Archive for 2026
Shii News – Online: ‘Shia Rituals, Student Activism, and Public Space in Italy’ ( M Mirshahvalad, 4.3.26, 18.00 CET)
ONLINE Webinar “From Hidden Rooms to City Streets: Shia Rituals, Student Activism, and Public Space in Italy” by Minoo Mirshahvalad (University of Copenhagen), NYU-Roma Tre Permanent Global Seminar, 4 March 2026, 18:00 CET
This paper examines how Shia Muslims – particularly Iranian students – navigated and reshaped Italian urban spaces between the early 2010s and 2018. It explores how a marginal religious minority negotiates its right to urban presence through evolving practices of visibility, how students act as cultural mediators, and how Italian urban spaces both limit conventional forms of public religiosity, but also open space for creative and locally adapted modes of ritual expression.
Information and registration: https://tinyurl.com/4hc974ka
- February 23, 2026
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1. The Islamic College
Monthly Talk: Modern Readings of the Quran
through a Gendered Lens
Speaker: Professor Asma Afsaruddin
Date: 27 February 2026
Time: 6:00-7:30 pm (London time)
Location: Online
https://islamic-college.ac.uk/afsaruddin-registration/
2. Enroll: Medieval & Early Modern Cartography: An Introduction (June 22-25: Remote)
The Summer Skills Seminar, “Medieval & Early Modern Cartography: An Introduction” will be held via Zoom from Monday, 22 June to Thursday, 25 June 2026 from 10am to noon and 1pm to 3pm MDT.
Regular Registration until April 26
This Summer Skills seminar addresses the importance of maps in medieval and early modern society in terms of their production, function, display, and their contribution to a mapping mentality. Over four days we will study different types of maps from Islamic and Christian territories in relation to their form, content, use, and context. This course will not be addressing the geographic accuracy or scientific basis of cartographic works; rather they will be assessed as material, visual, and aesthetic products and as repositories of a newly formulated system of signs that promoted novel ways of seeing. We will work here to integrate maps more fully into art historical discourses while analyzing them as ideological objects.
Course overview
Over the course of the Middle Ages, cartographic works came to play a significant role in Mediterranean visual culture. This Summer Skills course addresses the importance of maps in medieval and early modern society in terms of their production, function, display, and their contribution to a mapping mentality. Over four days we will study different types of maps from Islamic and Christian territories in relation to their form, content, function, and context. This course will not be addressing cartographic works in terms of their geographical accuracy or contribution to scientific knowledge; rather they will be assessed as material, visual, and aesthetic products and as repositories of a newly formulated system of signs that promoted novel ways of seeing. We will work here to integrate maps more fully into art historical discourses while analyzing them as ideological objects. Art historians have long acknowledged the non-transparent nature of visual imagery and the inquiry of cartographic works undertaken in this course will illuminate the great power that maps had for their producers and consumers.
Course sessions:
Day One will set the stage for an in-depth analysis of cartographic works by asking the question “What does it mean to make a map in the medieval and early modern Mediterranean?” The second topic of the day will be mappaemundi or world maps. These maps constitute some of the earliest cartographic works created in the Mediterranean in both Christian and Muslim traditions. Their close connection to religious communities (as both producers and consumers), spatio-temporal qualities, rich visual imagery, and their melding of religious content and geographical information made them powerful storytelling tools. We will conduct contextual analyses of several world maps to assess the cultural work that maps could perform for an array of patrons and audiences. The availability of digital reproductions of these complex maps will allow course participants to analyze the detailed textual and visual content presented in these cartographic works. We will study a number of world maps, including the Hereford Mappamundi, Fra Mauro’s Mappamundi, and al-Idrisi’s map made for Roger II.
Day Two will focus on a revolutionary new form of mapmaking created during a pivotal moment in the history of cartography: portolan charts and texts from the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. Previously mapping had existed almost exclusively in the religious domain but this time period saw the formulation of new cartographic representations that were completely secular in nature and practical in function, created to gauge distances and identify ports and landmarks, while elucidating social customs in foreign locales. We will assess the relationship between navigational charts and traditional world maps while exploring how portolans forged a distinctive visuality for a new audience of mariners and merchants. Some monuments addressed in this class session will include the Carte pisane, navigational charts made by Pietro Vesconte, Abraham Cresques, etc., portolan texts such as the Liber de existencia riverarium, and the Compasso da navegare, and maps from the Fatimid Book of Curiosities.
Day Three will introduce cartographic works that served novel functions in medieval and early modern society. By the fifteenth century, secular mapmaking traditions had become so embedded into cultural practices that they were designed for a broader clientele to serve cultural and political purposes: luxury gifts, political statements, expressions of sovereignty, and displays of wealth and sophistication. We will highlight the transformation of maps into aesthetic objects of prestige that were displayed prominently in public settings. We will also look at highly politicized contexts for maps in which they lay claim to territory and visualize sovereignty in a competitive Mediterranean environment. Some works to be addressed on Day Three include Vesconte’s maps for Marin Sanudo’s Liber secretorum, maps by Opicinus de Canistris, atlases and luxury presentation maps, and painted wall maps for homes and palaces.
The second half of Day Three will comprise theoretical considerations of maps and mapmaking. We will approach the cartographic content addressed in the first three days in relation to various methodologies and new approaches to the study of cartography. How does the visual system of a map create a mapping mentality that defines how people perceive spaces, places, and things? How do maps create communities of inclusion and exclusion? How do maps mean differently depending upon one’s gender, ethnicity, occupation, and/or religious affiliation? What new approaches can scholars and students apply to the study of maps to tap their extraordinary cultural potential? We will end the course with a discussion of new directions in the study of cartography.
On Day Four we will summarize and catalyze the content presented in the first three days of the seminar. How can we characterize the field of Mediterranean cartography and what new questions might we ask of this material? What did the participants learn from the seminar and how might this content and methodology be incorporated into their own research agendas. This will be a day of dialogue and discussion concerning new directions in the study of medieval and early modern cartography.
Faculty
The course will be conducted by Prof. Karen Rose Mathews (Department of Art and Art History, University of Miami). She received her B.A. in Art History from UCLA and a M.A. and Ph.D. in Art History from the University of Chicago. She has received grants from the Graham Foundation, Kress Foundation, Program for Cultural Cooperation, and the American Research Center in Egypt in support of her research. She published Conflict, Commerce, and an Aesthetic of Appropriation in the Italian Maritime Cities, 1000-1150 (Brill) in 2017 and was lead editor for the volume A Companion to Medieval Pisa (Brill, 2022). Her numerous articles focus on various aspects of medieval Mediterranean visual culture, with a particular emphasis on artistic production in Spain, Italy, and Egypt, including a comparative assessment of civic ceremonial and its architectural framing published in 2025. She has been conducting research on Mediterranean cartography since 2015. An article published in 2022, “Mapping, Materiality, and Merchant Culture in Medieval Italy, 1150-1400,” studies the relationship between cartography, architectural decoration, and new visual systems in the Italian maritime republics. Two more articles in preparation assess Islamic and Christian cartographic traditions in terms of their use in navigation, the perspective they provide on the Mediterranean, and their creation of a new visual vocabulary of signs.
Prerequisites & preparation
Recommended prerequisites: AP Art History courses or introductory surveys. Some upper division or graduate art history coursework is ideal but not required
Please note: sessions will not be recorded; synchronous attendance is required.
Application & Information
The regular application period is until April 26.
There is an [///s/Summer-Skills-Application-Deposit.pdf ]application deposit of $100USD or €100. This will be refunded when course payment is made.
Late applications will be accepted if there is availability and will be subject to a late fee.
If you are not accepted your application deposit will be refunded.
Applicants will be advised of acceptance by May 1. Payment is due on 15 May. Applicants waiting on a grant or subvention should contact us without delay to make arrangements.
Late applicants may be accommodated if space remains. For late applicants full payment will be due within three days of acceptance, including a $75 surcharge for late applications, or be subject to an additional fee.
All payments are final and non-refundable. A letter of confirmation/ receipt will be provided by the Mediterranean Seminar, together with a certificate of completion once the course has concluded.
Apply via this form
NOTE: Numbers are limited; participants are encouraged to apply early.
Fees
There has been no increase in fees for 2026
• $1100 for Full Professors, Librarians & Professionals
• $825 for tenured Associates, Emerita/us, Retired Faculty, Independent Scholars & Non-Academics;
• $575 for non-tenured Associates and Assistants, Postdoctoral Fellows & Graduate and Undergraduate students;
• $400 for Adjuncts, Lecturers & Contingent faculty.
Limited reductions are offered to applicants who are (1) nationals; (2) current residents; (3) AND faculty or students in low-per-capita GDP countries may apply for a reduction (the Low-GDP Bursary program).
Payment information will be provided at the time of acceptance. Posted fees do not include a 5% processing fee.
[///s/How-do-we-determine-our-fees.pdf ]How do we determine our fees?
[///s/Can-I-get-a-reduction-in-fees.pdf ]Can I get a reduction in fees?
[///s/Why-are-there-sometimes-supplementary-charges.pdf ] Why are there sometimes supplementary charges?
[///s/Why-have-our-fees-gone-up.pdf ]Why have our fees gone up?
[///s/What-is-the-low-GDP-Bursary-program.pdf ]What is the low-GDP Bursary program?
Proposed Program
Monday, 22 June 2026: Introduction and Mappaemundi
10am to noon and 1pm to 3pm
1. Introduction to cartographic visuality
2. Mappaemundi—Patrons, audiences, and storytelling potential
Tuesday, 23 June 2026: Portolan Charts and Text
10am to noon and 1pm to 3pm
1. Secular mapmaking traditions—function and audience
2. Relationship of portolans to traditional world maps
Wednesday, 24 June 2026: Novel Uses for Maps and Theoretical Approaches to Cartography
10am to noon and 1pm to 3pm
1. Novel uses for navigational charts and world maps
2. Theoretical Approaches: Maps and/as Representations
Thursday, 25 June 2026: Conclusions and Participant Presentations
10am to noon and 1pm to 3pm
1. Conclusions
2. Participant Presentations
Important dates:
Application period: 26 April 2026
Acceptance/stand by notifications: 5 May 2026
Full payment: 12 May 2026 (subject to extension for late applicants/ or pending grants)
NOTE: Numbers are limited; participants are encouraged to apply early.
Information
For general information regarding fees, enrollment, and administrative matters, contact the Mediterranean Seminar; for questions regarding seminar content and materials, contact the instructor directly.
