Shii News – Academic Items
1. Postdoctoral Research Fellow for Middle East and North Africa Studies: Peace and Conflict Studies/International Relations/Comparative Politics or International Political Economy, GIGA Institute for Middle East Studies, Hamburg
Qualification: A very good doctoral degree in Social Sciences (Political Science, International Relations, Sociology, or Economics and related Disciplines) or History. – Emerging track record of publications in high-ranking journals and university presses. – Field work experience in the MENA; focus on Egypt, Iraq, Iran, or the Gulf region. – Fluency in English and at least one language of the region (e.g. Arabic, Farsi, Hebrew, Turkish, Kurdish). – Knowledge of German or willingness to learn it. – Experience with policy exchange and knowledge transfer activities
Deadline for applications: 15 October 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/3hvkdvad
2. Postdoctoral Researcher (2 Years +) in MENA Constitutionalism and Field Research, Faculty of Law, Charles University, Prague
Qualifications: – A Ph.D. in socio-legal studies, political science, political sociology, sociology, anthro-pology, Middle Eastern Studies, or a closely related field. – Substantial prior experience conducting qualitative field research in the MENA region. – Demonstrated competence in interview-based, obser-vational, ethnographic, interpretive, or comparable qualitative methods.
Arabic proficiency sufficient to conduct field research and interviews independently, and excellent writ-ten and spoken English. – Familiarity with constitutionalism, political community, informal institutions, religion and politics, or related debates is an advantage. – Etc.
Deadline for applications: 20 October 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/ytdbvywk
3. Open-Rank Position on the History of the Modern Middle East (Focus on the History of Israel/Palestine after 1917), Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
A PhD in history with a specialization in the history of Palestine/Israel is required. The candidate will have an excellent record of innovative research, fluency in both Hebrew and Arabic, and proficiency in other research languages (e.g., Levantine Arabic, Egyptian Arabic, modern Turkish, Ottoman Turkish, Ladino, Yiddish, French, etc.). Our department’s areas of interest include the history of migration, gen-der, law, the environment, memory, and public history.
Deadline for applications: 15 November 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/3y4rcu7b
4. Fellowship (1 Year) for Scholars of the Contemporary Middle East and North Africa, Crown Center for Middle East Studies, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
The fellowship is open to all disciplines in the Humanities and Social Sciences – particularly politics, economics, history, religion, sociology, or anthropology. Successful applicants must be tenure track or tenured professors (or equivalent) with a well-established publication record seeking a faculty leave appointment and interested in engaging in a substantive research or book project, mentoring the Cen-ter’s junior research fellows, and contributing to the Center’s publications.
Deadline for applications: 15 December 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/bdf3fhyp
5. “Monsoon Book Prize for the Indian Ocean” of the German University of Technology in Oman GUtech
The prize will be awarded to three scholarly books published between 1 January 2024 to 30 June 2026. Nominations are welcome from both publishers and authors. The selection committee will con-sider to book works within the following domains: – Heritage, History & Culture. – Anthropology, Sociology & Political Economy. – Ocean Economy & Sustainability. One winning book from each category will be awarded USD 4,000.
Deadline for nominations: 1 October 2026. Information: https://rio-gutech.org/monsoon-prize/
6. Chapters for the Middle East and North Africa Profile of the “Atlas of Today`s World”
Topics: – Human Rights, Minorities and Gender. – Living Standards & Impacts of Conflict. – Environ-mental Conditions. – Economic Systems and Corruption. – Ideology and Religion. – Society, Demog-raphy, Migration & Social Tensions. – Nature of the State. – Major Non-State Actors. – International Relations & Regional Power Dynamics. – Colonial Legacy, State Formation & Post-Independence Transformations. – Political Upheavals, the Arab Spring, Youth and Digitalization.
Deadline for abstracts: 31 October 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/bdfkrswc
7. Articles on “Literature Beyond Borders: Festschrift in Honour of Ferial Ghazoul” for “Alif: Journal of Comparative Poetics”, American University in Cairo, 48, 2028
Ferial Ghazoul, Professor of English and Comparative Literature and founder of Alif, is honoured on her retirement with the journal’s forty-eighth issue. The call invites colleagues, students, and collabora-tors to engage with her scholarship on medieval and contemporary Arabic literature, and particularly the Arabian Nights; on translation studies, untranslatability, and comparative method; on the formation of comparative literature as a discipline in Egypt and the Arab world; and on her editorial legacy in shaping Alif and other Arab scholarly journals.
Deadline for abstracts: 1 October 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/yr68v8vd
8. New Book: “Ibn Khaldun in Iran: How Contemporary Iranian Scholars Interpret Ibn Khaldun” by Seyed Javad Miri, Ekpyrosis Press, 25 August 2026, 262 Pages
Despite his enduring influence on world scholarship, Ibn Khaldun has remained a surprisingly marginal figure in contemporary Iranian social and political thought. This book explores the intellectual, institu-tional, and ideological conditions that have shaped his reception in Iran, asking why key concepts such as ‘asabiyyah, ‘umran, state formation, and civilizational decline have seldom become enduring tools of social analysis. It argues for a critical reconstruction of Khaldunian theory as a framework for under-standing the crises of state, power, and social change in modern Iran.
Information: https://tinyurl.com/fzv5fr3w
9. The latest issue of MELA Notes: The Journal of Middle Eastern Librarianship (Number 97, Issue 2, 2026):
https://escholarship.org/uc/melanotes/97/2
This special issue is titled “Nūshāfarīn Anṣārī: From ‘Books for All’ to Cultural Institution-Building.” It brings together critical research exploring the life, scholarship, and enduring institutional impact of Nūshāfarīn Anṣārī, whose pioneering career spans more than six decades across librarianship, education, children’s literature, and civil-society leadership.
Publishing this focused volume about such a central Iranian cultural and educational figure amidst the events of the past year makes this issue especially urgent and meaningful for the Middle East Studies community. At a time when cultural and scholarly ties face unprecedented strain, documenting traditions of civic resilience, public service, and intellectual institution-building serves as a vital bridge and a testament to the endurance of regional scholarship.
Table of Contents:
- Editor’s Note – Farshad Sonboldel
- Introduction to the Special Issue: From “Books for All” to Cultural Institution-Building – Ali Boozari
- Biography of Nūshāfarīn Anṣārī – Mahsa Sadiq
- Bibliography of Nūshāfarīn Anṣārī – Children’s Book Council of Iran
- Libraries of Care: Nūshāfarīn Anṣārī and Feminist Democracy in Iranian Librarianship – Hanieh Bakhtiari
- The Impact of Nūshāfarīn Anṣārī on Women’s Cultural Participation in Iran – Mahbubeh Khazayi, Mitra Samiei, and Mehrnaz Khorasanchi
- Nūshāfarīn Anṣārī and the Development of Social Librarianship in Iran – Leila (Roya) Maktabi Fard
- Nūshāfarīn Anṣārī and the Development of Librarianship and Children’s Literature in Iran – Ali Boozari
- Nūshāfarīn Anṣārī and the Children’s Book Council of Iran: Cultural Institution-Building, Organized Voluntarism, and the Logic of Sustainability – Parichehr Nasrin-Pay
- Book Reviews – Reviews by Ali Boozari, Shahrzad Khosrowpour, Mehrak Kamali, H. Morgan Nix, and Mahdi Ganjavi
The issue is open access and available to read, download, and share online:
https://escholarship.org/uc/melanotes/97/2
10. Wesleyan University (Connecticut, USA) – Assistant Professor of Art History
Wesleyan University’s Department of Art and Art History invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Art History beginning July 1, 2027. We seek an historian of pre-modern Islamic Art, working on periods before 1800. We welcome specialists in any subfield or geographic region, pursuing any methodological approach/es; special consideration will be given to scholars of South, Central, and/or West Asian art. Candidates from the fields of art and architectural history and archaeology are welcome to apply.
Applications completed by December 1, 2026 will receive full consideration. If you have questions about the application process, please contact Song Keng Teoh, Administrative Assistant, Art History at steoh@wesleyan.edu or 860-685-2682.
11. Looking for a 16th-century Iranian door – The Safavid door of the tomb of Emamzadeh Yahya, Varamin, dated 971/1563
We are looking for the sixteenth-century Safavid door of the tomb of the Emamzadeh Yahya. The door is dated 971/1563, and its inscriptions were recorded in situ in 1279/1863. By 1915, it was offered for sale in New York at the Kent-Shmavon Galleries. It is unclear if the door was sold in 1915, went into storage, and/or later re-entered the market. Searches of many international collections have not yet located the door. We are hoping to find it and are grateful for your eyes and help.
Details:
Iran, exact place of production unknown
Wood, with metal fittings and nails
Dated Safar 971/September 1563
Signed by Maʿsum Najjar (Maʿsum the woodworker)
Made at the order of Mowlana Jahangir Mohtaseb Varamini for the tomb of Emamzadeh Yahya, Varamin
The door is visually distinct. The inner field is decorated with thin strips of wood in a zigzag pattern secured with nails. Both panels are enclosed in a long inscription. Among many important details, the inscription provides the complete genealogy of the saint.
The attached black and white photograph was taken from the 1915 sales catalog. The second color detail is of a contemporary Safavid door and provides a sense of the technique.
An essay on the door will soon be published in the Emamzadeh Yahya website (Checklist, no. 15). More information can be found in this link.
https://khamseen-emamzadeh-yahya-varamin.hart.lsa.umich.edu/en_tomb_door.php
If you have seen the door, please be in touch. Thank you for your eyes and attention.
Keelan Overton, 33arches.overton@gmail.com
Contact Email
12. Arts and Crafts in the Late Ottoman Empire: Rethinking Practices and Concepts of Material Culture in Syria and Beyond (18th – early 20th c.)
International Conference | Hybrid Format
25–26 September 2026
Lebanese American University, Beirut Campus & Online
The conference “Arts and Crafts in the Late Ottoman Empire” examines the production, circulation, and transformation of material culture during a period of profound social, economic, and technological change.
Focusing on Syria and extending to the broader Ottoman world, the conference brings together scholars working across art and architectural history, material culture, heritage, and social and economic history. It considers objects and practices as products of complex networks of artisans, patrons, merchants in the context of industrialization, expanding global markets, new technologies, museums and exhibitions, and emerging modern concepts of art and craft. The papers explore both local practices and the circulation of objects, materials, techniques, and ideas across regional and imperial boundaries.
Taken together, the contributions reconsider the relationship between material culture, knowledge, and modernity as an integral part of the history of the Islamic world.
Convenors: May Farhat & Sarah Sabban
Organized by the Lebanese American University & the Orient-Institut Beirut.
For the program, speakers, and abstracts: Program
Please register here: Registration Form
For questions, please contact: MAIA.events@lau.edu.lb
13. Open Rank Position in Persian/Iran Studies at UNC Chapel Hill
We seek a scholar and teacher whose work focuses on early modern (Safavid or Qajar) and/or modern Iranian media studies (preferably with a specialization in Environmental Humanities or Digital Humanities) and who will contribute to the intellectual mission of a research university and to interdisciplinary collaboration across campus.
You can find the job listing here: https://unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/325743
Posted in: Academic items
- September 22, 2026
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