Archive for 2026

1. Della Valle’s Travels Through Persia, 1617-1622, Translated by Willem Floor

https://mage.com/travels-in-persia-1617-1622-by-pietro-della-valle/

 

 

 

 

 

2. The British Society for Middle Eastern Studies invites submissions of interest for our upcoming conference‘War, Empire, and Sabotage in an Age of Genocide,’ co-hosted with the SOAS Middle East Institute. The conference will take place at SOAS University of London on 23-25 June 2026.

The submission deadline is next Sunday, 18 January 2026 at midnight (UK time).

In addition to submissions aligned with the conference theme, we welcome papers on a broad range of topics related to Middle East Studies. Relevant fields include, but are not limited to, politics, culture & society, literature, anthropology, economics, history, linguistics, and translation studies, with a focus on the MENA region. We welcome proposals for Panels, Roundtables, Individual/Co-authored Papers, and Creative Interventions.

https://www.brismes.ac.uk/conference/about-the-conference/conference-theme

 

 

 

 

3.  Advanced Persian through History of Art Texts

About the course:
This 12-week advanced Persian course strengthens students’ ability to read and analyze sophisticated Persian prose through foundational texts on the history, theory, and practice of Iranian art. Focusing on Persian treatises and art-related writings—such as manuals of calligraphy and painting, artists’ biographies (tazkiras), architectural descriptions, and courtly reflections on aesthetics—the course trains students to engage directly with technical vocabulary, stylistic conventions, and evaluative discourse in art history. Emphasis is placed on close reading, genre awareness, and contextual interpretation. The course is especially beneficial for advanced Persian learners, graduate students, and scholars of art history, Islamic art, Iranian studies, and manuscript culture who seek direct access to Persian art discourse in original sources.

Course Details:

Schedule: Fridays, 30 January 2026 – 10 April 2026

Time: 09:00–10:00 AM (US Pacific), 12:00–13:00 (US Eastern), 06:00–07:00 PM (Central European)

Format: 24 online sessions

Class days and times may be adjusted in accordance with the request of enrollees.

​​Registered participants will receive full access to recorded session videos and all course materials.​

Contact Email

admin@ghandeparsi.com

URL

https://www.ghandeparsi.com/winterschool/arttexts

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. The American Center of Research in Amman Archaeological Ceramics Courses, Summer 2026
The American Center of Research is pleased to announce two new courses for 2026, taught by Assistant Professor Sarah Wenner:

* Introduction to Classical Period Ceramics of Southern Jordan and Northern Saudi Arabia: Introductory

* Introduction to Classical Period Ceramics of Southern Jordan and Northern Saudi Arabia: Advanced.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: March 15, 2026.

For further information, please visit the course webpage:

https://acorjordan.org/ceramics-field-schools-2026/

 

 

 

 

5. Doctoral and Postdoctoral Fellowships at the Orient Institut Beirut (OIB)

https://networks.h-net.org/group/announcements/20137284/doctoral-and-postdoctoral-fellowships-orient-institut-beirut-oib

 

 

 

 

 

6. Between Veil and Vanguard: Ideological Battles over Afghan Femininity

Sayed Hassan Akhlaq
Review of Middle East Studies, Volume 59 / Issue 2, December 2025, pp 55 – 67

 

 

 

 

 

7. MESA 2026 Call for Papers Opens

https://mesana.org/annual-meeting/call-for-papers

Deadline for abstracts: 17 February 2026.

 

 

 

 

 

8. ONLINE Webinar Series “Empowering Muslim Women in Scientific Research” on “Gender Attitudes and Trends over the Last Decade: Examining Female Labor Force Participation” by Prof. Amaney Jamal (Princeton), University of Manchester & University of Sharjah, 28 January 2026, 14:00 – 15:30 CET

Female labour force participation in MENA has been and continues to be quite low when com-pared cross-nationally. Using data from the Arab Barometer, this presentation will examine ap-proximately 20 years of data capturing societal attitudes from across MENA on female employ-ment and empowerment. What progress has and has not been made over the last two decades?

Information and registration: https://tinyurl.com/mr2tsm6f

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. HYBRID Book Launch: “The Ascetic Qur’an and Its Kharijite Readers” by Nora K. Schmid (University of Tübingen), January 29, 2026, 15:00 – 17:00 CET

This book reframes Islamic asceticism away from premodern zuhd literature to the ascetic dimen-sion of the Qur’an and its Kharijite reception. Situating the asceticism of the Qur’an in late antiq-uity, it shows how interiorizing and enacting scripture shaped early Islamic culture. Respondents are Sean Anthony, Adam Gaiser, and Sebastian Guenther.

