Archive for 2026
Shii News – ‘Mahboub, Gune-shenasi-ye asnad-e Astan-e Quds’
It is a great pleasure for me to announce the release of a major contribution by Elaheh Mahboub Farimani to diplomatics, administrative history, and many other fields related to the study of the early modern Persianate world and Iran.
Please visit the link below to download the work from the UTokyo Repository.
With best regards,
Kazuo Morimoto
الهه محبوب فریمانی (تألیف)؛ کازوئو موری موتو (همکاری و مقدمه فارسی)، گونه شناسی اسناد آستان قدس در عصر صفوی، توکیو، 2026.
- May 13, 2026
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1. Upcoming Course: The Shahname: Introduction to the Iranian Epic
The new Shahname course is already open for applications, and will start on May 27. Here you can read more about it:
https://ferdowsi.org/the-shahname-introduction-to-the-iranian-epic-spring-2026/
Always feel welcome to write me if you have any questions, course ideas or are considering participating in the Ferdowsi Summer School but are not sure about your plans yet.
All the best,
Ruben
Ferdowsi School of Persian Literature
Yerevan, Armenia
Website: www.ferdowsi.org
2. Monday Majlis Series
Online on Mondays, 2025-2026, Summer Term
Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies
University of Exeter
18th of May (Monday) 17:00-18:30 (UK time).
András Barati, A Tale of Two Decrees: Dynastic Rivalry and Bureaucratic Continuity in Eighteenth-Century Isfahan
Register please at:
https://Universityofexeter.zoom.us/meeting/register/LWnKOTWjTlO_NgNHfL61_g
25th of May (Monday) 17:00-18:30 (UK time).
Nuha Alshaar, Muslim Sicily: Fāṭimid and Kalbid Policies Towards Their Christians and Muslim Populations
Register please at:
https://universityofexeter.zoom.us/meeting/register/TBJgbYt6Rk2rVXgQvpdvvA
1st of June (Monday) 17:00-18:30 (UK time).
Tim Greenwood and Leone Pecorini Goodall, Rare Insights into the Late Umayyad Era through a Neglected Armenian Source: The Martyrdom of Vahan of Gołt‘n
Register please at: https://universityofexeter.zoom.us/meeting/register/9osam7fcQ6GNiuN2lpNwaw
8th of June (Monday) 17:00-18:30 (UK time).
Bilal Orfali, Prophets, Tricksters, and the Yellow Cow: Qurʾānic Echoes in al-Hamadhānī’s al-Maqāma al-Mawṣiliyya
Register please at:
https://universityofexeter.zoom.us/meeting/register/VMC2b0OAShOR4mwBrFIXuA
In the spirit of the label ‘Majlis’ and also to make the talks even more interesting, our speakers present the topic discussed as embedded in their own journey.
You can watch the previous Majlises here https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8YRkUahFj_81oJzCSDLTx4kVQQgeHLc-.However, we don’t record the Q&A in order to keep the discussion free. Please come and enjoy the talks and the discussions.
If you’d like to be included in the CSI (Centre for the Study of Islam, Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter) mailing list, please write to I.T.Kristo-Nagy@ex.ac.uk.
3. Call for Papers
Balkan Islam and Balkan Muslims
European Perspectives
Diasporic Trajectories, Institutions, Identities
International conference · 5–6 October 2026
Conference Hall, MISHA — 5 allée du Général Rouvillois, 67000 Strasbourg
Since the labour migrations of the 1960s and 1970s, the displacements caused by the post-Yugoslav wars, post-socialist mobilities, and contemporary student and professional circulations, Muslim populations from the Balkans, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Sandžak, have settled durably in France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Benelux, the Nordic countries, and the United Kingdom. They now constitute one of Western Europe’s oldest autochthonous Muslim diasporas, yet they remain comparatively invisible in public and academic debates on European Islam, which tend to be structured around other regional reference points.
This conference proposes to place these communities at the centre of the analysis. It seeks to examine the modalities of their settlement, the organisation of their religious and associative lives, the transnational ties they maintain with their societies of origin, and the ways in which they articulate their European belonging in a context shaped by the securitisation of Islam and the reconfiguration of secularism regimes. The historical legacies of Balkan Islam, its Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian and Yugoslav layers, provide the necessary backdrop to this reading, without being its main object.
Thematic tracks
- The formation and historical development of Islam in the Balkans
- Theology and the specificities of the interpretation of Islam in the Balkans
- Islamic thought and its contemporary developments
- Plural identities: being Muslim, Balkan and European
- Migratory trajectories and diasporic reconfigurations: labour, war, post-socialism, contemporary mobilities
- Institutions, places of worship and Balkan Muslim associations in Western Europe
- Transnational circulations: imams, religious knowledge, ritual practices, diaspora economies
- Generations, languages, transmission and religious practice in diasporic contexts
- Women and youth in Balkan Muslim communities across Western Europe
- Relations with host societies: institutional recognition, secularism, pro- and anti-Muslim discourses
- The experience of war, genocide and collective memory
The conference brings together contributions from history, sociology, anthropology, religious studies, political science and law. Both comparative approaches across Western European countries and localised case studies are welcome.
Submission guidelines
Proposals (200–300 words, in English or French), together with a short biographical note, should be sent by 15 June 2026 to: akgonul@unistra.fr and dzsusko@gmail.com. Notification of acceptance: 15 July 2026. Funding (travel and accommodation) may be awarded, with priority given to doctoral candidates and early-career researchers.
Conveners and Scientific Committee
Conveners: Dževada Garić and Samim Akgönül (University of Strasbourg).
Scientific committee: Samim Akgönül, Dževada Garić, Ségolène Plyer, Khalid Rabeh.
4. I am pleased to announce the recent publication of a special issue of the Annales islamologiques. The dossier, entitled “Symbolisms and Representations of the Ka’ba” and edited by Kader Smail, Gregory Vandamme, and myself, is now available in open access at the following link:https://www.ifao.egnet.net/anisl/60
Here is the table of contents of the dossier :
– Fârès Gillon, Kader Smail, Gregory Vandamme, “Introduction”
– Harry Munt, “The Kaʿba in al-Fākihī’s (d. c.279/892–893) History of Mecca: From Local Traditions to Universal History”
– Adam Bursi, “On the Pattern of God’s Throne: The Kaʿba as Paradise in the First Centuries of Islam”
– Jean-Charles Ducène, “Le sanctuaire de la Kaʿba et ses représentations topographiques médiévales”
– Anna Caiozzo, “Présence de la Kaʿba dans la culture visuelle de l’Orient médiéval”
– Luca Patrizi, “The Relics of the Kaʿba and Their Ritual Use Through Islamic Historiographical and Exegetical Sources”
– Simon O’Meara, “House First: The Quranic Figure of the Kaʿba
– Fârès Gillon, “Interprétations ésotériques du sanctuaire mecquois dans le chiisme ismaélien du ive/xe siècle. Entre antinomisme et symbolisme”
– Gregory Vandamme, “Le sanctuaire de la Kaʿba et ses dimensions symboliques dans les Futūḥāt al-makkiyya d’Ibn ʿArabī”
Fârès Gillon
Maître de conférences en Islamologie et langue arabe, Aix-Marseille Université
+33 (0) 6 66 34 28 31
5. I am happy to announce that my book, Transcendent God, Rational World: A Maturidi Theology (Edinburgh University Press, 2021), will be the subject of a forthcoming Book Symposium in TheoLogica: An International Journal for Philosophy of Religion and Philosophical Theology, guest edited by myself and Shoaib Ahmed Malik.
For this special issue, scholars are invited to engage with, critique and extend the philosophical and theological ideas within the book. I will also be writing a published response to the papers. There are further details here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HopazieQ02RLyK3Qduq7s95gNUE3Roox/view?usp=drive_link
Dr Ramon Harvey
Senior Lecturer in Islamic Studies
Cambridge Muslim College
14 St. Paul’s Road
Cambridge, CB1 2EZ
- May 12, 2026
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
- May 12, 2026
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Shiʿi Studies Symposium: Ritual in Shiʿi Islam (Chicago, May 14-16)
Please join us for the 2026 University of Chicago Shiʿi Studies Symposium: Ritual in Shiʿi Islam.
The symposium will take place from Thursday, May 14 through Saturday, May 16, primarily at the Franke Center for the Humanities.
The keynote address, “Purity, Sexuality and Ritual: Shiʿi Legal Doctrines of Menstrual Purity” will be given by Dr. Robert Gleave on Friday, May 15, at 4:30 pm. Featured speakers include Dr. Aun Hasan Ali and Dr. Scott Lucas.
Dr. Stefan Williamson Fa and Dr. Babak Rahimi will discuss their recent books, Sonic Relations and Senses of Mourning respectively, at the Seminary Co-Op Bookstore on Thursday, May 14, from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm..
The conference’s full program and locations can be found here, and you can register for the conference here.
Please be in touch with us at uchicagoshiistudies@gmail.com if you have any questions about the symposium.
Best wishes,
Shiʿi Studies Group Organizers
Ammar Farra, Rana Ghuloom, Ameena Yovan
- May 11, 2026
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1. The Digital Lab for Islamic Visual Culture & Collections annual Digital Lab Days event will take place in Edinburgh on 2–3 July 2026. The event brings together scholars, curators, developers, educators, and heritage professionals working across Islamic art & architecture, history, video games/immersive media, and GLAM. The programme is designed to foster conversation across Islamic art, games/entertainment/XR, and GLAM sectors and to share new approaches to research, representation, and public engagement.
Speakers and workshops will engage with topics including:
- Digital tools for Islamic architectural heritage
- Al-Andalus in Arabic television
- Game design as art historical methodology
- Self-Orientalism in games and popular media
- Art and MENA representation in contemporary digital media
This event is particularly relevant to scholars and practitioners in:
- Islamic history and art history
- Medieval and Middle East studies
- Digital Humanities
- Museum/Heritage studies
- Games, Entertainment, & Creative Industries
- Game Studies
Contact Email
URL
https://www.digitallabivcc.com/digital-days-islamic-art-games-xr-glam-edinburgh…
2. Fons Vitae- An English translation ofLiu Zhi’s The Exposition of the Five Pillars of Islam, which remains the most influential Chinese-language Islamic work, regarded by Chinese Muslims (Islam arrived in China as early as 618 CE) as a fundamental textbook for learning and comprehending the divinely ordained duties of Islam. Liu Zhi(1660-1739), was a prominent Chinese Sunni Hanafi-Maturidi scholar of the Qing dynasty and a leading figure in the Han Kitab tradition.
“The Exposition of the Five Pillars of Islam” (Wugong Shiyi) by Liu Zhi is a profound treatise on the meaning of the Five Pillars of Islam (Shahada, Salah, Sawm, Zakat, and Hajj), framed within a metaphysical structure that draws on the language and lens of Chinese civilization and philosophy. The work provides both a theological and spiritual explanation of the Five Pillars as well as a moral framework that connects them to broader philosophical ideas about the nature of existence, ethics, and personal cultivation.
Bi-lingual: English and Chinese edition. To purchase… Available in Paperback, PDF and ePUB formats. (UK & Europe customers ORDER here.)
3. Invisible East WEBINAR | Documents from Turbulent Times: Middle Persian Collections from the Late Sasanian and Early Islamic Periods-Opportunities and Challenges
The Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali Institute of Iranian Studies and Invisible East present ‘Rethinking History: Returning to Archives and Documents’, a series of monthly online seminars.
Convened by Arezou Azad and Mohamad Tavakoli, the seminars are held on Zoom.
Please join us on Wednesday 13 May at 12PM EDT / 5PM BST to hear Dr Nima Asefi of
Universität Hamburg speaking on ‘Documents from Turbulent Times: Studying Middle Persian Collections from the Late Sasanian and Early Islamic Periods-Opportunities and Challenges’. Pre-registration is essential.
4. Fashion in Late Ottoman Istanbul
Photography and Identity in a Global City
Nancy Micklewright
5. Christian-Muslim Relations in the Bodleian Library Manuscript Wardrop d.
11 May, 6-7 BST
We are deeply honoured to welcome Dr Jaimee Comstock-Skipp, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow in the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, and Research Fellow at New College, University of Oxford, to lead a session of the Manuscripts in Interfaith Contexts Reading Group
Abstract: What makes an illustration a ‘Persian miniature’? The paintings within a Georgian-language Vepkhistqaosani (Man in the Panther Skin) by Shota Rustaveli (c.1160 – c.1220) in the Bodleian Library (MS Wardrop d.27) look ‘Persian’ and connect to Iran. The term ‘Persian’ can refer to the language of a manuscript containing illustrations or a geographic attribution where Persian was spoken or appreciated, but it more often functions as an elusive cultural and stylistic evocation deployed without proper explanation. The Bodleian manuscript permits a targeted investigation into specific artistic and political connections between Iran and Georgia in the late 16th through the 17th century. Its illustrations, posited to have been completed c.1650–1700, reflect a familiarity with artistic conventions and developments in the Safavid capital Isfahan, synthesised with elements from local workshops in or near Tbilisi. Whereas the qualifier ‘Persian’ is often taken as a given, the talk offers a case study in artistic and sartorial influence and diffusion between presumed original source material and later assimilation and deployment elsewhere. In addition to political co-mingling, numerous artists originally born in Georgia served in the Royal Safavid workshops. How long a style associated with one centre takes to transfer to another is an open question, as is whether the artists responsible for the Bodleian manuscript’s illustrations were personally trained in Safavid workshops, or whether forms and figures were transferred through circulating materials for Georgian artists to copy.
Speaker: Dr Jaimee Comstock-Skipp is a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow in the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, and a Research Fellow at New College, University of Oxford.
Chair: Dr Shaahin Pishbin, Laming Junior Research Fellow at the Queen’s College, Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oxford.
Date: 11 May, 2026
Time: 18:00-19:00 BST | 10:00-11:00 PDT | 13:00-14:00 EDT
Venue: Online
More information and registration: https://oxfordinterfaithforum.org/thematic-international-interfaith-reading-groups/manuscripts-in-interfaith-contexts/christian-muslim-relations-through-bodleian-library-ms-wardrop-d-27/
6. ONLINE Webinar “Regulating Kinship: Religion, Genetics and Reproductive Governance across Europe and the Middle East” by Yafa Shanneik (SOAS), University of Manchester, 13 May 2026, 14:00 – 15:30 CET
This presentation introduces RELI-GENE, a new interdisciplinary research project at SOAS. The project examines how state-led genetic healthcare policies intersect with religious beliefs, kinship traditions and individual reproductive decision making in close-knit religious minority communities. It further ex-plores how transnational spaces enable families to navigate, negotiate and bypass national legal and healthcare frameworks.
Information and registration: https://tinyurl.com/4dun6ej9
7. ONLINE Webinar “Borders and Epidemics: Sanitary Transformation of State Borders in the Ottoman Empire (18th – 19th Centuries)” by Giorgio Ennas (University of Utrecht), 13 May 2026, 17:00 – 19:30 CET
Through the establishment of quarantine facilities, the Ottoman imperial government sought to control population movements, render inter-imperial borders more visible, and resist the expansion of rival powers. This session will emphasise the fundamental role of sanitary measures in shaping both the internal and external administrative boundaries of the Empire, ultimately influencing the national bor-ders of the 20th century.
Information and registration: https://tinyurl.com/vd6h2dyk
8. ONLINE Talk on “Tracing al-Suyūṭī’s Impact on Sixteenth-Century Syrian Scholars: A Quanti-tative Analysis of Najm al-Dīn al-Ghazzī’s (d. 1651) Biographical Dictionary al-Kawākib” by Gürzat Kami (Istanbul University), OIB/Universities of Bamberg & Göttingen, 13 May 2026, 18:00 CET
This presentation in the Webinar Series “The Heirs of Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūṭī (d. 1505 AD)” traces the reception, influence, and memory of al-Suyūṭī in sixteenth-century Ottoman Syria. To this end, it exam-ines scholarly lineages and book transmission in al-Ghazzī’s biographical dictionary “al-Kawākib”, using social network analysis tools and methods to map patterns of intellectual continuity and transformation.
Zoom link: https://tinyurl.com/suyuti1. About the series: https://tinyurl.com/suyuti2
9. Colloque « Philosophie, théologie et mystique dans l’Occident musulman médiéval », Mai-son méditerranéenne des sciences humaines et sociales, Aix-en-Provence, 20-21 mai 2026
Information et programme : https://tinyurl.com/46xakkts
10. ONLINE Book Talk “Empire of Officials: Christians and Jews in the Ottoman Bureaucracy” by Abdulhamit Kırmızı (Marmara University), Ottoman and Post-Ottoman Studies Student Asso-ciation (OPSA), University of Toronto, 21 May 2026, 17:00 – 18:00 CET
The particular focus of the historian is on bureaucracy, governance, and intercommunal relations under imperial rule. The event will be of interest to students and scholars working on Ottoman history, post-Ottoman studies, bureaucracy, minorities, empire, and modern Middle Eastern and Balkan history.
Information and registration: https://tinyurl.com/226xza3a
11. HYBRID Vortrag “Digitale Doppelgänger und menschliche Verantwortung: Islamische Theo-logie im Dialog mit KI-Medizin” von Hadil Lababibi (Universität Zürich), Universität Innsbruck, 2. Juni 2026, 18:30 – 20:00 CET
In der Vortragsreihe “Mensch 2.0? Religion, Politik und Ethik im Zeitalter von KI, Transhumanismus und Anthropozän” beleuchtet Hadil Lababidi die ethischen Herausforderungen digitaler Doppelgänger in der modernen Medizin aus islamisch geprägter bioethischer Perspektive. Der Vortrag diskutiert Chancen und Risiken dieser Technologie insbesondere im Hinblick auf Personsein, Datenschutz und gerechte Zugänge zur Gesundheitsversorgung.
Information und Registrierung: https://tinyurl.com/26u86yzh
12. HYBRID Vortrag “Transhumanismus zwischen horizontalem Fortschritt und vertikalem Rückschritt. Philosophisch-ethische Reflexionen aus der Perspektive der islamischen Anthro-pologie” von Ilhan Ilkilic (Istanbul Universität), Universität Innsbruck, 16. Juni 2026, 18:30 – 20:00 CET
In der Vortragsreihe “Mensch 2.0? Religion, Politik und Ethik im Zeitalter von KI, Transhumanismus und Anthropozän” interpretiert Ilhan Ilkilic den Transhumanismus aus Sicht der islamischen Anthropo-logie als einen „vertikalen Rückschritt“, der das gottgegebene Wesen des Menschen verfehlt. Der Vortrag zeigt auf, warum islamische Ethik und Menschenbild eine fundamentale Kritik an der techni-schen Selbstüberwindung des Menschen nahelegen.
Information und Registrierung: https://tinyurl.com/26u86yzh
13. Annual Digital Lab Days “The Digital Lab for Islamic Visual Culture & Collections”, Edin-burgh, 2-3 July 2026
The event brings together scholars, curators, developers, educators, and heritage professionals work-ing across Islamic art & architecture, history, video games/immersive media, and GLAM. The pro-gramme is designed to foster conversation across Islamic art, games/entertainment/XR, and GLAM sectors and to share new approaches to research, representation, and public engagement.
Deadline for registration: 1 June 2026.
Information, abstracts of papers and speakers: https://tinyurl.com/7e53bhjr
14. Fall 2026 Workshop of the Mediterranean Seminar on “The Urban Environment”, 18-19 Sep-tember 2026
We seek papers that deal with any aspect of the urban environment as it relates to the Mediterranean world in any period but with a focus on Late Antiquity through Early Modernity. These aspects may be literal or metaphorical, historical or imagined, as seen from diverse disciplinary perspectives: economic, social, cultural, or political history; literature; history of philosophy, religion, science, or medicine; art and art history; musicology; anthropology; or any related humanities or social science disciplines.
Deadline for abstracts: 1 June 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/ep5ebshn
15. International Symposium “Qurʾānic Manuscripts”, Manuscript Institution of Türkiye (TÜ-YEK), Istanbul 12-13 November 2026
The symposium will bring together scholars to advance research on Qurʾānic manuscripts, including their identification, dating, cataloguing, and digitization.
Deadline for abstracts: 23 May 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/2rvxhf9f
16. ONLINE 55th Annual Conference of the North American Association of Islamic and Muslim Studies (NAAIMS): “Islam, Ethics and Environment”, Fordham University, New York, 19 Novem-ber 2026
How do Islamic ethical traditions engage contemporary environmental challenges? This conference invites reflection on the moral, theological, legal, and philosophical dimensions of the human relation-ship to the natural world. We welcome contributions that examine environmental questions, including water and air quality, resource use, and animal welfare, through sustained engagement with Islamic sources, concepts, and lived practices.
Deadline for abstracts: 11 July 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/v2m42u7s
17. HYBRID Workshop “Law on the Margins of Empire: Pluralism and Politics in Colonial Pe-ripheries” (Focus MENA), Trinity College, University of Cambridge, 19-20 March 2027
This workshop investigates colonial law on the “margins” of (early) modern empires. We invite papers that engage with transregional, comparative, and locally grounded perspectives. Selected papers may be considered for a journal special issue. Applicants should submit a title, abstract, bio, and attendance preference. Limited travel funds are available.
Deadline for abstracts: 10 August 2026. Information: https://www-tinyurl.com/3b3b7884
18. Postdoctoral Fellowship (6 Months) in Islamic Bioethics, Research Center for Islamic Legis-lation and Ethics (CILE), Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar
We are seeking early-career researchers (PhD obtained within the last 5 years) specialized in Islamic Bioethics or Applied Ethics. Ideal candidates will be ready to transform their research into high-impact publications and possess professional proficiency in either English or Arabic (bilingualism is a signifi-cant advantage).
Deadline for applications: 23 July 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/54net8n8
19. Cataloger (1 Year, Remote Employment Only) of West African Manuscripts in Arabic, Hill Museum and Manuscript Library (HMML), Collegeville, MN
Qualification: Doctorate in History, African Studies, Islamic Studies, Arabic Studies. – Excellent knowledge of Arabic language and paleography and of Islamic literature in the West African context. – Native or near native English language proficiency and good communications skills. – Experience in working with manuscripts or cataloging manuscripts. – Strong computer skills.
Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Information: https://tinyurl.com/5je9cs8t
20. Arcapita Visiting Professorship (1 Semester) in Modern Arab Studies, Columbia University, New York
We are interested in candidates whose field of research and teaching is in history, culture, or social sciences of the modern Arab world. The incumbent will be expected to teach one course, participate in the activities of the Middle East Institute, and give a brown bag lecture and other such public lectures as may be appropriate.
Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Information: https://apply.interfolio.com/184343
21. Summer School for Persian Language, Yerevan, Armenia, 6-10 weeks, 21 June – 28 August 2026
Courses are available at beginner, elementary, and intermediate levels and focus on all core language skills: reading, writing, speaking, listening, grammar, and vocabulary. Small class sizes ensure close interaction with experienced instructors and rapid progress. Participants will also benefit from a strong cultural immersion component, including guided excursions.
Deadline for applications: 21 May 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/2mdhwru9
22. ONLINE Summer Skills Seminar “Medieval & Early Modern Cartography: An Introduction” with Karen Mathews (University of Miami), CU Mediterranean Studies Group & Mediterranean Seminar, 22-25 June 2026
This 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. We will study different types of maps from Islamic and Christian territories in relation to their form, content, use, and context. We will work here to integrate maps more fully into art historical discourses while analyzing them as ideological objects.
Extended deadline for applications: 17 June 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/3kwjz2b2
23. HYBRID Summer School on “Ottoman Paleography” and “Ottoman Archival Documents and Diplomatica”, Middle East and Africa Research Center (ORDAM), Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakıf Uni-versity, Istanbul, 7-30 July 2026
The program aims to teach archival languages required for research in Social Sciences, particularly in History, and to improve participants’ existing language skills. Participants will be able to use the archival language they learn for academic or personal purposes. During the program, 48 hours of intensive language training will be offered.
Deadline for applications: 29 May 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/ynncsawd
24. Articles on “Literature and the Body: The Relations Between Being and Writing” for a Special Issue of “Nesir: Journal of Literary Studies”, Samsun, Turkey
This issue eeks to reconsider how literature translates bodily experience into writing and visibility, and how the body, in turn, discloses and shapes literary meaning. It welcomes essays that conceive litera-ture as an ontological threshold, poised between meaning and sensation, writing and life, word and world.
Deadline for abstracts in English and Turkish: 1 August 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/3xpctvxd
25. Chapters on “Humanistic Approaches to the Sharia in Islamic Fiqh and Theology” for Vol-ume Edited by Masoumeh Rad Goudarzi, Combined with a Workshop in Aarhus University, Den-mark
We invite chapter proposals for an author workshop and edited volume exploring humanistic ap-proaches to the Sharia in Islamic fiqh and theology, with a focus on innovative, comprehensive, and underexamined perspectives in contemporary Islamic thought. The volume will target scholars of Is-lamic studies, law, theology, and human rights, as well as interdisciplinary researchers working on reli-gion and ethics.
Deadline for abstracts: 31 May 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/4kzaeec7
26. ONLINE New Book “Rethinking Neoliberalism in WANA (West Asia and North Africa): Femi-nist Economic Perspectives”, Edited by Salam Said & Adriana Qubaiova, Dietz Verlag, 2026, 254 Pages
The book argues that feminist economics offers a valuable alternative framework by highlighting the structural roots of inequality and by integrating economic analysis with social, political, and environ-mental dimensions. It pays particular attention to issues such as neoliberal policy impacts, geopolitical interventions, and persistent gender and social inequalities that continue to shape the region.
Download: https://tinyurl.com/yxs8vvhk
27. New Book: “Ottoman-Era Documents from the Cairo Genizah” by Jane Hathaway, Open Book Publishers, March 2026, 510 Pages
Moving beyond the more familiar Hebrew and Judaeo-Arabic texts, the author ventures into neglected terrain, offering expert translations of Arabic and Ottoman Turkish texts in Arabic script. The collection is rich with remarkable ‘firsts’, including a Jewish funerary prayer on the reverse of a letter from a military commander, fragments of Sufi poetry, and a primer on Muslim practice. Each document opens new avenues of inquiry, linking Egypt’s Jewish community to wider intra- and intercommunal networks in the Ottoman Empire and beyond.
Information: https://tinyurl.com/4csx3eps
28. ONLINE E-Book: “Coptic Heritage Awakening” by Mariz Tadros, Refcemi, London, January 2026, 282 pages
Readers are invited on a journey of heritage sense-making through multiple lenses: that of the author, the heritage gatherers comprising the hundreds of young people who have captured the photos and collected the stories, alongside members of their communities. The journey starts from the heart of Coptic communities; heritage is gathered through the young people residing there, and heritage sharing efforts are shared first and foremost in these same communities.
Download: https://tinyurl.com/4cxev36k
- May 09, 2026
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – ‘Shii Studies Network’: upcoming lectures
25 May 2026
Dr Kate Pukhovaia (Utrecht University and Leiden University Library)
What Makes Premodern State-Building Shiʿi?
2 June 2026
Dr Teresa Bernheimer
Revisiting the ʿAlids: Reflections on the Study of Kinship and Authority in Early Islam
- May 08, 2026
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Imam Ali Research Center Announces Graduate Research Awards in Ahlul Bayt and Shi‘i Studies
Imam Ali Research Center Announces Graduate Research Awards in Ahlul Bayt and Shi‘i Studies
The Imam Ali Research Center (IARC) is pleased to announce the establishment of two graduate research awards: the Dr. Husain Kazmi & Dr. Naila Moghul Graduate Research Award and the Dr. M. Mehdi Kazmi & Dr. Galina Bass Graduate Research Award in Ahlul Bayt and Shi‘i Studies.
These awards are designed to support promising PhD candidates pursuing doctoral fieldwork and research within the broader field of Shi‘i Studies. IARC welcomes applications from students in the humanities and social sciences, particularly those working in history, Islamic studies, art and art history, philosophy, theology, law, language, and literature, whose graduate research intersects with themes related to the ‘Alids, Shi‘i intellectual and devotional traditions, and scholarship on the Ahlul Bayt.
The Dr. Husain Kazmi & Dr. Naila Moghul Graduate Research Award and the Dr. M. Mehdi Kazmi & Dr. Galina Bass Graduate Research Award in Ahlul Bayt and Shi‘i Studies will each provide one award in the amount of $2,000, for a total of two awards. The awards will be granted to two students currently enrolled in doctoral research programs in North America.
Finalists will be interviewed virtually by the selection committee. Award funds are expected to be distributed by July 2026.
Eligibility
Applicants must be currently enrolled in a doctoral graduate program in North America. Award funds must be used by December 2026.
Application Requirements
A complete application must include the following materials:
1. An abbreviated dissertation prospectus or statement of purpose explaining the applicant’s academic research project and its contribution to the field of Shi‘i Studies and scholarship on the Ahlul Bayt.
2. A summer research plan.
3. A curriculum vitae, including graduate GPA. Official transcripts will be required for award confirmation.
4. Two academic references.
Deadline:
Completed applications must be submitted by May 30, 2026 by 11:59 PM EST. Candidates should submit completed application in one PDF to info@imamaliresearchcenter.com
Short-listed candidates will be announced by the IARC Ghadeer Conference, June 4th-5th, 2026.
- May 07, 2026
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
- May 06, 2026
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1.Position – Sullivan Visiting Professor in Islamic Art History – Deadline May 18
The Department of Art and Art History at Wesleyan University invites applications for a one-year, full-time Sullivan Visiting Professor of Art History. We seek an historian of pre-modern Islamic Art with an emphasis on South, Central, or West Asia. We welcome specialists in any subfield working on periods before 1800 and pursuing any methodological approach/es. Candidates from the fields of art and architectural history and archaeology are welcome to apply. Applicants must have earned their Ph.D. in Art History or a related field, or be near completion, by the start date of the position (September 1, 2026).
The teaching load is 2/1. Additional duties include advising and mentoring students, carrying out a program of research, and participating in the life of the Department.
Interested candidates should submit a 1) cover letter, (2) curriculum vitae, (3) writing sample (such as a dissertation chapter or published article), (4) statement of current research, and documentation of teaching interests and/or experience, (5) course syllabi and/or descriptions, 6) the email addresses of three referees from whom we may obtain confidential letters of recommendation. In the cover letter, applicants should describe how they will embrace the college’s commitment to fostering an inclusive community.
Term: September 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027.
Compensation: $62,000-$66,000
Please apply at: https://wesleyan.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/careers. Applications received by May 18, 2026 will receive full consideration. The file size for uploads is limited, so for larger files please submit a link to a shared folder.
Inquiries may be directed to Song Keng Teoh (steoh@wesleyan.edu), administrative assistant, Department of Art and Art History
Contact Email
URL
https://wesleyan.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/careers/job/Middletown-CT-Main-Campus/Su…
2. Online Turkish and Ottoman Summer School – From Beginner to Advanced
Lisan-ı Türki
The Academy of Turkish Language and Turkic Culture
holds its online summer school
Turkish & Ottoman Online Summer Program
Join our comprehensive online language program this summer to explore the rich linguistic and historical heritage of the Turkish and Ottoman worlds. Whether you are an absolute beginner or an advanced researcher, our expert-led courses offer a tailored path to proficiency.
Turkish and Ottoman Courses
: A friendly foundation for absolute beginners focusing on daily life, essential vocabulary, and basic interactions.
Intermediate Turkish: Conducted primarily in Turkish (A2+), focusing on newspaper articles and novels through the Istanbul coursebook series.
Advanced Turkish: An immersive course designed to elevate vocabulary and grammar to a level of full comprehension of complex Turkish texts.
Turkish for Everyday Conversation: Master the art of Turkish communication with expert-led conversation lessons tailored for all levels.
Ottoman Thematic Course: An intensive survey of Ottoman historiography (15th–18th century), analyzing original primary sources and narrative strategies.
Our Faculty this Summer:
Dr. Ufuk Erol (PhD, Indiana University Bloomington, USA)
Dr. Gökçe Karaoğlu (PhD, University of Zurich, Switzerland)
🔗 Learn more about all courses:
📝 Register here:
https://forms.gle/CTE8EkcRD1U95dVY9
It is possible to arrange intensive and one-on-one classes tailored to the specific needs of learners. To do so, please send us an email, and we will get in touch with you.
We look forward to welcoming you this summer. If you have any further inquiries, please don’t hesitate to contact us at admin@lisaniturki.com
Warmregards,
Lisan-ı Türki Team
3. I AM THE WOUNDED VICTIM OF A SUICIDE BOMBER, by Fazel Ahad Ahadi / Ilex Project
https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674303270
4. PD in Islamic Medicine
Three postdoctoral positions on our current Wellcome funded project ‘Pustules, Palaeogenetics and Pandemics from Galen to Rhazes: How to do the Early History of Smallpox and Measles’, (PI Professor Rebecca Flemming). The deadline for applications is 20th May, 2026 for a start date around September 2026 or soon thereafter at the University of Exeter, UK.
- Q14529 Postdoctoral Research Associate or Fellow in Ancient Medicine (CAHRT) – To view this advert please click here
- Q14531 Postdoctoral Research Associate or Fellow in Medieval Arabic Medicine (IAIS) – To view this advert please click here
- Q14532 (Postdoctoral Research Associate or Fellow in Ancient Disease and Pandemics (interdisciplinary approaches) (CAHRT) – To view this advert please click here
5. ARIANNA D’OTTONE
THE BLUE QURʾĀN AND THE BIBLE OF DANILA: A MEANINGFUL CONNECTION
Monday Majlis Online on the 11th of May, 17:00-18:30 (UK time)
Centre for the Study of Islam, Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter
Register please on this link:
https://Universityofexeter.zoom.us/meeting/register/uIEfgH8jSiOX1FUwG9wHCg
- May 05, 2026
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1.ORHAN ELMAZ, Digital Tools and Methods in (+/- Contemporary) Qurʾānic Studies . MONDAY MAJLIS ONLINE. 4th of May (Monday) 17:00-18:30 (UK time)
Centre for the Study of Islam, Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter
Register please on this link:
https://universityofexeter.zoom.us/meeting/register/fbHQXhbxSm6-9gtiDQ4ovQ#/registration
You can watch the previous Majlises here https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8YRkUahFj_81oJzCSDLTx4kVQQgeHLc-.
However, we don’t record the Q&A in order to keep the discussion free.
Please come and enjoy the talks and the discussions : ) If you’d like to be included in the CSI (Centre for the Study of Islam, Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter) mailing list, please write to me (I.T.Kristo-Nagy@ex.ac.uk).
2. Call for Papers:
Subalterns in the Persianate world in the Zand and Qajar periods
3nd workshop:
Recovering ‘Lost Voices’:
The Role and Depiction of Iranian/Persianate Subalterns from the 13th Century to the Modern Period.
A multi-year research project funded by the British Institute of Persian Studies (BIPS).
The third workshop on subalterns across the entire Persianate world in the Zand and Qajar periods will be held at the University of Edinburgh, UK, on 27-29 October, 2026
Read more at:
http://www.shii-news.imes.ed.ac.uk/projects/the-subalterns-project/
Conference Deadlines:
- Friday, 12 June, 2026:Please RSVP by this date, simply to let us know if you can participate – we are eager to have you attend: anewman@ed.ac.uk
- Tuesday, 30 June, 2026: Send Abstracts (250–300 words), which should include the title of the proposed paper, a brief introduction to the topic, and a well-developed thesis with objectives and preliminary arguments clearly expressed. Include a biography (up to 100 words).
- Thursday, 1 October 2026 Pre-conference draft papers for your talk (approx. 3,000–3,500 words for a 20-25-minute presentation) and PowerPoint slides (if using and ready) to be sent
Practical Details:
The conference will cover meals from dinner on 27 October to lunch on 29 October.
Depending upon final numbers, further, if limited, funding support for travel, accommodation, and other expenses may be available, especially for PhD students, Early Career Researchers (ECRs), and unaffiliated scholars.
Publication Guidelines – Looking Ahead:
Thinking longer term, the following information will be helpful to you:
- Final Paper Submission Deadline:Wednesday, 30 June, 2027
- Length:~7,000–10,000 words (excluding citations)
- Software Format:MS-Word, .docx
- Transliteration and Foreign Languages:
- Do not use Arabic script unless it is necessary for the argument.
- Use ALA-LC Romanization Table for Arabic(which also covers Persian and other Arabic-script characters).
- Use ʿ and ʾ for ʿayn and hamzah
- Passages in foreign languages must also be translated into English.
- Review:All papers will undergo peer review and editorial revision. Please ensure your submissions are review-ready. Papers that do not pass peer review cannot be included in the volume.
Further publishing information will be available closer to the time.
For further information, please contact
3. Prochaine séance du séminaire “Sociétés, politiques et cultures du monde iranien”, jeudi 7 mai 2026, 17h, à l’INALCO
Le CeRMI a le plaisir de vous convier à la prochaine séance du séminaire “Sociétés, politiques et cultures du Monde iranien”, qui se tiendra le jeudi 7 mai 2026, 17h-19h, en salle 4.06 à l’INaLCO(65 rue des Grands Moulins, Paris XIII, 4eétage).
Nous sommes heureux d’accueillir M. Tobias Jones, historien, chercheur en contrat postdoctoral à l’Académie des Sciences de Prague (République tchèque), pour une conférence intitulée : Mongol Women through Persian Eyes.
Résumé :
Almost all foreign observers of Mongol society noted the high regard in which women were held. Persian sources are no exception to this. It is through one source in particular, namely Rashīd al-Dīn’s history of the Mongols, that a great deal of our information about Mongol women emerges. However, there are many other Persian historians who wrote about the Mongols, and who provide us with rather a different picture of women’s place in the Mongol Empire and the Persian Ilkhanate. By considering a wider range of historical works, including local histories, the relationship between the rulers and the ruled is more clearly revealed, indicating how far Mongol cultural norms about women penetrated into the Perso-Islamic world. This lecture seeks to illuminate how Persian historians saw Mongol women and if and how these images diverge from the picture present in the court chronicle of Rashīd al-Dīn.
Orientations bibliographiques :
– Yoni Brack, “A Mongol Princess Making hajj: the Biography of El Qutlugh Daughter of Abagha Ilkhan (r. 1265-1282)”, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society 21, No. 3, (2011): 331-359.
– Anne Broadbridge, Women and the Making of the Mongol Empire (Cambridge University Press, 2018).
– Bruno De Nicola, Women in Mongol Iran: The Khatuns, 1206-1335 (Edinburgh University Press, 2017).
– Antony Eastmond, Tamta’s World: The Life and Encounters of a Medieval Noblewoman from the Middle East to Mongolia (Cambridge University Press, 2017).
– Hind Gilli-Elewy, “On Women, Power and Politics During the Last Phase of the Ilkhanate”, Arabica 59, (2012):709-723.
– Gavin R. G. Hambly, “Becoming Visible: Medieval Islamic Women in Historiography and History”, in Women in the Medieval Islamic World: Power, Patronage, and Piety, ed. G. Hambly (St. Martin’s Press: 1998): 3-28.
Vous retrouverez l’intégralité du programme 2025-2026 du séminaire mensuel de recherche “Sociétés, politiques et cultures du Monde iranien” en ligne sur le site du CeRMI: https://cermi.cnrs.fr/seminaires-de-recherche/societes-politiques-et-cultures-du-monde-iranien-2025-2026/
Dans l’attente du plaisir de vous retrouver à l’occasion de ces séances, qui se déroulent en présentiel sur le site de l’INaLCO (65 rue des Grands Moulins, Paris XIII).
Bien cordialement,
Les organisateurs –
Simon Berger et Justine Landau
Contact: justine.landau@sorbonne-nouvelle.fr
4. AMI : conference.
Al-Mahdi Institute is delighted to open registration for its upcoming Islamic Mysticism and Spirituality conference on: “Ways of Knowing in Sufism: Epistemology, Authority, and Contemporary Implications” taking place on 1st–2nd June 2026 at Al-Mahdi Institute. The conference brings together scholars to examine Sufi ways of knowing — unveiling, tasting, inspiration, and presential knowledge — through rigorous interdisciplinary inquiry, drawing on classical Islamic thought, philosophy, history, and the study of religious experience. The programme engages debates on the proof-value of experiential knowledge, the philosophical systematisation of kashf, the regulation of ilhāmin Ottoman scholarly culture, and the contemporary implications of mystical knowledge-claims for modern Islamic theology and reform.
Tickets are £35 per day or £60 for both days (with a 20% student discount) and include lunch and dinner on the chosen day(s).
Further details and registration: https://almahdi.edu/ims-conference/
5. Hybrid: Medieval Landscapes and Rurality in Anatolia and Beyond
Thursday, May 14, 9.30 am
Friday, May 15, 10.00 am
Deutsches Archäologisches Institut Istanbul, İnönü Caddesi 10, Istanbul (GMT+3)
This in-person conference is also available on-line.
Organization : D. B. Erciyas (METU, Ankara) & M. Durocher (Sorbonne Universite, Paris)
List of speakers :
- Birgül Açıkyıldız
- Michele Abballe
- Ayşe Belgin-Henry
- Pierre Benoit
- Ahmet Bilir
- John Bintliff
- Marica Cassis
- Marco Cavalazzi
- Suna Çağaptay
- Mustafa Doğan
- Maxime Durocher
- Asa Eger
- Burcu Erciyas
- Alkiviadis Ginalis
- Filiz İnanan
- Adam Izdebski
- Anaïs Lamesa
- Giorgios Liakopoulos
- Paolo Maranzana
- Oya Pancaroğlu
- Evengelia Pişkin
- Grégoire Sommer
- Iryna Teslenko
- Vincent Thérouin
- Athanasios K. Vionis
- Sara Nur Yıldız
- Luca Zavagno
Register link and program : https://sa.metu.edu.tr/en/announcements/conference-medieval-landscape-and-rurality-anatolia-and-beyond
Contact Information
Maxime Durocher
Contact Email
maxime.durocher@sorbonne-universite.fr
6. Summer Academy Khorog (Tajikistan) 2026
Cultural Heritage at the Mountain Crossroads of Central Asia
Description
The Summer Academy takes place in Khorog, the capital of the Autonomous Region of Mountain Badakhshan in Tajikistan. Overlooking the Panj river and the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan at an altitude of 2.200 m, Khorog is an ideal place to explore cultural heritage as expressions of past and present experiences of mountain societies living along the crossroads of Central Eurasia. While mountain societies were often considered peripheral, this Summer Academy offers the opportunity to experience connectivities and cultural connectedness in and across Pamir Mountains of Central Asia. The material and immaterial legacies around us will offer multiple vantage points for discussing theories, methods, and approaches to cultural heritage in particular from the perspective of cultural infrastructure that shapes discourses, practices and politics on different scales, from the local to the translocal.
Where: University of Central Asia, Khorog, Tajikistan
When: 17 – 30 August 2026
Duration: 14 days (2 days of transfer Dushanbe-Khorog, 10 days Khorog, 2 days return transfer to Dushanbe)
Language: English
Level: Graduate students (MA and PhD), exceptions for advanced BA (see below)
Credits: Certificate of Participation
Costs and scholarships: Course fee 200 EUR including tuition, study materials and excursions. Full scholarships (course fee waivers, travel and accommodation grants) are available for participants enrolled in an institution of higher learning in Tajikistan or other Central Asian countries. Other participants can apply for a number of scholarships including travel and accommodation grants. Other expenses such as insurance, visa, meals and individual activities during the weekend are not included.
Programme
Through a programme of lectures, reading/discussion sections, cultural visits and small research exercises, participants are offered diverse ways of engaging with cultural heritage, practices and meanings around it, as well as with contested, muted or `difficult’ heritage. At the same time, participants will acquire and deepen knowledge about the cultural history of the Badakhshan region of Tajikistan in the Central Asian context and its wider Eurasian (especially Iranian and South Asian) connectivities. Specific attention will be paid to questions of material cultural heritage in the rural space, immaterial culture (music, dance and poetry), cultural heritage and adventure tourism, and community initiatives to preserve and valorise cultural heritage. Pending confirmation, the programme will include regional excursions.
Participants
The Summer Academy offers spots for up to 15 participants. Seven spots are reserved for participants who at any time of 2026 are or will be enrolled at institutions of higher learning in Central Asian countries. The Summer Academy is open to MA- and PhD-students from disciplines such as history, anthropology, area studies, fine arts, cultural studies and human geography with an interest in cultural heritage and the Central Asian region. Advanced BA-students may be exceptionally considered on the basis of strong letters of motivation. The Summer Academy will be held in English. Knowledge of languages spoken in the region is an asset but not a requirement.
Requirements
English language competency on a level sufficiently high to read, discuss and write is expected (at least an equivalent of iBT TOEFL 80/PBT TOEFL 550 for non-native speakers).
Participants are responsible for organising their own travel to Dushanbe, including visa (if applicable) and insurances and accommodation until departure for Khorog and after return to Dushanbe. Participants are also responsible for obtaining the obligatory permit for travel to GBAO (Mountain Badakhshan Autonomous Region). The organisers will provide general information on visa and permits, but accept no responsibility for the accuracy of this information. Transportation from Dushanbe to Khorog and from Khorog to Dushanbe as well as local transportation for programmed excursions will be organised by the Summer Academy. The organisers of the summer academy reserve the right to adapt the schedule to local circumstances and requirements. All changes will be announced in due time.
Summer Academy Faculty
The Summer Academy is led by Jeanine Dağyeli (University of Vienna, Dept. of Near Eastern Studies & Austrian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Iranian Studies), Ariane Sadjed and Florian Schwarz (both Austrian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Iranian Studies) in collaboration with faculties from Social Sciences and Humanities of University of Central Asia in Khorog, Tajikistan. It is financially supported by a grant from the Austrian Cluster of Excellence Eurasian Transformations.
Application
If you want to apply for the Summer Academy Cultural Heritage at the Mountain Crossroads of Central Asia, please send your application including a CV and a letter of motivation to iran.office@oeaw.ac.at by May 15, 2026.
PhD candidates should additionally provide a short description of their research project.
Please indicate in your application which of the following options applies to you:
- you are or will be enrolled in 2026 an institution of higher education in Central Asia country (please indicate the country, the university and a ref) and are therefore eligible for a full fee waiver and a travel and accommodation scholarship
Or, if you are not enrolled at an institution of higher education in Central Asia, please indicate whether
- you would attend the Summer Academy with your own funding from your home institution or other funding sources, including self-funding, or whether
- you are applying for a partial travel and accommodation scholarship.
Timeline:
21 April 2026 Publication of call
15 May 2026 Deadline for applications
My 31 2026 Notification of applicants about outcome of selection process
Further organizational information for successful applicants
Preliminary notification on scholarships
June 2026 Scholarship details, reading materials, further details on programme and teaching faculty
17 August 2026 7 am: Departure from Dushanbe for overland transfer to Khorog
28 August 2026 Return to Dushanbe (arrival 30 August)
Contact
I you have any further questions regarding the Summer Academy, please feel free to contact the organisers directly:
Jeanine Dağyeli: jeanine.dagyeli@univie.ac.at
Ariane Sadjed: ariane.sadjed@oeaw.ac.at
Florian Schwarz: Florian.Schwarz@oeaw.ac.at
7. 2026 BRISMES Annual Conference: Registration for Non-Presenting Delegates Open!
Registration is now open for non-speaking delegates for the 2026 BRISMES conference, “War, Empire and Sabotage in an Age of Genocide” taking place at SOAS University of London from 23 to 25 June. The provisional programme features over 100 panels and plenaries, covering a wide range of topics both within and beyond the conference theme. The deadline to register is 8 June 2026.
8. Call for Papers | The 2026 International Conference of the Syrian Academics and Researchers’ Network in the UK (SARN UK)
International Conference, University of Cambridge, 17–18 September 2026
SARN UK is pleased to invite papers for its 2026 international conference, co-hosted with the Margaret Anstee Centre for Global Studies (MAC) at Newnham College, University of Cambridge. This year’s theme, “Syria in Transition: Knowledge, Memory, and the Everyday Aftermath,” invites Syrian and Syria-focused scholars to reflect on the evolving role of academic, cultural, and intellectual work in shaping Syria’s futures.
Deadline | 15 May 2026
9. Call for Contributions | The Bloomsbury Handbook to LGBTQ+ Culture in the Middle East and North Africa
Edited Volume, Editor: Feras Alkabani
BRISMES Trustee and Associate Professor of Comparative Literature, Dr Feras Alkabani, has been commissioned to edit The Bloomsbury Handbook to LGBTQ+ Culture in the Middle East and North Africa, and would like to invite scholars working on relevant areas covered in the edited collection to contribute a chapter. Through a blend of historical context and contemporary cultural analysis, the book challenges monolithic portrayals and highlights the resilience, creativity and complexity of queer identities across diverse MENA societies and in their diaspora.
10. HYBRID Lecture “The Popularization of “Arab Music” on Colonial Radio in Egypt: Changing Concepts and Contexts” by Kira Weiss, CEDEJ, Cairo, 3 May 2026, 16:00 CET
This paper examines the popularization of the concept of “Arab music” by the Egyptian State Broad-casting station (ESB), which operated under joint Egyptian and British administration from 1934–1947. This radio station monopolized the airwaves, putting an end to “community radio” (al-idhāʿa al-ahliyya).
Information and registration: https://tinyurl.com/mr2vucpp
11. ONLINE Inaugural Meeting of the “Scholarly Network for the Study of Muslim Antisemitism”, Florida, 4 May 2026, 17.00 – 18:00 CET
As the global landscape surrounding religious and political discourse undergoes rapid transformation, there is a pressing need for a dedicated, interdisciplinary space to examine the intersection of antisem-itism and Islamic contexts. This introductory session aims to bridge the gap between historical inquiry and contemporary political analysis, fostering a community of practice that prioritizes rigorous scholar-ship and collaborative output.
Information and registration: https://tinyurl.com/9b4ua2nw
12. ONLINE Lecture “Ambition and Spectacle: The Architectural Patronage of Mehmed Ali Pasha of Egypt” by Ryan Mitchell (Temple University), Virtual Islamic Art History Seminar Series (VIAHSS), Michigan, 5 May 2026, 18:00 CET
Information and registration: https://tinyurl.com/mt2fypc4
13. ONLINE Interdisciplinary Webinar Series & Edited Volume on “American Islam at 250: Community, Authority, and Futurity in the American Muslim Experience”, Florida International University & East-West Foundation, July – December 2026
This series convenes historians, political scientists, religious studies scholars, sociologists, anthropol-ogists, legal scholars, theologians, and public intellectuals for a rigorous, eight-episode examination of the American Muslim community as it is today and as it might become. The series is organized topically, with each episode addressing a defining dimension of contemporary American Muslim life.
Deadline for abstracts: 15 May 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/4m54whdp
14. Conference “The Periphery at the Center: Islands and Islandness in the Late Antique, Medieval, and Early Modern Mediterranean”, Bilkent University, Department of History, 14-16 October 2026
The conference aims at reassessing the political, religious, socio-cultural, and economic significance of insular geographies in relation to the great empires and polities across two millennia of Mediterranean history.
Deadline for abstracts: 15 May 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/5btrs8ar
15. International Conference “Rupture of Continuity in Sharīʿa – (De)Colonizing Sharīʿa?”, Centre for Islamic Studies (ISAM), Istanbul, 9-11 June 2027
This conference seeks papers that critically interrogate notions of rupture, continuity, or beyond to
characterize colonial-era sharīʿa. It seeks to gather scholars studying Islamic legal thought,
practice, institutions, and beyond across global Islamic legal contexts in their encounter with
colonialism, broadly conceived. The organizers will cover traveling expenses, accommodation, and meals.
Deadline for abstracts: 20 June 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/37su8555
16. Five PhD and Postdoc Fellowships (10-12 Months) for the Academic Year 2026-2027, Center for Economic, Legal, and Social Studies (CEDEJ), Cairo
The fellows should be conducting research on modern and contemporary Egypt from humanities or social science perspectives.
Deadline for applications: 1 June 2026. Information: https://cedej-eg.org/fr/opportunities-2-2-2/
17. Five PhD and Postdoc Fellowships (10-12 Months) for the Academic Year 2026-2027, Center for Economic, Legal, and Social Studies (CEDEJ), Cairo
The fellows should be conducting research on modern and contemporary Egypt from humanities or social science perspectives.
Deadline for applications: 1 June 2026. Information: https://cedej-eg.org/fr/opportunities-2-2-2/
18. Articles for the “Druze Studies Journal”
The Druze Studies Journal (DSJ) invites submissions for its 2026 issue, seeking original research on Druze history, society, culture, faith, and politics. This open access, interdisciplinary journal publishes peer-reviewed articles on a rolling basis. DSJ especially encourages contributions on underrepresented areas, including the Druze diaspora, the Druze in Jordan, and contemporary and historical studies of Druze communities in Syria.
Deadline for submissions: 31 July 2026. Information: https://journals.ku.edu/druze
19. New Book: “The Arabic Language” by Kees Versteegh, Edinburgh University Press, Third Edition, January 2026, 544 Pages
This introduction to Arabic linguistics covers all aspects of the history of Arabic, the Arabic linguistic tradition, Arabic dialects, sociolinguistics and Arabic as a world language. It makes links between lin-guistic history and cultural history. It also emphasises the role of contacts between Arabic and other languages.
Information: https://tinyurl.com/hdbza84j
20. New Book: “Fashion in Late Ottoman Istanbul: Photography and Identity in a Global City” by Nancy Micklewright, Bloomsbury Publishing, 14 May 2026, 224 Pages
Appealing to scholars across a range of fields, including fashion history, Ottoman studies, women’s and gender history, visual culture and photography history, “Fashion in Late Ottoman Istanbul” provides a fascinating insight into women’s histories, writing and dress practices in a rapidly changing Istanbul.
Information: https://tinyurl.com/37xpdp59
21. Open Rank (Assistant/Associate/Full Professor) position in Political Theory, Bilkent University, Ankara
Candidates must demonstrate an active research agenda and depending on seniority, a strong record of publication. They are also expected to offer high-quality teaching and training at undergraduate and graduate levels, particularly on Turkish Political Development and Contemporary Turkish Politics.
Deadline for applications: 30 September 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/2k3we6a3
2. Open Rank (Assistant/Associate/Full Professor) position in Turkish Politics, Bilkent University, Ankara
Candidates must demonstrate an active research agenda and depending on seniority, a strong record of publication. They are also expected to offer high-quality teaching and training in political theory and introductory level political science at undergraduate and graduate levels.
Deadline for applications: 30 September 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/msnxbk4r
23. Editor-in-Chief and Section Editors for the New “Journal of Islamism Studies (JIS)”, Turkey
JIS is an international, peer-reviewed, and interdisciplinary journal that will be published annually in both English and Turkish. We are currently preparing for our inaugural issue, scheduled for release in 2027. Our journal seeks to move beyond the narrow confines of merely defending or criticizing Islam-ism, positioning itself in a “post” phase that elevates this intellectual discourse from local debates to a robust international academic platform.
Information: https://tinyurl.com/mwuf2ud7
- May 02, 2026
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment