We welcome submissions from scholars at all career stages.

3. THE YAVUZ SEZER MEMORIAL ARTICLE PRIZE ($200

The biennial prize is awarded in memory of Yavuz Sezer (1979-2021) for the article that makes the best contribution to the history of architecture and the urban environment in the Ottoman empire and modern Turkey.

The prize is awarded in even‐numbered years to articles published in the previous two-year period (Jan. 2024-Dec. 2025 for the 2026 prize).

If an author appears as a co-author on a second submission, that is allowable only if the nomination is made by the co-author or a third party (e.g. Can Sinov may not nominate their co-authored paper with Roxelana Osmanova if Sinov has already nominated a solo authored paper, the co-authored paper may still be considered if nominated by Osmanova, or a third party). Eligible submissions include peer-reviewed journal articles and peer-reviewed chapters in edited volumes. Pre-print digital editions of articles published in 2024-2025 which will appear in journal volumes in 2026 or later are eligible, with the proviso that the same article cannot then be submitted for consideration in a subsequent year. Articles which appeared in pre-print in 2024-5 but will be included in a 2026 journal volume may be submitted for consideration in the subsequent cycle, provided the pre-print was not first submitted for a prior award. Submissions must be in English.

Nominations may be made by the author, colleagues, publisher, or friends. Applicants must submit the following in an e-mail:

The recommender’s name, address, and e‐mail address
The address, e‐mail address, and phone number of the author
An electronic copy (as a pdf) of the article

No additional materials will be considered as part of the submission.

Materials (or questions) should be e-mailed to the committee chair, Dr. Mehmet Kentel (k.m.kentel@hum.leidenuniv.nl) with “Yavuz Sezer Article Award” in the subject line of the e-mail message.
DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

Contact Information

Dr. K. Mehmet Kentel
Chair of the Selection Committee

Leiden University

Contact Email

k.m.kentel@hum.leidenuniv.nl

URL:

4. Mazda: Bibliotheca Iranica: Literature Series

Established in 1994, the Bibliotheca Iranica: Literature Series is the first and longest-running book series devoted specifically to the publication and critical study of Persian literature in English. From its inception, the series has sought to introduce the richness, diversity, and enduring literary significance of both classical and contemporary Persian literature to scholars, students, and general readers throughout the English-speaking world.

The series was founded on the conviction that Persian literature is one of the world’s great literary traditions and deserves a much wider international readership. Many important works and aspects of Persian literary culture, however, remain inaccessible to readers who do not read Persian. The series seeks to bridge this gap by publishing significant works in carefully prepared English-language editions while preserving, as fully as possible, their literary qualities, cultural meanings, and historical contexts.

The series encompasses both classical and contemporary Persian literature, reflecting the remarkable continuity and diversity of the Persian literary tradition. Over more than three decades, it has contributed significantly to the international dissemination of Persian literature and to a broader understanding of Iran’s rich literary and cultural heritage.

In keeping with Mazda Publishers’ longstanding philosophy, the books in the series are moderately and affordably priced. We believe that important scholarship and literature should be accessible not only to major research institutions but also to students, individual scholars, libraries, and general readers. The Bibliotheca Iranica: Literature Series therefore remains an important part of Mazda Publishers’ continuing commitment to making the finest scholarship on Persian literature available to readers throughout the world.

For more information, please visit this site:

https://www.mazdapublishers.com/series/bibliotheca-iranica-literature-series

5. Two New Courses on Academic Persian and Modern Literature

Introduction to Academic Persian: How to Read Scholarly Literature in Persian (October 9 – November 27, 2026).

The course is designed to introduce students and researchers to the language, terminology, and conventions of academic Persian. Through readings from scholarly articles, critical editions, and works by prominent Iranian scholars, participants will develop the skills needed to read and engage with Persian-language scholarship more confidently and independently.

Persian through Modern Persian Poetry: From Nima to Forugh Farrokhzad (September 18 – November 6, 2026).

This eight-week course uses modern Persian poetry as a way to develop participants’ Persian speaking, listening, and reading skills. Through close reading and discussion of poems by major poets from Nima Yushij to Forough Farrokhzad, participants will deepen their understanding of both the Persian language and modern Iranian literary and cultural life.

Best wishes,

Ruben

Ferdowsi School of Persian Literature

Yerevan, Armenia

Website: www.ferdowsi.org

6. AA VS Bahrain: Cinematic Climate Cartographies

Research in various “post-colonial” contexts, a strong relationship continues to emerge between moments of independence and archaeological excavations. In Bahrain and the wider Gulf, these sites serve as evidence of a pre-colonial era of civilization and alternative histories. They also inspire both artists and architects, influencing their practices. This was explored in connection with environmental changes through Qal’at al-Bahrain in Bahrain, as part of the Climate Cartographies (instagram | LinkedIn) program at AA Visiting School, supported by Alriwaq, MSCEB, and the Arab Regional Centre. The program was led by myself in collaboration with filmmaker Mariam Mekiwi and teaching assistant Maryam AlNoaimi‏.
Selected parts of the public program are now available on Alriwaq’s YouTube Channel, alongside short movies produced by the students. The program’s archaeologists, who are deeply engaged with environmental questions at the site Melanie Moenzer and Dr. Salman Al Muhairi, included architects and landscape designers who created the site-specific museum housing the collection, artists who incorporate archaeology into their practice John A. Davies and Niels Friis, art historians who highlight the connection between art and archaeology Abdullah Al-Mutairi and Melissa Enders-Bhatia, artists that have engaged with archaeological methods Mahmood Baglawa and Nasser Alzayani, and climate considerations at the site and other heritage sites by Tariq Al-Olaimy and Dr. Mounir Bouchenaki.