Information and registration: https://www.qasla.eu/book-launch-nora-schmid

 

 

 

 

 

10. European Workshops in International Studies (EWIS): “Diaspora Diplomacy Reconsidered: Mapping Possible Futures” (Focus MENA Countries), Izmir University of Economics, 1-3 July 2026

This workshop engages with the concept and practice of “diaspora diplomacy”, exploring how diasporas develop their own diplomacies and participate in a wider geopolitical worldmaking be-yond the state, and considering the geographies of their diplomatic practices. From state-led efforts to mobilise migrants as cultural ambassadors, to transnational diaspora political participation, “diaspora diplomacy” operates in spaces where international relations and everyday life intersect.

Deadline for abstracts: 11 February 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/yc42pnsvv

 

 

 

 

 

11. PhD Thesis Prize of the British Association of Islamic Studies (BRAIS) on the Study of Islam and the Muslim World

This international prize is awarded annually to an outstanding doctoral thesis. English-language submissions on any aspect of the academic study of Islam and the Muslim world, past and pre-sent, including Muslim-minority societies are accepted. Applicants can be based in any country.

Deadline for applications: 30 January 2026. Information: https://www.brais.ac.uk/prize

 

 

 

 

 

12. International Summer Academy: “Chagatai Manuscript Reading Course”, University of Münster, 29 June – 3 July 2026

The course aims to provide the participants with advanced knowledge of one of the central lan-guages of the Islamic world through the study of primary texts. Chagatai is not only one of the most important Turkic languages but also an essential source and literary language for studying

the history of Central Asia, Afghanistan and Northwestern China. However, due to the disciplinary division of this area between Slavic Studies, Sinology, Turkic, Islamic and Iranian Studies, Cha-gatai is rarely taught.

Deadline for applications: 13 February 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/4kvdzbvn

 

 

 

 

 

13. ONLINE “Politics Beyond Politics” in the Journal “Middle East Bulletin – A Greek Review of Middle Eastern Affair”, Vol. 47, January 2026, 51 Pages

Articles: The Politics of Turkish drama series. – Growth in a Desert of Censorship? Cinema in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Iran. – Tourism as a Political Instrument in the Contemporary Middle East: The Cases of Israel, Turkey, Egypt and Dubai. – The use of social media during Israel-Palestinian & Iranian-Israeli conflicts. – Israeli Universities and Academic Boycott: The limits of neutrality. – Etc.

Table of content and direct access to the text: https://tinyurl.com/44zuadbm

 

Speaker: Delia Cortese
Date: 30 January 2026
Time: 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm (London time)
Location: In-person and Online

Register at:
https://islamic-college.ac.uk/event-register/

Register via the site at the above link.

1.Guerre et paix en islam de David Cumin

David Cumin : Guerre et paix en islam, géopolitique et polémologie des régions et des pays du monde musulman (XXe-XXIe siècles)

Tome 1 : Approche globale (268 pages – isbn: 9791093817149)

Tome 2 : Approche aréale (606 pages – isbn 9791093817156)

Ouvrage disponible – profitez du tarif de souscription jusqu’au 20 janvier 2026

https://editionsguilhem.com/catalogue/344977-Societe

 

 

 

 

2. Tuḥfat al-Mulūk fī al-Taʿbīr

Editors: Lina Jammal, Bilal Orfali

AUB Press, 2026

One of the earliest known Arabic works on dream interpretation, attributed to the Sistani ruler Abū Aḥmad Khalaf bin Aḥmad al-Sijistānī (d. 399/1009).

https://aub.edu.lb/aubpress/Pages/Tuhfat_al-Muluk.aspx

 

 

 

 

3. The Turn to the Environmentالاتجاه نحو المحيط

AUB Press, 2026

During the late 1980s, the artist Hanaa Malallah (b. Baghdad, 1958) made frequent visits to the Iraq Museum, sketching archaeological artifacts in an attempt to grasp the temporality by which they could at once belong to the past and yet exist in the present. In the wake of the Gulf war in 1991, when the museum was closed and sanctions isolated Iraq from the outside world, Malallah shifted her attention from the museum to its surrounding environment, and she began to explore the city of Baghdad as a field of traces with a temporal structure like that of the archaeological artifact. This research resulted in a distinctive manner of constructing her panels—using found materials to build patterns that seem to encode some indecipherable meaning but only communicate the meaning of time itself—and it set her on a path of further research that moved increasingly in the direction of semiotics and logic.

Malallah conceptualized this turn to the environment in dozens of short texts that she published in newspapers in Baghdad and London over the 1990s. This book gathers that body of art theory not only to provide insight into the evolution of Malallah’s practice, in its taking up a question first posed by Jewad Selim and renewed by Shakir Hassan Al Saʿid, of the relationship between the modern artwork and the historical artifact, but also to open a window into the practice of art in Iraq during a decade of intellectual isolation and material deprivation

https://aub.edu.lb/aubpress/Pages/turn-to-the-environment.aspx

 

 

 

 

 

4. Zahra Institute: Spring 2026 Kurdish Studies Courses & Speaker Series

Register Now for Spring 2026 Courses 

Zahra Institute is pleased to offer M.A. and Certificate programs in Kurdish Studies and Critical Muslim Studies. All courses are also available as standalone options for those seeking focused academic enrichment.

Our Spring 2026 courses include Kurdish Media, Approaches to Kurdish Studies, and language courses in Kurmanji.To register, contact:
admissions@zahrainstitute.org

2026 Spring Speaker Series Begins February 11

We are delighted to announce the launch of Zahra Institute’s 2026 Spring Speaker Series on February 11. This semester’s lineup brings together scholars and experts exploring a range of topics, including Kurdish politics, cultural heritage, literature and identity, Islamic intellectual history, and Muslim chaplaincy in the US.

For details on both see the website: https://www.zahrainstitute.org.

 

Muḥammad Amīn al-Khānjī and His Transactions with Members of the Kāshif al-Ghiṭāʾ Family in Najaf

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, 3^e 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
19^thof 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

26^th 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

2^nd 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

11^th of February (Wednesday) 17:00-18:30 (UK time).

Andrew Marsham, Perspectives on the Umayyad Empire

https://Universityofexeter.zoom.us/meeting/register/mdvrgHS4Sq6MNpJ7eKzrWQ

18^th 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

23^rd 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

2^nd 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

9^th 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

16^th 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

23^rd 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

 

 

 

Please join us at 5 pm (UK time) on Monday, 12 January, for the book launch of the volumes in honour of Professor Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi, titled From the Letter to the Spirit, with participation of the dedicatee, volume editors and contributors. The details of this publication can be found on the publisher’s website: https://www.brepols.net/products/IS-9782503618159-1

To join, please register for either online or in-person attendance at https://www.iis.ac.uk/events/book-launch-honouring-amir-moezzi/

1. New Book “A Pedagogical Grammar of Arabic by al-Qazwīnī al-Naǧǧār: Edition and Study” by Almog Kasher, Harrassowitz-Verlag, December 2025, 184 Pages

This study presents a critical edition of an anonymous pedagogical Arabic grammar, identifying its author as Ṭāhir al-Qazwīnī al-Naǧǧār. It highlights its unorthodox pedagogical features and argues that it likely underlies the renowned Lubāb al-ʾiʿrāb al-māniʿ min al-laḥn fī al-Sunna wa-l-Kitāb, composed by the prolific Sufi ʿAbd al-Wahhāb al-Šaʿrānī.

Information: https://tinyurl.com/4w9wkavk

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Open Call for Submissions for Emruz Festival 2026 (NYC)

We are proud and excited to announce the Open Call for Submissions for Emruz Festival 2026, taking place April 29 – May 3, 2026 in New York City.

Emruz Festival is a spring, biennial, multi-day festival celebrating artists of Middle Eastern, Southwest Asian, and North African (MENA / SWANA) descent. The festival will feature performances, concerts, theater works, short film screenings. We aim to create space for artistic exchange, experimentation, and community gathering.

Spanning several days, Emruz Festival presents a dynamic blend of open-call submissions and curated works, showcasing projects ranging from finished pieces to works-in-progress. Across disciplines—from theater, music, and film—artists are invited to put their work on its feet, share it with the community, and engage with New York City audiences at large.

This year, we are honored to collaborate with Brooklyn Art Haus and Cheers Cinema, which will host selected works throughout the festival.

We warmly welcome submissions from emerging artists across all disciplines. We especially encourage narrative-driven works—projects that speak to what is dear to the artist’s heart and seek to engage contemporary audiences in New York City in meaningful ways. We strongly recommend responding thoughtfully to all application questions, as each submission will be reviewed with care and attention. Emruz Festival provides performance/screening space, production support, and representation of your work as part of the festival. Submission to the Emruz Festival is free.

Key Dates

• Application Deadline: January 31, 2026
• Decision Notification: February 16, 2026
• Festival Dates: April 29 – May 3, 2026

Apply Here!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSchZ1dj2DMOdPT2ZwrC6GKCpA5V6fSDLui8b4gTDbUchvGrgQ/viewform?pli=1

 

 

 

 

 

3. Northwestern University – Keyman Modern Turkish Studies Postdoctoral Fellowship
https://networks.h-net.org/jobs/69646/northwestern-university-keyman-modern-turkish-studies-postdoctoral-fellowship

 

 

 

 

 

4. Bahçeşehir University, Faculty of Economics, Administrative and Social Sciences has designated the Middle East as the theme for its inaugural Interdisciplinary Regional Studies Conference to be held in 2026. This conference aims to address current and historical issues related to the Middle East from an interdisciplinary perspective and to create a productive, deliberative, and comprehensive academic platform by bringing together researchers, experts, and graduate students studying the region.

Researchers wishing to participate in the conference must submit their abstracts of at least 250 and no more than 500 words and relevant keywords by March 15, 2026. Applications will only be accepted via the online form.

IMPORTANT DATES

• Abstract Submission Deadline: March 15, 2026
• Acceptance Notification: March 30, 2026
• Registration Opens: April 1, 2026
• Registration Deadline: April 15, 2026
• Conference Dates: May 7-8, 2026

CONFERENCE VENUE 

The conference will be held in person at the Fazıl Say Conference Hall in the South Campus of Bahçeşehir University in Beşiktaş, Istanbul. All sessions and panels will be held in the relevant halls within the campus, and the detailed program will be shared with participants before the conference date.

CONTACT INFORMATION

bau.bck@eas.bau.edu.tr

Contact Information

bau.bck@eas.bau.edu.tr

Çırağan Caddesi Osmanpaşa Mektebi Sokak No: 4 – 6 34353 Beşiktaş, ISTANBUL / TURKEY

Contact Email

bau.bck@eas.bau.edu.tr

URL

https://bau.edu.tr/news/19506-interdisciplinary-regional-studies-conference-mid…

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany – Professor for the History of the Islamic World
https://networks.h-net.org/jobs/69670/johannes-gutenberg-university-mainz-germany-professor-history-islamic-world

 

 

 

 

 

6. CFP – From the Balkans to Bengal in Baltimore: Engaging Diasporas, Shaping Publics, and Reimagining Islamic Art in American Museums- Deadline February 15
🗓 Conference Dates: September 24-25, 2026
📍 Location: UMD, College Park, and Baltimore
📬 Proposal Deadline: February 15, 2026
🔗 Submit Here: https://forms.gle/4saumkLZiNAxP8EE7
Conference Overview
How should American museums that present Islamic art engage the diasporic communities that are increasingly recognized as key public constituencies? What strategies might best encourage communities to move from viewing art to responding to it—and in doing so, reshape how it is interpreted in public spaces?

This conference explores the transformative ways diasporic communities from the Balkans to Bengal interact with Islamic art in North America. The organizers invite submissions from scholars and museum professionals that identify challenges and opportunities for local actors to engage with global histories of Islamic art. The conference will bring those ideas together with artists and community leaders advancing the needs of local Muslim communities in Baltimore and the wider DMV.

This 2-day conference combines discussions of historical and theoretical foundations with those of the concrete, present challenges of migrant communities as they define their place in the contemporary world. We welcome papers that present experiences with normative and dissident approaches to cultural heritage in migrant societies (pre- and post migration), and that introduce real-world projects and collaborative practices that center community voices, challenge traditional narratives, and reimagine what museum spaces can be—especially in politically and culturally complex moments.

Day One of the conference will be on campus at UMD, College Park, and will include a full day of panel discussions followed by a keynote lecture in the evening, to coincide with a walkthrough of an exhibition of Islam & Print at the University of Maryland Art Gallery. Day Two of the conference will include a visit to the Walters Art Gallery and presentations focused on diasporic Muslim communities in Baltimore.

We welcome paper submissions on a wide range of topics related to the display of arts of the Islamic world, including but not limited to:

Diasporas and Institutions
● How diasporic communities interact with and shape historical collections and Museums
as contact zones for dialogue and cultural negotiation

States, Memory, and Identity
● Reckoning with borders, belonging, and the politics of display
● How museums participate in crafting national and diasporic memory
● The role of Islamic art in narratives of statehood, citizenship, and cultural identity

Community-Led Interpretation
● Community-authored labels, co-curation, and grassroots storytelling
● Empowering communities to shape how Islamic art is displayed

Technology & Immersion
● The potentials of AR/VR, digital storytelling, and immersive tools that connect past to present
● Expanding access and empathy through tech

Contemporary Art and Counterculture
● Connecting Islamic heritage to contemporary practitioners
● Contemporary Islamic art as critical engagement and action

Museum Practice in Challenging Moments
● Navigating Islamophobia, censorship, and contested publics
● Curating in politically charged environments

Who Should Submit?
We invite proposals from scholars across disciplines: Art Historians and Historians (South Asia, MENA, Museology, Migration and Diaspora), museum practitioners (Curators, Educators, Collections staff), Artists, Community Organizers & Heritage Advocates, and Technology/Digital Humanities collaborators.

Submission Guidelines:
Papers (20 minutes):
1. Title of presentation or project
2. Abstract (300–500 words)
3. Short bio (150 words)
4. Optional: links to media, images, or work samples
📞 Questions? Contact us at sslinglu@umd.edu
Contact Email

sslinglu@umd.edu

URL

https://forms.gle/4saumkLZiNAxP8EE7