Shii News – Academic Items

1.Job:

Stanford University – Law and Legal Institutions in Muslim Societies
Assistant- or Associate-Level Faculty Position
Deadline for application: 15 October 2017. Information: https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/9282

 

 

 

2. 2 Postdoc Fellowships for 12 Months in 2018, Berlin Graduate School Muslim Cultures and Societies (BGSMCS)

We invite outstanding postdoctoral researchers (not more than four years after submission of thesis) who are engaged in research projects relevant to our research focus.

Deadline for application: 30 September 2017. Information: http://www.bgsmcs.fu-berlin.de/application/BGSMCS_Postdoc_Fellowships_2018_call_for_applications.pdf

 

3. Call for Papers: HIAA-sponsored session at CAA 2018 (Los Angeles, February 21–24)

The “Three Empires” Redux: Islamic Interregionality in the Age of Modernity

Chairs: Chanchal Dadlani and Ünver Rüstem

Discussant: Anastassiia Botchkareva

The concept of the three “gunpowder empires” in reference to the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal polities is well established in Islamic studies and frequently invoked by scholars across disciplines—art and architectural historians among them—to posit and analyze points of interregional comparison and difference. But relatively few attempts have been made to apply this model beyond the empires’ putative sixteenth- and seventeenth-century heydays, or to consider its relevance following the fall of the Safavids in the 1730s. This is in spite of numerous known and proposed cases of later artistic intersection between the Ottoman, Iranian, and Indian spheres, as exemplified by the Afsharid ruler Nadir Shah’s sending of Mughal plunder to the Ottoman sultan. This session seeks to interrogate the idea of the “three empires” in the context of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, a period marked by changing political circumstances and increased transnational mobility, commerce, and exchange. We aim to understand the shifting relationships between the material and visual cultures of these regions, including parallels and discontinuities. What defined the transition between the early modern and modern periods? How did artistic taste and aesthetic sensibilities change? What constituted the response to heightened contact with European expansionism? At its broadest, the session examines the applicability of the “three empires” framework to the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, considering the possibilities and limits of this interpretive structure. We invite contributions that explore the Ottoman, Safavid,

Afsharid, Zand, Qajar, and Mughal realms, broadly construed, and welcome papers on related regions and contexts.

Paper abstracts (maximum 250 words) and shortened CVs should be emailed to Chanchal Dadlani (dadlani@wfu.edu) and Ünver Rüstem (urustem@jhu.edu) by August 14, 2017 (see p. 39 of the following link for the official Session Participation Proposal Submission Form: http://www.collegeart.org/pdf/call-for-participation.pdf).

 

 

 

4. Call for Papers: Medieval Eurabia: Religious Crosspollinations in Architecture, Art and Material Culture during the High and Late Middle Ages (1000-1600)

2018 Annual Conference of the Association for Art History (U.K.)

Panel organised by Sami De Giosa, Oxford University and Nikolaos Vryzidis, British School at Athens
Email: aahchristianmuslimpanel2018@gmail.com

Venue: Courtauld Institute of Art & King’s College London
Date: 5 – 7 April 2018

The coexistence of Christianity and Islam in the Medieval Mediterranean led to a transfer of knowledge in architecture and material culture which went well beyond religious and geographical boundaries. The use of Islamic objects in Christian contexts, the conversion of churches into mosques and the mobility of craftsmen are manifestations of this process. Although studies beginning with Avinoam Shalem’s Islam Christianized (1996), have dealt extensively with Islamic influence in the West and European influence in the Islamic Mediterranean, sacred objects, and material culture more generally, have been relatively neglected. From crosses found in Mosques, to European-Christian coins with pseudo/-shahada inscriptions, medieval material culture is rife with visual evidence of the two faiths co-existing in both individual objects and monuments.

This panel invites papers from scholars working on intercultural exchange in art, architecture and material culture. We particularly welcome contributions that focus on sacred objects that have been diverted or ‘converted’ to a new purpose, whether inside or outside an explicitly religious context.

Papers should present original research, which expands the boundaries of knowledge and which the scholars would like to be considered for publication. Abstract should be no more than 250 words long.

Deadline: 1 November 2017

http://www.forarthistory.org.uk/events/annual-conference-2018/

 

 

 

5. CfP: Muslim Cultures in the Indian Ocean: Diversity and Pluralism, Past and Present 

The Aga Khan University’s Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations

Date: 12-14 September 2018

Location: Academic Building, 10 Handyside Street, King’s Cross N1C 4DN

Deadline for submission of abstracts: 30 September 2017

Organisers: Stephane Pradines and Farouk Topan

About the Conference
This conference aims to explore the diversity of Muslim cultures prevalent in the Indian Ocean region where, historically, Muslims have interacted for centuries with each other and with other peoples and cultures. Islam not only provided the scaffolding that facilitated cultural exchanges but was also the pivot for transforming local societies. The conference seeks to bring together experts from different disciplines and backgrounds including archaeologists, historians, sociologists, anthropologists, geographers, and scholars of related disciplines to explore various facets of this diversity. This conference marks a reconnaissance of the Indian Ocean not as a periphery but as a centre for the study of Muslim cultures.

Indeed, over the past couple of decades, significant new research has been undertaken across East Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and the Indian subcontinent leading to fresh insights on a number of facets of Indian Ocean cultures. Some of these studies were written about the Indian Ocean on the longue durée and other studies were focused on local and regional histories. Cultural encounters across the Indian Ocean down the centuries have given rise to cities, towns, ports and other constructions and artefacts which, while remaining distinctive in themselves, also exhibit layers of shared features. They manifest the craftsmanship and values of their creators, peoples whose diversity is almost proverbial. Similar endeavours are present in almost all aspects of human creativity through contact, including religious beliefs and practices, literature, architecture, trade, cuisine, textiles and fashion, etc. Cultural contacts, exchanges and networks were facilitated by the sea as a link between these diverse worlds. Like the Mediterranean – so well studied by Fernand Braudel – the Indian Ocean is a rich contact zone that is central to the understanding of cultural diversity in this vast region.

Submission of Proposals
We invite papers on topics that reflect aspects of this rich cultural diversity in Muslim contexts. Proposed papers should be sent to Stephane Pradines by 30 September 2017.

 

For further details, visit: https://www.aku.edu/events/pages/event-detail.aspx?EventID=585&Title=Muslim%20Cultures%20in%20the%20Indian%20Ocean

 

 

 

6. Syria Direct is hiring a Managing Editor!

Syria Direct is seeking an experienced Managing Editor to help lead our team of Syrian and American reporters based in Amman, Jordan.

The Managing Editor should have an in-depth understanding of the Syrian conflict, as well as Syrian history, politics and culture more broadly, in addition to demonstrated editorial and management experience.

Native or near-native Arabic proficiency is a must. Candidates of Syrian descent are highly encouraged to apply. The Managing Editor will report to the Managing Director and Executive Editor. We offer a competitive salary and an opportunity to join a successful and growing media startup.

Responsibilities:

Editorial (60%)

–          Run all editorial meetings and assist with content decisions (in collaboration with Managing Director and Associate Editor)

–          Work with Syrian and American reporters to develop story ideas, craft story angles and fine-tune writing

–          Edit and publish stories to website

–          Write feature-length stories and analytical reports for the website

Managerial (20%)

–          Manage a team of (6) Syrian reporters, (3) American reporters and (2) English-to-Arabic translators

–          Conduct monthly evaluations of staff (alongside Managing Director and Associate Editor)

Administrative (20%)

–          Assist with donor reporting, official correspondence and file maintenance as needed

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. To apply, please send your resume as well as a (short) cover letter and (3) clips of published work to orion@syriadirect.org.

See also: http://syriadirect.org/pages/about-us/

 

 

 

7. Journal of South Asian Intellectual History

The Journal of South Asian Intellectual History (SAIH) is dedicated to the study of the history of ideas in pre-modern and early modern South Asia. The main concern of the publication is to advance philological and historical research into the rich intellectual history of South Asia in fields such as (but not limited to) philosophy, logic, astronomy, medicine, mathematics, literature, philosophical theology, and mystical traditions. Sources of such investigations may be produced in any of the languages of South Asia, including, for example, Sanskrit, Urdu, Persian, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, and Arabic. Given the nature of intellectual interactions in pre-modern and early modern South Asia, the Journal also welcomes articles, written in English, working across various disciplinary boundaries and languages.

Call for papers
The editors would like to welcome new submissions to the forthcoming Journal of South Asian Intellectual History.
Contributions should be submitted by e-mail to the editors (jsaih.brill@gmail.com).

For detailed instructions for authors, visit: brill.com/saih

Fabrizio Speziale
Maître de conférences
Directeur adjoint du Département d’Etudes Arabes, Hébraïques, Indiennes et Iraniennes
Université Sorbonne Nouvelle – Paris 3
13 rue Santeuil
75231 Paris cedex 05

Mondes iranien et indien (UMR 7528)
CNRS – Sorbonne Nouvelle – INaLCO – EPHE
27, rue Paul Bert
94204, Ivry-sur-Seine

http://www.perso-indica.net/
https://paris3.academia.edu/FabrizioSpeziale

 

 

 

8. 2017 SAMSA Pre-Conference, Thursday, October 26, 2017

On behalf of the South Asian Muslim Studies Association (SAMSA), southasianmuslimstudiesassociation.org, the Co-Chairs of the 2017 Pre-Conference, Raisur Rahman, Sanaa Riaz, and Roger Long, would like to invite you to present your research at the SAMSA Pre-Conference sponsored by the South Asia Studies Center at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. The 2017 Pre-Conference is scheduled for Thursday, October 26, 2017 at the Concourse Hotel in Madison, Wisconsin. The title and theme of the 2017 Pre-Conference is:

“Postcolonial Scholarship at 70: Seven Decades of Research on South Asian Muslims 1947-2017”

The South Asian Muslim Studies Association Pre-Conference invites scholars to present their latest research with reference to the advent of post-colonial South Asia in 1947. We seek papers on any aspect of South Asian Muslim life in South Asia and in the South Asian Muslim diaspora. In addition, we welcome considerations of South Asian Muslim history in the Sultanate, Mughal, and British period with reference to scholarship conducted since 1947. The pre-conference consists of four panels of three speakers each to allow ample time for discussion and questions. The papers can be on any geographical area covering South Asian Muslim life, thought, practice, and culture from Pakistan to Bangladesh, and from Nepal and India to Sri Lanka. In addition, we seek papers that illuminate the South Asian Muslim experience in the diaspora from North America and Australia to Europe. Papers can be on any topic such as theater, literature and arts, women’s studies and feminism, political processes and politics, regionalism and cosmopolitanism, religious experience in practice and theory, and the many manifestations of South Asian Muslim social and cultural practice. We seek contributions from scholars of all affiliations and from any disciplinary perspective such as history and political science, to sociology and anthropology, and from gender studies and feminism, and to theater criticism and film studies. The South Asian Muslim Studies Association embraces all research without reference to ideological position, seniority, or disciplinary perspective. The overarching theme of the pre-conference is a consideration of the latest research on South Asian Muslim life in theory and practice within the context of research conducted during the post-colonial period, but as it does so it seeks to celebrate and exhibit research on the latest themes, topics, and interests of study.

To present at the Pre-Conference, please send a title and a 250-word abstract as soon as possible and no later than September 1, 2017 to Rlong@emich.edu.

The Madison conference website is: www.southasiaconference.wisc.edu.

Also, SAMSA is sending you a Call for Papers for a SAMSA panel at the Association for Asian Studies (AAS) Annual Meeting which will be held in Washington, DC, March 22-25, 2018. SAMSA is an affiliated organization of the AAS. If you would like to present at the AAS Annual Meeting in 2018, please contact SAMSA President, Laura Dudley Jenkins, at Laura.Jenkins@uc.edu. She requests a paper title and a 250-word abstract by noon, Monday, August 7, 2017.

The AAS Annual Conference website is: http://www.asian-studies.org/Conferences/AAS-Annual-Conference/Conference-Menu/Conference-Home

We hope you have had a good summer and you are looking forward to the seventieth anniversary celebrations. We look forward to hearing from you and possibly seeing you in Madison. After the Pre-Conference on the Thursday there is a reception and immediately afterwards we will be hosting a dinner in the hotel so even if you are unable to attend the Pre-Conference, please join us for dinner. Please note that if you are coming to Madison this year the Annual Conference concludes early on Saturday evening and there is no Sunday morning session.

With thanks and with regards.

Yours,

Roger Long

SAMSA Pre-Conference Co-Chair
Professor Roger D. Long, Ph.D, FRAS, FRHistS
Department of History and Philosophy
Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilanti, Michigan 48197-2112
Rlong@emich.edu; Rogerlong1@gmail.com

Posted in: Academic items