Categories : Academic items

1. Assistant or Associate Professor for the History of the Mediterranean and its Hinterlands, 500-1500 CE, University of California Berkeley

All subfields within the history of the Mediterranean in this period will be considered. Work that explores connectedness and interactions between the Mediterranean and its hinterlands, whether to the south (Africa), east (Asia), north (Europe), or west (Iberia and the Atlantic world) is of particular interest.

Deadline for applications: 15 October 2026. Information: https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05501

 

 

 

 

 

2. Grants for Study and Research Related to and/or Undertaken in Türkiye and the Black Sea Region, British Institute at Ankara (BIAA)

BIAA is pleased to offer a range of funding opportunities, grants, and awards to support academics at all stages of their careers. Support is intended for researchers (from postdoctoral fellows to senior academics). Projects should focus on arts, humanities or the social sciences. Some of our latest op-portunities include: – BIAA Study Grants of up to £2,000. – BIAA Research Grants of up to £5,000. – BIAA Large Research Grants of up to £10,000.

Deadline for applications: 1 November 2026. Information: https://biaa.ac.uk/grants-opportunities/

 

 

 

 

 

3. ONLINE New Special Issue: “Rethinking Transnational Islamic Movements: Politics, Adaptation, and Change” in “Religion, State and Society”, Vol. 54, Issue 4, 9 September 2026, 123 Pages

Articles: – “Introduction: Rethinking transnational Islamic movements: politics, adaptation, and change” by Iman Dawood & Guy Robert Eyre. – “The halal social sphere: Muslim moral markets as counter-governmentality” by Tahir Abbas. – “Crises of the Caliphate: international crises and frame degradation within European Islamic activism” by Richard McNeil-Willson. – “Resisting the imposition of ‘British values’: conservative gender norms in evolving British Salafi communities” Iman Dawood. “‘Islamist Sufism’: spirituality and hybridity in the thought of Yūsuf al-Qaraḍāwī” by Usaama al-Azami. – Etc.

View: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/crss20/54/4

 

 

 

4. Zoom – Poetic Desire and Literary Thievery: Economies of Intertextuality in Arabic Literature

by Muhsin J. al-Musawi
How do we define plagiarism in literature? In this wide-ranging and innovative study, Muhsin J. al-Musawi examines debates surrounding literary authenticity across Arabic and Islamic culture over seven centuries. Al-Musawi argues that intertextual borrowing was driven by personal desire alongside the competitive economy of the Abbasid Islamic Empire. Here, accusations of plagiarism had wide-ranging consequences, as competition among poets and writers grew fierce, while philologists and critics served as public arbiters over controversies of alleged poetic thefts. Taking in an extensive remit of Arabic sources, from Persian writers to the poets of Andalusia and Morocco, al-Musawi extends his argument all the way to Ibrāhīm ᶜAbd al-Qādir al-Māzinī’s writing in Egypt and the Iraqi poet Nāzik al-Malā՚ikah’s work in the twentieth century to present ‘theft’ as a necessary condition of creative production in Arabic literature. As a result, this study sheds light on a vast yet understudied aspect of the Arabic literary tradition, while raising important questions surrounding the rising challenge of artificial intelligence in matters of academic integrity.
Cosponsors
Office of the Divisional Deans in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences
Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies
Organizer
The Society of Fellows and Heyman Center for the Humanities
Contact
email address
sofheyman@columbia.edu
Notes
Free and open to the public
Registration required.

 

 

 

 

 

5. JOHN P COOPER

‘EMBARK IN THE NAME OF ALLAH’: RELIGIOUS AND SECULAR MEANING IN THE ‘DECORATIVE’ PRACTICES OF YEMENI BOATBUILDERS 

Monday Majlis Online on the 5th of October, 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/zwiawURxR2-0zVYBR-Ck5Q

 

 

 

 

 

6. To learn about our New Masters Degree in Persian Studies, Our Undergraduate Journal Roshangar, Professor Miller’s New Book,

A New Documentary About Mohammad Mosaddegh, A wonderful Iranian poet Translated into English,

A book on Persian Proverbs, Modern Art influenced by Rumi,  Roshan’s Recent Grants

And other Good News

Mark Your Calendars to Join us On Sunday, October 4th,2pm EST

https://umd.zoom.us/j/5378789861?pwd=LJyvjqWX0uOyAeSIbVJS6jmaRiQBEM.1&omn=98107424421

 

 

 

 

 

7. Arabic Pasts workshop
Please join us at the Aga Khan Centreon 8 – 9 October for the annualArabic Pastsworkshop, co-hosted with Queen Mary!

Running since 2009 at AKU, this workshop features exciting new research in history and historiography.

We’ll tackle questions like: Who does history represent, and how? How does poetry shape our understanding of the past? What traces of past times survived to influence later societies?

Key details:

8 – 9 October 2026

Aga Khan Centre, London (in-person)

10 Handyside St, London N1C 4DN

Registration: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/arabic-pasts-histories-and-historiography-tickets-1999773151328.

Programme: https://kitab-project.org/documents/Arabic_Pasts_Schedule_2026.pdf.

Lunch is provided, so please do RSVP to ensure we can accommodate everyone.

 

 

 

 

 

8. Critical Digital Archives. Travel, Translation, Transformation.  

A Hybrid Symposium on Archives in and from the SWANA Region. 

21-22nd January 

Senate House, London 

This symposium aims to provide a forum for scholars, archivists, community and cultural organizations interested in critical approaches to digital archives containing materials from and about the SWANA (Southwest Asia and North Africa) region, understood as a geographic, historical, and cultural space. In this space, archives have been historically imposed, looted, extracted, dispersed, destroyed, but also rescued, rebuilt and reinvented, pioneering practices of resistance, reparation and return that raise compelling ethical, theoretical and practical questions for scholars and stakeholders (Ghaddar, 2025). Building on Itza Carbajal and Michelle Caswell’s framework (2021), our approach seeks to advance a language-sensitive understanding of reparative archival practices that are attentive to and accountable for the technological, social, and environmental impacts of digital archives.

We are interested in digitisation as a transformative process that reshapes archival practices, knowledge production, and power relations.

Conceived as a collaborative, interdisciplinary, and horizontal forum, the symposium invites participants, both in person and online, to engage in discussion and exchange around three interconnected themes and interpretative lenses. Two keynote speakers – Sara Salem (LSE) and Amanda Egbe (UWE) – will act as discussants, facilitating collective reflection and dialogue around participants’ contributions. The three themes of the symposium are Travel, Translation and Transformation:

Travel: Archives in Movement 

This strand explores journeys and movement both as subjects represented in archival collections and as conditions shaping the archive itself, opening up questions of archival looting, dispersal and dispossession as well as care, stewardship, and reparation. Discussions may engage with spatial humanities approaches, including digital mapping and gazetteers; the displacement and mobility of archives; practices and ethics of archival solidarity and return; and questions of heritage, ownership, and identity from indigenous and diasporic perspectives.

Translation: Languages in the Archive 

This strand will examine issues relating to languages and translation, both in the records and in the archival metadata that make them searchable by and accessible to stakeholders. We will especially welcome contributions reflecting on the role of metadata as descriptive as well as interpretative text, exploring the potential for linguistic, semantic and epistemological translations.  We will also welcome contributions that explore the multilinguality of archival records as enduring representations of human activity and consider the practices and ethics of reparative translation in digital archives.

Transformation: Digital Futures and Ethics of Dematerialization 

The third strand will look at digitisation as a transformative process for the archive that involves new materialities and highlights new absences. We aim to discuss the impact of digital projects on key stakeholders (users, subjects of records, source communities). We invite contributions on the fragility of digitised and born-digital heritage, as well as the specific biases and risks that digitalisation processes may introduce, particularly through the reproduction, by digital tools, of historical and ongoing harms to people and the environment.

We also aim to assess the potential of digital technology, especially non-corporate and low-threshold, to act as vectors of resistance and tools against erasure.

Convenors:

Barbara Spadaro, University of Liverpool

Valeria Vitale, University of Sheffield

Please send via email a 300 words abstract and short bio to b.spadaro@liverpool.ac.uk and v.vitale@sheffield.ac.uk

Deadline: 30 September 2026 

The event is funded by the British Institute for Libyan and Northern African Studies in collaboration with the British Institute in East Africa and the Centre for British Research in the Levant. It is jointly hosted by the Institute of Classical Studies and the Institute of Languages, Cultures and Societies, at the School of Advanced Study, London.

A limited number of travel bursaries will be offered to participants travelling to the symposium in London.

Contact Email

b.spadaro@liverpool.ac.uk

URL

https://ics.sas.ac.uk/news-events/events/critical-digital-archives-travel-trans…

 

 

 

 

9. Séminaire « L’Afghanistan à travers les âges » – séance mardi 6 octobre 18h-19h30

nous avons le plaisir de vous convier à la première séance du séminaire « L’Afghanistan à travers les âges », qui se tiendra mardi 6 octobre 2026, 18h-19h30, en Amphi 2 à l’INaLCO (65 rue des Grands Moulins, Paris XIII, 2^e étage).

Nous sommes heureux d’accueillir M Alastair Northedge, Universite Paris 1 – Pantheon-Sorbonne, pour une conférence intitulée : Paysages desséchés médiévaux du Déhistan (Misriyan, Turkménistan).

 Vous trouverez l’intégralité du programme 2026-2027 du séminaire mensuel de recherche « L’Afghanistan à travers les âges » en ligne sur le site du CeRMI: L’Afghanistan à travers les âges – Centre de recherche sur le monde iranien

Vous trouverez également ici le lien de connexion: https://zoom.us/j/96136711428?pwd=jqZ3lotYx6re8bpoU4uAYPl9GRM1CF.1

Bien cordialement,

Arezou Azad et Matteo De Chiara
CeRMI – CNRS UMR 8041
Centre de Recherche sur le Monde Iranien
Campus CNRS Ile-de-France Villejuif
7, rue Guy Môquet – 94800 Villejuif – FRANCE
cermi@cnrs.fr  – https://www.cermi.cnrs.fr

 

 

 

 

10. October Speaker Series & Mini Courses

Can States Be Built Without Recognition? Empirical Evidence from 35 Years of German–Iraqi Kurdish Relations

Speaker: Silvia Nicola
When: Wednesday, October 7, 2026 | 12 PM CT / 1 PM ET
Registration Link: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/gGIoKqxeQ2e59P6chnxdNw#

The Kurdish Madrasa and the Making of an Intellectual Tradition

Speaker: Serdar Sengul
When: Wednesday, October 21, 2026 | 12 PM CT / 1 PM ET
Registration Link: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/BDet8R1sS2atRJc-uvzBag#

Mini Courses: Registration Open

Our next month-long synchronous mini courses, Qur’an in Historical Context and Contemporary Kurdish Literature, begin October 10 and 11, 1–3:30 PM Central Time.

Each mini course includes:

• Four live online sessions (2.5 hours each)
• Minimal homework
• Curated supplemental readings

Also coming this fall: Islamic Constitutionalism and Said Nursi’s Munazarat, beginning November 8

Learn more and register: https://zahrainstitute.org/Mini_Courses.html
Questions: admissions@zahrainstitute.org

 

 

 

 

 

11. Call for paper presentations for “Critical Muslim Geographies,” a proposed paper session at the 2027 American Association of Geographers (AAG) Annual Meeting in New York City.

The session is organized by Saba Fatima (University of Washington) and Dr. Timur Hammond (Syracuse University).

Submission Deadline: October 11, 2026
Interested participants may submit a 250-word abstract to sabafat@uw.edu and twhammon@syr.edu. Accepted presenters will be notified by October 14 and asked to submit through the AAG submission portal by October 15.

Full session details and submission information can be found here: Critical Muslim Geographies – Call for Papers

 

1. Early Islamic History Faculty Position – Princeton University

Princeton University: Office of the Dean of the Faculty: Humanities: Near Eastern Studies
https://apply.interfolio.com/193875
Location: Princeton, NJ
Open Date: Sep 18, 2026
Salary Range or Pay Grade: Assistant Professor: $86,000 – $100,000; Associate Professor: $115,000 – $135,000; Full Professor: $179,000 – $276,000 per year
Description
The Department of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University invites applications for a tenured or tenure-track faculty position in the field of Early Islamic History, with a primary focus on the period ca. 600–1300 CE. We seek a dynamic and innovative scholar whose research engages critically with the historical development of Islamic societies in this formative era. While the core of the position is historical in nature, we welcome applications from candidates whose work is grounded in related disciplines and whose scholarship brings fresh perspectives to the study of early Islam.

Applicants should submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and research statement. Please also include the names and contact information for three references. Referees will not be contacted until later in the process. Junior level applicants need to also provide a writing sample, for example one chapter or an article. Review of applications will begin on October 30, 2026, and continue until the position is filled. Applicants must hold a Ph.D. in a relevant field by the time of appointment. A strong record of original research is essential. Proficiency in classical Arabic and strong paleographic skills are also important. We are particularly interested in candidates who can contribute meaningfully to the department’s teaching and research missions at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
The successful candidate will be expected to maintain an active research agenda, participate fully in departmental activities, and contribute to fostering a diverse and inclusive academic community.
This position is subject to the University’s background check policy

 

 

 

 

2. IFANCA Chair in Indian Muslim Studies

About the Position

Arizona State University’s The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences invites applications and nominations for the inaugural IFANCA Chair of Indian Muslim Studies, at the rank of Associate Professor, with a start date of August 16, 2027. The Chair will hold tenure in the School of Historical, Philosophical, and Religious Studies (SHPRS) and will be fully embedded in the Center of Muslim Experience in the United States (CME-US), ASU’s hub for innovative, publicly engaged scholarship on Muslim life in America and globally.

Position Overview

The inaugural IFANCA (Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America) Chair of Indian Muslim Studies will be a senior scholar — or a highly accomplished scholar on a strong upward trajectory whose work exemplifies both rigorous humanistic inquiry and the capacity to lead. The Chair will advance innovative research in Indian Muslim Studies, shape CME-US’s intellectual agenda, and contribute to ASU’s commitments to inclusive excellence, global engagement, and meaningful public scholarship.

About the Center of Muslim Experience in the United States (CME-US)

The Center of Muslim Experience in the United States (CME-US) is a multi-partnership, transdisciplinary research and community outreach center at Arizona State University leading the way in producing transformative scholarship about Muslims in the U.S. that contributes to an American inclusive future.

About the School of Historical, Philosophical, and Religious Studies

ASU’s School of Historical, Philosophical, and Religious Studies (SHPRS) is one of the nation’s largest and most innovative transdisciplinary humanities institutions. With 92 faculty and nearly 1,600 majors, the school teaches more than 33,000 students each year in bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs. A substantial portion of the student population is online, including a pioneering master’s program in World War II Studies in collaboration with the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. Additionally, the school hosts transdisciplinary programs and affiliated research and education centers.

About The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is the academic heart of Arizona State University, committed to improving communities on a local, national and global scale. We support the professional development and growth of our faculty and staff in their cutting-edge research to advance these aims. Within The College, our faculty engage with a large curious student body, guiding them as they grow into socially aware, critical thinkers and writers able to succeed in a wide range of careers and to address the challenges of the twenty-first century. Advancing the success of our students remains our top priority. To learn more about The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, please visit  https://thecollege.asu.edu.

About Arizona State University

ASU exemplifies a new prototype for the American public research university. As articulated in the ASU Charter, ASU is a comprehensive public research university, measured not by whom it excludes, but by whom it includes and how they succeed; advancing research and discovery of public value; and assuming fundamental responsibility for the economic, social, cultural and overall health of the communities it serves.

Essential Functions

The successful candidate will be expected to:

• The Chair will advance innovative research in Indian Muslim Studies, shape CME-US’s intellectual agenda, and contribute to ASU’s commitments to inclusive excellence, global engagement, and meaningful public scholarship.
• Maintain a distinguished, internationally recognized research and publishing agenda in Indian Muslim Studies within their humanistic discipline
• Teach undergraduate and graduate courses aligned with their expertise and in accordance with the curricular needs of the School of Historical, Philosophical, and Religious Studies
• Mentor graduate students and junior faculty
• Provide intellectual leadership in shaping CME-US’s research, programming, and initiatives related to Indian Muslim Studies
• Foster interdisciplinary collaboration across ASU, nationally, and internationally
• Organize and convene regular conferences, workshops, and seminars
• Engage public audiences, community partners, and broader civic life
• Supports IFANCA’s mission which includes values of service, adaptability, and integrity and increase awareness through education

Disciplinary Home and Areas of Scholarly Interest

This position is anchored in the Humanities and housed in SHPRS. We particularly welcome scholars working in:

• History (including intellectual, social, religious, political, and cultural history)
• Religious Studies (anthropology of religion, religious thought, material culture, and contemporary and global religious movements)
• Philosophy (including political philosophy, ethics, and philosophy of religion)
• Related humanistic fields such as Literary and Cultural Studies, Gender and Justice Studies, Ethnic Studies, Islamic Studies, Asian Studies, or Law and Ethics, where the primary methodology is humanistic

Candidates’ research should focus on Indian Muslim communities in any period (precolonial, colonial, or postcolonial) with attention to contemporary concerns, and may address themes including, but not limited to, pluralism and justice, postcolonial nationalisms, migration and diaspora (with particular attention to Indian Muslims in the United States), law and governance, public narratives and public memory, environmental humanities and ethics, social movements, intellectual history, or everyday lived experience.

Appointment and Support

The IFANCA Endowed Chair comes with a competitive salary, dedicated research funds, and programming support commensurate with rank and experience. The Chair will be fully integrated into CME-US’s collaborative environment and is expected to be an active contributor to its mission and community. The position also offers opportunities to collaborate with other ASU centers and initiatives focused on religion and conflict, transborder studies, Asian studies, security studies, and applied ethics.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• PhD in History, Religious Studies, Philosophy, or a related Humanities discipline
• Qualifications commensurate with appointment at the rank of Associate Professor at ASU
• A record of scholarly excellence commensurate with rank
• An active research agenda with evidence of sustained productivity and impact

Desired Qualifications:

• Familiarity with or experience in Islamic Studies, South Asian Studies, or related fields
• Demonstrated commitment to innovative teaching and graduate mentorship
• Experience with and commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration
• Experience in or demonstrated interest in center-based or collaborative research environments
• A demonstrated record of or clear potential for public and community engagement
• Experience organizing academic conferences, workshops, or seminar series
• Demonstrated commitment to working with faculty, staff, students, and communities to advance the principles of the ASU Charter.

Application Instructions

The application deadline is 13 November 2026. Applications will continue to be accepted on a rolling basis for a reserve pool. Applications in the reserve pool may then be reviewed in the order in which they were received until the position is filled. Candidates will be asked to create or use an existing Interfolio Dossier to submit the following application materials:

• a curriculum vitae
• a letter of interest
• the names, positions, and contact information of three references who may be contacted directly

: https://apply.interfolio.com/193990.

If anyone has any questions, please feel free to reach out to me, Yasmin Saikia (ysaikia@asu.edu).

 

 

 

 

 

3. Leigh Douglas Memorial Prize

About the Prize

This prize was established jointly in 1986 by the Leigh Douglas Memorial Fund and BRISMES in memory of Dr Leigh Douglas who was killed in Beirut in 1986. The prize is awarded annually to the writer of the best PhD dissertation on a Middle Eastern topic in the Social Sciences or Humanities awarded by a British University in the previous year. The current value of the prize is £600 for the winner and £250 for the runner up.

The annual deadline for this prize was changed in 2023 to allow the winner(s) to be invited to attend the BRISMES annual conference.

Eligibility

Any student who has submitted their PhD dissertation on a Middle Eastern topic in the Social Sciences or Humanities to a British University between 1 October 2025 and 30 September 2026 is eligible to apply. If you are submitting your thesis after the deadline in 2026, you will be eligible for the following year’s prize.

We recommend that submissions for this prize are made after completion of your viva in order to benefit from feedback from the viva panel, but applicants can make a submission before the viva if they wish. Please note that you can only submit your PhD dissertation once for this prize. Entering your thesis for this award does not preclude entering it for other awards.

How to Apply

Please send an electronic copy of your thesis and a letter of nomination from your supervisor to office@brismes.org.

The deadline for submissions is 23:59 GMT on Monday, 23 November 2026. 

https://www.brismes.ac.uk/awards/ldmp

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. G. de Callataÿ – B. Halflants – S. Moureau – J. Mattila,The Epistles of the Brethren of Purity, On Magic. 2. An Arabic Critical Edition and English Translation of Epistle 52b and 52c, Oxford: Oxford University Press in association with the Institute of Ismaili Studies, 2026, xxi-1304 pages. (https://global.oup.com/academic/product/on-magic-part-ii-9780198955436?lang=en&cc=be)

Open Access:

https://transvol.sgsi.ucl.ac.be/download.php?id=0f69fa7c4f1d35b1

 

 

 

 

5. The session, “Gifts to the Sacred: Portable Objects and Material Patronage across Religious Traditions,” has been accepted for the AAH 2027 Annual Conference, taking place at the University of Exeter from 7–9 April 2027.

I would be very grateful if you could help me share and circulate the Call for Papers as widely as possible. If you know of any mailing lists, academic networks, societies, social media groups, or other platforms that might be particularly useful for reaching interested scholars, please do let me know. I’d really like the Call to reach colleagues working across different fields, regions, and religious traditions.

Also, if anyone specific comes to mind who you think might be a particularly interesting contributor to the session, please feel free to send them the Call or encourage them to apply. I would be very grateful for any suggestions or introductions.

Session: Gifts to the Sacred: Portable Objects and Material Patronage across Religious Traditions
Conference: AAH 2027, University of Exeter, 7–9 April 2027
Paper proposal deadline: 23:59 UK, Sunday 25 October 2026

Session Call for Papers:
Gifts to the Sacred – AAH 2027 Session

Full AAH 2027 Call for Papers:
AAH 2027 Call for Papers

Zahra Khademi

Doctoral Researcher | The Courtauld

https://courtauld.ac.uk/people/zahra-khademi/

 

 

 

 

6. Penser la modernité en Iran : regards croisés (XIXe-XXe siècle)

La journée est organisée par les doctorants en études iraniennes de l’Université Sorbonne Nouvelle avec le soutien du CeRMI (UMR8041 – Centre de Recherche sur le Monde Iranien) et de l’ICEE (Intégration et Coopération dans l’Espace Européen – EA 2291).

Elle s’articulera autour de quatre panels consacrés à la modernité dans les domaines de la littérature, de la politique, des relations internationales et de la sociologie.

Date et lieu

Mardi 6 octobre 2026
Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, 8 avenue de Saint Mandé 75012 Paris
9h30-13h (salles B115) – 13h30-16h (salle A608)

Programme des interventions est en fichier joint.
Entrée est libre, dans la limite des places disponibles.

Les organisateurs
Roxane Bertran de Balanda (ICEE)
Asyeh Ghafourian (CeRMI)
Antonin Hoffmann (ICEE)
Mariam Nahavandy (ICEE)

——————————————————–
CeRMI – CNRS UMR 8041
Centre de Recherche sur le Monde Iranien
Campus CNRS Ile-de-France Villejuif
7, rue Guy Môquet – 94800 Villejuif – FRANCE
cermi@cnrs.fr – https://www.cermi.cnrs.fr

 

 

 

 

7. Christian Arabic intensive course at Westminster College, Cambridge (UK), 11–15 January 2027 [Announcement]

The course is primarily aimed at those interested in Christianity in the Middle East and we will be reading Christian Arabic texts from the first day to the last. However, it is also suitable for anyone who would like to practise reading premodern Arabic texts intensively, including directly from manuscripts. In previous years, the course has attracted participants from a wide range of academic backgrounds and at different stages of their careers, from undergraduates to professors. The recommended minimum level is one year of intensive Classical Arabic or Modern Standard Arabic, or equivalent experience. For further information and registration, please visit https://www.westminster.cam.ac.uk/biblical-languages/christian-arabic-2027.

I will also be teaching a four-day Arabic Taster for complete beginners (6-9 January 2027, https://www.westminster.cam.ac.uk/biblical-languages/christian-arabic-texts-taster-course). In addition, the Winter School at Westminster College offers short courses in Coptic, Syriac, Koine Greek and Biblical Hebrew.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

All best wishes,

Krisztina Szilágyi

Contact Information

Dr Krisztina Szilágyi

Contact Email

ks591@cam.ac.uk

URL

https://www.westminster.cam.ac.uk/biblical-languages/christian-arabic-2027

 

 

 

 

8. Arabic Edition, Annotated English Translation and Introduction of Abu Salama al-Samarqandi’s Jumal usul al-din, titled A Summary of the Principles of Religion, can now be ordered internationally from Turath Publishing. This project not only makes accessible a teachable digest of al-Maturidi’s kalam, thereby unlocking the tricky Kitab al-tawhid, but it illustrates the way in which his original theological formulation was received as an early school tradition in Samarqand.

Order from here: https://turath.co.uk/collections/abu-salama-mu%E1%B8%A5ammad-b-mu%E1%B8%A5ammad-al-samarqandi

 

 

 

 

 

9. A Talk by Dr. Linda Komaroff

“The Iranian Art-Diaspora and American Museums”

Time: Thursday, Oct 1, 2026 02:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada) (12 p.m. PST).

Zoom Registration Link: https://unomaha.zoom.us/meeting/register/5hKLeLvlRvOT9fMJI-5JRg

Dr. Komaroff is Curator of the Art of the Middle East at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). She is an Islamic art specialist with a doctorate from the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University. She has published and written extensively on Islamic and contemporary Middle East art, is the recipient of two Fulbright fellowships and awards including the prestigious Alfred H. Barr, Jr. Award from the College Art Association for The Legacy of Genghis Khan exhibition catalog, and received the Muslim Public Affairs Council Media Award. She has taught at Hamilton College, New York University, Princeton University, and UCLA.

Sponsors: The American Institute of Iranian Studies (AIIrS) and the UNO Department of History

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. Assistant Professor in Comparative Politics

Durham University

The School of Government and International Affairs at Durham University seeks to appoint an exceptional scholar as an Assistant Professor with research and teaching expertise in Comparative Politics, whose work uses quantitative research methods and has a regional focus on Africa, Asia, Latin America or the Middle East. The successful candidate will join the Centre for Institutions and Political Behaviour.

Deadline | 28 September 2026
More information

 

 

 

 

11. Postdoctoral Research Fellow

German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA)

GIGA seeks to appoint a Postdoctoral Research Fellow of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA): Peace and Conflict Studies/ International Relations/ Comparative Politics or International Political Economy. This is a full-time position, with an initial contract of three years and the possibility of another three years after successful evaluation and depending on the availabil­ity of funds.

Deadline | 15 October 2026
More information

 

 

 

 

12. Assistant Professor in Islamic Philosophy

University of Cambridge

The Faculty of Divinity wishes to appoint to an Assistant Professorship in Islamic Philosophy from 1 September 2027. Applicants should have a doctorate in Islamic Philosophy and either a proven track record of, or demonstrable potential for high quality research and publications in any aspect of Medieval Islamic Philosophy.

Deadline | 16 October 2026
More information

 

 

 

 

13. Call for Applications | 2027 Sir William Luce Fellowship

The Sir William Luce Memorial Fund committee welcomes applications for the 2027 Sir William Luce Fellowship, 26 April – 25 June 2027. The fellowship is awarded annually to a scholar at post-doctoral level, diplomat, politician, academic or business executive, working on those parts of the Middle East to which Sir William Luce devoted his working life (the Gulf monarchies, Yemen, Iran, Sudan, and South Sudan). The fellow is hosted by Durham University during the Easter term of each academic year.

Deadline | 7 October 2026

https://www.durham.ac.uk/departments/academic/school-government-international-affairs/research/fellowships/william-luce-fellowship/

 

 

 

 

14.  Call for Entries | Lives Beyond the Archives: Alf Muslimah Research Competition

Al-Mujadilah Research invites scholars, researchers, and experts to submit proposals for research-based entries for Alf Muslimah, a forthcoming encyclopaedia dedicated to documenting the lives, intellectual contributions, and social impact of leading Muslim women across the globe and throughout the ages. The project seeks to recover and present the stories of Muslim women exemplars whose lives, achievements, and legacies have often been overlooked, underrepresented, or preserved only through local community histories, oral traditions, or regional archives.

Deadline | 22 October 2026
More information

 

 

 

 

15. Call for Speakers | GMEF Speaker Series 2026/2027

The Glasgow Middle East Forum is organising a Speaker Series for the 2026/2027 academic year and are seeking a diverse range of voices to contribute to this interdisciplinary platform, which fosters discussion on socioeconomic and political developments within West Asia and North Africa. The organisers particularly welcome proposals from those working in the social sciences (political science, international relations, anthropology, sociology, economics) as well as the arts and humanities and encourage both established academics and postgraduate researchers to apply. If you would like to apply, or know anyone who might be interested in speaking, please complete/forward this form.

 

 

 

 

 

16. The Triumph of Iran’s National Narrative: Literary Memory, Civil Society, and Uprising

Kamran Talattof

publisher’s website

 

 

 

 

 

17. Event link: https://sofheyman.org/events/celebrating-recent-work-by-mushin-musawi

Join us for our New Books Series event honoring Poetic Desire and Literary Thievery: Economies of Intertextuality in Arabic Literature by Muhsin J. al-Musawi. In this wide-ranging and innovative study, Muhsin J. al-Musawi examines debates surrounding literary authenticity across Arabic and Islamic culture over seven centuries.
Professor al-Musawi will be joined by panelists Hamid Dabashi, Madeleine Dobie, Elaine van Dalen, and Tarek El-Ariss.

Thursday, October 8, 2026, 6:15 pm EDT | In person at the Heyman Center and online via Zoom

 

 

 

 

18. EUME Berliner Seminar Series: “Europe in the Middle East – The Middle East in Europe”, Forum Transregionale Studien, Berlin, 7 / 13 / 21 / 28 October 2026, 17:00 – 18:30 CET

Themes: – “Feminist Comics in Arab and Latin American Protest Culture” by Rasha Chatta & Jasmin Wrobel. – “The Shudder Remains: Voice, Body, and Affect in Contemporary Palestinian Poetry” by Daniel Behar. – “Protest in a Post-Gramscian Moment: From the Middle East to Liberal Democracies” by Myriam Ahmed. – “Memories of Violence: The Hama Massacre (1982) in Syrian Literature” by Anna Christina Scheiter. The audio recordings of the Berliner Seminar will be available on SoundCloud.

Information and summaries: https://tinyurl.com/cxhcy3d3

 

 

 

 

19. ONLINE Conférence internationale « La décolonialité en question? Critiques de la modernité occidentale ou tentation de repli? », Sociétés du Maghreb et du Moyen-Orient, 8-9 octobre 2026

Programme : https://tinyurl.com/yc4y52hf

 

 

 

 

20.. Conference: “Islam and Muslims in Greece from the 14th Century to the Present Day. Individuals, Groups, Spaces & Institutions”, École française d’Athènes, 15-16 October 2026

Programme: https://tinyurl.com/3r8xc3hf

 

 

 

 

 

21. Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology (9 Months), Focus Middle East, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR

Candidates must have completed their Ph.D. in anthropology by May 31, 2027 (Spring 2027) and are expected to have an active research program focused on the Middle East. Previous teaching experi-ence as instructor-of-record at the college level is preferred.

Deadline for applications: 30 October 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/4r5hj5y5

 

 

 

 

22. Associate Professor or Professor of Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies (Focus Islamic World), University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

We are seeking applicants with a strong publication record and an outstanding research program. Candidates should demonstrate prior excellence in teaching and mentorship of students. The ideal candi-date will be committed to interdisciplinarity and able to effectively work with colleagues across various disciplines, subfields, and backgrounds. Candidates whose work would contribute to the conversation of UVA’s Islamic Worlds Initiative would be particularly welcome to apply.

Deadline for applications: 5 October 2026. Information: https://apply.interfolio.com/190665

 

 

 

On Monday 12 October 2026 (17:00 BST), we will be joined by Dr Toby Matthiesen for a lecture entitled “The Caliph, the Imam and the Orientalist: Rethinking the Global History of Sunni-Shiʿi Relations.” Further information and the link to Zoom registration is available here.

On Monday 19 October 2026 (14:00 BST), we will be joined by Dr Kate Pukhovaia for a lecture entitled “What Makes Premodern State-Building Shiʿi?” Further information and the link to Zoom registration is available here. Please note the different time for this lecture than is usually scheduled

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

33arches.overton@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

1. Reconfigurer les savoirs sur l’Asie centrale : dynamiques et défis disciplinaires

Journée d’études jeudi 3 et vendredi 4 décembre 2026

INALCO, Auditorium Dumézil, 2 rue de Lille, 75007 Paris

Cette quatrième journée d’études est organisée dans le cadre des activités du GIS MoyenOrient et Mondes musulmans (MOMM), en partenariat avec l’Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales (INALCO), le Centre de recherche sur le Monde iranien (CeRMI) et le Centre de recherches Europes-Eurasie (CREE).

Dans la continuité des précédentes, la journée d’études a pour ambition de promouvoir les études centrasiatiques en rendant compte de leur dynamisme et de leur diversité, de mettre en relation ses différentes disciplines et composantes, et de proposer un moment d’échanges entre les collègues impliqué-e-s dans les travaux sur la région. L’Asie centrale est ici entendue dans une acception géographique large, s’étendant de l’Iran à la Mongolie et de l’Afghanistan à la Russie.

Cet appel s’adresse aux chercheuses et chercheurs de tout statut, y compris doctorant-e-s et jeunes docteur-e-s, qui travaillent des périodes anciennes jusqu’à nos jours, sur des thématiques aussi diverses que le patrimoine, le religieux, le pouvoir, le territoire, les rapports sociaux, les circulations, le numérique, le changement climatique, les approches critiques, etc. La journée prolongera la réflexion sur les conséquences des crises géopolitiques et environnementales actuelles sur les terrains et le champ de recherche centrasiatiques, ainsi que les effets de ces dynamiques régionales sur les enjeux globaux, qu’ils soient politiques, sociaux ou écologiques.

Propositions de communications et de posters

L’événement se tiendra en français et en anglais, et les communications auront lieu en présentiel exclusivement. Les propositions de communication devront comprendre un titre, un résumé de 200 mots, une courte bibliographie ainsi que le nom et l’affiliation de l’auteur/autrice, et une adresse de contact.

Les propositions de posters devront comprendre un titre, un résumé du projet de recherche présenté soulignant ses points importants, ainsi que le nom et l’affiliation de l’auteur/autrice. Les posters seront affichés sur le lieu de l’événement.

Les collègues qui souhaitent rendre visibles des ouvrages ou des numéros thématiques de revue récemment publiés peuvent nous le signaler à l’adresse mail ci-dessous, ils pourront faire l’objet d’un affichage lors de l’événement. Merci d’envoyer votre proposition à l’adresse centraleasie@gmail.com avant le 22 septembre 2026. Une réponse sera transmise mi-octobre 2026.

Des financements sont possibles pour les participant-e-s résidant en France (mais en dehors de la région parisienne) et ne disposant pas de ressources de leur institution.

Organisation

GIS MOMM (Moyen-Orient et mondes musulmans)

INALCO (Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales)

CeRMI (Centre de recherche sur le Monde iranien), UMR 8041

CREE (Centre de recherche Europes-Eurasie), EA 4513

Yordam, association des doctorantes et jeunes docteur-es sur l’Asie centrale

 

Comité d’organisation

Juliette  Cleuziou, anthropologue, Université Lumière Lyon 2, LADEC, Institut Universitaire de France

Isabella Damiani, géographe, Université de Versailles / Université Paris-Saclay, LIMEEP-PS

Katja Doose, historienne,  Université Lumière Lyon 2, LARHRA

Adrien Fauve, politiste, Université Paris-Saclay, IEDP

Olivier Ferrando, politiste, Université catholique de Lyon, UR Confluence : sciences et humanités

Svetlana Gorshenina, historienne, CNRS, Eur’Orbem

Xavier Hallez, historien,  CETOBaC

Sophie Hohmann, sociologue, INALCO, CREE

Zhanna Karimova, sociologue, IMéRA – Institut d’études avancées d’Aix-Marseille Université, Centre Max Weber

Johanna Lhuillier, archéologue, CNRS, archéorient

France Orain, historienne de l’art, Université Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne, Orient et Méditerranée, CeRMI

Catherine Poujol, historienne, INALCO, CREE

Dilda Ramazan, historienne de l’art, curatrice, Sorbonne Université, Eur’ORBEM, CNRS, IFÉAC

William Rendu, archéologie, CNRS, ZooStan

Camille Rhoné-Quer, historienne, Aix-Marseille Université, IREMAM

Julien Thorez, géographe, CNRS, CeRMI

——————————————————–
CeRMI – CNRS UMR 8041
Centre de Recherche sur le Monde Iranien
Campus CNRS Ile-de-France Villejuif
7, rue Guy Môquet – 94800 Villejuif – FRANCE
cermi@cnrs.fr – https://www.cermi.cnrs.fr

 

 

 

 

 

2. The Bloomsbury Cultural History of the Middle East and North Africa (General Editor: Eve Troutt-Powell) is a history of the region in six chronologically-framed volumes from late antiquity to the present, with each volume organized around eight broad thematic essays of 8,000 to 10,000 words shared across each volume to facilitate the cross-volume tracking of ideas.

The volume devoted to “The Later Middle Ages, 1050-1450” (Volume editor: Paul M. Cobb) seeks contributors for the following unassigned essays:

Chapter 1. Perception, Representation, and Memory

Chapter 5. Selves and Society

Chapter 6. Emotions

The deadline for contributions is December 2027. Interested potential contributors should contact Paul Cobb at pmcobb@sas.upenn.edu for further details.

Contact Information

Paul M. Cobb

Department of Middle East Languages and Cultures

University of Pennsylvania

Contact Email

pmcobb@sas.upenn.edu

 

 

 

 

3. Two major new publications from the Khalili Collection:

A RIVAL TO CHINA
VOLUME X
Later Islamic pottery
In two parts 

Part One
Peter Morgan, Rosalind Wade Haddon and Melanie Gibson
2025 

Part Two
Pedro Moura Carvalho and J.M. Rogers with contributions by Julian Raby
2026

Volume X is the second of two volumes devoted to the ceramics in the Collection. It presents nearly 400 works produced after the Mongol conquests, dating from the 13th to the 19th centuries and originating from lands both within and beyond the Islamic world. The volume is divided into two parts.

The first part begins with the extensive group of Ilkhanid pottery, particularly strong in blue-glazed lajvardinah and lustre tilework, although virtually all types are represented. Judicious collecting has also created an important research resource for understanding the transition from Ilkhanid to Timurid styles. The pottery from Timurid Iran and Central Asia of the 15th century is noteworthy both for its rarity in other collections and for the opportunities it provides to explore links between Chinese and Islamic wares. The first part also includes a small but important group of vessels and sherds from Mamluk Egypt and Syria.

The second part comprises the Collection’s large holdings of Safavid pottery, particularly blue-and-white wares, allowing the east-west connections to be explored further. Pottery from the Ottoman realm contributes significantly to an understanding of the period. Smaller groups from Qajar Iran, later Central Asia, the Indian subcontinent, China and Japan demonstrate both the similarities and diversity of the Islamic world from the 17th to the 20th centuries, as well as the influence of Islamic ceramics beyond the Islamic world.
https://khalilicollections.org/portfolio/a-rival-to-china-later-islamic-pottery-part-one/
https://khalilicollections.org/portfolio/a-rival-to-china-later-islamic-pottery-part-two/

Available here:
https://khalilipublications.com/product-category/islamic-art/

Contact Information

Qaisra M. Khan
Curator, Hajj and the Arts of Pilgrimage, The Khalili Collections
https://www.khalilicollections.org

Contact Email

qaisra@nourhouse.com

URL

https://khalilicollections.org

 

 

 

 

4. Join the Freer Research Center at the National Museum of Asian Art for two upcoming scholarly programs celebrating the forthcoming exhibition From the Louvre: Masterpieces of Islamic Art(open September 26, 2026 – January 18, 2027). The programs are free and accessible online.

• Sneak Peek | An Exclusive Glimpse into From the Louvre

Tuesday, September 22, 12–12:45 p.m. EDT

Online

Program Details

Register

• From the Louvre: Opening Lecture with Souraya Noujaim

Saturday, October 3, 2–3:30 p.m. EDT

Hybrid (Meyer Auditorium and Livestreamed)

Program Details 

Register to Attend In-person
Register to Watch the Livestream
Questions may be directed to: FreerResearchCenter@si.edu

—

 

 

 

 

 

5. The Virtual Islamic Art History Seminar Series is pleased to announce our lecture program for Fall 2026. All talks will take place on Tuesdays at 12:00 Eastern Standard/Daylight Time unless otherwise noted.

To attend, please sign up for our email list-serv on our website at viahss.org. You can also view past speakers and select recordings from the VIAHSS website at https://viahss.org/

Tuesday, September 22, 2026
Charlene Vella
“Echoes of Geometry: The Enduring Legacy of Islamicate Ornament in Medieval Malta”

Tuesday, October 6, 2026
Faezeh Jafari Mohammadabadi
“Mohammad Arjmand Kermani: The King of Late Nineteenth-Century Persian Carpets”

Tuesday, October 20, 2026
Stefan Kamola
“Imagine Planets: The Emergence of Planetary Iconography in Seljuq and Mongol Iran”

Tuesday, November 3, 2026
Muhammed Nafi
“Arabesques by the Sea: Islamic Ornamentation and the Coastal Mosque Architecture of Kerala”

Tuesday, November 10, 2026
Kianoosh Motaghedi
“Cuneiform on the Loom: Furṣat al-Dawla Shirazi’s Persepolis Carpet as a Qajar Cultural Manifesto”

Tuesday, November 17, 2026
Olga Nefedova
“Authority: The Art of Mahmoud Sabri in the Soviet Union (1960–1963) in Its Context”

Tuesday, December 1, 2026
Richard McClary
“Lajvardina Wares: A Comprehensive Re-Examination of a Distinctive Style of Ilkhanid and Golden Horde Ceramic Wares”

Contact Information

Drs. Alexander Brey, Jaimee Comstock-Skipp, and Rachel Winter

Contact Email

winterr6@msu.edu

URL

https://viahss.org/

 

 

 

 

 

6. CFP for special issue on medievalisms
Please consider contributing to our volume for the Radical History Review on medievalism, The Politicized Premodern Past. Find the full abstract here. Among other topics, we are specifically looking for contributions on medical medievalisms. We also welcome collaborative pieces and contributions from scholars working outside of the Middle Ages and Europe.

Even if you can’t contribute, we would love if you could distribute the CFP within your department mailing lists.

Abstracts are due October 15th. Please feel free to contact me directly with questions.

Robin S. Reich

Assistant Professor

History Department

Seattle University

Casey 410-09

rreich@seattleu.edu

 

 

 

 

 

7. New Publication

Pedram Khosronejad  and Thierry Zarcone ‘Chapter 24: Sufi Material Culture in Photography (Nineteenth to the Early Twentieth Century)’. In Sufi Material Culture, Vol 2. Pp. 577–611. Handbook of Oriental Studies. Section 1: The Near and Middle East, vol. 154/4.2; Handbook of Sufi Studies, vol. 154/4.2. Leiden: Brill, 2026. Published 15 September 2026. ISBN 978-90-04-76900-7.

https://brill.com/edcollchap/book/9789004769007/BP000021.xml

 

 

 

 

 

8. alNaql.org: Digital Humanities Workstationand Classical Arabic E-Reader

Dear colleagues,

I would like to share a digital tool, or rather set of tools, I have developed for my own research (ḥadīth citation in Classical Arabic linguistics) as I feel it would be of general use for scholars in the fields of Classical Arabic Literature and Linguistics as well as Islamic studies. The tool, better described as an e-reader/digital humanities workstation, is live and can be accessed at alNaql.org. It is free, no registration required.

The alNaql e-reader is a library of Arabic texts dating from ~ 0 A.H. (i.e., pre-Islamic poetry collections) to ~1300 A.H. What differentiates this e-reader from the many, many others currently available online is that it is supplemented by a number of tools that run off data generated by a text reuse detection (TRD) software I created last year that finds instances of quotation, or really any intentional or unintentional repetition of language, between two texts. This software is available on my GitHub page and is described in an article I wrote in the Journal of Digital Islamicate Research last year. What sets this software apart from other TRD software is that its algorithm is designed specifically to handle the variable morphology and syntax of Arabic (for the technically inclined, I used Jaccard metric to compare n-grams and built matches from non-contiguous n-gram chains). The results are nearly 190 million substantial instances of text reuse among 5300+ works. These results have been integrated into the e-reader, allowing researchers to locate quotations and text reuse in seconds. The various tools provided include:

1)     “Auto-Takhrīj”: When you use the e-reader, you may notice that the text is of variable color. When you click on a colored passage, a panel on the right side of the window will open with a list of all other works that include this passage (or a version of it). You can then click on one of these passages to navigate to the page in this work containing the passage. To start reading a book, click on كتب in the top bar, select a book from the list (searchable) and the e-reader will automatically open.

2)     Search: Unlike other e-readers, the user can choose whether to search for verbatim or “fuzzy” results. The e-reader has the potential to perform morphology, root-based, and semantic searches. However, these are not currently live (this would require expensive compute that I cannot currently pay for).

3)     Matches Navigator (تطابقات): Here, you can browse and filter the instances of text reuse between two or more books.

4)     Visualizations: There are a number of visualization tools, which include:

1. a)     Network graph: Nodes and edges signifying text reuse between books. The graph is customizable and you can filter what books/types of text reuse are included.
2. b)     Sankey graph: Essentially, the same sort of data as a network graph but represented as a flow chart on the x-axis.
3. c)     Heatmap: A color-coded grid comparing books/genres/authors/dates based on number of matches.
4. d)     (And my favorite) Harald Motzki’s isnad-cum-matn analyzer: select hadith from a wide assortment of collections and generate an isnad tree to compare the transmission of one or more matn. N.B. isnaddata and hadith were programmatically extracted and the matn programmatically grouped. This is not an authoritative source. In fact, none of these visualizations should be used for anything but guiding your research; the data itself is flawed and should not be taken as a finding.

Corpus: I gathered the digitized texts from al-Maktaba al-Shāmila(Shamela), Shia Online Library, Masaha, al-Maktaba al-Zaydiyya (Ziydia), and al-Maktaba al-Shāmila al-Ibadiyya and converted them from their various original formats into TEI-XML. I have attempted to include only one edition per work, but there are a few duplicates. There are errors in the bibliographic data (e.g., death date, author), since these libraries used different naming conventions for the same authors and themselves contain the occasional error. However, most errors are on me as I, as a consequence of working alone, had to programmatically standardize the metadata.

Reuse statistics: The parameters of the algorithm used to generate the matches were loose in order to ensure as much text reuse was captured as possible. As stated above, there are nearly 190 million instances of text reuse (i.e., 65% similarity and >10 words). There are 1.2 billion additional matches ranging from 4 to 10 words. I have exerted much effort to remove formulaic phrases (e.g., صلى الله عليه و سلم، رضي الله عنه، عز وجل) and banalities, and the vast majority of these results are likely of interest to researchers for one reason or another. However, there is simply no way to produce results using TRD software that are of unassailable quantitative value. What counts as text reuse/formula/banality is subjective, and the available algorithms are subject to over/undercounts. The purpose of this admittedly imperfect dataset is to guide the researcher, not to serve a quantitative function.

AI integration: As noted, there are several unimplemented search options that would use AI models to expand searches beyond verbatim and fuzzy results. These require computing resources for which I am simply unwilling to pay out of my own pocket (the site currently costs me a reasonable 68 dollars a month). I have trained a semantic retrieval model on the alNaql data; it is accurate and performs as expected but the results it returns are not qualitatively better than what a keyword search or text reuse investigation produces. In fact, in my tests I have found it (and other semantic retrieval models produced by other researchers) underperforms the TRD results and matches keyword searches at best. Frankly, my feelings towards the utility of AI retrieval and embedding models are tepid. I may integrate these functionalities if I can secure funding (paying for the necessary GPUs would be hundreds of dollars a month), but I am in no hurry. I will upload the model I trained to HuggingFace in the coming weeks. It may be of interest to some, since it is to date the only model I know of trained exclusively on Classical Arabic as opposed to a combination of MSA and CA; I would be happy to provide the source code for the e-reader to anyone who would want to run this or another model locally. Nevertheless, I am skeptical that adding AI functionality at this time would significantly enhance the user experience.

تحذير: In addition to the unavoidable faults of such a data set, there is significant linguistic and orthographic variation in the corpus, not to mention errors in the digitization process. Page numbers of the text do not always accurately correspond to the printed edition. For a few books, there are multiple editions in the corpus, though I tried to limit the corpus to one edition per book (I have removed most duplicates from the reuse stats). Everything you encounter in the alNaql e-reader should be verified by either a physical copy of the book (hopefully a good critical edition) or, at the very least, a pdf scan. I built this tool first and foremost to be useful for researchers, not to provide an actionable or citable dataset. Its purpose is to save scholars time in choosing what to read, not replace the act of reading itself, which is best done away from a screen.

I invite any users to contact me with feedback. Let me know if you notice bugs, if the interface is counterintuitive or difficult to use, or if you would like to see certain texts/editions added to the corpus.

Regards

Tynan Kelly

Assistant Professor of the Humanities

Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University

Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia

Tynan.b.kelly@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

9. 10-week online course, “Iran Before the Revolution: Education, Books, and Cultural Politics in Pahlavi Iran,” beginning October 5 at the Silk Road Academy.

Through books, archival materials, and cultural history, we’ll explore how education, publishing, translation, censorship, universities, children’s literature, and political and intellectual movements shaped Iranian society before the 1979 Revolution.

An important part of the course will be our weekly conversations around books, texts, and historical materials from the period—creating a space to read, discuss, and think together about the cultural and intellectual life of pre-revolutionary Iran.

Starts: October 5

Online | 10 weeks | Open to all

No specialized academic background is required, and enrollment is open to anyone interested in the cultural and intellectual history of modern Iran.

For course details and registration:

https://www.silkroadacademy.info/service-page/iran-before-the-revolution?referral=service_list_widget&fbclid=IwY2xjawUaG1VwZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR7AJk7ZeD2P4QlchgUj0Z_EAKGes0vJApioytk9LlM7PtXTRclYafQeqy8sJg_aem_OIIJ3cyIunJLaUK4D-zN4A

 

 

 

 

10. HYBRID International Conference “Arts and Crafts in the Late Ottoman Empire: Rethinking Practices and Concepts of Material Culture in Syria and Beyond (18th – Early 20th Century)”, Lebanese American University, Beirut, 25-26 September 2026

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 pa-pers explore both local practices and the circulation of objects, materials, techniques, and ideas across regional and imperial boundaries.

Information, programme and registration: https://tinyurl.com/yetjhmeh

 

 

 

 

 

11. Early Modern History Workshop: “Translation and Diplomacy in the Early Modern Ottoman World”, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland, 2-3 October 2026

The workshop aims to bring together scholars working on translation and diplomacy in the Ottoman and Persianate worlds, with particular attention to diplomatic translation between Persian, Arabic, Ot-toman Turkish, and various European languages. It will address dragomans not only as practical inter-mediaries in diplomatic encounters but also as producers of knowledge whose translations, dictionar-ies, treatises, and descriptive writings shaped European understandings of Ottoman political culture, law, and society.

Information and programme: https://tinyurl.com/5ydkc38e

 

 

 

 

 

12. HYBRID Opening Lecture of the Exhibition “From the Louvre: Masterpieces of Islamic Art” by Souraya Noujaim, National Museum of Asian Art, Washington, DC, 3 October 2026, 20:00 – 21:30 CET

In this talk, department director Souraya Noujaim presents some of the masterpieces that could not make the journey to Washington for the exhibition “From the Louvre: Masterpieces of Islamic Art”. She shares their fascinating story and delves into their journey to the Louvre. Noujaim also focuses on individuals, curators, and donors who helped shape the collections through the present day. Following the lecture, she discusses the exhibition with co-curator Simon Rettig.

Information and registration: https://tinyurl.com/2zcfp9nn

 

 

 

 

 

13. HYBRID Lecture “Embedded in the Flesh: Jewish Women and the Making of Modernity in the Late Ottoman Period” by Anabella Esperanza, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, 5 October 2026, 18:00 – 19:30 CET

The speaker is completing her first monograph, a social and cultural history of Jewish women during the modernization of the Ottoman Empire throughout the 19th century to the second decade of the 20th century, when the empire finally ended. Drawing on a diverse array of sources, the book focuses on bodily practices and rituals embedded in the material body, and conducts a corporeal exploration of Judeo-Spanish-speaking women’s daily lives from Istanbul, Salonica, and Izmir. It will provide new his-tories of Jewish women navigating modernity, with a special focus on the Islamicate world.

Information and registration: https://tinyurl.com/2upzyn27

 

 

 

 

 

14. International Conference “The Composition of the Qur’an: Structure, Style & Meaning”, Ori-ent-Institut Beirut (OIB) & Dominican Institute for Oriental Studies (IDEO), Cairo, 19-20 March 2027

The conference aims to bring together leading scholars and early-career researchers working on the literary, rhetorical, philological, historical, and theological dimensions of the composition of the Qur’an. The conference welcomes contributions that revisit established assumptions, develop new methodo-logical perspectives, or explore how composition functions as a dynamic process of meaning-making within the Qur’an and across its interpretive traditions. Publication in MIDEO 45, 2029.

Deadline for abstracts: 30 September 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/4574krfy

 

 

 

 

 

15. Workshops at the “17th Annual Gulf Research Meeting”, Cambridge, 20-22 July 2027

The Gulf Research Centre Cambridge (GRCC) welcomes any innovative proposal in the social science field dedicated to a better understanding of developments in the Gulf region. The organizing committee particularly seeks workshops in the following themes: – Gulf International Relations. – Gulf Environment and Sustainability. – Gulf Security. – Gulf Society (Culture, Education, Sports, Women). – Gulf Economy (Labour Market; Trade, Investment).

Deadline for proposals: 28 September 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/3ayh4ny5

 

 

 

 

 

16. PhD Candidates (Especially from the Middle East, 3 Years) in Peace and Conflict Resolution, “European Wasatia Graduate School for Peace and Conflict Resolution”, Europa-Universität Flensburg

Successful applicants will be able to pursue cutting-edge doctoral research in political reconciliation and conflict resolution within a uniquely international, interdisciplinary, and dialogue-driven academic environment.

Deadline for applications: 30 September 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/46pkaccd

 

 

 

 

 

17. Postdoc in Social Anthropology (4 Years) with a Focus on Yemen, Institute for Social An-thropology, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Wien

Qualifications: A PhD in Social Anthropology not more than six years prior to the start of the position. – Excellent command of English and Arabic. – Experience with digital/remote fieldwork methodologies. – Demonstrated interest in theoretical debates in anthropology and related fields. – Familiarity with the academic literature on Yemen is an asset. – A track record of publication in peer-reviewed journals, or a clear and realistic publication plan for early-career researchers.

Deadline for applications: 30 September 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/bdzuvpy5

 

 

 

 

 

18. Assistant Professor of Medieval History (Focus Near East), Stetson University, DeLand, Florida

Qualifications: Ph.D. in History or a related field by August 2027.Specific field of expertise is open, but candidates with specialization in Late Roman/Early Medieval History and the ability to teach Ancient Greek, Roman, and/or Near Eastern History are especially encouraged to apply. Other subfields of interest include the History of Science/Medicine/Technology, Public History, and Military History.

Deadline for applications: 15 October 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/4fcefbxt

 

1. Exhibition preopening weekend: The Heart’s Desire – Sufi Collections and Contemporary Art Exploring Shawq (Longing)
The Heart’s Desire

Musée d’Art et de Culture Soufis MTO, Chatou, France
3 October 2026 – 12 September 2027

The Heart’s Desire, curated by Jessica Cerasi, explores longing in all its forms and its particular resonance within Sufi thought. Bringing together new works by six contemporary artists in dialogue with the collection of the Musée d’Art et de Culture Soufis MTO (MACS MTO), the exhibition considers what it means to live with absence, to sustain hope across distance, and to allow longing to become a means of connection, transformation and spiritual depth.

Inaugurated in 2024, MACS MTO explores the principles, cultural heritage and artistic expressions associated with Sufism through a collection spanning from the Achaemenid period to the present day. Its annual exhibitions bring this collection into dialogue with contemporary artistic practices.

Pre-opening weekend: 3–4 October 2026

A special pre-opening weekend will take place on Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 October, with a programme of talks, encounters and activities offering visitors opportunities to engage further with the themes of the exhibition.

Access during the pre-opening weekend is reserved for ticket holders for the programme.

Full exhibition information and pre-opening programme are available on the museum’s website.

Contact Information

Musée d’Art et de Culture Soufis MTO
6 avenue des Tilleuls
78400 Chatou, France

Opening hours

• Wednesday, Thursday and Friday: 11 am – 6 pm
• Saturday and Sunday: 10 am – 6 pm

The garden is open and free to access from Wednesday to Sunday during the same opening hours as the museum.

Getting there:

• By train: Approximately 30 minutes from central Paris on RER A, alighting at Chatou–Croissy.
• By bus: Lines D and E, alighting at Gare de Chatou–Croissy.
• By car: From Paris, take the A14, then the A86. Take exit 35a towards Chatou. Free parking is available on the street near the museum and on the Île des Impressionnistes.

Contact Email

contact@macsmto.fr

URL

https://www.macsmto.fr/en/the-hearts-desire/

 

 

 

 

 

2. Cornell University – Modern Middle East – Open Rank
https://networks.h-net.org/jobs/70368/cornell-university-modern-middle-east-open-rank

 

 

 

 

3. Call for papers 

Cfp: Critical Digital Archives. Travel, Translation, Transformation.  

A Hybrid Symposium on Archives in and from the SWANA Region. 

 

This symposium aims to provide a forum for scholars, archivists, community and cultural organizations interested in critical approaches to digital archives containing materials from and about the SWANA (Southwest Asia and North Africa) region, understood as a geographic, historical, and cultural space. In this space, archives have been historically imposed, looted, extracted, dispersed, destroyed, but also rescued, rebuilt and reinvented, pioneering practices of resistance, reparation and return that raise compelling ethical, theoretical and practical questions for scholars and stakeholders (Ghaddar, 2025). Building on Itza Carbajal and Michelle Caswell’s framework (2021), our approach seeks to advance a language-sensitive understanding of reparative archival practices that are attentive to and accountable for the technological, social, and environmental impacts of digital archives.

We are interested in digitisation as a transformative process that reshapes archival practices, knowledge production, and power relations.

Conceived as a collaborative, interdisciplinary, and horizontal forum, the symposium invites participants, both in person and online, to engage in discussion and exchange around three interconnected themes and interpretative lenses. Two keynote speakers – Sara Salem (LSE) and Amanda Egbe (UWE) – will act as discussants, facilitating collective reflection and dialogue around participants’ contributions. The three themes of the symposium are Travel, Translation and Transformation: 

Travel: Archives in Movement 

This strand explores journeys and movement both as subjects represented in archival collections and as conditions shaping the archive itself, opening up questions of archival looting, dispersal and dispossession as well as care, stewardship, and reparation. Discussions may engage with spatial humanities approaches, including digital mapping and gazetteers; the displacement and mobility of archives; practices and ethics of archival solidarity and return; and questions of heritage, ownership, and identity from indigenous and diasporic perspectives.

Translation: Languages in the Archive 

This strand will examine issues relating to languages and translation, both in the records and in the archival metadata that make them searchable by and accessible to stakeholders. We will especially welcome contributions reflecting on the role of metadata as descriptive as well as interpretative text, exploring the potential for linguistic, semantic and epistemological translations.  We will also welcome contributions that explore the multilinguality of archival records as enduring representations of human activity and consider the practices and ethics of reparative translation in digital archives.

Transformation: Digital Futures and Ethics of Dematerialization 

The third strand will look at digitisation as a transformative process for the archive that involves new materialities and highlights new absences. We aim to discuss the impact of digital projects on key stakeholders (users, subjects of records, source communities). We invite contributions on the fragility of digitised and born-digital heritage, as well as the specific biases and risks that digitalisation processes may introduce, particularly through the reproduction, by digital tools, of historical and ongoing harms to people and the environment.

We also aim to assess the potential of digital technology, especially non-corporate and low-threshold, to act as vectors of resistance and tools against erasure.

Keynote speakers:   

Sara Salem is an Associate Professor in Sociology at the London School of Economics. Her first book, published with Cambridge University Press, is entitled Anticolonial Afterlives in Egypt: The Politics of Hegemony (2020). Her second book, co-authored with Mai Taha, is entitled Anticolonial Radios: On the Sonic Lives of Internationalism, forthcoming with Cambridge University Press. Along with Mai Taha, she curates Archive Stories, a platform exploring radical and creative archives.

Amanda Egbe is a Senior Lecturer in Media Production at the University of the West of England and leads Heritage Futures, a practice-led research programme building infrastructure for heritage at risk through archives, film, and digital systems. Her research focuses on how cultural memory is documented, governed, protected, transformed, or lost in contexts shaped by social change, technological transformation, environmental stress, and historical inequity.

Convenors:  

Barbara Spadaro, University of Liverpool

Valeria Vitale, University of Sheffield

The event is jointly hosted by the Institute of Languages, Cultures and Societies (ILCS) and the Institute of Classical Studies (ICS) at the School of Advanced Studies, University of London, and funded by the British Institute for Libyan and North African Studies (BILNAS).

Please send via email a 300words abstract and short bio to b.spadaro@liverpool.ac.uk and v.vitale@sheffield.ac.uk

Deadline: 30 SEPTEMBER 2026

A limited number of travel bursaries will be offered to participants travelling to the symposium in London.

URL: https://ics.sas.ac.uk/news-events/events/critical-digital-archives-travel-translation-transformation

 

Contact Email

b.spadaro@liverpool.ac.uk

URL

https://ics.sas.ac.uk/news-events/events/critical-digital-archives-travel-trans…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Exhibition preopening weekend: The Heart’s Desire – Sufi Collections and Contemporary Art Exploring Shawq (Longing)
   The Heart’s Desire

Musée d’Art et de Culture Soufis MTO, Chatou, France
3 October 2026 – 12 September 2027

The Heart’s Desire, curated by Jessica Cerasi, explores longing in all its forms and its particular resonance within Sufi thought. Bringing together new works by six contemporary artists in dialogue with the collection of the Musée d’Art et de Culture Soufis MTO (MACS MTO), the exhibition considers what it means to live with absence, to sustain hope across distance, and to allow longing to become a means of connection, transformation and spiritual depth.

Inaugurated in 2024, MACS MTO explores the principles, cultural heritage and artistic expressions associated with Sufism through a collection spanning from the Achaemenid period to the present day. Its annual exhibitions bring this collection into dialogue with contemporary artistic practices.

Pre-opening weekend: 3–4 October 2026

A special pre-opening weekend will take place on Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 October, with a programme of talks, encounters and activities offering visitors opportunities to engage further with the themes of the exhibition.

Access during the pre-opening weekend is reserved for ticket holders for the programme.

Full exhibition information and pre-opening programme are available on the museum’s website.

Contact Information

Musée d’Art et de Culture Soufis MTO
6 avenue des Tilleuls
78400 Chatou, France

Opening hours

• Wednesday, Thursday and Friday: 11 am – 6 pm
• Saturday and Sunday: 10 am – 6 pm

The garden is open and free to access from Wednesday to Sunday during the same opening hours as the museum.

Getting there:

• By train: Approximately 30 minutes from central Paris on RER A, alighting at Chatou–Croissy.
• By bus: Lines D and E, alighting at Gare de Chatou–Croissy.
• By car: From Paris, take the A14, then the A86. Take exit 35a towards Chatou. Free parking is available on the street near the museum and on the Île des Impressionnistes.

Contact Email

contact@macsmto.fr

URL

https://www.macsmto.fr/en/the-hearts-desire/

 

 

 

2. Cornell University – Modern Middle East – Open Rank
   https://networks.h-net.org/jobs/70368/cornell-university-modern-middle-east-open-rank

 

 

 

3. Call for papers 

Cfp: Critical Digital Archives. Travel, Translation, Transformation.  

A Hybrid Symposium on Archives in and from the SWANA Region. 

 

This symposium aims to provide a forum for scholars, archivists, community and cultural organizations interested in critical approaches to digital archives containing materials from and about the SWANA (Southwest Asia and North Africa) region, understood as a geographic, historical, and cultural space. In this space, archives have been historically imposed, looted, extracted, dispersed, destroyed, but also rescued, rebuilt and reinvented, pioneering practices of resistance, reparation and return that raise compelling ethical, theoretical and practical questions for scholars and stakeholders (Ghaddar, 2025). Building on Itza Carbajal and Michelle Caswell’s framework (2021), our approach seeks to advance a language-sensitive understanding of reparative archival practices that are attentive to and accountable for the technological, social, and environmental impacts of digital archives.

We are interested in digitisation as a transformative process that reshapes archival practices, knowledge production, and power relations.

Conceived as a collaborative, interdisciplinary, and horizontal forum, the symposium invites participants, both in person and online, to engage in discussion and exchange around three interconnected themes and interpretative lenses. Two keynote speakers – Sara Salem (LSE) and Amanda Egbe (UWE) – will act as discussants, facilitating collective reflection and dialogue around participants’ contributions. The three themes of the symposium are Travel, Translation and Transformation: 

Travel: Archives in Movement 

This strand explores journeys and movement both as subjects represented in archival collections and as conditions shaping the archive itself, opening up questions of archival looting, dispersal and dispossession as well as care, stewardship, and reparation. Discussions may engage with spatial humanities approaches, including digital mapping and gazetteers; the displacement and mobility of archives; practices and ethics of archival solidarity and return; and questions of heritage, ownership, and identity from indigenous and diasporic perspectives.

Translation: Languages in the Archive 

This strand will examine issues relating to languages and translation, both in the records and in the archival metadata that make them searchable by and accessible to stakeholders. We will especially welcome contributions reflecting on the role of metadata as descriptive as well as interpretative text, exploring the potential for linguistic, semantic and epistemological translations.  We will also welcome contributions that explore the multilinguality of archival records as enduring representations of human activity and consider the practices and ethics of reparative translation in digital archives.

Transformation: Digital Futures and Ethics of Dematerialization 

The third strand will look at digitisation as a transformative process for the archive that involves new materialities and highlights new absences. We aim to discuss the impact of digital projects on key stakeholders (users, subjects of records, source communities). We invite contributions on the fragility of digitised and born-digital heritage, as well as the specific biases and risks that digitalisation processes may introduce, particularly through the reproduction, by digital tools, of historical and ongoing harms to people and the environment.

We also aim to assess the potential of digital technology, especially non-corporate and low-threshold, to act as vectors of resistance and tools against erasure.

Keynote speakers:   

Sara Salem is an Associate Professor in Sociology at the London School of Economics. Her first book, published with Cambridge University Press, is entitled Anticolonial Afterlives in Egypt: The Politics of Hegemony (2020). Her second book, co-authored with Mai Taha, is entitled Anticolonial Radios: On the Sonic Lives of Internationalism, forthcoming with Cambridge University Press. Along with Mai Taha, she curates Archive Stories, a platform exploring radical and creative archives.

Amanda Egbe is a Senior Lecturer in Media Production at the University of the West of England and leads Heritage Futures, a practice-led research programme building infrastructure for heritage at risk through archives, film, and digital systems. Her research focuses on how cultural memory is documented, governed, protected, transformed, or lost in contexts shaped by social change, technological transformation, environmental stress, and historical inequity.

Convenors:  

Barbara Spadaro, University of Liverpool

Valeria Vitale, University of Sheffield

The event is jointly hosted by the Institute of Languages, Cultures and Societies (ILCS) and the Institute of Classical Studies (ICS) at the School of Advanced Studies, University of London, and funded by the British Institute for Libyan and North African Studies (BILNAS).

Please send via email a 300words abstract and short bio to b.spadaro@liverpool.ac.uk and v.vitale@sheffield.ac.uk

Deadline: 30 SEPTEMBER 2026

A limited number of travel bursaries will be offered to participants travelling to the symposium in London.

URL: https://ics.sas.ac.uk/news-events/events/critical-digital-archives-travel-translation-transformation

 

Contact Email

b.spadaro@liverpool.ac.uk

URL

https://ics.sas.ac.uk/news-events/events/critical-digital-archives-travel-trans…

 

 

1. Intellect is pleased to present Performing Islam Volume 14

For more information about the journal and issue click here>>

https://www.intellectbooks.com/performing-islam

Aims & Scope

Performing Islam is the first peer-reviewed interdisciplinary journal about Islam and performance and their related aesthetics. The journal covers dance, ritual, theatre, performing arts, visual arts and cultures, and popular entertainment in Islam-influenced societies and their diasporas.

This title is indexed with Scopus.

Volume 14

In Memory

Articles

Unravelling gems: Prophetic proximity in poetic performance

KAMAL SALHI, AROOJ EHSAN AND AFNAN HAFIZ

Commentary as performativity: Mimesis, embodiment and scholarly authority in the Islamic tradition

EBRAHIM MOOSA

 

 

 

 

2. Now Enrolling for Fall 2026

Silk Road Academy of Eastern Languages and Cultures

School-Library-Museum
Building on the brilliant experience of “Ghand-e Parsi: The Academy of Persian Language and Persianate Culture” (link) and “Lisan-ı Türki: The Academy of Turkish Language and Turkic Culture,” (link) we continue our journey under our new brand, Silk Road Academy. Unlocking the rich literary, philosophical, and historical heritage of Eastern languages that once spanned from the Balkans to Bengal, our programs combine academic rigor with cultural immersion—empowering beginners and advanced researchers alike to master both classical texts and modern spoken communication.
All courses begin the first week of October 2026 and are conducted in live online seminar formats. Registered participants will receive full access to recorded session videos and all course materials and can use the courses’ materials offline.

Details of the courses and registration links can be found here: https://www.silkroadacademy.info/courses

If you have any questions about the courses, please feel free to reach out to admin@silkroadacademy.info

 

 

 

 

3. The International Society for the History of the Map and the Newberry Library’s Hermon Dunlap Smith Center for the History of Cartography invite participants for the inaugural Map History Writing Workshop. Meant for graduate students, early career scholars, and scholars writing about map history for the first time, this workshop will bring together a cohort of people working on articles or book chapters about map history. The workshop is designed to help refine scholarship in the field of the history of maps and mapping while also building a community of rising scholars in the field.

Structure: 

The workshop will meet on Zoom up to 6 times for 1.5-2 hours each over the course of the first half of 2027, depending on the number of participants. Each meeting will focus on the precirculated writing of one participant. For each meeting, the organizers in consultation with the presenter will recruit 2-3 experts in the field as respondents. Along with these experts, the other participants will then discuss the presenter’s writing with attention both to content and argumentation.

Participants in the workshop should be prepared to:

• Attend all meetings of the workshop
• Read each paper before each meeting
• Circulate a draft of an article or chapter (8,000-12,000 words) in advance of their assigned meeting
• Be or become a member of ISHMap before the start of the workshop

Required materials for application:

• CV
• 300-500 abstract of the article or book chapter
• Commitment to attending meetings
• Commitment to having writing prepared to pre-circulate at least 2 weeks in advance

To apply for the workshop, please fill out this form by 31 October 2026. Please address any questions to ishmap.society@gmail.com

Contact Information

International Society for the History of the Map

Contact Email

ishmap.society@gmail.com

URL

https://ishmap.com/

 

 

 

 

 

4. Online Resource – The CallFront Database of Calligraphic Works in Arabic Script – Now Available

After several years of research, development, and international collaboration, the CallFront team is pleased to announce the launch of the project’s website: https://callfront.inha.fr/s/callfront/page/welcome

This website is intended for researchers, students, heritage professionals, and, more broadly, anyone interested in the history of calligraphy in Arabic script and it brings together a previously unpublished digital corpus dedicated to writings in Arabic script produced in the border regions of the Islamic world, from Spain to China. The corpus offers an original approach to these graphic traditions, based on a methodology developed by the project’s scientific consortium. Each entry combines a description of the artifact with a detailed analysis of the calligraphy based on the CallFront ontology, which is also available as open access.

The platform allows users to explore the data through various categories—regions, media, objects, monuments, manuscripts, graphic styles, interactive maps, or multi-criteria search. It thus offers a new tool for studying calligraphic traditions that are often little known and sometimes previously unpublished, while facilitating comparisons across regions, periods, and media.

Beyond the database, the website now serves as a platform for disseminating CallFront’s scholarly activities. It will feature consortium news, publications, audiovisual resources, and information on upcoming events and projects.

Developed as part of the ANR project “Calligraphy in Arabic Script at the Frontiers of the Islamicate World (CallFront) ” (ANR-22-CE54-0015) directed by Eloïse Brac de la Perrière (Sorbonne Université, Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art, Paris) in collaboration with Maxime Durocher (Sorbonne Université), the website is hosted by the INHA and the project was also supported by Sorbonne Université, UMR 8167 Orient et Méditerranée, Barakat Trust, Observatoire des Patrimoines de l’Alliance Sorbonne Université and the Foundation Max van Berchem.

Access to the site: https://callfront.inha.fr/s/callfront/page/welcome

Contact Information

Maxime Durocher, Lecturer in Islamic Art and Archaeology, Sorbonne Université

Contact Email

maxime.durocher@sorbonne-universite.fr

URL

https://callfront.inha.fr/s/callfront/page/welcome

 

 

 

 

 

5. Hybrid Lecture – “The Shah Tahmasp Album from the Istanbul University Library,” Lâle Uluç

September 17 @ 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm BST

About the Talk

“Shāh Ṭahmāsp Album” is a set of illustrated calligraphic works dating from the mid-14th to the mid-16th centuries compiled from various sources during the reign of the Safavid ruler Shah Tahmasp (r. 1524-1576). It was conveyed to the Ottoman State during the 16th century and preserved in Ottoman palaces until it was placed in the Library of Istanbul University at the beginning of the 20th century. It is commonly believed that the album was among the diplomatic gifts sent by Shah Tahmasp to Sultan Murad III (r. 1574-1595). The texts written in Persian, Arabic or Chagatai Turkish are related to various fields of knowledge. They include poetry, samples of calligraphy, model texts, and continuous works displayed in several folios. The album had drawn specialists’ interest especially for its miniatures, some of which were taken from illustrated copies of well-known texts existing at the time. The present book, authored by Lâle Uluç and Bora Keskiner, focuses essentially on calligraphy which contributes to understanding the purpose and significance of its compilation. Based on comparisons with other calligraphic works from the same centuries located in Istanbul libraries, it examines the scripts, compositions, and provenance of the texts, traces the influences of eminent calligraphers and artistic characteristics of the Safavid period, and in the process, supplies a lot of information to the researchers concerned.

To join online, please register here.

URL

https://royalasiaticsociety.org/lectures-event/the-shah-tahmasp-album-from-the-…

 

 

 

 

6. EUP: special journal issue of Afghanistan (Open Access)
Explore an open access special issue of Afghanistan
Why did Afghanistan’s government collapse in 2021, with the Taliban seizing power? Bringing together international and local perspectives, it explores the failures of the US-led intervention and Afghan political leadership, the problems of centralised government and the role of local approaches to governance.
Visit the special issue homepage ( https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fddlnk.net%2Fc%2FAQjSfRC34bgHGPmorJQFILnK1K8BKLHU_UJ0VKm21-L4BdlnF9hhMw1IhikRNH3xdtN9624IaONyPA&data=05%7C02%7C%7Cfa3c83a052664b6e9e6708df0f094721%7C2e9f06b016694589878910a06934dc61%7C0%7C0%7C639246204648189565%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=HB3OFZpl%2FaqQjtTeFio4RSTCYsElhQ8nibubQTza1jQ%3D&reserved=0)

 

 

 

 

 

7. “The Birth of the Muslim Plague Martyr: A Story from Late Antiquity” inStudies in Late Antiquity (Open Access). Article is: https://online.ucpress.edu/SLA/article/10/3/219/219194/The-Birth-of-the-Muslim-Plague-MartyrA-Story-from

Abstract: This article attempts to explain why the Muslims of the first two hijri centuries came to view as martyrs those who died of a mysterious illness that they called the Stabber (al-ṭāʿūn). It finds the answer to that question at the intersection of the unique social pressures attendant on the Arab conquests, the presence of endemic Yersinia pestis in Greater Syria, the prior inheritance of Jewish and Christian ideas about the meaning of disease, and the distinctive view of salvation history found in the Qurʾan.

Early Muslims simultaneously affirmed the ancient Jewish and Christian theory of epidemic disease as divine punishment and gave it a separate meaning for their own community, as a martyrdom and a mercy, which set the conquering minority of Muhajirun apart in death as well as in life. In illuminating this process, the article writes a new cultural history of epidemic disease in the late antique world and revisits some of our fundamental assumptions about retrospective diagnosis and the discourse of disease in premodern culture. Its findings should be relevant to scholars of Christianity and Islam, to Syriacists, scholars of premodern disease, and to anyone invested in the current conversation about Yersinia pestis, epidemic disease, and environmental history in Late Antiquity.

 

 

 

 

 

8. Two new book reviews published in MELA Notes, both engaging with modern Persian literature and intellectual history.

The first is my review of A Scholar for Our Times: A Celebration of the Life and Work of Shahrokh Meskoob, edited by Abbas Milani and C. Ryan Perkins. The volume brings together contributions on Meskoob’s life, writings, cultural identity, exile, and intellectual legacy. My review pays particular attention to Farokhfal’s discussion of yād- memory and remembrance-and his understanding of language as a space in which cultural memory survives. I read this alongside Meskoob’s reflections on Iranian cultural identity and the ruptures of exile: how literature, language, and archives allow cultural memory to persist across displacement and historical breaks.

https://www.mela.us/2026/09/11/scholar-for-our-times-book-review/

The second, reviewed by Nader Nasiri, is Shahriar Khosravi’s An Approach to Contemporary Persian Poetry 1906–2013. Khosravi offers an innovative way of mapping modern Persian poetry through ideas and poetic currents rather than primarily through individual poets. His “Triple-P” framework-the Poetic, Political, and Philosophical-provides a conceptual approach to understanding the transformations of Persian poetry from Nima Yushij onward.

https://www.mela.us/2026/09/11/approach-contemporary-persian-poetry-book-review/

 

 

 

 

9. 2–10-Week Intensive Persian Language Winter School in Yerevan

ASPIRANTUM is pleased to announce its 2026–2027 Persian Language Winter School in Yerevan, Armenia, running from November 29, 2026 to February 5, 2027.

Participants can choose a program lasting anywhere from 2 to 10 weeks, depending on their schedule and study goals.

The program offers 20 hours of intensive Persian language instruction per week in small groups, together with cultural activities and excursions in Armenia.

Full information about dates, tuition fees, program structure, and the application process is available here:

https://aspirantum.com/courses/persian-language-winter-school

Best regards,

Khachik Gevorgyan
Director
ASPIRANTUM – Armenian School of Languages and Cultures

 

 

 

 

 

10. Call for Applications: Teaching & Organizing Assistant (Internship)

The ISJ Writing Program is seeking a motivated Teaching and Organizing Assistant to run a dedicated parallel class in future rounds of the program. This internship offers a valuable opportunity to support junior scholars and graduate students specializing in Iranian studies as they develop high-quality academic work and navigate the publication process.

Key Responsibilities:

• Class Coordination
• Session Support
• Participant Guidance

Qualifications:

• Graduate students or junior scholars specializing in Iranian studies or related humanities fields.
• Strong organizational and communication skills.
• Familiarity with academic publishing conventions and the needs of researchers in the region.

Compensation & Details:

Stipend: A $1,000 stipend is offered by the Association for Iranian Studies for this role.

Format: Virtual / Online.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should submit the following application materials:

• Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Cover Letter (maximum 1,000 words) outlining your background, teaching philosophy, and specifically addressing how your experiences make you a good candidate for this particular workshop.

Application Deadline: September 20, 2026

For inquiries or to submit your application materials, please contact the program directors at:

fsonboldel@ucsd.edu

Kind regards,

Iranian Studies Journal

 

 

 

 

11. CSMBR Upcoming Lecture: Beyond Contagion

Beyond Contagion

Rethinking the History of Leprosy in the Medieval Mediterranean

Anna Gili

22 September 2026 – 5 PM (CET)

Given the variety of its pathological manifestations, leprosy was difficult for physicians in the past to recognise. They attempted to provide different pathological descriptions, distinct aetiologies, and varied clinical portraits to grasp its nature. Even the proposed treatments, although often influenced by the Galenic discovery of theriac, show considerable variation.

This talk explores some of the texts composed in the medieval Arabic, Latin, and Greek worlds that sought to capture this multifaceted pathology, with the aim of providing a commentary that goes beyond the narrow focus on contagion typical of scholarship on the subject.

Drawing on my recent book Leprosy in the Mediterranean Medical Literature (De Gruyter, 2025), I examine these texts through the combined lenses of philology and the history of medicine to reconstruct a history of leprosy that is, at the same time, a history of authors, texts, translations, and cultural exchanges.

At the centre of the talk will be al-Majūsī’s Kitāb al-Malakī, a work that both draws upon and goes beyond antique and late antique doctrines on the nature and treatment of the disease. This text will be placed in dialogue with earlier Arabic works such as Sarābiyūn’s Compendium, al-Ṭabarī’s al-Muʿālajāt al-Buqrāṭiyya, and al-Zahrāwī’s Kitāb al-Taṣrīf.

I will then turn to the Latin and Greek translations of the Kitāb al-Malakī to examine how the Arabic author’s biologically grounded, non-moralising approach to the disease was conveyed by its translators.

To register for this event, please click here.

Kindest regards,

Andreas Hylla

Centre for the Study of Medicine and the Body in the Renaissance (CSMBR) – Assistant Coordinator

Domus Comeliana, Via Cardinale Maffi 48, 56126 Pisa, Italy

Tel.: +39.02.006.20.51 – Mobile: +39.333.13.12.203

Email: ah@csmbr.fondazionecomel.org 

 

 

 

 

 

12. CFP for ACLA 2027 Seminar on Middle Eastern Modernisms

I am organizing an in-person seminar titled “Uneven Modernities and the Middle East ” for ACLA 2027. See below for the full proposal.

Please consider submitting an abstract by September 22, 2026: https://www.acla.org/seminar/0264089a-bcda-4b56-8bfe-9f2f6b266941

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me at zahram2@illinois.edu.

Warmly,

Zahra Meshkani

PhD Candidate

Program in Comparative and World Literature

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

——————————————————

Challenging the persistent tendency to read Middle Eastern modernity as belated, derivative, or reactive to European models, we seek to foreground the region as a site where the modern was actively negotiated, reinterpreted, and reinvented. From the Ottoman Tanzimat and the Arab Nahda to the Iranian Constitutional Revolution, writers, reformers, jurists, translators, and artists engaged with modernity through innovation as much as imitation, navigating rapid political, legal, religious, and linguistic transformation.

The seminar aims to stimulate comparative inquiry into the asymmetries and convergences between Middle Eastern and Western experiences of the modern, debating issues such as: the politics of translation and the circulation of ideas, books, and periodicals across the Mediterranean and beyond; contested relations among secularism, religion, and tradition; competing philosophies of time and the trope of “catching up”; the role of the state, constitutionalism, and reform; and the reshaping of gender, the public sphere, and selfhood.

I invite proposals that examine modernity in the Middle East from a comparative and transregional perspective across literature, intellectual history, law, music, medicine, and beyond and that interrogate Eurocentric narratives by treating Middle Eastern and Western modernities as mutually constitutive. For any questions, please reach out to zahram2@illinois.edu.

 

 

 

 

13. A new issue of Arabic Sciences and Philosophy (ASP) has published with Liverpool University Press. An international journal on the Arabic sciences,

Browse all articles >

Browse the latest issue >

If you would like to read content from Arabic Sciences and Philosophy, you can recommend a subscription to your librarian using our online form and gain access via your institution, or subscribe as an individual for personal access.

Sign up to our mailing list | Follow us on Bluesky

———————————————————————————————————

Volume 36. Issue 2.

Table of contents

THEMATIC FILES: Savoirs scientifiques en Méditerranée: Scientific knowledge in the Mediterranean: A tribute to Pascal Crozet

SAVOIRS SCIENTIFIQUES EN MÉDITERRANÉE: INTRODUCTION

ROSHDI RASHED

AL-SIǦZĪ, POURQUOI ?: GÉOMÉTRIES AU Xe SIÈCLE

ROSHDI RASHED

RÉFLEXIONS SUR LE RÔLE DU MOUVEMENT EN GÉOMÉTRIE: LE CAS PROCLUS

DAVID RABOUIN

À PROPOS DU CALCUL AÉRIEN: ABŪ BAKR AL-KARAǦĪ, KAMĀL AL-DĪN AL-FĀRISĪ ET QUELQUES AUTRES

PASCAL CROZET

ALGORITHMS, PROOFS AND COUNTING RESULTS IN AL-FĀRISĪ’S MULTIPLICATION

LEÏLA HAMOUDA

VARIA

UNE INFLUENCE PROBABLE DE QUṬB AL-DĪN AL-ŠĪRĀZĪ SUR AL-FĀRISĪ ET LA RÉDACTION DU TANQĪḤ AL-MANĀẒIR

DOMINIQUE RAYNAUD

 

 

 

 

 

14. Review of Global Qur’anic Studies of the Year (RGQ3rd) Sponsored by Ind. Int. Qur’anic Parliament

Wednesday, Sept. 16 2026 (10-12 Tehran Time)

10-11 AM : Western Exegesis of Holy Qur’an (No.1: Fātiḥa: 1-7) (This is the first volume of the continuous project from the first to the end of Qur’an focusing on the western Qur’anic scholars)

11-12 : World Qur’anic Arts and Museums – Case study: Qur’anic Botanic Garden (QBG)- Dr. Zenia Henriksen, University of Southern Denmark

For Registration:

https://event.fourwaves.com/iqp2026/registration

https://event.fourwaves.com/iqp2026

http://zabanshenasitarikhi.ir/

 

 

 

 

 

15. ONLINE Webinar: Authority in Attire: The Politics of Moral Order in Iran

with Firoozeh Kashani-Sabet

British Institute of Persian Studies (BIPS), 29 September, 2026,  5:00 pm UK Time
This presentation considers the continuing controversies around state-sanctioned unveiling and reveiling in Iran. I will focus on how clothing became a way to exert authority and define identity. Fashion became a revealing political statement because of its public visibility and because the Iranian state had relied on attire to promote a culture of urbanity and sociability. I analyse the prominence of clothing as public expressions of state authority, religious power, social order, and moral purity. This essay departs from previous studies of the unveiling/veiling movement by expanding the analytical framework beyond ideology and assessing such directives as contests over social control and everyday life. In this way, both veiling and unveiling, at different moments, came to function as registers of ethically superior citizenship, each casting the other as its antithesis and transforming bodies into oppositional sites of moral order

Information and registration: 

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/5317890304868/WN_eVnHyyUwQU6aeC4hTwp4Qg#/registration

 

 

 

16. Forthcoming Book

Title: An American Educator in Iran: The Life and Times of Samuel Martin Jordan.

By: Houchang Chehabi

MORE:

https://www.mazdapublishers.com/book/an-american-educator-in-iran

 

 

 

 

 

17. HYBRID Lecture “The Impish Revolutionary: Mischief, Play, and Counter-Sovereignty in Iran” by Alireza Doostdar (University of Chicago), Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient (ZMO), Berlin, 24 September 2026, 17:00 – 18:30 CET

Can revolutionary energy be understood as a form of mischievous play? This lecture takes up shaytanat – deviltry, roguishness, impish mischief – as an overlooked idiom of Iranian revolutionary life, one that runs alongside the more familiar registers of heroic piety and martyrdom. I ultimately suggest that the revolutionary state is not only one that devours its children but one that teaches them to revolt against it.

Information: https://tinyurl.com/2nwdxc37. Registration: https://tinyurl.com/mu6642r8

 

 

 

 

 

18. HYBRIDE Séance « La question kurde à l’horizon des années 2030 ? » avec Hamit Bozarslan (Directeur d’études à l’EHESS), Institut français du Proche-Orient, Erbil, 24 septembre 2026, 15h30 CET

Information et inscription : https://tinyurl.com/23wrvn3n

 

 

 

 

 

19. 6th Biennial University of Michigan International Conference on Arabic Applied Linguistics, University of Michigan, 31 October – 1 November 2026

The conference is an open forum for scholars interested in exploring empirically topics and issues in Arabic applied linguistics. The topics of the conference cover three main strands: – I. Topics which deal with Arabic second language acquisition (SLA). – II. Topics which deal with the theory and practice of Arabic second/foreign language teaching. – III. Topics which deal with applied research related to Ara-bic as an L1.

Programme: https://tinyurl.com/3ummjrpb. Registration: https://tinyurl.com/4zjjnxuv

 

 

 

 

 

20. Workshop “Family in History, History in the Family: Historical Approaches to Family, House-

hold, Kinship, and Generations (Focus Turkey)”, Istanbul University, 20-21 November 2026

While dynasties, political elites, and notable families have received substantial attention, the families of religious scholars and intellectuals, merchants and artisans, migrants, non-elite households, and fami-lies in the Republican period remain comparatively understudied. The workshop approaches the family not simply as a line of descent or a collection of individual biographies, but as a unit of historical anal-ysis. With particular interest in Ottoman and Turkish history, it also welcomes original, source-based research on other periods and geographical contexts.

Deadline for abstracts: 28 September 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/2mukwbkp

 

 

 

 

 

21. ONLINE Seminar “Counter-Futures: Dystopia and the World-Building of Arab Fictions”,

American Comparative Literature Association (ACLA), 15-16 May 2027

This seminar has the dual purpose of exploring the affordances of ‘dystopia’ as a sub-genre of science fiction for writing from the Arab world, and of testing the potency of the term ‘counter-futures’ as a way to identify and explore the political valences of such writing. We are interested in any scholarship on Arab science fiction, in particular on dystopian writing, and in approaches which insist on subjecting the literary-theoretical categories of science fiction and dystopia to historicising critiques.

Deadline for abstracts: 22 September 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/483r7zr5

 

 

 

 

 

22. Symposium “Dutch Levantines in the Ottoman World”, Levantine Heritage Foundation, Uni-versity of Amsterdam, 11-13 June 2027

This conference will emphasize the theme of the Dutch in the Levant as a vital force in the creation of a Levantine world, with complex socio-economic networks giving rise to social, cultural, political, and material exchanges with resonances lasting till today.

Deadline for abstracts: 31 December 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/3dwe3kcd

 

 

 

 

 

23. POSTE DE PROFESSEURE, PROFESSEUR

LES ISLAMS : SOURCES, HISTOIRE ET PRÉSENCE DANS LE MONDE

CONTEMPORAIN

Université du Québec, Montréal

Exigences: Doctorat en sciences des religions ou dans une discipline connexe. – Expérience profes-sionnelle pertinente d’au moins 3 ans, incluant les activités de recherche doctorales. – Connaissance approfondie et critique de l’islam et de ses contenus fondamentaux. – Connaissance approfondie du corpus fondateur de l’islam. – Dossier de recherche et de publications solide. – Maîtrise de la langue française, tant à l’oral qu’à l’écrit*

Limite : 23 octobre 2026. Information : https://tinyurl.com/bdhmkjsn

 

 

 

 

24. Assistant Professor (Tenure Track) in Global History (Focus Middle East), Suffolk University, Boston, MA

We seek a teacher-scholar with research focus in Global History, broadly defined. Applicants should be able to teach and lead initiatives related to one or more of the following topic areas: Africa; Europe and European empires; Latin America; the Middle East; and/or Russia/the Soviet Union.

Deadline for applications: 15 October 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/yw9yep32

 

 

 

 

 

25. Contributions to the “Middle East and North Africa Profile” of the Online Encyclopedia “Atlas of Today`s World”

We are currently accepting contributions on topics including: – Human Rights, Minorities and Gender. – Living Standards & Impacts of Conflict. – Environmental Conditions. – Economic Systems and Cor-ruption. – Ideology and Religion (including Sunni-Shia dynamics and religious minorities). – Society, Demography, Migration & Social Tensions. – International Relations & Regional Power Dynamics. – Colonial Legacy, State Formation & Post-Independence Transformations. – Political Upheavals, the Arab Spring, Youth and Digitalization. – Etc.

Deadline for abstracts: 31 October 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/mstr36k5

 

 

 

 

26. ONLINE New Volume: “Radical Encounters: Islamists and Leftists in the Middle East and North Africa (1960s-2010s)” edited by Laura Guazzone and Rossana Tufaro, Sapienza University of Rome Press, September 2026, 316 Pages

This volume uncovers tactical alliances, biographical conversions, and hybridizations of languages and symbols. Drawing on case studies that move from the Maghreb to Iran and from universities to rural communities, the book develops an original typology of cooperation and conflict, restoring the historical depth of relations that have redrawn the boundary between the “secular” and the “religious” and con-tinue to shape oppositional politics in the contemporary Middle East.

View: https://tinyurl.com/56bkf426

 

 

 

 

 

 

27. Nouveau livre: “Changer d’alphabet Turquie 1850-1950” de Emmanuel Szurek, PUF, 1 octo-bre 2026

En 1928, la Turquie abandonne la graphie arabe au profit d’une écriture à base latine. En replaçant cet épisode dans une histoire longue, ce livre montre que la romanisation du turc ne saurait se réduire à sa dimension spectaculaire. Elle s’inscrit dans une série de transformations souterraines qu’il faut saisir à l’échelle globale : pression des technologies, reconfigurations des savoirs linguistiques, inégalités d’accès à l’écrit, redéfinition du rapport entre langue, nation et « civilisation ».

Information: https://tinyurl.com/bddzkjcj

 

 

 

 

 

28. New Book: “The Life and Memoirs of Fakhri al-Barudi – The Renaissance Man of Syria, 1887-1966” by Sami Moubayed and Fakhri al-Barudi, AUC Press, 25 August 2026, 156 Pages

Born into an aristocratic Damascene family in about 1887, Fakhri al-Barudi was universally acclaimed as one of the country’s founding fathers and a leading figure in the country’s struggle for independence from French rule during the 1920s. Drawing on both private papers and published sources, Sami Mou-bayed’s authoritative epilogue takes up al-Barudi’s life in Syrian politics from where the memoirs leave off, through to al-Barudi’s death in 1966.

Information: https://tinyurl.com/4njsrdaa

1.Persian Empire’s 2,500th Anniversary Anthem Score Is Out

The 2,500-year celebrations of the Persian Empire are among the most controversial events in the history of Iran during the Pahlavi era. Discussions and debates about the celebrations have almost always focused on their political aspects, whereas, alongside the celebrations, numerous cultural programs were taking place both inside and outside Persia. One such aspect is the special anthem composed for the celebrations. It was recorded for the first time in 1971 by the Tehran Symphony Orchestra and the Tehran Choir, but its score was never published.
This handwritten score, which was at risk of being destroyed, was recently discovered in an archive in Tehran and has now been published in the Netherlands, together with historical information and related photographs. You may listen to the anthem via the link below—and, if possible, please recommend that your libraries add this work to their collections for historical and musicological research:
https://persiandutch.com/2026/08/29/for-the-first-time-the-persian-empires-2500th-anniversary-anthem-score-is-out/

All the best,
Pejman Akbarzadeh
—- www.pejmanakbarzadeh.com

 

 

 

 

2. Call for Papers

Conference of the Medieval Studies Working Group at the Herzog August Library, Wolfenbüttel
29 September–1 October 2027
Coherence: The Construction of Meaning in Medieval Miscellaneous Manuscripts
The question of what criteria determine whether items that appear together actually belong together arises in the case of medieval miscellaneous manuscripts already at the level of their materiality. The coexistence of heterogeneous elements on the same folio, within the same quire, or between the same set of book covers constitutes a material fact that calls for interpretation. Are the pragmatically motivated practices of writing into previously blank space and assembling loose materials into codicological units merely strategies for the efficient use of writing materials and the preservation of texts? Or do they also reflect intentional attempts to generate intertextual and intermedial meaning? More fundamentally, how can we methodologically determine whether the relationship between such elements is purely material or also constitutes semantic coherence?
In recent years, the relationship between individual components and their integration into larger wholes has increasingly been studied from the perspective of structural relationality, with particular attention to the conditions that produce cohesion and coherence. Originating in textual linguistics and the study of textual unity, the concept of coherence has, above all in German medieval studies, increasingly been explored from a narratological perspective. Discussions have focused on the relationships between heterogeneous textual elements of different provenance and on the coherence of narratives, thereby addressing processes of narrative meaning-making. Particular attention has been paid to gaps, omissions, and contradictions in medieval narrative literature and lyric poetry.
The conference, organised by the Medieval Studies Working Group, proposes a shift in perspective. Rather than concentrating on the so-called “irritation phenomena” (Christian Schneider), it seeks to explore the interdisciplinary potential of the concept of coherence by examining its transferability and applicability to questions of textual transmission and transmission contexts in medieval miscellaneous manuscripts. The conference invites an exploratory discussion of the extent to which the concept of coherence can be fruitfully applied to relationships between texts (both within transmission clusters and within seemingly self-contained sub-collections), between text and image, text and paratext, text and musical notation, as well as to codicological units themselves.
The relationship between coherence and contingency in medieval miscellaneous manuscripts presents a methodological challenge in three respects. First, there is a terminological problem inherent in the conceptually ambiguous notion of the “miscellaneous manuscript.” Depending on the context, the term may refer either generally to any manuscript transmitting more than one text (a multiple-text manuscript) or, more specifically, to a deliberately planned collection of texts. Matters are further complicated by the subsequent combination of codicological units that may—or may not—have originally belonged together.
Second, the historicity of coherence itself must be taken into account, since phenomena of coherence are inseparable from the historical development of the manuscript as an object. The involvement of multiple agents in the compilation, copying, deliberate rearrangement, and accidental rebinding of different codicological units gives rise to a range of distinct—and at times competing—notions of coherence, all of which must themselves be historicised. By what means are individual texts, text-image ensembles, and intermedial constellations connected within miscellaneous manuscripts, and from whose historical perspective do these relationships appear coherent? At what stage in the manuscript’s history such connections were established, and at what stage they were recognised, interpreted, or reshaped by later users?
Third, any historically oriented research into the coherence of miscellaneous manuscripts—whether understood as units of textual transmission or as containing internally coherent sub-collections—must address the persistent problem of confirmation bias. Although this conference deliberately shifts the focus, in the spirit of the principle of charitable interpretation, away from inconsistency and towards coherence, it also calls for methodological reflection on the conditions under which patterns of coherence identified by modern scholarship may legitimately be regarded as historical features of medieval manuscripts, and where contingency provides the more convincing explanation. A conference devoted to the coherence of medieval miscellaneous manuscripts must therefore also engage in fundamental methodological reflection.
We welcome both theoretically informed contributions and case studies from all areas of medieval studies. Possible questions include, but are not limited to:
• How can relationships of coherence and equivalence within groups of texts be described?
• How is coherence established in intermedial constellations within manuscripts, especially in text-image relationships?
• To what extent can external and internal forms of coherence be distinguished?
• What functions do paratextual elements perform in their various verbal, non-verbal, and pictorial forms (e.g. headings, rubrication, chapter and section divisions, initials, or the division of texts into books)?
• Which elements provide structure across textual boundaries and thereby create connections between texts? What role codicological units do play in this process?
• Which strategies for creating coherence can be identified, including those related to processes of understanding and cognitive models?
• To what extent is it meaningful—or even possible—to distinguish between principles of external coherence (e.g. structural and paratextual features, episodicity, organisation principles, etc.) and internal coherence (e.g. repetition, doubling, equivalence, analogy, or correspondences on the textual and visual surface)?
Papers may be presented in either German or English. Please submit proposals of approximately 300 words (c. one page) by 1 October 2026 to: Tobias Daniels (Tobias.Daniels@mg.fak09.uni-muenchen.de).

 

 

 

 

 

3. A special issue of Religions, “Women in Islam: Spirituality, Mysticism, and the Occult,” explores women’s diverse engagements with spirituality, mysticism, and occult practices in Muslim contexts. We welcome contributions addressing topics including spirituality, saints, healing, dreams, divination, talismans, magic, the paranormal, culture, ethnography, film, fiction, and folklore.

Paper submission deadline: 1 June 2027.

Further details and submission information can be found here:

https://www.mdpi.com/journal/religions/special_issues/5837PA6OZ8

For any questions, feel free to contact Amina Inloes (a.inloes@islamic-college.ac.uk) or Maryam Abbasi (abbasimaryam525@gmail.com).

 

 

 

 

 

4. Al-Ghazali on Proper Conduct in Seclusion

Book XVI of the Revival of the Religious Sciences
(Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din)

https://its.org.uk/catalogue/al-ghazali-on-proper-conduct-in-seclusion/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Test%20Standard%20mailshot&utm_content=Test%20Standard%20mailshot+CID_b24ba31e5512880e84d478186a61fe6c&utm_source=Email%20marketing%20software&utm_term=Order%20Al-Ghazali%20on%20Proper%20Conduct%20in%20Seclusion

 

 

 

 

5. Persian Courses

Introduction to Pahlavi: Autumn School of Zoroastrian Middle Persian(October 19 – November 5, 2026).

An introduction to Middle Persian grammar, vocabulary, and script (inscriptonal), with readings from Sasanian inscriptions and major Zoroastrian and literary texts such as the Kārnāmag ī Ardaxšēr ī Pābagān, Bundahišn, Ardā-Wīrāz-nāmag, etc. The course also explores the language’s historical development and the literary, religious, and cultural world of Sasanian Iran.

Learn Persian Through Iranian Media: Introduction to the Media Landscape of Iran(September 27 – November 15, 2026).

An intermediate-level course focused on developing Persian reading, comprehension, vocabulary, and speaking skills through authentic articles and headlines from a range of Iranian newspapers and news outlets. The course also introduces participants to the Iranian media landscape, including the different orientations, styles, and approaches of major outlets, with guided discussions of current topics.

Ferdowsi School of Persian Literature

Yerevan, Armenia

Website: www.ferdowsi.org

LinkedIn

 

 

 

 

6. The Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA)is pleased to invite undergraduate and graduate students to participate in its Poster Competitionat the Nineteenth Annual Conference being held November 7 – 9, 2026 in Washington, D.C.

Presenting a poster is an excellent opportunity for young scholars to showcase their work in a visual format that promotes discussion, enables interaction with seasoned academics, and to gather feedback about their projects.
Information for applicants:

• Undergraduate applicants must be juniors or seniors in the 2026-27 academic year.
• Graduate applicants must be enrolled at a higher education institution for the 2026-27 academic year.
• Interested students must submit an application via the online submission portal and include a 300-word abstract of original unpublished data.
• Topics must be related to the Middle East and/or Africa.
• Successful applicants will be required to register for the Conference.
• Scoring is based on how well the presenter demonstrates understanding of their subject matter as well as by the clarity of their presentation.
• More submission details and guidelines for final poster projects will be made available to confirmed participants.
• Applications are evaluated and accepted on a rolling basis until October 5, 2026.
  For further information, please visit our Call for Posters pageor contact info@asmeascholars.org.

Contact Information

Emily Lucas

Membership and Operations Director (ASMEA)

eec@asmeascholars.org

Contact Email

eec@asmeascholars.org

URL

https://www.asmeascholars.org/call-for-posters-2024

 

 

 

 

 

7. Indiana University – Bloomington – Roger E. Covey Professorship in Silk Road Studies (Open Rank)
https://networks.h-net.org/jobs/70303/indiana-university-bloomington-roger-e-covey-professorship-silk-road-studies-open-rank

 

 

 

 

 

8. Wabash College – Byron K. Trippet Assistant Professor of History
https://networks.h-net.org/jobs/70282/wabash-college-byron-k-trippet-assistant-professor-history

1. Daiber Collection II, MSS 1–50, has now been made available on “The Daiber Collection Beta Database “

The Daiber Collection Beta Database Project, “Team Daiber,” is pleased to announce that the fourth installment of images and metadata, covering Daiber Collection II, MSS 1–50, has now been made available online. The project aims to develop a renewed database of the Daiber Collection, one of the largest collections of manuscripts in Arabic script in East Asia held by the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, The University of Tokyo.

For further details, please visit: https://u-parl.lib.u-tokyo.ac.jp/english/notice20260902

 

 

 

 

2. Zahra Institute’s 2026 Fall Speaker Series

Lords of the Mountains: Kurds and Kurdistan in English Writing

Date: Wednesday, September 23, 2026

Time: 12 PM CT / 1 PM ET
Registration link:  https://zoom.us/meeting/register/D0zY9DldT6eo45TkPns_lw#

 

 

 

 

3. University of Arizona’s remote Persian language courses, offered online via Zoom. These courses are open to visiting and non-degree seeking students from other universities as well, so they may be a great option for any of your students who still need to fulfill a foreign language requirement, regardless of their home institution.

Course details:

– Elementary Persian (PRS 101/102) – available in-person and online

– Intermediate Persian (PRS 401/402) – available in-person and online

– Advanced Persian (PRS 403/404) and 4th Year Persian (PRS 407/408) – in-person only (500-level graduate sections also available)

Who can enroll:

– University of Arizona Main Campus students (remote students only)

– Visiting and non-degree seeking students from other universities (upon admittance to Main Campus as a non-degree seeking student)

The program offers small class sizes, individual consultation, and instruction from experienced, published faculty, with levels available from beginner through superior proficiency.

For any questions, students can reach out directly to oconklin@arizona.edu.

 

 

 

 

4. Le CeRMI a le plaisir de vous convier, le jeudi 10 septembre, à la première édition du colloque « PhLIrT : Philologia Linguisticaque Iranica et Turcica » à la Maison de la recherche de l’INaLCO (2 rue de Lille, 75006 Paris, dans l’auditorium Georges Dumézil).

Cette première édition du colloque est organisée, avec le concours du CeRMI et de l’INaLCO. Le colloque aurait vocation à se tenir au mieux tous les deux ans, et à donner lieu à une publication de ses actes dans le courant de l’année suivant sa tenue.

Veuillez trouver le programme ci-joint et sur le site web du CeRMI : https://cermi.cnrs.fr/phlirt-philologia-linguisticaque-iranica-et-turcica/.

L’entrée est libre dans la limite des places disponibles.

Dans le cas où vous souhaiteriez suivre le colloque « PhLIrT : Philologia Linguisticaque Iranica et Turcica » à distance, les informations sur le lien Zoom se trouvent sur cette adresse : https://www.inalco.fr/evenements/phlirt-philologia-linguisticaque-iranica-et-turcica-premiere-edition

Les organisateurs de l’édition 2026

Sébastien Gréal (CeRMI – INaLCO) et Dorian Pastor (Université de Lausanne)

——————————————————–
CeRMI – CNRS UMR 8041
Centre de Recherche sur le Monde Iranien
Campus CNRS Ile-de-France Villejuif
7, rue Guy Môquet – 94800 Villejuif – FRANCE
cermi@cnrs.fr – https://www.cermi.cnrs.fr
—-

 

 

 

 

5. Richard M. Eaton Recipient of the 25th Levi Della Vida Award

Richard M. Eaton, a well-known and respected social-cultural historian of Islam and premodern India (1000—1800), has been awarded the 25th Giorgio Levi Della Award in Islamic Studies by the UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies. As part of the award, CNES will host a scholarly conference on a theme selected by Eaton, at which he will deliver a formal lecture. The conference, “Sufis in Premodern Persianate Societies and Politics,” will be held at UCLA on November 5, 2026. UCLA historians and CNES Faculty Affiliates Nile Green and Choon Hwee Koh are organizing the event, with the proceedings to be published as a new volume in the Giorgio Levi Della Vida Series in Islamic Studies. Read more here.

 

 

 

 

6. The recording for the recent Library of Congress event, “From South Asia to the American South: A Discussion about the History and Trade of Seersucker”, is now available on the Library of Congress website and YouTube page:From South Asia to the American South: A Discussion about the History and Trade of Seersucker. Please feel free to share this link with anyone who might be interested. 

Contact Information

Charlotte Giles, PhD

South Asia Specialist, Asian Division

Library of Congress

Contact Email

chgi@loc.gov

URL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVLbutMA2-o

 

 

 

 

 

7. A new anthology ‘Erwerbungen und Provenienzen Islamischer Kunst zwischen 1933 und 1945 (Acquisitions and Provenance of Islamic Art between 1933 and 1945)’ edited by Franziska Bloch and Miriam Kühn brings together 15 essays examining current research into the acquisition and provenance of Islamic art during the Nazi era.

A central focus is the fate of Jewish collectors and their collections, including Felix Ganz, Alfred Cassirer and Dr. Max Ginsberg. Their stories are closely connected to the holdings of the Museum for Islamic Art in Berlin and demonstrate how persecution, forced sales, displacement and the dispersal of collections also shaped museum collections.

The volume also examines acquisitions by museums and libraries, including the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, and explores approaches to making provenance research visible and accessible through museums.

Provenance research is essential to understanding an object’s biography: who owned it, how it changed hands, and under what circumstances it entered a collection. Where gaps remain, research can nevertheless reveal networks, historical contexts and responsibilities that are crucial to the way museums understand and care for their collections today. By bringing together current research and methodological perspectives, it provides a basis for further investigation into the histories of Islamic art collections in Germany.

The publication is mainly in German. Published by arthistoricum.net in 2026 and is available open access online.

Access the publication: https://doi.org/10.11588/arthistoricum.1638

Contact Information

Museum für Islamische Kunst (im Pergamonmuseum)
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz
Geschwister-Scholl-Straße 6
D-10117 Berlin

Contact Email

isl@smb.museum

URL

https://doi.org/10.11588/arthistoricum.1638

 

 

 

 

8. Applications are now open for the 2026 Canadian Friends of Sufi Arts, Culture, and Knowledge™ (CFSACK®) Research Awards.

The CFSACK Research Awards support research and scholarly or creative projects that advance the study and understanding of Sufi arts, culture, and knowledge. With the support of the American Friends of Sufi Arts, Culture, and Knowledge (AFSACK), the program is open to eligible applicants affiliated with institutions in both Canada and the United States.

The Research Awards welcome proposals across a broad range of disciplines and areas of practice. Eligible fields include, but are not limited to, art and art history, anthropology, archaeology, architecture, classics, cultural studies, curatorial practice, ethnomusicology, fine arts, history, literature, philosophy, psychology, religious studies, sociology, and related interdisciplinary fields.

Projects may involve fieldwork, archival or collections-based research, community-engaged research, creative or curatorial work, conference participation or organization, and the development and dissemination of research outputs.

Award Amounts

• Undergraduate and master’s students: up to CAD 2,000
• Doctoral students/candidates and postdoctoral fellows: up to CAD 5,000

Eligibility

Applicants must be one of the following:

• Undergraduate students
• Master’s students
• Doctoral students/candidates
• Postdoctoral fellows

Applicants must be enrolled at or formally affiliated with an eligible Canadian or U.S. post-secondary educational, research, or cultural institution, including a university, college, research institute, museum, or archive.

Citizenship is not an eligibility requirement.

Research Access Opportunity

Award recipients may, upon request and subject to approval, be granted funded research access to the Musée d’Art et de Culture Soufis MTO™ in Chatou, France. Depending on the nature of the project and availability, this may include consultation with members of the Museum’s curatorial or research teams and access to relevant collections or research resources.

Important Dates

• Applications Open: September 4, 2026
• Application Deadline: October 25, 2026 at 23:59 PDT
• Notification of Results: Mid-December 2026

Full program guidelines, eligibility requirements, FAQs, and the online application portal are available at:

https://www.cfsack.org/research-awards

Contact Information

Nooshin Esmaeili, Chair, CFSACK Research Awards Committee
Shahed Ejadi, Board of Directors, CFSACK

Contact Email

research.awards@cfsack.org

URL

https://www.cfsack.org/research-awards

 

 

 

 

 

9. The first lecture in the Virtual Islamic Art History Seminar Series for the fall 2026 semester will take place on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, at 12:00 New York / 17:00 London / 19:00 Istanbul.

Rachel Winter (MSU Broad Art Museum) and sculptor and installation artist Armita Raafat will present “History in Motion: A Conversation between Armita Raafat and Rachel Winter about Contemporary Art and Islamicate Visual Cultures.”

To attend, please register in advance here:
https://wellesley.zoom.us/meeting/register/LvXw8DkPQxWbxiXkWNK5Rw
Upon registration, you’ll receive the link to access the lecture.

As always, you can find a full schedule of upcoming talks and register for our list-serv on our website at viahss.org. Although not every talk is recorded, we also have recordings of several recent talks available on the VIAHSS Vimeo page at vimeo.com/viahss. Lastly, you can follow us on Instagram at @theviahss to stay up to date on upcoming events!

Contact Information

Drs. Alexander Brey, Jaimee Comstock-Skipp, and Rachel Winter

Contact Email

winterr6@msu.edu

URL

https://viahss.org/

 

 

 

 

10. HYBRID Colloque “PhLIrT : Philologia Linguisticaque Iranica et Turcica – Première edition”, inalco, Paris, 10 septembre 2026, 9h00 – 19h00 CET

Information, program et inscription : https://tinyurl.com/2we5r3ae

 

 

 

 

 

11. Workshop: “Conceptual History and Translation – Between Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East”, Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient (ZMO), Berlin, 10-11 September 2026

This workshop brings together scholars and translators working between Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East to examine, through concrete case studies, how key concepts – from critique and secular-ism to ʿasabiyya, boko and civil society – are made and unmade as they cross languages such as Arabic, French, English, German, Hindi, Urdu, Malayalam, Kashmiri, Hausa and Kiswahili.

Information and program: https://tinyurl.com/bdcn4bep

 

 

 

 

 

12. Conference “The Concept of Health and the Concept of Illness in Judaism, Christianity and Islam”, BaFiD, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität, Erlangen, 23-25 September 2026

Themes: – The Concept of Health in Judaism: Prof. Dr. Catherine Hezser, SOAS University of London. – The Concept of Health in Christianity: Prof. Dr. Isolde Karle, Ruhr-Universität Bochum. – The Concept of Health in Islam: Prof. Dr. Ali Ayten, Marmara Üniversitesi. – The Concept of Illness in Judaism: Prof. Dr. Laura Zoloth, University of Chicago. – The Concept of Illness in Christianity: Prof. Dr. Ashley Moyse, Baylor University (USA). – The Concept of Illness in Islam: Prof. Dr. Mehmet Sayilgan, Georgetown University.

Program and registration: https://tinyurl.com/2kj6emh3

 

 

 

 

 

13. HYBRID Lecture Series “Political Order beyond Westphalian Statehood: Perspectives from Asia and Africa”, Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient (ZMO), Berlin, 24 September 2026 – 25 Feb-ruary 2027

Themes: – The Impish Revolutionary: Mischief, Play, and Counter-Sovereignty in Iran. – A Polypoly of Legitimate Violence? Political Orders on the Sahara Frontier. – Ruling Strategies and State-Building after Multi-Actor Civil Wars: Evidence from Syria and Beyond. – Jihadist Debates over Political Identity and Technologies of Government in the Lake Chad Basin. – The Southwest Caucasian Republic (1918-1919) and the Limits of Pseudo-Statehood.

Information: https://tinyurl.com/5dum4pyv

 

 

 

 

 

14. International Conference “God, Human, Machine: Images and Imaginaries of Religion in the Age of AI” (Focus Islam Studies), 28-30 September 2026, University of Erfurt, Germany

The conference critically examines how AI technologies are reshaping religious images and imagi-naries, encompassing the symbolic, affective, and sensory dimensions of religious life and practice across traditions, cultures, and social contexts. The conference brings together theoretical and empiri-cal perspectives, connecting scholars and practitioners working at the intersections of Religious Stud-ies, Anthropology, Art History, and Science and Technology Studies.

Deadline for registration: 16 September 2026. Information, program and registration:

https://tinyurl.com/34bz8yt7

 

 

 

 

 

15. ONLINE Three-Part Workshop “Studying East of Byzantium XIII: Centers and Hubs”, Hellenic College Holy Cross & Harvard University, 9 October 2026 / 12 February 2027 / 3-4 June 2029

The workshop intends to bring together doctoral students and recent PhDs studying the Christian East to reflect on the usefulness of the role of Centers and Hubs in studying the Christian East, to share methodologies, and to discuss their research with one another and senior specialists in the field.

Deadline for abstracts: 13 September 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/3pbrvdww

 

 

 

 

 

16. International Conference “Villes du Levant: Mémoire, Identité et Avenir Urbain”, Levantine Heritage Foundation & Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris, 29 October 2026

Themes: – Cities defining the Levant: Beirut, Saida, Tyre, Haifa, Jerusalem, Damascus, Aleppo, Alex-andria etc. Separate entities and rivals or a cultural collective? – Cosmopolitan cities: the nature and evolution of Levantine urban identity. – Memory, destruction and the politics of reconstruction in the Levant. – Reflections of the Levant in literature and film. – The future of Levantine cities and communi-ties: resilience and renewal. – The history of foreign communities in Lebanon and beyond. – Etc.

Deadline for abstracts: 15 September 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/2zuvpsca

 

 

 

 

 

17. “60th Annual Meeting of the Middle East Studies Association (MESA)”, Boston, 21-24 No-vember 2026

We will have several special events reflecting on the past and looking ahead. These include a special session, “Former MESA Presidents Reflect on Major Events in the Last 30 Years”, about some of the challenges various presidents faced and how MESA responded. Another special session, “MESA at 60: The Past, Present, and Future of Middle East Studies”, considers the evolution of the field and where we might go from here. A roundtable, “Teaching MES in Different Generations:Culture Wars, Geopoli-tics, Retaliation, and the Teacher”, discusses 60 years of undergraduate teaching in Middle East stud-ies.

Preliminary program: https://tinyurl.com/va6bjvtx

 

 

 

 

18. ONLINE “Ninth Annual Graduate Student Book Review Colloquium on Islamic and Middle

Eastern Studies”, AbuSulayman Center for Global Islamic Studies, George Mason University, 3 December 2026

The Colloquium invites advanced graduate students and advanced undergraduate students in the so-cial sciences and humanities to submit reviews on noteworthy books published since 1 January 2025 in the field of Islamic and Middle Eastern studies. At the Colloquium, the accepted students will have the opportunity to present their book reviews in pre-organized panels lasting 20 minutes.

Deadline for abstracts: 1 October 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/bdhua4t3

 

 

 

 

 

19. Conference “On the Orientalists’ Divan: Questions of Reflexivity from the 18th to the 21st Cen-turies”, Inalco, Paris,15-16 March 2027

The academic aim of this conference is to highlight the explicit and conscious relationship between the scholar and their subject of study, and to capture the reflexivity of Orientalists – that ‘close, intimate and entirely personal bond they maintain with their work’. Researchers are invited to catch Orientalists in the act of explaining, as historians, the link between the history we have made and the history that has made us.

Deadline for abstracts: 15 September 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/3u2jeyd5

 

 

 

 

 

20. Candidatures pour des bourses de recherche en islamologie, Master 2 (1 à 3 mois), Doc-torant/es/Jeunes docteur/es (6 mois), L’Institut de recherche sur le Maghreb contemporain (I-REMC), Tunis

L’octroi d’une bourse de mobilité devra permettre aux masterant/es, doctorant/es ou jeune docteur/es d’accomplir un travail de terrain de recherche en islamologie en étant accueilli/es dans une ou deux UMIFRE. La discipline « islamologie » est entendue au sens large et pourra intégrer les axes suivants. – Histoire de l’Islam. – Étude et analyse critique du corpus des textes religieux, théologiques, juridiques, doctrinaux et philosophiques de la période de l’Islam Classique. – Etude en sciences sociales des groupes musulmans. – Etc.

Limite : 15 octobre 2026. Information : https://tinyurl.com/y7vvh3h2

 

 

 

 

 

21. Summer School “Fatih Sultan Mehmed: 1420-1500”, Arkhé Campus in Şirince, İzmir, 5-12 September 2026

The summer school will examine the period through political thought, law, historiography, intellectual history, philosophy, and court culture. Particular attention will be given to Mehmed’s relationship with the Roman and Byzantine imperial past, the reorganization of the Ottoman court and state, the trans-formation of Istanbul into an imperial center, and the relationship between political authority and schol-arly life. The language of instruction is Turkish.

Information: https://tinyurl.com/y7vvh3h2

 

 

 

 

 

22. New Book: “An Ottoman Perception of Greek History: Mahmut Efendi’s History of Athens”, Translated by Thomas Sinclair, Edited by Thomas Sinclair & Gülçin Tunalı, Edinburgh University Press, August 2026, 584 Pages

This edition comprises a transliteration, translation and commentary of a history of Athens written from the 1710s to the 1740s by Mahmut Efendi, a locally born Ottoman court official. The text describes the city’s early history, the reforms of Solon, the battles of Marathon and Salamis, Socrates’ teaching, Al-exander the Great’s involvement with the city and exploits in Asia, and the city’s conversion to Christi-anity. It also outlines the involvement of Venice in the city’s fortunes starting in the 13th century and complains of the second Venetian occupation (1686-87) of the Peloponnese and Athens.

Information: https://tinyurl.com/ykf6pjhh

 

 

 

 

 

23. New Book: “Curating Islamic Art in European Museums: Postcolonial Perspectives and Mus-eological Transformations” by Constance Jame, Routledge, 16 June 2026, 278 Pages

Since the early 2000s many museums around the world have been either re-organising or creating ex nihilo galleries dedicated to Islamic art. This movement has often been attributed by the press and scholars as a response to international geopolitical events. Challenging this prevailing narrative, in this book Jame examines these developments as part of a longue durée process rooted in evolving art historical perspectives and institutional efforts to de-Europeanise their approaches. Thus, she explores how Islamic art was presented and interpreted within Western European museums in the 2010s.

Information: https://tinyurl.com/29d3m8tc

 

 

 

 

 

24. New Book: “Kurdish Women’s Transnational Resistance: Revolutionary Politics in Everyday

Life” by Nisa Goksel, University of Washington Press, June 2026, 302 Pages

Goksel draws on years of multisited ethnography and archival research to illuminate the lives of ex-guerrillas, local activists, politicians, activist mothers, and migrant women who have carried the struggle across borders, advocating for the democratic and gendered transformation of Kurdistan and the wider Middle East. The book shows how they have created alternative political subjectivities, new political spaces, and novel gendered strategies at the precarious intersection of local and transnational politics.

Information: https://tinyurl.com/6cubfnkz

 

 

 

 

 

25. New Book: “A Trade in Dreams: A Century of Egyptian Print Advertising” by Bahia Shehab, AUC Press, 26 May 2026, 252 Pages

Drawing on over 350 images of magazine and newspaper ads, Bahia Shehab reveals how consumer culture intertwined with political, social, and economic change during the period between 1880 and 1980 in Egypt. She shows how the Egyptian market navigated the influx of European and American luxury goods, from fine fabrics and jewelry to agricultural machinery, and how these items became symbols of aspiration and, at times, ignited a wave of national resistance.

Information: https://aucpress.com/9781649033024/

 

 

 

 

 

26. New Book: “Social Movements and Democratization in North Africa, 1912-2024” by Moha Ennaj, Palgrave Macmillan, 2026, 338 Pages

This transdisciplinary book examines social movements in Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. It focuses on nationalist, democratic, women’s, Islamist, Berber (Amazigh), and youth movements since 1912 through the post-Arab Spring era. The book takes current debates on the topic to a more inclusive level, involving linkages among policy, cultural identity, democratic culture, and social justice. It analyzes the role of social movements in driving social change, democratization, development, and social cohesion.

Information: https://tinyurl.com/nxwj8ja5

Tobunken Seminar “Envisioning a Messianic Horizon: Ḥamūya’s Shīʿī-Inspired Eschatology and Its Impact on Kubrawī and Timurid Spirituality”