3. Workshop: Genealogies in Motion: Recording, Visualizing, and Mobilizing Lineage across the Islamicate World.
The Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, University of Tokyo, in collaboration with the Department of Islamic Studies at the University of Bonn and the Japan Office of the Association for the Study of Persianate Societies, is organizing a workshop entitled “Genealogies in Motion: Recording, Visualizing, and Mobilizing Lineage across the Islamicate World.”
Dates: 26 March (Thu), 12:00–19:00, and 27 March (Fri), 10:00–15:45 (–17:30) (JST)
Venue: Room 303, 3rd Floor, Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, University of Tokyo, and online via Zoom.
For further information, please visit: https://www.ioc.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/news/news_en20260218115213/
4. ONLINE Webinar: ‘Material Networks: The Chehel Sotun Carpet Between Iran and the Deccan’
With Margaret Squires
British Institute of Persian Studies (BIPS), 25 February 2026; 5:00 pm UK Time
This talk traces the little-known history of a massive carpet woven in the Deccan for the Chehel Sotun palace in seventeenth-century Isfahan. Dismantled and dispersed in the late nineteenth century, the carpet, said to have measured a staggering 9 by 18 meters, now survives as fragments scattered across at least eleven collections worldwide.
By digitally reconstructing the complete carpet through technical analysis of the fragments, archival sources, and architectural evidence, this research reveals an object shaped by transcultural networks connecting Safavid Iran and the Deccan sultanates. Attention to the distinct material and technical qualities of the fragments is key for understanding the dialogue that took place not only between those who ordered and oversaw the carpet’s production, but the network of designers and weavers who conceived and executed this extraordinarily ambitious project.
This talk will also touch on the carpet’s nineteenth and twentieth century afterlives, during which it was transformed from an integral lining of the palace to a collectible object of fascination
Information and registration:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_K5oi7TiBSiOvny4PMCdjfw#/registration
5. The Virtual Islamic Art History Seminar Series (VIAHSS) is pleased to announce our Spring 2026 program. Please note that all talks will take place on Tuesdays at 12 noon EST/5PM UK/7PM Turkey (unless otherwise noted). Registration links for individual events will be sent out approximately one week before the program. To receive these links, please sign up for our mailing list at viahss.org .
Spring 2026 Lectures
Tuesday, March 10, 2026
12:00 New York / 16:00 London / 19:00
Istanbul
Hallie Swanson (NYU London)
“Unity and Multiplicity: Deccani Workshop Painting and the Sufi Romance”
Tuesday, March 24, 2026
09:00 Los Angeles / 12:00 New York / 16:00 London / 19:00 Istanbul
Keelan Overton (Independent Scholar)
“The Emamzadeh Yahya at Varamin: An Online Exhibition of an Iranian Shrine”
Tuesday, April 7, 2026
12:00 New York / 17:00 London / 19:00 Istanbul
Nancy Micklewright (Independent Scholar)
“Finding the Elusive Fashion Stories of Enslaved Women in Late Ottoman Istanbul”
Tuesday, April 21, 2026
12:00 New York / 17:00 London / 19:00 Istanbul
Claire Dillon (Columbia University)
“Sampling the Sacred: Khaled Sabsabi’s Hip Hop Praxis”
Tuesday, May 5, 2026
12:00 New York / 17:00 London / 19:00 Istanbul
Ryan Mitchell (Temple University)
“Ambition and Spectacle: The Architectural Patronage of Mehmed Ali Pasha of Egypt”
As always, you can find a full schedule of upcoming talks and register for our list-serv on our website at viahss.org. Although not every talk is recorded, we also have recordings of several recent talks available on the VIAHSS Vimeo page at vimeo.com/viahss. Lastly, you can follow us on Instagram at @theviahss to stay up to date on upcoming events!
Contact Information
Drs. Alexander Brey, Jaimee Comstock-Skipp, and Rachel Winter
Contact Email
URL
6. ONLINE Webinar: ‘Persia’s Greek Campaigns: Kingship, War, & Spectacle
With John O. Hyland
British Institute of Persian Studies (BIPS), 18 March 2026; 5:00 pm UK Time
The wars between the Achaemenid Persian empire and the Greek city-states are among the most famous conflicts in world history – above all Xerxes’ expedition of 480-479 BCE, which captured Athens but lost the battles of Salamis and Plataia. In the absence of Achaemenid accounts, this “Persian War” is remembered from the Greek perspective as a disastrous failure,
which ended Persian expansion and empowered Athens’ Classical empire. The full story, though, is more complex. Achaemenid and Near Eastern evidence shows that campaigns led by kings served as political spectacles, designed to project images of royal heroism, imperial cohesion, and logistical mastery through warfare on distant frontiers. Xerxes’ Greek campaign accomplished these objectives, and its initial victories at Thermopylai and Athens permitted a royal claim of overall success, despite the problematic conclusion. The campaign’s mixed legacy set the stage for an evolution of Persia’s frontier imperialism from military to diplomatic methods of power display
Information and registration:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_yaUTsEQlRNSmKI8OVvYL3A#/registration
7. Doha Residence Program
in Advanced Arabic & Social Studies
Fall Semester 2026
A number of merit-based tuition waiver and housing support
Master Arabic & Advance Your Studies in the Arab World!
The Language Center at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies (DI) is delighted to invite applications for the Fall 2026-2027 Doha Residence Program in Advanced Arabic Language and Social Studies. This immersive, semester-long program offers a unique opportunity for international non-native and heritage Arabic-speaking graduate students to deepen their linguistic, cultural, and academic proficiency while engaging in a vibrant intellectual exchange.
Why Choose the DI Residence Program?
This one-of-a-kind program fosters rich academic and cultural interactions between the DI’s predominantly native Arabic-speaking graduate students and faculty, representing diverse backgrounds across the Arab world, and their international peers.
Program Highlights:
vFull immersion in Arabic: The program is delivered entirely in Arabic, ensuring maximum language exposure and practice.
vTailored for academic and professional success: Designed to meet the needs of advanced non-native and heritage speakers looking to refine their Arabic language skills for academic and research purposes.
vComprehensive learning experience: A combination of advanced language training and graduate-level coursework, offering students an academically enriching and culturally immersive semester.
What the Program Offers
- Language-Training Component:
- Intensive courses in advanced Arabic and content-based instruction.
- A focus on productive skills, including speaking, writing, and presentations.
- Development of professional proficiency in reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
- Engagement with a language partner for developing oral fluency in authentic communicative context.
- Academic Component:
- Opportunity to audit graduate courses taught in Arabic at DI’s School of Social Sciences and Humanities and School of Economics, Administration and Public Policy.
- Engagement with an academic partner for enhanced learning.
- Access to DI’s extensive network of conferences, symposia, and guest lectures at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies.
Program Features
- Earn 6 credits of Intensive Arabic
- One-on-one language partner for personalized practice
- Option to audit graduate-level courses taught in Arabic
- One-on-one academic partner
- Access to a rich cultural program
- Participation in exclusive academic events and networking opportunities
Admissions & Fees
- Eligibility: Applicants must have an advanced level of Arabic proficiency.
- Tuition Fees: 9,000 QAR (approximately 2,250€ or 2,465$).
- Housing Costs: 11,000 QAR per semester (approximately 2,650€ or 3,000$).
Apply Now!
Don’t miss this unparalleled opportunity to refine your Arabic language skills, expand your academic and professional horizons, and experience life in one of the most dynamic intellectual hubs of the Arab world.
Submit your application today: Apply Here
Learn more about the DI: Doha Institute
Be part of a transformative academic journey where language, culture, and scholarship converge!
Program Dates:
- Application Deadline: March 15, 2026
- Start of Classes: August 23, 2026
- End of Program: December 03, 2026
* Reading Week Holiday: 25-29 October, 2026
Connect!
language.center@dohainstitute.edu.qa
8. 2026 Ramadan Sale – 20% discount on all Fons Vitae titles
The Fons Vitae 2026 Ramadan Sale
20% DISCOUNT on all Fons Vitae titles!
Ramadan Mubarak! Please enjoy 20% off until ‘Eid March 21st, 2026 with the discount code: “fonsvitae20” GO NOW..
Note: Applies only to books published by Fons Vitae. Cannot be combined with other coupons or discounts. Use the coupon code at checkout.
9. PhD studentship (Classics and Ancient History) at the University of Exeter (UK): ‘Pustules, Palaeogenetics and Pandemics from Galen to Rhazes: How to do the Early History of Smallpox and Measles’
This is a Wellcome funded project (Discovery Award 322103/Z/24/Z), PI: Prof. Rebecca Flemming. This post is available from September 15 2026 to March 15 2030 (42 months), funding covers salary and UK home or international level PhD fees for that period.
The successful applicant will contribute to the work of the project through (1) supporting the research and publication activities of the academic team as they focus around the works of Galen; and (2) undertaking their own PhD research project exploring pandemics, disease and medicine in the ancient/late ancient Mediterranean World.).
Application: For more details of the position, the job requirements, and the application process see the University of Exeter Job Board: ‘Graduate Research Assistant in CAHRT with option to undertake a PhD’. You will need to provide: cv, cover letter, writing sample and PhD project proposal with your application.
The closing date for completed application is 26th March 2026. Interviews are expected to take place in the week beginning April 20th 2026.
10. Generous scholarships available – MA Iranian Studies (SOAS University of London)
An excellent opportunity for talented applicants with a good undergraduate degree (or equivalent) to pursue the MA Iranian Studies in the heart of London at SOAS University of London.
Competitive and generous scholarships are available:
Programme information:
https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.soas.ac.uk%2Fstudy%2Ffind-course%2Fma-iranian-studies&data=05%7C02%7C%7Ceea755a24b924a8a02aa08de6fcb3631%7C2e9f06b016694589878910a06934dc61%7C0%7C0%7C639071115748972750%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=fxF4Zyc4%2Bw0OkS5l6ZG9uksCGTAzauokVD8JCFuUmNg%3D&reserved=0
Kamran Djam Scholarships (deadline 28 March 2026)
https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.soas.ac.uk%2Fstudy%2Fstudent-life%2Ffinance%2Fscholarships%2Fkamran-djam-scholarships&data=05%7C02%7C%7Ceea755a24b924a8a02aa08de6fcb3631%7C2e9f06b016694589878910a06934dc61%7C0%7C0%7C639071115748998931%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=GVpHjUVDsVp7S0bMI%2FiBl3Zp4EoO3ag6TGY92ek9OFQ%3D&reserved=0
Shapoorji Pallonji Scholarships (deadline 21 March 2026):
https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.soas.ac.uk%2Fstudy%2Fstudent-life%2Ffinance%2Fscholarships%2Fshapoorji-pallonji-scholarships&data=05%7C02%7C%7Ceea755a24b924a8a02aa08de6fcb3631%7C2e9f06b016694589878910a06934dc61%7C0%7C0%7C639071115749017645%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=sXCpaWgis4PtWMXIkSicC6fXVAzHPW3x%2FqKd%2FxneAG4%3D&reserved=0
11. ENTANGLED HISTORIES: BORDERS AND CULTURAL ENCOUNTERS FROM THE MEDIEVAL TO THE CONTEMPORARY ERA
Online Seminar Series
Borders have shaped societies, identities, and histories across centuries. This seminar series, promoted by the Faculty of Communication and the Master’s Programme in Media and Cultural Studies at Üsküdar University, invites academics, students, and anyone interested in understanding how boundaries—political, cultural, social, and symbolic, among others—impact our world. Whether your background is in history, literature, anthropology, philosophy, or simply curiosity, you are invited to join a vibrant and interdisciplinary community.
Through a rich programme of talks and discussions, you will:
- Explore how borders have defined and transformed communities, beliefs, and identities.
- Examine boundaries as both barriers and bridges, fostering encounters, conflicts, and creative exchanges.
- Investigate historical and contemporary examples of negotiation, crossing, and reimagining of borders.
- Engage with scholars presenting original research on migration, exile, religious frontiers, literary representations, and the politics of belonging.
Seminars take place every Wednesday at 5 pm (Central European Time) on Zoom.
Zoom link for all meetings:
https://tinyurl.com/aumv88jz
PROGRAMME (FIRST PART OF THE SERIES)
25 February 2026
Elisa Ramazzina (University of Insubria)
Margins, Maps, and Monsters: Negotiating Borders in the “Wonders of the East”
4 March 2026
Muhammet Enes Akdağ (Üsküdar University)
Transnational Film Networks and Moviegoing Culture in the Jerusalem Mutasarrifate (1874–1917)
11 March 2026
Karen Pinto (University of Colorado Boulder)
Through the Eye of the Cartographer: The KMMS Islamicate Vision of the Bilad al-Rum Byzantine Frontier with Syria
18 March 2026
Sonja Brentjes (Independent Scholar)
Formal and Informal Borders: How Much Did They Matter in the Mathematical Sciences in Premodern Islamicate Societies?
25 March 2026
Eleonora Matarrese (University of Bari)
Edible Wild Plants: Widespread and Futuristic Knowledge in the Middle Ages
1 April 2026
(TBA)
8 April 2026
Marusca Francini (University of Pavia)
Beyond Poetry. The Style of the Norwegian ‘Tristrams Saga’
12. The British Association for Islamic Studies is delighted to announce the publication of its 2026 Annual Conference programme.
This year’s conference will be hosted by the Aga Khan University’s Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations and the Institute for Ismaili Studies, London, on Monday 18 and Tuesday 19 May 2026.
The provisional programme can be viewed online HERE.
You can now register as a delegate online HERE.
We are excited by the depth and breadth of this year’s programme and we hope that you will consider joining us for what promises to be a dynamic and stimulating two days of academic exchange and conversation.
We look forward to seeing many of you in May, and please do not hesitate to contact us is you have any questions at all.
With very best wishes,
The BRAIS 2026 Conference Team
13. Islamic Studies Summer School in Leiden 13-17 July 2026
Registration is now open! Please apply or encourage PhD students to apply!
Graduate School of Islamic Humanities:
Approaches to the Study of Islam
Dear colleagues and PhD students,
Our Islamic Studies Summer School is now open and accepting registrations. The theme is Approaches to the Study of Islam.
This annual program aims to foster intellectual exchange and build a global network of early career scholars in Islamic Studies. Designed for PhD candidates and early career researchers, the program will provide an immersive experience combining rigorous academic lectures, workshops, and discussions with opportunities for candid intellectual conversations, networking, and visits to historical sites.
Program Structure
Lecturers will conduct morning sessions (3 hours each), featuring comprehensive lectures and discussions on topics within their areas of expertise. These sessions will be supplemented by interactive afternoon workshops and group discussions to deepen participants’ engagement. Please note that participants are expected to have a working knowledge of the Arabic language and Islamic texts.
Special activities include visits to cultural and historical sites offering participants a unique opportunity to explore Islamic manuscripts and classical texts at Leiden University.
For more information, please visit the Leiden University Centre for Islamic Thought and History page
14. Alwaleed Centre Edinburgh
Hybrid – Book Launch: Islamophobia and Translations of Securitization in the UK, France, and Italy
1:30pm to 3pm GMT on 3 March
Venue: G.03, Doorway 6, Old Medical School, Teviot Place, Edinburgh, EH8 9AG.
Join us on 3 March when Dr Ugo Gaudino, ESRC Research Fellow (International Relations) at the School of Global Studies at the University of Sussex, presents and discusses his new book ‘Islamophobia and Translations of Securitization in the UK, France, and Italy’. Gaudino integrates cross-disciplinary resources to investigate how and why European Muslims are often portrayed as a security threat by both right and left-wing political parties, exploring research on Islamophobia in the West, critical studies on security and terrorism, and scholarship on the normalization of far-right racism across the political spectrum.
This book launch is hybrid. Please register below if you wish to join online.
15. International Review of Social History
‘The World of Sugar’, 70/3, December 2025
16. HYBRID Lecture “Urban Property in Galata: Merchant Companies, Commercial Build-ngs, and the Development of Ownership Patterns in the Late Ottoman Empire” by Prof Ayşe Ozil (Sabancı University), British Institute at Ankara (BIAA), 5 March 2026, 15:30 CET
This talk traces the transformation in urban property in one of the major global commercial centers of the empire, the port of Galata. Focusing on the rise of modern business buildings, it explores the ways in which commercial actors engaged with land and property and contributed to changing patterns of ownership against the background of global business in the late Ottoman period.
Information and registration: https://tinyurl.com/54285sky
17. 4th Colloquium des jeunes chercheurs en archéologie soudanaise: “Sensory Worlds of the Nile Valley – Past and Present”, INHA, Paris, 10 June 2026, 9:00 CET
This study day explores the multiple dimensions of the history of the senses and of perception in the Nile Valley, from ancient to contemporary periods. This theme invites us to move beyond traditional approaches through a refined reading of material, architectural, iconographic and tex-tual sources. It opens up new avenues of reflection on daily, craft, social, cultural and ritual prac-tices.
Deadline for abstracts: 30 March 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/4vk4f5ew
18. Research Assistant Predoc (m/f/d) third party funding DFG, 75% part-time, limited to 3 years
The research project examines conceptions of sociology as well as sociological perspectives in Arabic periodicals between 1885 and 1952. The research assistant will contribute to the activities of the overall project, whilst mainly completing a doctoral dissertation (monograph) on conceptions of sociology in Arabic journals during the above-mentioned period.
Deadline for applications: 2 March 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/4bubdpj8
19. PhD Position (3 Years) in the Project “Governing Health, Family and Religion: The Bio-politics of Genetic Counselling and Religious Family Formations (RELI GENE)”, SOAS, London
The project examines how state led genetic healthcare policies intersect with religious and cultural practices in close-knit religious minority communities across Europe and the Middle East. The PhD student will focus on the governmentality of genetic counselling with a primary focus on Germany. Required are a Master’s degree in Social Policy, Political Science, Law, Anthropology or a related discipline, and strong proficiency in German and excellent academic writing skills in English.
Deadline for applications: 27 March 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/3ry46ecf
20. Wissenschaftl. Mitarbeiter:in in Islamwissenschaft, Orient-Institut Beirut
Anforderungen: Promotion in einem islamwissenschaftlichen Themenbereich. – Ausgezeichnete Arabisch-, Englisch- und Deutschkenntnisse sowie Forschung mit arabischsprachigen Quellen. – Hervorragende Veröffentlichungen (der Karrierestufe angemessen). – Kenntnisse und Interesse an arabischer Editionsarbeit sind von Vorteil.
Ende der Bewerbungsfrist: 1. März 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/2wef5f72
21. Senior Academic Position in Islamic Studies, Tel Aviv University
The position is open to outstanding researchers specializing in Early, Classical, or Post-Classical Islam, with particular emphasis on Qurʾānic Studies, including Qurʾānic exegesis, Muslim tradi-tion, and related fields in Islamic thought, such as theology, jurisprudence, and mysticism. Re-quirements: Full command of literary Arabic. – Demonstrated research excellence. – Ability to teach courses in Hebrew. – Ability to teach in Arabic and/or English will be considered an ad-vantage.
Deadline for applications: 15 March 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/mry68au6
22. Intensive Course: “The Crusades and Islamic History”, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 20-22 July 2026
This three-day intensive course will focus on reading medieval primary sources for the social, economic and religious history of Egypt and Greater Syria, including Palestine during the period of the Crusades, roughly 1050-1500. It is intended for advanced graduate students and other qualified participants and will be offered by Prof. Paul M. Cobb (University of Pennsylvania) in collaboration with Prof. Ann Zimo (University of New Hampshire) and Prof. Reuven Amitai (He-brew University of Jerusalem).
Deadline for applications extended to 6 March 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/3rjsfwpj
23. Research Articles for the “Journal of South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (JSAMES)”, University of Pennsylvania Press
The JSAMES is interested in interdisciplinary scholarship that explores the unique political, social, and economic formations and their historical antecedents that contribute to region-making in our contemporary age. We are particularly interested in scholarship that takes the South Asian and Middle Eastern macro-region as the starting point for thinking through the world and across various geographies, languages, identities, exchanges, flows, and networks that shape the life-worlds of people in the macro-region and beyond.
Information: https://tinyurl.com/bdzcrvjr
24. Articles for the Journal “Turkish German Studies (TSG)”, Published by Istanbul University Press
The journal aims to offer an international, interdisciplinary platform for the exchange of academic research on all aspects of Turkish German Studies. We seek to publish scholarly articles in Eng-lish, German, and Turkish from various fields, including literary and cultural studies, linguistics, media and communication studies, sociology, political science, history, and education.
Deadline for manuscripts: 31 May 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/mr5by9w3
25. Nouveau livre : “La Fermeté des faibles” de Sufi Allahyar, Les éditions du cerf, fevr. 2026, 288 pages
Texte majeur de la spiritualité d’Asie centrale rédigé à la fin du XVIIe siècle par le maître Sûfî Allâhyâr, La Fermeté des faibles, traduit ici pour la première fois en français par Alexandre Papas et Marc Toutant, propose une vision intransigeante du soufisme. Loin d’une mystique édulcorée, ce traité composé en vers turks prône un retour radical à la piété et à la Loi. Son style, vif et souvent tranchant, en fait un véritable sermon qui résonne avec une urgence spirituelle flamboy-ante.
Information : https://tinyurl.com/36n8m5yb
- February 21, 2026
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – ERC postdoc position on the anthropology of Ansarallah/Houthis in Yemen
Open ERC postdoc position on the anthropology of Ansarallah/Houthis in Yemen. We are looking for someone passionate about Yemen and the interplay between religious authority, institutions, and everyday lifeworlds under Ansar Allah (Houthis).
Details and application:
https://www.oeaw.ac.at/jobs?jh=ul2vchzotpqsbw7khmbxjxjvga0po8c
Short project overview:
https://www.oeaw.ac.at/isa/forschung/forschungsgebiete-des-isa/naher-osten/ideology-in-context
https://oeawnr.onlyfy.jobs/job/vyzifyx8
https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/408980
Closing date: 31 March, 2026
- February 20, 2026
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
- February 19, 2026
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Imam Ali Seminar (London, Sunday, 1st March 2026 – 2:00 PM)
SEMINAR
TO COMMEMORATE THE MARTYRDOM OF
IMAM ALI (a.s.)
SUNDAY 1st MARCH 2026 – 2:00 PM
VENUE – REGENT’S UNIVERSITY LONDON
TUKE HALL
INNER CIRCLE, REGENT’S PARK, LONDON NW1 4NS
Tube station: Baker Street
Chair: Professor Robert Gleave
Robert Gleave is Professor of Arabic Studies in the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter, UK. He researches the history of Shīʿīsm, with a particular interest in Shiite Law. His most recent collaborative publications are (with Kumail Rajani) Shi’ite Legal Theory: Sources and Commentaries (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press / Gibb Memorial Trust, 2023) and (with Omar Anchassi), Islamic Law in Context: A Primary Source Reader (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004). He has carried out research into the history of Shiism and the Shiite communities in Iran, Iraq and India. He is currently British Academy Wolfson Professor – and is completing a monograph on the history of Shiite law in the early 19th century CE.
Dr Reza Shah-Kazemi
Nothing but Beauty: Hazrat Zaynab and the Meaning of Bearing Witness
Dr Reza Shah-Kazemi is an author in the fields of Islamic Studies and Comparative Religion; Senior Research Associate at the Institute of Ismaili Studies; and Managing Editor of Encyclopaedia Islamica. He studied International Relations and Politics at Sussex and Exeter Universities before obtaining his PhD in Comparative Religion from the University of Kent.
Shaykh Dr Gulamabbas Murtaza Lakha
Interfaith Reflections on the Psalms of Imām ʿAlī (as) and the Old Testament
Shaykh Dr Gulamabbas Murtaza Lakha is a researcher and tutor in Psychology of Religion at the University of Oxford. His first degree in Economics & Econometrics was followed by the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and entrepreneurship, serving as CEO of an investment firm he founded in 2004. Concurrently, he earned four postgraduate degrees in Psychology and Neuroscience (including neuroimaging of dhikr practice for an MSc dissertation), Theology, Islamic Studies, History and Arabic, with an MPhil thesis on commentaries of al-Ṣaḥīfa al-Sajjādiyya, together with papers on early biographical dictionaries (ṭabaqāt) on Imām Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq (as) and Shaykh al-Kulaynī. He continued at Oxford University for a DPhil in Psychiatry, examining how Islamic concepts and practices can inform psychotherapeutic treatments. Following religious training over two decades, he has lectured widely on contemporary Islam and was accredited as a Shaykh in 2020 by the Hākim al-Sharʿ for Europe of Grand Ayatullah Sistani.
AN OPEN INVITATION
PLEASE BE SEATED BY 2:00 PM
ORGANISER & SPONSOR: THE AHMED FAMILY – C/O MUHAMMADI TRUST (020 8452 1739)
- February 18, 2026
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1.Call for Chapters: Evident Tongues, Evident Bodies: Language, Sense, and Proof in the Early Modern World
Editors: Dr Mary Katherine Newman and Dr Rana Banna
What counted as evidence in the early modern world?
How did language itself – spoken, written, translated, or performed – shape conceptions of proof?
And how did sensory experience lend authority, or uncertainty, to what language claimed as true?
We invite chapter proposals for an edited volume examining how encounters through language and the senses shaped the production of evidence in the early modern period (c.1492–1700). Building on the interdisciplinary reading group Evident Tongues, Evident Bodies held at UCL’s Institute of Advanced Studies, the volume considers how early modern thinkers understood the interplay between linguistic practice and sensory experience in the making of knowledge and truth.
From translation and foreign tongues to sacred utterance, magical speech, the rhetoric of governance, the emerging idioms of science, and the ambitions of poetic language, the early modern world was marked by intense reflection on how words could signify, persuade, and prove. At the same time, theorists and practitioners across domains – from physicians and natural philosophers to theologians, travellers, jurists, and dramatists – debated the evidentiary authority of the senses: what could be seen, heard, touched, tasted, or smelled as proof?
We seek contributions that illuminate how words, sounds, and sensations became sites of truth, persuasion, or belief, and how embodied perception shaped practices of verification, uncertainty, and doubt. Proposals may explore texts, performances, rituals, objects, archives, or embodied practices, and we welcome work that bridges disciplinary boundaries.
Possible topics may include, but are not limited to:
- Language, translation, and sensory perception: as instruments for verifying truth and negotiating authority in colonial and cross-cultural encounters
- Poetic and literary explorations of evidence: how language and embodied experience imagine or question the conditions of proof
- Material texts and visual proofs: scripts, diagrams, maps, and other graphic traces that make evidence visible
- The search for a perfect or universal language: across poetic, philosophical, scientific, occult, and theological traditions, as a pursuit of linguistic certainty and epistemic clarity
- Legal and theological forms of testimony: confession, revelation, and witnessing as practices of verbal and embodied proof
- Theology and religious treatises: revelation, prophetic vision, and the moral or divine authority of evident speech
- Magical and occult philosophies: alchemy, astrology, divination, and demonology, and their verbal and sensory conjuring of hidden or divine evidence
- Scientific and empiricist efforts to produce evidence: the use of plain rhetorical style, sensory observation, and experiment, alongside continuities with poetic and magical idioms of proof
- Medical and anatomical observation: the witnessing of bodies, wounds, and symptoms as persuasive demonstrations of truth
- Bodily proofs: the senses and bodily perception as modes of testing and demonstrating truth
- The evidentiary status of sound: sermons, songs, chants, oaths, spells, and other vocal acts that establish, challenge, or authenticate belief
- Sensory epistemologies in science and natural philosophy: the interplay of observation and description in producing credible knowledge
- Deception and error: illusion, mistranslation, and doubt in the interpretation of sensory or linguistic evidence
- Pedagogies of the senses and of speech: the training of bodies, tongues, and minds to discern reliable evidence
- Afterlives and continuities: the persistence and transformation of early modern sensory and linguistic epistemologies in later practices of proof
Interdisciplinary approaches welcomed, including, but not limited to:
Literature | History/History of Science | Religious Studies | Art History | Translation Studies | Sensory Studies | Legal History | Theatre & Performance | Philosophy | Anthropology | Colonial & Global Studies | Linguistics | Book History | Musicology
Submission details:
Title
Synopsis/abstract (300-400 words)
Author biography (100-150 words)
Deadline for submissions: 12th April 2026
Please send proposals (300-400 words) with short author biographies (100-150 words) to: mary.newman.14@ucl.ac.uk and r.banna@ucl.ac.uk
Full chapters (6,000–8,000 words) will be due in April 2027
Dr Mary Katherine Newman (she/her)
Quirk Postdoctoral Fellow (2025-6)
Institute of Advanced Studies, UCL
www.maryknewman.com
Coordinator Oxford Comparative Criticism and Translation
2. Announcing the Mediterranean Seminar Summer Skills Seminars for 2026
This year the Mediterranean Seminar in conjuction with the CU Mediterranean Studies Group is offering thirteen Summer Skills Seminars – intensive four-day boot-camps for scholars, researchers, graduate and advanced undergraduate students, librarians, teachers, professionals and afficionados. Led by leading authorities and emerging scholars in their respective fields, the Summer Skill Seminars provide either a foundation or an intensive focus on different aspects of Mediterranean Studies. Acquire new skills to augment your research profile and open new areas of specialization, explore a new subject area or theme to enrich your teaching or simply expand your field of knowledge in these small-group hands-on four-day synchronous remote workshops.
This year’s Summer Skills Seminars include:
May 18-21 – Reading Archival Latin
May 18-21 – Reading Medieval Greek Manuscripts
June 15-18 – Reading Ottoman Turkish
June 15-18 – The Archivo General de Indias: A Global Archive (NEW)
June 22-25 – Medieval & Early Modern Cartography
June 22-25 – Medieval Mediterranean Coinage: An Introduction
June 29 – July 2 – Mediterranean Magic: An Introduction
June 2 9 – July 2 – Reading Armenian Manuscripts (NEW)
July 6-9 – Sephardic Culture: An Introduction
July 13-16 – The Archivo General de Simancas: An Introduction
August 3-6 – Reading Medieval Catalan
See below & individual announcements for details.
Regular registration is open until 26 April 2026. Numbers are limited so please register early to guarantee a place.
EXCUSE CROSS-POSTINGS – PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY
Information
For general information regarding fees, enrollment, and administrative matters, contact the Mediterranean Seminar; for questions regarding seminar content and materials, contact the individual instructor directly.
May 18-21 2026 – Reading Archival Latin
Focusing on the documents in Latin held at the Archive of the Crown of Aragon in Barcelona, this seminar presents an introduction to Latin diplomatics and the reading of unedited archival documents through the incredible rich collection of Barcelona’s ACA. The seminar combines hands-on reading practice with units on different genres of documents, abbreviations, research techniques, dating systems, and other relevant information.
Instructor: Brian A. Catlos
Prerequisites: Intermediate reading knowledge of Latin is required, but no previous experience in paleography or diplomatics.
May 18-21 2026 – Reading Medieval Greek Manuscripts
Participants will explore Greek manuscript culture through an introduction to paleography with a historical background on the evolution of Greek script. The course emphasizes the major hands and writing styles from antiquity through the Byzantine period, including majuscule and minuscule scripts as well as humanistic and Renaissance scripts. Techniques for deciphering common manuscript abbreviations, ligatures, and symbols, which are essential for understanding Greek manuscripts, will be covered in depth. Participants will also receive guidance on navigating digital repositories and databases for Greek manuscripts, along with tools for accessing online reproductions and secondary literature.
Instructor: Manolis Ulbricht
Prerequisites: Participants need to have reading knowledge of Greek (whether ancient, medieval or modern). The language of instruction is English.
June 15-18 2026 – Reading Ottoman Turkish
This course offers an introduction to Ottoman Turkish, providing an intro level course to the language and a brief overview of Ottoman paleography. By the end of the course, the student will be able to read basic texts in print, recognize different paleographic styles, types of documents, as well as understand how and what dictionary to use for different types of texts. The course is perfect for students with knowledge of Turkish and/or Persian and Arabic, with an interest but no prior knowledge of Ottoman Turkish.
Instructor: Oscar Aguirre Mandujano
Prerequisites: Reading of Turkish and/or Persian and Arabic; no prior knowledge of Ottoman Turkish necessary. The language of instruction is English.
June 15-18 2026 – Introduction to the Archivo General de Indias: A Global Archive (NEW)
This course offers an in-depth introduction to the Archive of the Indies (Archivo General de Indias) in Seville, one of the world’s most important repositories for the study of the Spanish Empire and the early modern Atlantic world. Founded in 1785, the archive houses millions of documents produced by Spanish colonial institutions governing the Americas and the Philippines from the 15th to the 20th centuries, featuring the five continents and numerous different languages. The course is open to anyone -undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, librarians, archivists and general public- interested in early modern, Atlantic, and global history, even with little or no research experience.
Instructor: Jorge Díaz Ceballos
Prerequisites: Applicants should have at least an intermediate level of reading Spanish. The language of instruction is English.
June 22-25 2026 – Medieval & Early Modern Cartography: An Introduction
This Summer Skills Seminar provides participants with an overview of key concepts and methodologies in the study of Mediterranean and Early Modern cartography and the interpretation of maps. The course will address the themes of mobility, connectivity, and encounter in relation to the visual culture of peoples and territories across the sea. Participants will acquire an art historical tool kit to assist them in conducting their own research on the visual culture and artistic production of the medieval Mediterranean.
Instructor: Karen Mathews
Prerequisites: Recommended: AP Art History courses or introductory surveys. Some upper division or graduate art history coursework is ideal but not required
June 22-25 2026 – Medieval Mediterranean Coinage: An Introduction
This Summer Skills Seminar will introduce participants to the dynamic interactions of Roman and Sasanian coinages in the Late Antique period, which gave way to the tripartite division of Latin, Byzantine, and Islamic coinages of the succeeding centuries. We will examine how these three coinages developed and interacted through the later medieval centuries, laying the groundwork for the modern monetary systems.
Instructor: Alan Stahl
Prerequisites: None.
June 29 – July 2 2026 – Mediterranean Magic: An Introduction
This four-day intensive skills seminar will not only provide participants with an overview of magic’s history (broadly defined) throughout the premodern period but also introduce them to recurring patterns in magical practice and representation, significant symbols, and even tools for bringing similar material into their classrooms or personal reflections. As much as possible the content will be catered to participants interests and needs. Medievalists of all disciplines and ranks, graduate students, qualified undergraduate students, library and archival professionals, independent scholars, and modern magic practitioners or enthusiasts are encouraged to apply.
Instructor: Veronica Menaldi
Prerequisites: There are no prerequisites apart from an interest in magic, astrology, and occult science in both culture and literature.
June 29 – July 2 2026 – Reading Armenian Manuscripts (NEW)
From the fifth century CE onward, Armenian writing has spanned an incredible geographic and cultural scope. This intensive and introductory course guides participants to decipher medieval and early modern Armenian manuscripts, running a textual gamut from the work of professional scribes at the Cilician chancellery to the marginal notes of monastic readers, hard pressed for candles (and eyesight); from the personal correspondence of travelers, far from home, to equally well-traveled romances in the worldly vernacular. Through a combination of small-pair and group work, participants will acquire the paleographic skills to accurately read and describe handwritten texts in the Armenian script — a massive corpus that includes works not only in Classical, Middle, dialectal, and modern Armenian, but other languages as well, such as Turkish (Armeno-Turkish) and Persian (Armeno-Persian).
Instructor: Michael Pifer
Prerequisites: Basic reading knowledge of Armenian (Classical or modern) is required.
July 6-9 2026 – Sephardic Culture: An Introduction
This Summer Skills Seminar provides participants with the an overview of main currents in Sephardic Studies including historial and cultural trends, texts, sources for the period 900-1700 CE, and attending to the potential of this field to enhance your own research and teaching. It is designed with academics in mind, particularly graduate students, postdocs, and professors working in disciplines such as history, literature, religious studies, but all interested parties are welcome to apply. Participants will receive a completion certificate which may be listed on your CV and other documents such as grant/fellowship applications. The seminar is held via zoom over four days, with two two-hour sessions each day. Participants are expected to prepare readings in advance of the sessions, which will be a blend of lecture, pair and group discussion, group close readings, and in-class activities.
Instructor: David A. Wacks
Prerequisites: None.
July 13-16 2026 – The Archivo General de Simancas: An Introduction
This seminar offers an introduction early Modern Spanish paleography and the organization of the General Archive of Simancas and an insight into the rich sources of the Spanish monarchy in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Using a hands-on approach, students will learn to analyze original documents and to read and transcribe sources in early modern Spanish and in other languages, enabling students to read documents at the AGS and from across the global empire of Early Modern Spain.
Instructor: Prof. Rubén González Cuerva
Prerequisites: Applicants should have a good reading knowledge of modern Spanish. The language of instruction is English.
August 3-6 2026 – Reading Medieval Catalan
The vast and rich corpus of medieval Catalan literature has yet to be given its full due in our overall understanding of medieval European literature and culture. This is the result, in large part, of the fact that medieval Catalan, unlike Old French or Old Spanish, has not evolved to become the major language of a modern European nation state. For similar reasons, there have been few opportunities, outside a few centers, to study this corpus or to learn to read it in its original medieval language. The present course seeks to begin to fill this gap in the knowledge of medieval European vernacular literatures by offering the basic skills necessary to read medieval Catalan through study of key texts in the development of 13th through 15th century Catalan letters.
Instructor: John Dagenais
Prerequisites: Applicants should have at least a good reading knowledge of modern Spanish, French, Italian and/or Portuguese or some knowledge of Catalan. The language of instruction is English.
3. Manuscripts in Partition
February 25, 2026
HMML’s manuscripts tell stories of borders, upheaval, and resilience. Across the 20th century, the creation of new nation-states often disrupted libraries and displaced cultural treasures, leaving minority communities and their manuscripts fragmented and at risk. As part of HMML’s 60th anniversary celebration, this lecture uncovers how these manuscripts bear witness to the human consequences of partition and reveals the remarkable work HMML does to reconnect, preserve, and share what was thought to be lost.
Presenter
Dr. Josh Mugler, Curator of Eastern Christian & Islamic Manuscripts: Oversees HMML’s Eastern Christian and Islamic manuscript collections, directing cataloging and preservation that reconnect dispersed cultural heritage and make it accessible to scholars worldwide.
Registration
Free and open to the public, but registration is required: https://secure.hmml.org/a/winter-lecture-series-february-2026
Contact Information
Dr. Audrey Thorstad
Director of Programming
Hill Museum & Manuscript Library
Contact Email
4. UCLA: Pourdavoud Lecture Series
Elephantine Goes Global, Island of the Millennia
https://pourdavoud.ucla.edu/events/verena-lepper-elephantine-goes-global/
Verena Lepper (J. Paul Getty Museum)
Wednesday, February 25, 2026 at 4:00 pm Pacific Time
Royce Hall 306 and Via Zoom
Register at:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd3Gng2bJvY7hfDB24_aLv9L_w2kn_99PscpYLCUn9truatww/viewform
- February 17, 2026
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Online: The Emamzadeh Yahya Project (18.2.26, 15.30 CET)
The first lecture of 2026 in our online series, “Material Culture, Art, and Architecture of Pre-Safavid Shīʿism” will take place on Zoom on Wednesday, February 18th at 15:30 CET:
The Emamzadeh Yahya Project: Reflections on an Interdisciplinary and Independent Research Initiative and Online Exhibition
with Keelan Overton
If you would like to attend, please register here: https://universiteitleiden.zoom.us/meeting/register/MGNA8u2HT3Ca1RG5ubxtXA
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information on how to join the meeting.
To stay updated on upcoming events, learn more about our broader project, “Embodied Imamate: Mapping the Development of the Early Shīʿi Community 700–900 CE,” or watch recordings of previous lectures in this series, please visit our YouTube channel (Embodied Imamate) and our website: https://embodiedimamate.hcommons.org/.
- February 16, 2026
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1. Please join the 2026 International Journal of Islamic Architecture (IJIA) ‘Dialogues’ online roundtable on the theme “Healthcare Architecture in Islamic Traditions/Translations”, taking place on March 7, 2026.
This annual Dialogues session explores how Islamic societies have shaped health-conscious architecture, from traditional practices to responses to epidemics and pandemics. Cansu Değirmencioğlu, Sara Honarmand Ebrahimi, and Kamyar Salavati will join IJIA Assistant Editor Deniz Avci to discuss culturally responsive approaches to healthcare design across hospitals, domestic spaces, and urban environments.
Join us for an interdisciplinary conversation on designing for health, hygiene, and care in Islamic contexts.
March 7, 2026 | 15:00–16:30 GMT / 6:00–7:30 Pacific / 9:00–10:30 Eastern
Register via Zoom:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83691919135?pwd=nNd8AKf7uZvzV3MKBezfZrvzNvevXD.1
2. Logics of Localisation: Vernacular Islamic tombstone traditions of Sumatra
Jessica Rahardjo
Thursday, February 19, 2026 at 6:30 PM
In-Person and Virtual Lecture
The Institute of Fine Arts
1 East 78th Street, New York, 10075
Tombstones – among the most abundant, datable forms of material culture in maritime Southeast Asia – are widely considered to be synonymous with the adoption of Islam in the region. This paper presents two distinct vernacular traditions of Islamic tombstones: one from Aceh in northern Sumatra and another from the Minangkabau highlands in western Sumatra. It explores the factors driving the adoption of specific tombstone forms and their subsequent transformations, focusing on the interaction between the incoming monotheistic belief and local immanentist modes of religiosity, as well as the impact of successive waves of religious reformism from the 17th to the 19th centuries.
Jessica Rahardjo is Postdoctoral Researcher on the Leverhulme Trust project Mapping Sumatra’s Manuscript Cultures, SOAS University of London, and Research Associate at the Khalili Research Centre, University of Oxford. Her research focuses on the material and manuscript cultures of Islamic Southeast Asia. She recently completed her DPhil at Oxford with a dissertation on batu Aceh, a Southeast Asian Islamic tombstone tradition (15th–19th centuries). Jessica was a recipient of the Getty Foundation Indian Ocean Exchanges fellowship (2021–23). She is also a committee member of Teaching the Codex, an initiative dedicated to developing pedagogical approaches to palaeography and codicology.
Registration is essential. To register, please use the form available at:
https://ifa.nyu.edu/events/date/2-19-26.html
3. The Hajji Baba Club Research Fellowship was established in 2018 to promote original scholarship in the field of carpet studies. It provides financial support and visibility for emerging scholars and independent researchers. The maximum fellowship award for 2026-2027 is $8,000 USD.
The fellowship is competitive and applications are due by 5:00 PM EST May 1, 2026.
Please see our website for the application details https://www.hajjibaba.org/research-fellowship/ as well as some information on our current and past fellows: https://www.hajjibaba.org/current-fellow/
URL
https://www.hajjibaba.org/research-fellowship/
4. Position – Assistant, Associate, Full Adjunct Professor – Arts of Iran and Central Asia – History of Art and Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures
Position overview
Position title: Assistant, Associate, or Full Adjunct Professor
Salary range: The UC academic salary scales set the minimum pay determined by rank and step at appointment. See the following table(s) for the current salary scale(s) for this position https://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/_files/2025-26/policy-covered-october-2025-scales/t1.pdf. The current full-time base salary range for this position is $80,800 – $212,000 (9-month academic year salary). “Off-scale” salaries, which yield compensation that is higher than the published system-wide salary at the designated rank and step, are offered when necessary to meet competitive conditions.
Percent time: 25% – 50%
Anticipated start: As soon as July 2026
Application Window
Open date: January 22, 2026
Most recent review date: Friday, Feb 6, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Applications received after this date will be reviewed by the search committee if the position has not yet been filled.
Final date: Friday, Feb 27, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.
Position description
The Departments of History of Art and Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures at the University of California, Berkeley seek to appoint an Assistant, Associate, or Full Adjunct Professor in the arts of Iran and Central Asia. Applicants should have an active research program, with expertise in relevant languages. The appointee will offer courses with a regional, thematic, or topical focus that contribute to department curricula at all levels. The expected load is two courses per academic year, shared between History of Art and Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures. In addition to teaching, the appointee is expected to pursue research or other creative work and contribute to the departments through service on relevant committees and/or by mentoring undergraduate and graduate students. We seek candidates who can support the success of all students through inclusive curriculum, classroom environment, and pedagogy. Funding for this adjunct position is available from campus for a period of time thanks to a philanthropic Azarpay endowment.
Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States at the time of hire. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.
Department: https://melc.berkeley.edu/
Qualifications
Basic qualifications (required at time of application)
A PhD (or equivalent international degree), or enrolled in PhD or equivalent international degree-granting program at the time of application.
Preferred qualifications
Demonstrated teaching experience at the college or university level.
Specialization in ancient and/or medieval worlds is preferred. In addition to courses in art history, the successful appointee should be able to teach courses of a regional, thematic, or topical focus that contribute to department curricula at all levels.
Application Requirements
Document requirements
- Curriculum Vitae – Your most recently updated C.V.
- Cover Letter – Please discuss research accomplishments and proposed plans (this can include, for example, your publication record, awards, presentations, inclusive research practices that promote the excellence of your research, and areas for future research), prior teaching experience, teaching approach, and future teaching interests (this can include, for example, specific efforts, accomplishments, and future plans to support the success of all students through inclusive curriculum, classroom environment, and pedagogy), and specific prior and proposed academic, professional and/or public service activities.
Reference requirements
- 3 required (contact information only)
References will only be contacted for those candidates selected for an interview. We will alert candidates and seek their permission before contacting references
Apply link: https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05238
Help contact: ealc_gbs_ap@berkeley.edu
URL
https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05238
5. Two New Online Courses – Ferdowsi School of Persian Literature
1.The Shahname: Introduction to the Iranian Epic (The Story of Alexander) March 6 – April 24, 2026
The readings are selected from the story of Pādešāhi-ye Eskandar in the Shahname, and content-wise continue the readings of the previous round, this time focusing on the adventures of Alexander in the mythical lands:
- The story of the travels of Alexander in the land of Darkness in search of the Spring of Life
- The story of the building of the wall against Yajuj and Majuj by Alexander
- The story of the reaching of Alexander to the speaking tree
- The story of the death of Alexander
2. Central Asia through Persian Historical Texts: An Introduction March 12 – May 14, 2026
This course is designed as an introduction to Classical Persian historical prose, during which several important text relevant for the history of Central Asia will be studied with a particular focus on the analysis of their language:
- Iṣṭakhrī, Mamālik wa Masālik (Cl. Persian translation, 13/14th c.);
- Tārīkh-i Bukhārā, by Abū Bakr Muḥammad b. Jaʻfar Naršakhī.
- Juwaynī, Tārīkh-i Jahāngušāy (13th c.);
- Šaraf-ud-dīn ‘Alī Yazdī, Zafar-nāma (15th c.);
- Mīrzā Muḥammad Haidar Dūghlāt, Tārīkh-ī Rašīdī (16th c.);
- Faẓlullāh b. Rōzbihān Khunji, Mihmān-nāma-yī Bukhārā.
Ferdowsi School of Persian Literature
Yerevan, Armenia
Website: www.ferdowsi.org
6. Digging Wells While Houses Burn
Academic responsibility and the study of religion
23–24 April 2026, in Cambridge and online
In a provocative article titled Digging Wells While Houses Burn (2006), David Gordon White argues that certain studies of religion actively stoke supremacist ideologies and politics. The only way to avoid this unsavoury collaboration is to rethink the way we do our work — the stories we choose to tell, and the methods we use to tell them. According to White, academics of religion who fail to engage with this responsibility are “digging wells while houses burn”, ignoring devastating realities that urgently demand their attention.
In this context, we invite scholars of all religions, across all disciplines, to reflect on the relationship between their academic work, on the one hand, and violence and supremacy, on the other. Particular areas of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Studying religion in contexts of majoritarian violence, occupation, and genocide (e.g. Palestine, Kashmir, Bosnia, Tibet).
- Systematic critiques (legal, historical, theological, and so on) of the mutually reinforcing relationship between religious discourses and supremacist ideology.
- How have scholarly agendas and university spaces contributed to the entrenchment of religion-infused supremacies?
- Engagements with “authorship”: what is the role of privilege and identity in crafting religion research?
- Intersectional analyses of religious supremacy: gender, sexuality, race, caste, and class.
- Thematic and methodological issues related to the scholarly analysis of “religious” violence.
- Ways forward: how must our concepts and conversations change?
Those interested in participating should complete this form (https://forms.gle/MygENBHjLUA5m3Xu8) by 1st March 2026. Successful applicants will be notified by 10th March 2026. Scholars residing outside the United Kingdom will have the option to present online. In case of any queries, please contact Namrata Narula (nn307@cam.ac.uk) or Dr Hina Khalid (hk410@cam.ac.uk).
_____________________________________________________________________________
Featured Article: White, D. G. (2006). Digging Wells While Houses Burn. History and Theory, 45. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2303.2006.00387.x.
7. Between Text and Image
Diagrams of the (Ventricles of the) Brain in the Medieval Islamicate Tradition
Shahrzad Irannejad
19 February 2026 – 5 PM (CET)
In this lecture, I will discuss the few yet thought-provoking visual representations of the brain and its ventricles in the medieval Islamicate tradition. While some illustrations of the brain appear in the Avicennan tradition, numerous mini diagrams of the brain’s ventricles show up in the Kitab al-Manṣuri fi al-Ṭibb (The Book of Medicine) by al-Razi (865–925 CE) — a concise yet comprehensive and influential encyclopaedia of medicine.
Several manuscript copies of this work contain numerous anatomical diagrams of the ventricles of the brain. The particularly intriguing aspect of these diagrams, which were not necessarily intended to depict reality or precise anatomy, is their variation. In other words, these diagrams, as ‘imagetexts’, were subject to movance — accidental or deliberate changes — just like the text copied by hand from one manuscript to another.
At the nexus of codicology and philology, I explore the utility of the family tree metaphor (stemma codicum) in establishing the relationship between various manuscripts based on the visual affinities of their respective diagrams. I investigate the extent to which establishing anatomical truth and reconstructing the archetype should be prioritised over exploring the dynamism of visual representation resulting from scribal practices across time and space.
To register for this event, please click here.
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
8. Arab World English Journal for Translation and Literary Studies welcomes the submission of papers for the May Issue 2026.The submission deadline is March 30, 2026. The issue publication date is May 2026. Please read the submission guidelines https: //www.awej-tls.org/paper-submission/ and submit your paper: https://www.awej-tls.org/submission-form/. If you have any questions, please contact TLS@awej.org
For more details, please read
Kind regards,
AWEJ for Translation and Literary Studies
https://www.awej-tls.org/
9. UCLA: Pourdavoud Institute for the Study of the Iranian World
Biennial Ehsan Yarshater Lecture Series
Ancient Iran and Central Asia
Interactions and Shifting Identities
Professor Frantz Grenet (Collège de France)
A Series of Four Lectures in March 2026 at 4:00 pm Pacific Time
Royce Hall 314 and via Zoom
More info and registration at:
https://pourdavoud.ucla.edu/events/frantz-grenet-2026-yarshater-lecture-series/
10. Tajikistan Learning Tour (May 2026)
Join Hikmat International Institutefor an unforgettable Tajikistan Learning Tour—a journey through breathtaking landscapes, rich Persian heritage, and a culture that few have truly explored.
🌄 Explore stunning mountains and natural beauty
🏛️ Visit historical and cultural landmarks
👥 Meet local academics, students, and cultural figures
📚 Attend special educational workshops on:
- Persian Identity in Central Asia
- Society & Transformation in Tajikistan
🍲 And of course… taste authentic Tajik cuisine and traditional sweets you’ve likely never tried before!
https://hikmat-ins.com/tajikistan-learning-tour/
11. CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: 2 post-doc positions at UCLouvain (as part of ERC Synergy MOSAIC project
12. SPRING 2026 AKPIA Lecture Series
A Forum for Islamic Art & Architecture at Harvard University
February 19, 2026
“Harvard’s Safavid Multi-Text Compendium: The Codex as a Communal Gathering of Riddles”
Christiane Gruber
Mehmet Ağa-Oğlu Collegiate Professor of Islamic Art History, University of Michigan
co-sponsored with Standing Committee on Medieval Studies at Harvard University
March 26, 2026
“Picturing the İskendername: Visual Interpretation in Fifteenth-Century Ottoman Manuscripts”
Serpil Bağcı
AKPIA Fellow; Professor, Department of History, Bilkent University
April 30, 2026
“Vaulting Techniques in Iranian Islamic Architecture: An Unpublished Study by Myron Bement Smith and Doǧan Kuban”
David Roxburgh
Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Professor of Islamic Art History, Harvard University
THE AGA KHAN PROGRAM FOR ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Lectures are open to the public and held Thursdays, 6:00-7:30pm, at 485 Broadway, HAA Lower Lecture Hall, Cambridge, MA.
For further information, call 617-495-2355 or email agakhan@fas.harvard.edu
Visit the website https://agakhan.fas.harvard.edu/news-events
13. 2e Atelier interdisciplinaire – Etudes iraniennes et approches environnementales, lundi 16 février 2026, 10h-13h à la Maison de la Recherche de la Sorbonne Nouvelle, Salle Athéna
Nous avons le plaisir de vous convier au 2e atelier interdisciplinaire ” Etudes iraniennes et approches environnementales”, qui se tiendra lundi prochain, 16 février 2026, 10h-13h, à la Maison de la Recherche de la Sorbonne Nouvelle, Salle Athéna (4 rue des Irlandais, Paris Ve).
Cet atelier est organisé conjointement par l’Université Aix-Marseille, la Sorbonne Nouvelle et l’Inalco, avec le soutien du CeRMI (UMR 8264), de l’IREMAM (UMR 7310), et de BioArch (UMR 7209).
Vous trouverez le programme ci-dessous, et en pièce jointe.
En espérant vous y retrouver nombreux!
Bien cordialement,
Les organisateurs –
Camille Rhoné-Quer, Justine Landau, Matteo de Chiara
Contact: Camille Rhoné-Quer (camille.rhone@univ-amu.fr)
14. UCLA:
Averroes and Maimonides: Translating Religious Motives into Philosophy
Averroes Lecture Series
A lecture by Ali Benmakhlouf (Mohammed VI Polytechnique University, Morocco)
Moderator: Aomar Boum (UCLA)
Thursday, February 19, 2026
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM PST
Bunche Hall 10383
Organized by the UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies. Co-sponsored by the UCLA Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies.
https://www.international.ucla.edu/cnes/event/17477
15. Hybrid: COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY SEMINAR IN ARABIC STUDIES
Why wasn’t print adopted in the early modern Middle East?: A New Perspective
Arabic Studies Seminar w/ Nir Shafir Monday 2/23 4pm
Please find below information regarding our upcoming meeting with Professor Nir Shafir (UC San Diego) on Monday (2/23) at 4 pm EST in Faculty House. Please note that we are not holding the talk at our usual day or time this month due to scheduling conflicts. The talk is titled: “Why wasn’t print adopted in the early modern Middle East?: A new perspective”
Please note that due to new regulations, non CUID holders will not be allowed into Faculty House without prior notice. If you intend to be present in-person and do not have a Columbia ID, please RSVP ASAP. If we don’t receive your RSVP we will not be able to let you in. You should receive a QR code before Wednesday morning–if not, please reply to this message. The talk will be live streamed here on ZOOM for guests who can’t make it in person.
We will begin at 4:00 pm. If you would like to join the speaker for dinner immediately following the talk at Faculty House please RSVP to the seminar’s rapporteur (rma2152@columbia.edu). The cost of dinners is $30, payable via card or check.
Abstract:
Why was print not widely adopted in the Ottoman Empire until the late 1800s? It’s a question that has puzzled scholars for almost 400 years. Ottoman subjects had known about European printing for centuries and even had short-lived experiments with printing, but the vast majority of books continued to be copied by hand. Previous explanations have emphasized cultural roadblocks like religious opposition or scribal resistance, but there is little evidence for these theories. In this talk, I posit an economic explanation instead: Manuscript technology continued to flourish because it was more economically rational and printing was too burdensome. The project will analyze 1) the production costs of books, both printed and handwritten, 2) their prices on the secondary market, and 3) the commercialization of the book trades. This will be done across Arabic, Turkish, Armenian, Greek, and Hebrew books. The project promises a new approach to the history of books in the Islamic world and a clearer understanding of commercialization and capitalist development of the early modern Middle East.
Bio:
Nir Shafir is an associate professor of history at the University of California, San Diego. His research investigates the intertwined histories of communication, religion, and science in the Middle East between 1200-1800. His first monograph, The Order and Disorder of Communication: Pamphlets and Polemics in the Seventeenth-Century Ottoman Empire, was published by Stanford University Press in 2024 and was awarded the book prize of the Ottoman and Turkish Studies Association in 2025. He is an occasional contributor and editorial board member of the Ottoman History Podcast and served as its editor in 2018.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://columbiauniversity.zoom.us/j/92597500745
16. ITS
RAMADAN DISCOUNT 2026
This Ramadan embrace the spirit of reflection and devotion. Enjoy 15% off all our titles, with free delivery on orders over £25.
Deepen Your Connection with the Qur’an this Ramadan
We invite you to explore the timeless wisdom of Al-Ghazali On Proper Conduct for Reciting the Qur’an, a guide to deepening your connection with the Qur’an during this blessed month.
In order to take advantage of this offer, please visit our website https://its.org.uk and enter the coupon code RAMADAN26. This offer is valid from 17 February to 22 March 2026.
17. HYBRID World Policy Forum: “Muslim-Christian-Jewish Coexistence in the Holy Land”, Center for the Study of Islam & Democracy (CSID), Washington, DC, 17 February 2026, 18:00 CET
This timely forum will bring together three distinguished voices from the Muslim, Christian, and Jew-ish traditions to reflect on the moral, historical, and political foundations of coexistence in the Holy Land, and to explore what a just and sustainable future might require.
Information and registration: https://tinyurl.com/2rjb3tsj
18. HYBRID World Policy Forum: “Muslim-Christian-Jewish Tolerance and Peaceful Coexist-ence in the Holy Land”, Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), Washington, DC, 17 February 2026, 18:00 – 20:00 CET
This forum will examine the historical foundations, moral traditions, and contemporary challenges shaping relations among the three Abrahamic faith communities in Israel and Palestine. Bringing together leading Jewish, Christian, and Muslim thinkers, the discussion will explore what justice, dignity, and equal rights require today, and how religious and ethical traditions can contribute to a future grounded in coexistence rather than exclusion.
Information and registration: https://tinyurl.com/2rjb3tsj
19. ONLINE Lecture “Literature’s Refuge: Rewriting the Mediterranean Borderscape” by William Stroebel (University of Michigan), University of Texas, Austin, 17 February 2026, 23:00 – 24:00 CET
The Greco-Turkish Population Exchange of 1923-1925 was the final nail in the Empire’s coffin, up-rooting and swapping nearly two million Christians and Muslims between Europe and West Asia. William Stroebel will recover something of the rich refugee literatures that fell through the cracks of the modern border regime, straddling Greek Orthodoxy and Sunni Islam, Greek-script, Arabic-script, and Latin-script literary traditions.
Information and registration: https://tinyurl.com/4us88mmy
20. ONLINE Webinar „Excavating Hope in a Time of Cynicism: A New Reading of the Iranian New Wave” by Sara Saljoughi, Center for Middle East Studies, Brown University, Provicence, 4 March 2026, 18:00 – 19:00 CET
Sara Saljoughi (University of Toronto) offers a fresh interpretation of the Iranian New Wave of the 1960s and 1970s. She argues that New Wave cinema carries an anticipatory vision of a better future that ultimately never came to fruition. She suggests that this unrealized potential continues to resonate today, providing new insights into both the films themselves and the ongoing revolutionary strug-gles in Iran.
Information and registration: https://tinyurl.com/557kzf26
21. American Association of Teachers of Turkic Languages (AATT) Graduate Student Conference, 8 May 2026
This conference aims to support and promote research that significantly utilizes sources in Turkish or other Turkic languages by graduate students from fields including but not limited to literature, history, linguistics, language education and related fields at North American academic institutions. It also offers a collaborative platform for the student presenters to share their work and exchange re-search ideas with their peers and the colleagues in attendance from the field.
Deadline for abstracts: 31 March 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/mryevjyb
22. Interdisciplinary Symposium “Illuminating the Dark! Night Histories from Byzantion to Istanbul“, Pera Museum Auditorium, Istanbul, 4-5 June 2027
This interdisciplinary symposium will explore Istanbul’s night histories across three pivotal periods; Byzantine Constantinople, Ottoman Istanbul, and republican/contemporary Istanbul, examining con-tinuities, ruptures, and transformations in nocturnal urban life. We seek to foster cross-fertilization between history, urban studies, anthropology, geography, literature, art history, ecology, and the broader emerging field of night studies.
Deadline for abstracts: 13 July 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/4rrue7sx
23. Journée d’étude « Construire la déviance religieuse en Islam et dans les Chrétientés mé-diévales. Histoire des représentations et approches sémantiques », Lyon, 12-13 novembre 2026
Cette journée d’étude propose d’analyse du vocabulaire et des représentations discursives et pic-turales de l’exclusion religieuse. La discrimination s’appuie en effet sur un lexique de la stigmatisation et de la différenciation qui prend racine dans le registre de la polémique, se diffuse dans différents domaines de la culture écrite et visuelle, mais peut aussi gagner le domaine du droit.
Propositions de communication avant le 30 avril 2026. Information : https://tinyurl.com/yvnd645h
24. Library Traineeship (Civil Service, “Bibliotheksreferendariat”), Profile “Arabic and Islamic Studies” at the Bavarian State Library, Bayreuth and Munich
The two-year preparatory service (A13h) is starting 1 October 2026 with a practical year in Bayreuth, followed by a theoretical year in Munich. Field profile C: Arabic and Islamic Studies; Master’s degree required, PhD desirable. Full-time, on-site; appointment as civil servant on probation.
Deadline for applications: 25 February 2026.
Information: https://interamt.de/koop/app/stelle?0&id=1393142
25. Visiting Assistant Professorship (2 Years) in International Studies (Focus Middle East), Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
Qualifications: All applicants must have either received a bachelor’s degree or lived for a substantial period in Africa, Asia, or Latin America and the Caribbean. They must have earned a Ph.D. in the humanities and/or social sciences after 2021.
Review of applications will begin on 18 February 2026 until the position is filled.
Information: https://trincoll.peopleadmin.com/postings/3749
26. Appeal for the Reopening of the French “Institute for the Near East (Ifpo)” in Syria
Since 2011 two Syrian centers of Ifpo in Damascus and Aleppo have been closed. They brought an internationally recognized input to Near East archaeological research and to studies in humanities and social sciences on the Arab and Muslim world. We firmly call for the swift and full reopening of this historical and unique institution. The more people who sign, the more likely our message will be heard.
Please see the full appeal and sign at https://forms.gle/R68WRCD5W42VJhhy8
27. “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
28. ONLINE Seminars of the Historians Association (Tarihçiler Derneği) in Ottoman and Karamanli Turkish
Historians Association (TAD) is pleased to announce its 2026 Spring Semester online seminar pro-gram, designed to strengthen methodological, linguistic, and paleographic skills in historical and hu-manities research. Delivered by scholars with recognized expertise in their respective fields, the seminars address a diverse audience from students to professional researchers.
Information: https://tinyurl.com/4589s329
29. Summer School “Reading and Analysing Ottoman Manuscript Sources”, Ifpo and Seven 0ther Institutions, Amman, 13-17 September 2026
The five-day program will introduce young researchers (mostly MA and Ph.D. candidates, though postdocs may also apply) to reading, combining and analysing manuscript sources from various archives of the Ottoman era, produced at the local, provincial and imperial levels. Materials from the 16th through the 20th centuries will receive most of our attention, but explorations into earlier ar-chives are welcome. No tuition fees will be charged.
Deadline for applications: 15 March 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/432xt9rt
30. Sībawayh et les savoirs de son temps
Influences, dialogues, critiques & héritages
Figure fondatrice de la grammaire arabe, Sībawayh (m. vers 180/796) occupe une place singulière dans l’histoire intellectuelle de l’islam médiéval. Axes thématiques : – Les savoirs reçus par Sībawayh : traditions, maîtres et contexts. – Les éventuelles influences extra-arabes dans le Kitāb de Sībawayh. – Sībawayh comme fondateur : concepts, méthodes et innovations. – Critiques, con-troverses et savoirs concurrents. – Postérités et circulations interdisciplinaires.
Les articles sont à envoyer avant le 31 décembre 2026. Information : https://tinyurl.com/2e8676yk
31. Chapters for Edited Volume on “During the Ottomans, After the Outlaws: Histories of Banditry, Memory, and Heritage in Balkans and Turkey” in Routledgs`s Book Series “Outlaws in Literature, History and Culture”
We especially value contributions that follow the full circuit of representation – from administrative and judicial production (policing, court files, petitions, press) to oral tradition and performance, and onward into museums, monuments, politics, nationalism, curricula, festivals, tourism, and digital af-terlives – while developing concepts and methods that travel across post-Ottoman settings.
Deadline for abstracts: 1 April 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/459nanb6
32. New books:
New Book: “Satellite Ministries: The Rise of Christian Television in the Middle East,” by Febe Armanios, Oxford University Press, 2025, 368 Pages
The book draws on extensive oral history interviews and archival research conducted in the Middle East, Europe, and the United States. It examines the history of Arabic, Turkish, and Persian Christian channels in the Middle East for the first time, and it describes the historical links between evangelical media missions and the rise of indigenous Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant channels that launched across the Middle East over four decades.
Information: https://tinyurl.com/3y66fsz7
New Book: “Torn is the Curtain: Early Film Cultures in Istanbul” by Canan Balan, New York and Oxford, Berghan Books, Dec. 2025, 234 Pages
Offering a feminist history of cinema at the edges of empire and the nation-state, this book explores how gender, class, and ethno-religious divisions were projected, performed, and entangled. It fo-cuses on the former Ottoman capital from the late nineteenth century to the early 1930s and inves-tigates how cinema both reflected and shaped Istanbul’s complex social fabric. The analysis reveals how religious and cultural practices informed emerging notions of cinematic modernity and cross-cultural exchange in the region.
Information: https://www.berghahnbooks.com/title/BalanTorn
LATIN AND EASTERN CATHOLICISM IN OTTOMAN ANATOLIA: SOCIAL, ECONOMIC, AND RELIGIOUS INQUIRIES FROM 14th-20th CENTURIES
Edited by Vanessa R. de Obaldía, Radu Dipratu, Anaïs Massot, Padraic Rohan
This book brings together thirteen chapters that examine a variety of primary sources that shed new light on the often-ignored history of Catholicism in Anatolia, from the dawn of the Ottoman Empire to the early Republican era. We are grateful to all contributors whose scholarship and collaboration made this project possible.
Information: https://tinyurl.com/yhbtj3sm
- February 14, 2026
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – CfP: “Ritual in Shiʿi Islam” (Chicago, 15-16 May)
Shiʿi Studies Symposium 2026: “Ritual in Shiʿi Islam”, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA, 15-16 May 2026
The symposium explores the practices through which Shiʿi institutional, communal, and theological commitments are enacted and contested. We welcome papers with a variety of approaches, spanning the earliest periods of Shiʿism up through the contemporary moment.
Deadline for abstracts: 28 February 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/5y4nnjut
- February 12, 2026
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1. Zoom talk: In honour of Babur’s birthday on 14 February — a day celebrated in Uzbekistan as part of its cultural heritage — we warmly invite you to a special lecture:
Babur Day Special: Mirza Haydar Dughlat and East Turkestan in Literary Memory
The lecture will explore how writers have told and retold the history of East Turkestan, beginning with Mirza Haydar Dughlat’s Tārīkh-i Rashīdī and examining how later authors responded to and built upon this foundational work. It will engage with themes of historiography, literary memory, and the Chagatai literary tradition.
Guest Speaker:
Dr Eric Schluessel
Associate Professor in Modern Chinese & East Asian History
Tutor in History, Keble College, University of Oxford
Dr Schluessel’s research focuses on Central Asia and Xinjiang (Eastern Turkestan), with particular attention to literature, culture, and historical memory.
Please find the Zoom link below.
Time: Feb 13, 2026 06:00 PM London
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86861817875?pwd=5Fi8C7nwvdP9N9KtZPhzPJRti0G2X6.1
Meeting ID: 868 6181 7875
Passcode: 9mLteF
2. CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: MYSTICISM(S) BEYOND THE WEST
Conference venue: Campion Hall, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Conference dates: 9 am Monday 29 June 2026 – 1 pm Wednesday 1 July 2026
Abstract submission deadline: 1 March (end of day)
Notification of acceptance: 15 March
Keynote speakers
Dr. Marta Domínguez Díaz (Senior Lecturer in Islamic Studies, University of St Gallen)
Professor Gavin Flood (Professor of Hindu Studies and Comparative Religion; Senior Research Fellow, Campion Hall)
Description
This conference invites papers that explore mystical traditions beyond the Western canon, with a particular focus on traditions that have remained underrepresented in mainstream scholarship. The conference aims to foreground non-Western mystical traditions and to foster dialogue across religious, cultural, and disciplinary boundaries. Traditions of interest include, but are not limited to, Indian, Islamic, East Asian, Eastern Christian, and Indigenous contexts. Papers may be historical, philosophical, theological, anthropological, or interdisciplinary in approach.
We welcome contributions that address, among other topics:
- Theoretical and methodological challenges in applying the category of mysticism beyond Western contexts
- Comparative, cross-cultural, and decolonial approaches to mystical traditions
- Relationships between mysticism and rationality, philosophy, or theology in non-Western traditions
- Mysticism and ethics, practice, embodiment, or social life
- Marginalised, neglected, or emerging mystical voices and texts
The event is intended for established scholars, early-career researchers, and advanced postgraduate students working in comparative religion, theology, philosophy, and related fields. We will aim at a gender balance among speakers and we welcome contributions from members of underrepresented groups. Selected papers may be considered for publication in either an edited volume or a special issue of a peer-reviewed journal.
Submission guidelines
Submissions should take the form of an abstract of around 300 words, submitted by email in word or pdf format to mysticismsoxford@gmail.com by 1 March (end of day). Applicants will be notified of the outcome of the selection process by 15 March.
Conference fees
£60 for waged participants, £30 for unwaged / student participants. Please note that we are unable to cover accommodation or travel costs.
Organisers
Dr Szilvia Szanyi (Faculty of Theology and Religion & Campion Hall, University of Oxford)
Dr Brett Parris (Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Oxford)
3. CfP: Edinburgh’s Seventh International Graduate Conference in Late Antique, Islamic and Byzantine Studies: ‘Institutional Identities in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages’ taking place on the 18th & 19th May 2026 at the University of Edinburgh.
The conference is held in a hybrid format, so we accept virtual papers as well. The deadline for submissions is the 20th of March, and applicants will be notified by the 31st of March. Please see the linked webpage for further details, and contact edibyzpg@ed.ac.uk for any questions.
4. Syracuse University Press: Upcoming Events of Interest:
https://press.syr.edu/home/news-and-events/
5. Empire and Nation in the City
Rusçuk from Ottoman Rule to Bulgarian Statehood
Mehmet Çelik
SUP, 2026
https://press.syr.edu/supressbooks/9430/empire-and-nation-in-the-city/
6. A Study of ›Tawriya‹ in the Qur’an
Exegesis, Rhetoric and the Reader
Luca Rizzo,
Brill, 2026
7. The Concept of Emotions in Judaism, Christianity and Islam
Edited by: Catharina Rachik and Georges Tamer
Brill, 2026
8. University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point – Teaching Assistant Professor in History
https://networks.h-net.org/jobs/69760/university-wisconsin-stevens-point-teaching-assistant-professor-history
Closing date: 1 March, 2026
9. A History of Ottoman Poetry by E. J. W. Gibb
This six-volume set reissues E. J. W. Gibb’s classic study of Ottoman Poetry, spanning from 1450 to the late-19th century, with new forewords by Christine Woodhead, Honorary Fellow in Ottoman History, University of Durham
EUP,
10. The Mathnawí of Jaláluʾddín Rúmíby Reynold A. Nicholson
This eight-volume set of The Mathnawí of Jalálu’ddín Rúmí reissues Reynold A. Nicholson’s authoritative Persian edition, English translation and commentary with new forewords by Alan Williams, Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Religion at the University of Manchester.
EUP,
- February 10, 2026
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment