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
Posted in: Academic items
- May 02, 2026
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