Categories : Academic items
Shii News – Academic Items
1.”11th Islamic Legal Studies Conference” of the International Society for Islamic Legal Studies (ISILS), Institute of Arabic and Islamic Studies & Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics”, University of Münster, 22-24 May 2025
Deadline for registration: 7 May 2025.
Information: https://isils.net/isils/conferences/the-xi-islamic-legal-studies-conference/
2. 2nd International Conference of the Persian Manuscript Association: “Listen to the Flute: Timurid Music and Its Transmissions Across the Persianate World”, SOAS, University of London, 20-21 September 2025
The aim of this conference is to cultivate a broader multidisciplinary discourse among musicologists, historians, philosophers, literary scholars, theologians, and art historians, with the goal of facilitating a comprehensive exploration of musical traditions, practices, and institutions in the Persianate world.
Deadline for abstracts: 31 May 2025. Information: https://persianmanuscripts.org/news/
3. We invite paper proposals for a panel on Symmetrical Structures and Patterns in Islamic Architecture, Poetry, and Imagination,for the 13th Congress of the Society for the Interdisciplinary Study of Symmetry. The congress is scheduled to take place August 22-29, 2025, at the Orthodox Academy of Crete.
ABSTRACTS DUE MAY 1 to bier.carol@gmail.com and charleshowley1@g.ucla.edu.
Papers in the panel will be allotted 20 minutes, plus discussion. See below for a description of the panel and further details, including preparation of the abstract.
PANEL PROPOSAL: Symmetrical Structures and Patterns in Islamic Architecture, Poetry, and Imagination
Persian and Islamic lands witnessed an intense flourishing of art, architecture, mathematics, science and poetry beginning in the 9th century. From the poetry of Ferdowsi, Farrokhi Sistani, and Gorgani to the monuments of Bukhara, Isfahan, and Maragha, poetic, artistic, and architectural forms emerged that would become predominant throughout the Islamic world. At the same time, the translation and advancement of scientific, philosophical, and mathematical thought shaped an ‘Islamic Golden Age.’ Ghaznavid palaces were filled with poets and inscribed with poetry. Likewise, the Seljuk courts attracted literati and learned men of diverse backgrounds contributing to a vibrant intellectual environment.
In response to this rich cultural flourishing from the 9th-12th centuries, we envision an experimental gathering of scholars trained in different disciplines to provide interpretive insights and diverse perspectives on the use and significance of imagination in the arts and discourses of the pre-Mongol Islamic world. Papers will explore lines of thought that are literal, mathematical, and metaphorical with a view towards understanding how imagination figures in the articulation of worlds beyond that of the tangible.
This panel focuses on the symmetries of intricate geometric patterns executed in cut and glazed bricks on monuments in Iran and neighboring regions, considered in relation to Qur’anic passages and contemporary poetry. In particular, study of Nezami’s Haft Paykar, a literary masterpiece of enormous complexity and imagination, explores its architectural references and geometric structures. Together we raise questions for the interpretation of patterns in spatial and imaginative realms.
CONFERENCE DATES AND VENUE
August 22-29, 2025, Kolymbari, Crete, Greece
CONFERENCE COSTS (for your calculation and planning)
Airfare to/from Chania, Crete, Greece
Visa, if needed
Registration fee (before June 30) 350€, accompanying persons@ 100€
Conference fee (includes accommodation at the Orthodox Academy of Crete [room and full board], 8/22-29/2025)
double room 1170€ per person; single room 1480€ per person
For more detailed information, see https://sites.google.com/view/the-13th-sis-congress/booking
ABSTRACTS
There is a specific format required for submitted abstracts. A template is provided here:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1IkbZ1xHcsWBwtihXe49RkKvBwN9o0nqm
TIMELINE
May 1, 2025 – abstracts to bier.carol@gmail.com and charleshowley1@g.ucla.edu
May 4, 2025 – panel proposal with approved abstracts to conference organizers
June 1, 2025 – notification of acceptance of panel/abstracts
Jun 30, 2025 – payments due (by wire transfer) for conference registration and booking
Please note that conference registration and booking fees are non-refundable.
Carol Bier, Research Scholar, Center for Islamic Studies, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley CA
Charlotte Howley, PhD Student, Iranian Studies, University of California – Los Angeles CA
4. Boutheina Khaldi 4/17 Signs & Traces in al-Iṣfahānī’s Adab al-ghurabāʾ
Dear Members of the Arabic Studies Seminar and Friends,
Please find below the information regarding our upcoming meeting with Professor Boutheina Khaldi THIS Thursday (4/17) at 7pm EST in Faculty House. The talk is titled Signs and Traces in The Book of Strangers (Kitāb adab al- ghurabāʾ). Please note that due to new regulations, non CUID holders will not be allowed into Faculty House without prior notice. If you intend to be present in-person and do not have a Columbia ID, please RSVP ASAP. If we don’t receive your RSVP we will not be able to let you in. You should receive a QR code before Wednesday morning–if not, please reply to this message. The talk will be live streamed here on ZOOM for guests who can’t make it in person.
We will begin at 7:00 pm. If you would like to join the speaker for dinner at 6:00 pm at Faculty House please RSVP to the seminar’s rapporteur (rma2152@columbia.edu). The cost of dinners is $30, payable via card or check. Attendees who are fasting may take their dinner into the seminar room.
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY SEMINAR IN ARABIC STUDIES
Signs and Traces in The Book of Strangers (Kitāb adab al- ghurabāʾ)
Thursday, April 17, 2025
7 pm EST at Faculty House
Boutheina Khaldi
Abstract:
In Abū al-Faraj al-Iṣfahānī’s (d. 356/967) Adab al-ghurabāʾ, the concept of exile emerges as a human phenomenon portrayed in different colors and shapes, shown in writing as a means of declaring absence and documenting presence. This book includes anecdotes, stories, and short poems that had been engraved on walls and doors, leaving behind a mark for travelers and a trail for wanderers. Several reasons prompted the nomads to write down on the walls since there was no other way to escape their alienation, anguish and complaints except through writing. The talk primarily focuses on the writing on walls (graffiti) in Adab al-ghurabāʾ. This topic was based not only on its novelty and humor, but also on the paucity of prior studies that have been conducted on the subject. The studies and research which focus on the writings and graffiti inscribed on walls in general, and the ones which focus on the writing on walls in Arab culture in particular, were relatively scarce compared to the modern era wherein scholars and researchers have displayed an increased interest in this topic. The talk deals with the different manifestations of the concept of exile in outer space, and searches through traces/graffiti as they reveal a polyphonic, polysemic and multilayered text giving way for marginalized and alienated people to communicate, find their voices and make their presence heard.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://columbiauniversity.zoom.us/j/92597500745
5. Call for Abstracts
Conference on Global Iranian Diaspora Studies
May 29-30, 2026
University of Toronto, Canada
The Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali Institute of Iranian Studies at the University of Toronto and Toronto Metropolitan University in collaboration with The Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies at San Francisco State University and the Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies program at Oklahoma State University jointly present the inaugural Conference on Global Iranian Diaspora Studies.
The Conference on Global Iranian Diaspora Studies will assemble scholars from various disciplines contributing to transnational and multidisciplinary Iranian Diaspora Studies, with a particular interest in South-South relations across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Oceania. Panels and speakers are invited to present original research on topics related to the Iranian diaspora, including (but not limited to):
- Exploring diverse historical, artistic, literary, and cultural expressions of the global Iranian diaspora, including gender, class, ethnicity, generation, and overlapping identities (e.g., LGBTQ+, religious minorities, persons with disabilities)
- Comparative studies across Iranian diaspora communities, including between Iranian and other migrant groups
- Activism and social movements within the Iranian diaspora, including engagement with homeland politics
- The role of language and media in shaping Iranian diasporic identities
The conference organizers invite individual papers, pre-organized panels, and creative submissions that engage with the conference topics. To maximize the value of in-person exchanges, the conference will be held exclusively in-person. Presentations will be conducted in English. A limited number of travel grants may be available to graduate students on a competitive basis.
Abstracts are due May 30, 2025. Please send your title along with a 250-300 word abstract, a 100-word bio, and your contact information to: gidc.eomi@utoronto.ca. Be sure to include “Conference on Global Iranian Diaspora Studies 2026” in the subject line of the email. Notification of acceptance will be sent by September 30, 2025.
Conference Committee:
Mohamad Tavakoli, University of Toronto
Persis Karim, San Francisco State University
Amy Malek, Oklahoma State University
Nima Naghibi, Toronto Metropolitan University
Amin Moghadam, Toronto Metropolitan University
Farzaneh Hemmasi, University of Toronto
6. Conference – ARABIC CODICOLOGY WEEK – PARIS, MAY 13-16, 2025
We are delighted to announce an exceptional week dedicated to the study of manuscripts and book culture in Arabic script in Paris. Two conferences will be held by the EPHE and the Collège de France.
Tuesday, May 13 & Wednesday, May 14
From Letters to Digits: The Legacy of Arabic Manuscripts in Contemporary Studies – 2nd Escorial Arabic Codicology Alumni Meeting
Organized by Nuria de Castilla (EPHE-PSL)
- May 13: Collège de France, Room D2
11, place Marcelin Berthelot, 75005 Paris - May 14: Bibliothèque nationale de France Richelieu, Salle des Conférences
2, rue de Vivienne, 75002 Paris
Registration: mss.arabicscript@gmail.com
Thursday, May 15 & Friday, May 16
The Book in the Islamicate World: History and Techniques
Organized by François Déroche (Collège de France)
- May 15: Salle Halbwachs, Collège de France
11, place Marcelin Berthelot, 75005 Paris - May 16: Amphithéâtre Delmas-Marty, Collège de France
11, place Marcelin Berthelot, 75005 Paris
Free admission, subject to seating availability
An opportunity to engage with Arabic-script manuscripts through multidisciplinary lens, bringing together codicology, history, philology, and digital approaches and to foster intergenerational and cross-disciplinary exchange on the history of the Arabic manuscript book.
Contact Email
URL
https://www.academia.edu/128064279/From_Letters_to_Digits_The_Legacy_of_Arabic_…
- April 15, 2025
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1.Eleventh Conference of the School of Mamluk Studies, London, May 8-10, 2025
David Sizer Lecture Theatre, Mile End Campus, Queen Mary University London
REGISTRATION IS AVAILABLE UNTIL APRIL 25, 2025
If you want to attend, please first register here: https://mamluk.uchicago.edu/sms2025attend.html
Then follow this link to proceed to payment: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/school-of-mamluk-studies-conference-2025-tickets-1206799593069
For more info: https://mamluk.uchicago.edu/sms-conference.html
2. Online Lecture – “Geometry in Islamic Art: Number, Shape, and the Nature of Space,” Carol Bier, Virtual Islamic Art History Seminar Series, April 15
The final talk of the Virtual Islamic Art History Seminar Series for the spring 2025 semester, will take place on Tuesday, April 15, 2025 at 9:00 Berkeley / 12:00 New York / 17:00 London / 19:00 Istanbul.
Carol Bier (Center for Islamic Studies, Graduate Theological Union) will present “Geometry in Islamic Art: Number, Shape, and the Nature of Space.”
To attend, please make sure to register in advance here:
https://wellesley.zoom.us/meeting/register/pQCnTcDFQnOlMVLtV402mA
Upon registration, you’ll receive the link to access the lecture.
3. Zahra Institute – Zoom: “Imaginaries of Shingal as a Landscape of Resistance-Narratives around Yezidi Shrines Since the ISIS Genocide”
Wednesday, 30 April: 12pm Central / 1pm Eastern
Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/93743788619?pwd=L9YZaH1Bbdcd5Kyud91OuaayMxAZOa.1
Benjamin Raßbach (Ph.D., Leipzig University) is a postdoctoral researcher at the Orient-Institute Beirut. His research focuses on politics of autonomy, material cultures and knowledge production among various Middle Eastern minority groups and political organizations.
https://www.zahrainstitute.org/
4. Kamran Djam Lectures 2025
The Wisdom of Iran: From the Gāthās of Zarathushtra to the Masnavī of Rūmī
Two Lectures by Professor Alan Williams, The University of Manchester
7–8 May 2025
Lecture 1: 6.30pm, Wednesday 7 May. Followed by a reception.
The Wisdom of the Gāthic tradition in Pahlavi literature: Dēnkard VI (9th Century A.C.)
In 1979 Shaul Shaked published his Wisdom of the Sasanian Sages (Dēnkard VI), which was a revised version of his own doctoral thesis on Pahlavi andarz (gnomic) literature (1964). Shaked had foreshadowed the bold ideas of his thesis about the gnomic aphorisms of Dēnkard VI in an article with the controversial title ‘Esoteric trends in Zoroastrianism’ (Jerusalem, 1969).
This latter article did not meet with much favour among Western scholars at the time. In this lecture, 56 years after its first publication, there will be a further consideration of Shaked’s ideas about ‘esoteric trends’ in Zoroastrianism and andarz literature in general.
Lecture 2: 6.30pm, Thursday 8 May
Wisdom in the Masnavī of Mowlānā Jalāloddīn Rūmī Balkhī (1207-1273)
Rūmī is a Persian ‘Sūfī’ poet who has been afforded ‘saintly’ status in the Muslim world, and is nowadays fêted globally as the epitome of mystical knowledge and love. Yet, in the Masnavi, Rūmī appears as a Ḥanafī Muslim who cites from the Qur’ān and Ḥadīth countless times. The question whether Rūmī himself was ‘orthodox’, on the one hand, or ‘antinomian’ and unorthodox, remains a live issue for Muslims.
Also, it is possibly of concern to many influenced by the ‘versions’ of those who edit out Rūmī’s Muslim background and depict him as a ‘universalist’ thinker whose poetry transcends religious boundaries and categories.
5. University of Maryland 2025 Summer Language Institute in Arabic and Persian
https://sllc.umd.edu/special-programs/arabic-persian/summer-langage-institutes
6. Study Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, Turkish at MEDLI this summer (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
The Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Language Institute (MEDLI), formerly known as the Arabic, Persian, and Turkish Language Institute (APTLI) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, offers high-quality, proficiency-based courses in 4 languages for undergraduates, graduate students, and adult learners. Our 8-week programs are the equivalent of one year of study. Students learn speaking, reading, listening, and writing skills though classroom instruction and a full range of co-curricular activities. Students will receive 8 credits and a letter grade (A-F) after completing the program. MEDLI participants must complete both 4-week sessions for a total of 8 weeks. Courses meet Monday-Friday, 9-11am and 12-2pm (CST), from June 16 – August 8, 2025.
Funding is available to cover ½ of tuition for all applicants.
About MEDLI: https://medli.wisc.edu/
Application form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf99qeeSMJea24N4Ws_JHY1KXL99pTzQsE0zH3fWm6PI2HxiA/viewform
7. The full programme, abstracts and free registration for our 2-day global online conference Proofs for God’s Existence in Islamic Thought, hosted by Cambridge Muslim College on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th April, is available through the following link: https://www.cambridgemuslimcollege.ac.uk/research/existence/
8. AMEWS Book Award
The Association for Middle East Women’s Studies (AMEWS) Book Award recognizes and promotes excellence in the field of Middle East gender, women’s and sexuality studies. Books published (copyrighted) in 2024 will be considered for the 2025 award. The competition is open only to books published in English. The winner is recognized at the annual meeting of the Middle East Studies Association and receives a monetary prize. Other books deemed exceptional may receive an honorable mention.
Copies of the nominated book must also be sent to the individual Award Committee members (3 in total) listed below under “Instructions.” Works submitted without an accompanying nomination form and book copies will not be considered–both are required.
The deadline to submit the nomination form and the three copies of each nominated book is June 17, 2024. If you have any questions about the book award process, please contact Ellen McLarney at ellenmc@duke.edu with any questions.
Requirements:
- Books published between January 1, 2024 and December 31, 2024 are eligible for this year’s award.
- Books must be non-fiction scholarly monographs based on original research. Works that are not eligible include edited collections and compilations, proceedings of symposia, new editions of previously published books, bibliographies, dictionaries, textbooks, and surveys.
- Books that have already been nominated for this book award cannot be renominated.
To Nominate a Book:
- The deadline is June 15, 2025
- Send copies of the book to each of the three members of the committee (information below).
- The books should be postmarked by June 1, 2025.
Instructions:
Mail one copy of the nominated book to the members of the Book Award Committee:
Ellen McLarney
3901 Darby Road
Durham, NC 27707
Amy Kallander
145 Eggers Hall
Syracuse University Syracuse, NY 13244
Hatoon Alfassi
7252 al-Hamawi Street
AlNafel, Riyadh 13312, Saudi Arabia
hatoon.alfassi@manchester.ac.uk
The nomination is not complete until each member of the committee receives a copy of the nominated book, which should be postmarked by June 1, 2025 to ensure delivery by June 15, 2025. Books cannot be returned.
9. Moroccan Book-making and Manuscript Production: Approaches to Materials, Traditions and Functions (Inperson/online)
14 – 15 April – Qatar National Library is organizing this academic symposium that will bring together a distinguished group of experts and scholars. The symposium will explore the history of book-making (wiraqah) in Morocco and the Maghreb, delving into traditions of authorship and copying, the evolution of materials used in writing, and their impact on the circulation of knowledge.
Key topics of the symposium
- Authorship, copying, editing and textual verification traditions in Morocco, and the role of scribes and bookmakers (warraqon) in the transmission of learning
- The history of libraries and their role in manuscript preservation
- Materials used in writing: parchment, paper and inks
- Maghrebi and Andalusian scripts: their varieties and historical development
- The aesthetics of Moroccan manuscripts: illumination, decoration and binding
- Paratexts: marginalia, ownership and documentation notes
Event page details and registration: https://events.qnl.qa/event/gowvd/EN
Contact Email
URL
https://events.qnl.qa/event/gowvd/EN
10. ONLINE Panel Discussion: “Freedom of Speech, Trump and Campus Repression: The Case of Badar Khan Suri”, Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding (ACMCU), Georgetown University, 14 April 2025, 22:00 h CET
Badar Khan Suri, a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown, was seized by federal agents outside of his apartment. Nearly a dozen known students and faculty members have been detained by the Trump Administration in recent weeks. More than 300 visas and green cards have been revoked. How can we best understand this assault on freedom of speech in the United States? What political and constitutional principles are at stake in this crisis?
Information and registration: https://georgetown.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_DiwuSWE5T6yc_cUpNqTfqQ?#/registration
11. The Persian Manuscripts Association offers a £1000 research grant to support innovative scholarly projects focused on any aspect of Persian studies. This grant aims to foster research that explores the rich cultural, artistic, linguistic, and historical aspects of Persian studies.
The grant is open to postgraduate and independent researchers working on wide-ranging topics related to any discipline as applied to Persian studies. The funds may be used to support research activities such as archival visits, publication costs, or for the organisation of scholarly workshops. Projects concentrated on Persian manuscripts are prioritised, but everyone is welcome to apply.
Deadline for abstracts: 16 May 2025. Information: https://persianmanuscripts.org/grants/
12. Ferdowsi PhD Dissertation Award
The Persian Manuscripts Association awards an annual Dissertation Award to recognize outstanding doctorate research in Persian studies. This award is part of the PMA’s broader commitment to fostering scholarship of the Persianate world across wide-ranging fields of study, and celebrating the intellectual traditions of the Persian-speaking world. The prize aims to support early-career scholars and promote high-quality research on regions ranging from Iran to Central Asia and beyond.
Eligible dissertations must be written in English or Persian and submitted between January 2023 and December 2024. In addition to the cash prize, winners have the opportunity to publish in the PMA’s academic journal, Shamsa.
Deadline for abstracts: 30 June 2025. Information: https://persianmanuscripts.org/grants/
- April 12, 2025
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1.HYBRID Roundtable “Sufism from Medieval to Early Modern Era: Recent Studies and Emerging Perspectives” by Professor Ilyass Bouzghaia (Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University), Ottoman and Turkish Studies Initiative, New York University, 17 April 2025, 23:30 h CET
This roundtable brings together scholars specializing in Sufism from the medieval to early modern periods. Its primary aim is to foster a collaborative and productive environment where researchers working on related themes can exchange ideas and engage in in-depth discussions on recent developments and challenges in the field of Sufi studies.
Information and registration:
https://as.nyu.edu/research-centers/neareaststudies/events/spring-2025/ots-template.html
2. International Conference: “Exploring the Meanings of the Holy Quran through Translation and the Role of Emerging Technologies”, Al-Zahra College for Women, Muscat, 3-5 November 2025
The conference will explore innovative solutions and technological tools that can help produce translations that resonate with contemporary audiences while preserving the noble message of the Quran. Themes: Historical perspectives in the translation of the Holy Quran. – Methods and approaches in the translation of the Holy Quran. – Culture in/of the translation of the Holy Quran. – Innovations and emerging technologies in the translation of the Holy Quran
Deadline for abstracts: 15 May 2025. Information: https://www.zcw.edu.om/Research/First-International-Conference-On-QuranTranslation/Scientific-Research-Council.aspx
3. International conference “Forms of (Un)Freedom: Emancipation and Post-slavery in the Red Sea Region”, Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient, Berlin, 13-14 November 2025
Deadline for abstracts: 1 May 2025.
Information: https://networks.h-net.org/system/files/attachments/call-papersred-sea-workshopnovember-2025.pdf
4. Associate Senior Lecturer in History with Specialisation in Middle Eastern History, Lund University
Qualifications: You hold a doctoral degree or have corresponding research expertise in history that is of value in view of the subject matter of the position and the duties that it will involve. We will primarily prioritise those applicants who have been awarded a doctoral degree after 18 May 2018.
Deadline for applications: 19 May 2025. Information: https://lu.varbi.com/en/what:job/jobID:798426/
5. ONLINE Mediterranean Studies Summer Skills Seminar: “Reading Ottoman Turkish”, 9-12 June 2025
This course will introduce participants to the Ottoman language, it’s alphabet, calligraphic styles, basic grammar and structure, as well as an overview of changes over time. The course will focus on primary sources often used by historians and the paleographic challenges they present.
Deadline for applications: 28 April 2025.
Information: https://www.mediterraneanseminar.org/overview-islamic-legal-texts-2025
6. ONLINE Mediterranean Studies Summer Skills Seminar: “Islamic Legal Texts: In Depth”, 11-14 August 2025
The seminar is focused on developing the skill of reading Islamic legal texts as opposed to surveying Islamic legal doctrines. It is designed for beginners seeking to build their capacity to investigate Islamic law. Professor Ali will lead participants in a methodical reading of an introduction to Islamic law. Participants will read the chapters on legal obligation (taklīf) and ritual purity (ṭahāra) in Durūs tamhīdiyya fī l-fiqh al-istidlālī by Muḥammad Bāqir al-Īrawānī (b. 1949).
Deadline for applications: 28 April 2025.
Information: https://us9.campaign-archive.com/?e=82aeb6c61d&u=e1ae5bef9757e58afec01a89a&id=62e3b6f14f
7. Job advertisement: Lecturer in Islamic Studies
Theology and Religious Studies
School of Critical Studies
University of Glasgow
Grade 7/8, R&T
For more details, visit: https://www.jobs.gla.ac.uk/job/lecturer-in-islamic-studies-r-and-t
For informal inquiries, please contact Head of Theology and Religious Studies, Dr Mia Spiro, mia.spiro@glasgow.ac.uk .
Closing date: 27 April 2025.
8. CfP: South Asia and the Neighboring World in the Mughal Period:
Intellectual and Material Exchanges
École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Marseille
December 10th-11th 2025
The conference examines the intellectual networks, material exchanges, and scholarly interactions between the Mughal Empire (1526-1857) in South Asia and its neighboring regions of the Middle East, Iran, Central and Southeast Asia. This conference takes a transregional perspective to the recent debates surrounding the cosmopolitan nature of early modern intellectual activities and networks. The scholarship in the last decade has heavily focused on the place of Persian—the high literary and administrative language of the Mughal elites as well as its influences on producing a distinct Indo-Persian culture in South Asia. While Indian Ocean studies had privileged the study of peninsular India, recent works have focused on Iran’s cultural and political influence in the creation of a distinct Persianate world. The expanded definition of the “Persianate” has generated insights on literary and cultural practices, elite self-fashioning, religious pluralism, and artistic production. Others have urged to recognize its limits, boundaries, and the severe constraints of relying on Persian literary narratives for writing about pre-modern South Asia. For instance, the vibrant literary practices in Sanskrit and the vernaculars have been increasingly present in examining the region’s multilingualism. Yet, current approaches, as this project argues, do not take into account the inter-regional dynamics specific to Islamic intellectual networks.
The conference invites scholars to take a transregional perspective to Islamicate culture through the influences and trends in legal, religious, and scientific practices from both the perspective of intellectual and material histories. Rather than artificially decouple the Persianate from the Islamicate, a tendency prevalent in most scholarship on South Asia, our aim is to bring together scholars working in diverse genres of textual practices to examine forms of transmission and acculturation in Arabic, Persian, and other languages as mutually coexisting spheres of Islamic knowledge production.
The conference addresses the need to bring into dialogue scholastic debates, norms, and practices with their transmission in writing practices of the period. Early modern relations between these regions were circumscribed by larger intellectual networks that were trans-imperial in nature while also constrained by specific socio-political contexts. In other words, although the Ottomans, Mughals, and Safavids had extensive internal diversity in literate communities, we argue that their connections going beyond the imperial frontiers have to be examined to revise historiographical views that tend to be concentrated on national or regional zones.
We welcome submissions on themes outlined above taking into account wide-ranging discussions in literature, poetry, philosophy, logic, law, medicine and other fields without ignoring the material transmission through the circulation of works across long distances.
Please send an abstract of 300 words and a short bio of 200 words to the following email address by June 10th 2025: fabrizio.speziale@ehess.fr
Organizers: Asad Q. Ahmed (University of California, Berkeley), Naveen Kanalu (EHESS-CRH, Paris), Fabrizio Speziale (EHESS-CESAH, Marseille-Paris).
Venue: École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales/School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences, Centre de la Vieille Charité, 2 rue de la Charité, Marseille.
9. Shape of Extinction
Poems by Bijan Jalali
Translated from the Persian by Adeeba Shahid Talukder and Aria Fani
Preface by Domenico Ingenito
Critical Introduction by Aria Fani
Publication date: May 9, 2025
https://asemanabooks.ca/shape-of-extinction/
10. In-Person Workshop in June- Manchester, England -Decolonial Methods
Workshop Title: Collectively Situated Knowledge: A decolonial research method for constructing collective auto-narratives and positionalities
To Apply: Please fill out the form here- https://share.mayfirst.org/apps/forms/s/dqtPkM7GWQntCCJ8m2mEDQEp
Application Deadline: Until all spaces are filled.
Payment Deadline: June 2nd, 2025
Dates: June 4th-5th, 2025
Time: 10am to 6pm
Location: Manchester, England (Specific details will be provided upon acceptance)
- April 08, 2025
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1.Whither Global Antiquity? Retrospection and Future Directions
Global Antiquity is convening its second annual symposium that will be held at UCLA, and live-streamed on Zoom, on April 10–11, 2025. Whither Global Antiquity? Retrospection and Future Directions aims to assess the state of ancient studies, its relevance to the Humanities today, and its future directions.
Over the span of two days, the fields of Classics, ancient Near East, ancient East Asia, and ancient Americas will be explored critically and new approaches presented. These include the experience of ancient worlds with race and ethnicity, the entangled relationships between ancient history and modern states, the expansion and re-centering of areas of inquiry, and indigenous ontologies and histories.
In providing a forum for interdisciplinary conversations, the goal of the symposium is to identify a shared vocabulary for the study of the ancient worlds that extends across traditional fields of inquiry to encompass the achievements of the whole of antiquity as humanity’s common patrimony.
Register for the Event in Person and on Zoom
2. THE TABLE IS SET: Food Traditions and Legacies in the Islamic World
https://exhibitions.museumwnf.org/the_table_is_set/en/
This exhibition explores the rich culinary traditions of the Islamic world, offering a deeper understanding of Islamic culture and fostering cross-cultural dialogue. Visitors will discover six thematic areas: The Food System at Islamic Courts, Social Life, Religion, Environment, Gendered Roles and Coexistence, featuring artefacts from our Partners across the globe. On display objects and monuments from 76 Partners in 33 countries.
What sets this exhibition apart is its uniquely international approach, with a curatorial team from diverse cultural, professional, and academic backgrounds.
URL
https://exhibitions.museumwnf.org/the_table_is_set/en/
3. Humour in Iran
Eleven-hundred Years of Satire and Humour in Persian Literature
H Katouzian,
Bloomsbury, 2025
4. Three upcoming spring courses in Middle and Classical Persian languages and literatures, specially designed for lovers of Persian literature.
All three courses are organized by the Ferdowsi School of Persian Literature, and are conducted online, making them accessible to anyone interested in deepening their understanding of Persian literary traditions. In line with the school’s mission to make Classical Persian more accessible, I would gratly appreciate it if you could share this announcement with anyone who might be interested.
Below are the courses along with their schedules. For more details, please click on the course titles:
- The Shahname: An Introduction to the Iranian Epic
(April 16 – July 30) - Introduction to Early Judeo-Persian: Jewish Letters from Xinjiang to Cairo
(April 28 – May 9, 2025) - Introduction to Pahlavi: Online Spring School of Zoroastrian Middle Persian
(May 12 – May 30, 2025)
You are warmly invited to register for one or more of these courses as soon as possible, to secure your place. Discounts may be available for students and for those who enroll in multiple courses.
Should you have any questions, please feel free to email me. I will be happy to respond as soon as possible.
Best regards,
Ruben S. Nikoghosyan
Ferdowsi School of Persian Literature
Yerevan, Armenia
Website: www.ferdowsi.org
5. WEBINAR | Can Inshāʾ Literature Compensate for the Lack of Archives in Medieval Iran?
The Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali Institute of Iranian Studies and Invisible East present a series of monthly online seminars about archives and documents.
Convened by Arezou Azad and Mohamad Tavakoli, the seminars are held monthly on Zoom.
Please join us this month to hear from David Durand-Guédy on ‘Can Inshāʾ Literature Compensate for the Lack of Archives in Medieval Iran?’ Wednesday 9 April at 12PM EST / 5PM GMT. Pre-registration is essential.
https://utoronto.zoom.us/meeting/register/WIQppj7tRMGqiqueSdLg0A#/registration
6. Webinar: Pandemics in Late Modern Iran – A UCSB Talk by Dr. Amir A. Afkhami
Organised by the Iranian Studies Initiative at UC Santa Barbara.
Dr. Amir A. Afkhami from George Washington University will speak this Saturday, April 5th, on ” Pandemics in Late Modern Iran. ”
To attend, please register using this link.
7. Islam and Self-Development Programme (Cert.) by Al-Mahdi Institute:
Al-Mahdi Institute is proud to present a new course designed to challenge your perspective on Islam, yourself, and the world! The ‘Islam and Self-Development Programme’ running from 15th – 24th September 2025 at Al-Mahdi Institute, is a 10-day residential course designed for those eager to deepen their understanding of Islam while engaging in both intellectual and spiritual growth. The programme provides a unique opportunity to critically explore faith, reason, and self-discovery while tackling some of the most profound questions in Islamic thought. No prior knowledge of Islamic studies or Arabic is required to join this programme and all are welcome to join!
Find out more about the Programme here: https://ami.is/isdp
AMI is also offering an early bird offer of 40% OFF the course fees until the 31st June 2025. This offer covers all learning materials, along with lunch, dinner, and refreshments throughout the course. Spaces are limited, so register now to secure your place on the course! For those travelling from outside the area, accommodation can be arranged at an additional cost. Please contact education@almahdi.edu for more details or questions.
8. The first cycle of the Iran Heritage Foundation’s 2025 grant programme, with the deadline of 30th April 2025, is now open for receipt of application. With the overall aim of fostering knowledge and appreciation of Iran’s rich cultural heritage research grants in various academic disciplines are awarded.
Preference will be given to applications on (in alphabetical order) archaeology, architecture, art, history, linguistics and literature, as well as subjects of contemporary interest, such as cinema, music, sociology and so on; applications from other disciplines will also be considered.
Projects to be supported may include the most varied academic initiatives, from fieldwork to workshops, conferences, building databases and digitising images. The Committee privileges ground-breaking research, which may include editions and translations of key texts. In order to support multiple initiatives grants of up to a maximum of £3,000 will be considered.
The application process and conditions for the grants can be viewed on our website.
To apply please click here
For Terms and Conditions please click here
9. Edinburgh University Press – New Series
Critiquing Gender & Islam
10. Launching rumi roaming multi-platform, multi-lingual project- Sunday 4/6
Please join us virtually this Sunday for a project launch event, rumi roaming: a multi-platform and multi-lingual anthology. rumi roaming juxtaposes new translations of some of Rumi’s ghazals with contemporary creative non-fiction, poetry, scholarly essays, photo essays, and performance and art videos. Join editors Gita Hashemi and Elena Basile, along with contributors Raul Moarquech, Ferrera-Balanquet, Hajar Hussaini, Öykü Tekten, Mahdi Tourage, and Fatemeh Keshavarz, for a virtual presentation and discussion.
Date: Sunday, April 6, 2025
Time: 2 PM EDT
Zoom Link: https://go.umd.edu/rumiroaming
11. Iran and Persianate Culture in the Indian Ocean World
A Peacock, ed.
Bloomsbury, 2025
12. CFP – Edited volume: Islamization and Arabization of the Arabian Peninsula in light of material evidence
According to the conventional narrative, the Arabian Peninsula became fully Muslim very soon after the death of the Prophet Muhammad, during the reign of the second caliph ‘Umar (d. 644) if not before. Moreover, a natural link has been assumed between the Arabian Peninsula, the Arabic language, and an Arab identity. In recent years, however, important scholarship has questioned these notions. The new scholarship employs mainly contemporary or possibly contemporary sources, e.g., archaeological, epigraphic and poetical evidence. The evidence suggests that the Arabian Peninsula was not exclusively Muslim in the first centuries of hijra: Jews and Christians were living in the region (even in the Hijaz) as late as around 1000 CE. In addition, the spread of Arabic language in the whole Peninsula – along with Arab identity, possibly a separate phenomenon – appears to have taken place in early Islamic times and not before. The spread of Muslim faith, as well perhaps to the distribution of the caliphate administration, are assumed to be the main engines to Arabization, even in the Arabian Peninsula.
This edited volume would contribute to the question of Islamization and Arabization of Arabia during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Some source sets are still underused, and new archaeological and epigraphic continues come to light; the edited volume aims at putting forward new sources and insights on these issues. Moreover, researchers who employ material evidence as their main source (e.g. epigraphers, archaeologists, numismatics) rarely communicate with each other. Bringing them together under one umbrella will thus be beneficial.
We invite contributions that are based on and deal with Arabian epigraphic evidence, numismatics, and other types of archaeological evidence. The volume is expected to be published by late 2027. Authors should submit their papers after proofreading by a native speaker of English.
Book series: Brill’s Arabian Heritage
Editors of the volume: Ilkka Lindstedt (Helsinki) and Hagit Nol (Frankfurt)
Deadlines for submissions
Abstracts (max. 500 words): June 1st 2025
Articles: August 1st 2026
Contact Email
13. Events at The Institute of Ismaili Studies
All are welcome to join us at the following upcoming events in London and online from The Institute of Ismaili Studies (and with our partners). Please note registration is required:
TALK: “Reconsidering verses on women in the Qur’an” (Dr Karen Bauer and Dr Feras Hamza)
SOAS, London | 10 April 2025
TALK: “Conceptual Photography and the Craft of Reading Islamic Historical Texts” (Dr Shahzad Bashir)
Aga Khan Centre, London and Online | 24 April 2025
CONFERENCE: “Devotion to the Prophet’s Family in Islamic Thought and Practice” (The Institute of Ismaili Studies)
Aga Khan Centre, London and Online | 20-22 May 2025
Further events are listed here: https://www.iis.ac.uk/events/
14. HYBRID Workshop “Christian Arabic Literature: Figures, Thought and Challenges”, Beirut – Tübingen – Venice, 7 April 2025, 9:45-19:00 CET
Papers: Pilar GONZÁLEZ CASADO (Madrid): The concept of law in the secular legal regulations in Ibn aṭ-Ṭayyib’s Fiqh al-Naṣrāniyya. – Martino DIEZ (Milan): Al-Makīn Ibn al-‘Amīd and his Universal history. – Alice CROQ (Montpellier): Not so Christian after all? On the different versions of the Dialogue between the caliph and a Chinese monk. – Alexander TREIGER (Dalhousie): Major themes in Christian Arabic literature. – Etc.
Information and programme : https://www.unive.it/data/33113/4/100547
15. Articles for the “Journal of Religious Minorities under Muslim Rule” and Edited Volume on “Studies on Religious Minorities in Islam” (Edinburgh UP)
Topics: • Historical evolution of religious minority rights in Muslim societies • Re-examining dhimmitude and similar legal concepts in Islamic law • Impacts of colonialism on religious minority status in Muslim lands • Critical methods in understanding “minorityhood” in Muslim societies • Roles of religious minorities in shaping Islamic art and cultural heritage • Gender dynamics within religious minority communities under Muslim rule. Etc.
Deadline for abstracts: 21 April 2025. Information: Abbas Aghdassi, Ed., aghdassi@um.ac.ir
- April 05, 2025
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1. Chapters on “Innovation During the Later Crusades: War & Society” for Book Edited by Martin Neuding Skoog and Stefan Stantche
We will explore the changing character of warfare and statecraft as they relate to the history of crusades after 1291. This volume aims to synthesize current scholarship, present informative case studies, and refine methodologies for studying innovation during the Later Crusades. The volume’s intended audience is broad: specialists, generalist historians, political scientists, students, and anyone with an interest in the history of crusades.
Deadline for abstracts: 31 August 2025. Information: https://mailchi.mp/mediterraneanseminar/contribute-innovation-during-the-later-crusades-war-society?e=82aeb6c61d
2. “Selecting Linguistically Appropriate Literary Texts in Teaching Persian Language”
Dr. Mahbod Ghaffari
University of Cambridge
Saturday, 5 April 2025, 12:00 USCT/1:00 EDT
Zoom Registration Link:
https://utoronto.zoom.us/meeting/register/xVWCr9HHQ4SQkzmQ-NlB3w
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
3. Lecturer in Middle Eastern History
University College London
In this role, the appointee will be responsible for producing high-impact research that contributes to the broader historiographical and theoretical debates in Middle Eastern history. Teaching responsibilities will include designing and delivering undergraduate and postgraduate modules in Middle Eastern history, as well as contributing to broader survey courses in world history, historiography, and historical methodologies.
Deadline | 11 April 2025
More information
4. PhD in Classical Arabic and Islamic Linguistics
Ca’ Foscari University of Venice
This PhD research will explore the development of classical Arabic linguistic and grammatical studies within the broader framework of Islamic disciplines. The successful candidate will contribute to the work package on external influences on the Arabic linguistic thinking, specifically exploring the interplay between Islamic scholarly traditions and classical Arabic language studies.
Deadline | 7 May 2025
More information
5. Call for Applications | Rewriting World Archaeology: Middle East Writing Group (2025-2026)
Online workshops and in-person workshop at BIAA, Türkiye
This programme is designed to equip a cohort of ECRs with the necessary knowledge and skills to access and publish in reputable, international, peer-reviewed academic journals, to develop and lead bold research agendas, and to share their results with the public. It is intended that the programme will significantly advance the careers of these ECRs, strengthen their ability to rewrite the archaeology and cultural heritage of the Middle East, and to use this heritage to help forge a more equitable world archaeology.
Deadline | 14 April 2025
- April 01, 2025
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1.The International Journal of Islam in Asia: Religion, Cultures, Histories, Connections(IJIA), published by De Gruyter Brill, has just been relaunched.
IJIA is a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes high-quality articles on Islam and Muslims in Asia and the diaspora. The journal encourages explorations of the diverse expressions of Asian Islam and Muslim cultures, histories, and connections across Asia through multidisciplinary methods, bringing together fields such as history, anthropology, religious studies, Islamic studies, material culture studies, art history, sociology, and gender studies.
The journal is open to standalone articles, photo essays, and guest edited issues on a single topic or theme.
For more information, please see the journal web page (https://brill.com/view/journals/ijia/ijia-overview.xml).
Journal correspondence should be sent to: ijiabrill@gmail.com. All journal submissions must be submitted directly through the online submission system (https://www.editorialmanager.com/IJIA).
Contact Email: ijiabrill@gmail.com
URL: https://brill.com/view/journals/ijia/ijia-overview.xml
2. YILLIK: Annual of Istanbul Studies invites contributions for its seventh and eighth volumes to be published in December 2025 and December 2026. YILLIK is a peer-reviewed, open access, international academic journal featuring cutting-edge research on Istanbul’s past and present, published by the Istanbul Research Institute in print and online (via DergiPark). YILLIK is indexed by SCOPUS, ERIH PLUS and the MLA International Bibliography.
YILLIK: Annual of Istanbul Studies is accepting submissions of original research articles, opinion pieces and visual essays (Meclis), book and exhibition reviews in Turkish or English, by researchers working on any period of the city through the lens of history, history of art and architecture, archaeology, sociology, anthropology, geography, urban planning, urban studies, and other related disciplines in humanities or social sciences.
Articles submitted for publication in the journal are first evaluated by the Editorial Board. Articles deemed suitable by editors in terms of subject matter and quality will be sent to two anonymous reviewers elected in accordance with their expertise from the Advisory Board or from the larger field. Reports from the double-blind reviewers are combined with the comments of the editors and sent back to the author. Depending on their quality and relevance, articles may be accepted or rejected, or the author may be asked to revise the work.
The review process is mandatory for research articles, while book and exhibition reviews along with the Meclis pieces only require editorial evaluation. The editors of the YILLIK pledge to complete the submission process as quickly and constructively as possible. Our aim is to limit the duration of the evaluation process, from the submission to the journal to the forwarding of reviewer reports to the author, to six weeks.
The deadline for the submission for the seventh volume, to be published in December 2025, is May 5. Some of the accepted articles with revisions may be published in the eighth volume in December 2026.
Every year, one of the articles written by a student or recent PhD will be awarded the YILLIK: Annual of Istanbul Studies Early Career Article Prize. For details, click here.
Those who wish to submit a book or exhibition review are strongly recommended to ask for the opinion of the Editorial Board in order to avoid duplicate reviews.
YILLIK: Annual of Istanbul Studies conforms to Chicago Manual of Style 18th Edition. Before submitting your article, please refer to our submission & publishing style guide.
For the “YILLIK: Annual of Istanbul Studies Publishing Ethics and Peer Review Statement” click here.
Peer-reviewed article submissions must be made through DergiPark.
For other submissions and questions: istanbulstudies@iae.org.tr
3. 18th International Congress of Turkish Art
We are honored to announce that the 18th International Congress of Turkish Art (ICTA) will be held from September 17-20, 2027, in Skopje, North Macedonia. The International Congress of Turkish Art has a distinguished history of convening every four years for nearly 65 years, and this esteemed tradition will continue with the upcoming congress. It will be hosted by the Balkan Studies Foundation at the National Gallery Chifte Hamam and the National Gallery Daut Pasha Hammam in Skopje, 2027.
Announcement of the 1st circular 18th ICTA: 10 October 2024
Submission Deadline for abstracts: 01 May 2025
Announcement of the accepted abstracts: 01 March 2026
Announcement of the 2nd Circular 18th ICTA: 01 September 2026
18th ICTA Congress: 17-20 September 2027, Skopje-North Macedonia.
For further information:
https://balkanfoundation.com/18th-international-congress-of-turkish-arts/
For application: https://icta.congress.gen.tr/
URL
4. Call for Submissions: South Asia Muslim Studies Association (SAMSA) Biennial Book Prize
The South Asia Muslim Studies Association (SAMSA) is pleased to announce its Biennial Book Prize, recognizing outstanding scholarship on the Muslims of South Asia across all disciplines and fields. We invite submissions of books published in 2023 and 2024 for consideration.
Award Description
This prestigious award honors innovative and methodologically rigorous research that advances our understanding of South Asian Muslim histories, cultures, societies, and lived experiences. The prize reflects SAMSA’s commitment to promoting excellence in scholarship that contributes significantly to South Asian Muslim studies.
Eligibility Criteria
- Books must be scholarly monographs (single or co-authored) published in English during the calendar years 2023 or 2024
- Works must make a substantial contribution to the study of Muslims in South Asia
- Edited volumes, textbooks, translations, and reprints of previously published works are not eligible
- Submissions welcome from all disciplines, including but not limited to history, anthropology, political science, religious studies, literature, sociology, and area studies
Submission Process
- Authors or publishers should send one copy of the nominated book to each member of the prize committee (addresses will be provided upon initial inquiry)
- Please include a brief cover letter with the book’s publication details and author’s contact information
- Electronic submission of supplementary materials may be requested following the initial nomination
Timeline
- Submission Deadline: April 27, 2025
- Winner announcement: Annual Meeting for South Asian Studies, Madison, WI, October 2025
For submission addresses or any inquiries regarding the prize, please contact:
Dr. Yasmin Saikia
SAMSA Book Prize Committee Chair
ysaikia@asu.edu
We encourage scholars and publishers to contribute to this celebration of outstanding scholarship on South Asian Muslim studies.
5. The Aga Khan University Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations (AKU-ISMC)is proud to announce the publication of Islamic Themes in US Hip-Hop Culture by Anders Ackfeldt. Exploring how Islam has been produced in American hip-hop culture by both Muslims and non-Muslims, the book is the most recent addition to AKU-ISMC’s Music and Performance in Muslim Contexts series, published in association with Edinburgh University Press and the Aga Khan Music Programme (AKMP). Published Open Access – download your free copy here.
And join us on Tuesday, 13 May 2025 for a Book Launch to celebrate with author Anders Ackfeldt and AKU-ISMC. Philip Wood will engage the author in a discussion of the historical continuity of Islamic themes running through US musical culture – themes also often connected to African American religious initiatives and empowerment politics.
Tuesday 13th May 2025, 17:30 – 18:45 (London).
Aga Khan Centre (Atrium Conference Room),
10 Handyside Street,
London N1C 4DNw
The event is free, but booking is essential. Book your ticket HERE to join us in person.
Or if you want to join the event online, register HERE.
6. Aug 8, 2024
Faces of God
Images of Devotion in Indo-Muslim Painting, 1500-1800
Islamic art is often misrepresented as an iconophobic tradition. As a result of this assumption, the polyvalence of figural artworks made for South Asian Muslim audiences has remained hidden in plain view.
Faces of God: Images of Devotion in Indo-Muslim Painting, 1500-1800 (Brill, 2023) situates manuscript illustrations and album paintings within cultures of devotion and ritual shaped by Islamic intellectual and religious histories. Central to this story are the Mughal siblings, Jahanara Begum and Dara Shikoh, and their Sufi guide Mulla Shah. Through detailed art historical analysis supported by new translations, this study contextualizes artworks made for Indo-Muslim patrons by putting them into direct dialogue with written testimonies.
Podcast: https://newbooksnetwork.com/faces-of-god
7. Intensive Online Course on Islamic Feminism
July 14–20, 2025
Join us for an immersive week-long online course exploring the evolution, challenges, and future of Islamic feminism. Led by renowned scholars, this course delves into historical roots, Quranic reinterpretations, gender justice, and contemporary debates—offering fresh insights and visionary perspectives.
Course Highlights:
Expert Instruction – Learn from leading scholars in the field
Comprehensive Curriculum – A deep dive into key topics
Interactive Sessions – Engage in discussions & Q&A
Flexible Learning – Access live online lectures
Course Schedule & Lecturers
Day 1: The History of Islamic Feminism
Dr. Miriam Cooke (Duke University, USA)
Day 2: Innovative Perspectives: Reinterpreting the Quran on Women’s Issues
Dr. Asma Afsaruddin (Indiana University, USA)
Day 3: The Potential of Sufi Heritage for Islamic Feminism
Dr. Sa’diyya Shaikh (University of Cape Town, South Africa)
Day 4: Gender Equality and Justice in the Quran: A Critical Review
Dr. Juliane Hammer (UNC-Chapel Hill, USA)
Day 5: Islamic Feminism, Islamophobia, and the Muslim Woman
Dr. Lana Sirri (University of Amsterdam, Netherlands)
Day 6: The Future of Islamic Feminism: Perspectives and Innovations
Dr. Mulki Al-Sharmani (University of Helsinki, Finland)
Day 7: Ethical Horizons: Gender, Power, and Justice in Islamic Thought
Dr. Zahra Ayubi (Dartmouth College, USA)
Scholarships Available
For more details and registration, visit: https://sadrai.com/islamic-feminism
8. R Mathhee, ‘Shah ‘Abbās I:The Myth, the Monarch, and the Man’,
Iranian Studies, 2025
9. Conference “Arab-German Relations in the Mirror of History” by the Orient-Institut Beirut and the Egyptian Society for Historical Studies, Cairo, 8-10 November 2025
Themes: 1. How did the early encounters between Arabic and German speakers shape modern and contemporary relations? – 2. What political and cognitive divides can be identified in the course of Arab-German relations? – 3. To what extent are the areas of Arab-German relations independent or interconnected? – 4. How did history and historiography influence the development of Arab-German relations, and what types of historical did these relations produce?
Deadline for abstracts: 15 April 2025. Information: https://www.orient-institut.org/fileadmin/user_upload/OI_Beirut/20251703-Call_for_Papers_for_the_Conference_on_Arab.pdf
10. “58th Seminar for Arabian Studies”, International Association for the Study of Arabia (IASA), Abu Dhabi, 12-14 December 2025
Papers submitted should address a research approach that engages with answering unknown questions or challenge existing assumptions as opposed to papers that strictly report on empirical observations. Two types of papers will be accepted: 1. Short rapportage with the results of current fieldwork (or labwork) of any sort. – 2. Synthetic overview with a review and/or analysis of a wider research question of any sort.
Deadline for abstracts: 13 June 2025. Information: https://iasarabia.org/the-seminar/
11. Call for Papers
Trajectories of Islam between Europe and South Asia Feb. 2026
University of Göttingen, Germany
The workshop explores the routes and connections through which people, ideas, and practices of and about Islam and Muslims have traversed back and forth between South Asia and Europe from the 18th century to the present day. The workshop highlights the production of Muslim religious knowledge as a result of mutual entanglements between South Asian and European actors, ideas, and archives.
Deadline for abstracts: 15 April 2025. Information: https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1173975894513293&id=100057026816918&_rdr
12. Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies, Respect Graduate School, Bethlehem, PA
Qualifications: Expertise in Qur’anic Studies, Hadith Studies, or Islamic Jurisprudence, and demonstrated proficiency in comprehending and analyzing classical Arabic texts. A record of publications and conference presentations. Strong demonstrated potential for excellence in research, teaching, and student mentorship, including at least one year of teaching experience in Islamic Studies with positive student evaluations.
Deadline for application: 4 May 2025. Information: https://jobs.chronicle.com/job/37799750/assistant-professor-of-islamic-studies?utm_source=EmailAFriend&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=37799750
13. Islamic Studies Summer School: “Approaches to the Study of Islam”, Istanbul University, 14-20 July 2025
Information and application: https://iismm.hypotheses.org/118758
14. “Fall Study-Abroad Programmes in Arabic and Middle East Studies “, Netherlands-Flemish Institute in Cairo (NVIC)
The BA in Middle East Studies at NVIC is designed for second- and third-year undergraduate students in the humanities, social sciences, or related disciplines. – 2. The MA in Arabic & Islamic Studies at NVIC is a rigorous and immersive language-acquisition programme, specifically tailored for advanced students of Arabic.
Deadline for application: 1 May 2025.
Information: https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/nvic/education/international-students-nvic
15. Articles on “Indigenous Conversion(s) to Islam: Causes, Processes, and Consequences” for a Special Issue of the Journal “Religions”
The main goal is to identify local and global patterns and dynamics, and provide up-to-date and analytical insights into the growing appeal of Islam among Indigenous populations across the world. Topics: How and why Indigenous people embrace Islam. – Their phases of conversion. – Individual and societal consequences and challenges of Indigenous conversions to Islam. – Deconversion. – How different groups of converts experience Islamic conversion. Etc.
Deadline for abstracts extended to 7 April 2025.
Contact: ayca.arkilic@vuw.ac.nz. Information: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/religions/special_issues/6TKFN20FIG
- March 29, 2025
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1.PhD Position in International Relations, Project “Unbounding the Arab World: Anti-Colonial Geopolitics, Transnational Territorial Imaginations and Post-Imperial Worldmaking, c. 1908-1977”, University of Groningen
Qualifications: Master’s degree in International Relations, Middle Eastern Studies, Political Science, History, or related fields; interest in anti-colonial geopolitics, pan-movements, and territorial imaginations in/of the Arab World; research experience or knowledge of intellectual history; proficiency in English and preferably Arabic or other relevant regional languages.
Deadline for applications: 30 April 2025. Information: https://karimeltaki.com/phd-position-in-international-relations/
2. ONLINE Mediterranean Studies Summer Skills Seminar: “Reading Arabic Manuscripts”, 23-26 June 2025
This seminar will provide participants with the paleographical tools and skills to read premodern handwritten Arabic texts with greater speed and accuracy. Intensive practice sessions, both prepared and impromptu, will be paired with readings in the major reference works in English (and occasionally other modern languages).
Deadline for applications: 28 April 2025.
Information: https://www.mediterraneanseminar.org/overview-reading-arabic-manuscripts-2025
3. Articles for “Indonesian Journal of Religion, Spirituality and Humanity”, State Islamic University (UIN) Salatiga, Indonesia
IJORESH is committed to studying the empirical dynamics of Abrahamic religions in the Asian context, namely Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Submission deadline: 30 May 2025. Information: https://ejournal.uinsalatiga.ac.id/index.php/ijoresh/index
4. Hybrid – Columbia University: Arabic Studies Seminars Chiara Fontana 3/27 9th-century Baghdad’s Mirabilia: Artisans and Literati
Upcoming meeting with Professor Chiara Fontana on Thursday (3/27) at 7pm EST in Faculty House.
The talk is titled 9th-century Baghdad’s Mirabilia: Artisans and Literati. Please note that due to new regulations, non CUID holders will not be allowed into Faculty House without prior notice. If you intend to be present in-person and do not have a Columbia ID, please RSVP ASAP. If we don’t receive your RSVP we will not be able to let you in. You should receive a QR code before Wednesday morning–if not, please reply to this message. The talk will be live streamed here on ZOOM for guests who can’t make it in person.
We will begin at 7:00 pm. If you would like to join the speaker for dinner at 6:00 pm at Faculty House please RSVP to the seminar’s rapporteur (rma2152@columbia.edu). The cost of dinners is $30, payable via card or check. Attendees who are fasting may take their dinner into the seminar room.
Abstract:
The early rhetorical treatises, as testing grounds for emerging aesthetic concepts, are deeply tied to specific socio-cultural contexts and influence readers’ literary preferences. They invite reflection on the evolution of balāgha (Muslim eloquence) during the Arabic-Islamic classical period, particularly in response to the profound influence of urbanization on literature. This talk, while providing an overview of 9th-century Baghdad’s cultural growth, explores how historical moments of urban development linked to cultural enlightenment could have inspired some authors to develop a new approach to literary writing as the study of the 9th-century rhetorical treatise Kitāb al-tashbīhāt by Ibn Abī ʿAwn (d. 322/934) shows. This innovative approach enabled the Abbasid authors to explore, analyze, and employ their own languages and literary traditions as powerful tools and reflect on new literary styles, models, and perspectives whilst harmonizing a secular, progress-driven mentality with more unorthodox forms of critical thinking.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://columbiauniversity.zoom.us/j/92597500745
5. Post: Valparaiso University – Visiting Assistant Professor in History
https://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=68667
Closing date:
31 March 2025
6. Religion, Politics, and Architecture in Iran
MESA Global Academy Event, organized by the UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies
A panel featuring Leyla Hajimehditajer (Independent Scholar), Maryam Heydarkhani (Visiting Researcher, Center for Arabic Language and Muslim Cultures, University of Calgary), and Zahra Khoshk Jan (Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Sociology, University of Chicago)
Moderator: Nayareh Tohidi (Professor Emerita, Cal State Northridge)
Wednesday, May 7, 2025
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM PST
Online
https://www.international.ucla.edu/cnes/event/17152
- March 26, 2025
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1.The Qurʾān You Don’t Expect: An Overview of the Multifarious Forms of a Well-Known Text
A special issue of the Journal of Islamic Manuscripts (JIM) will be dedicated to the unexpected outcomes of the Quranic manuscript and material production and its textual excerpts. We welcome contributions that examine unusual features of Quranic manuscripts—or early printed volumes—as well as textual Quranic excerpts in under-studied surfaces. The goal is to document the multifarious aspects of the Quranic production and investigate the geographical, chronological, religious, linguistic and sociocultural contexts in which these unusual manuscript shapes and material uses—on the edge of what can be considered a familiar and somewhat normative text and book-form production—were rooted and made sense.
This special issue therefore aims to cover, discover, illustrate and analyse the contexts of production of what goes beyond the well-known form of the Quranic codices. These range from Quranic scrolls to illustrated Quranic manuscripts and prints, from Quranic cipher texts to Qurans in exceptional formats (large or small), from Qurans written on watermarked paper bearing Christian symbols to Qurans with translations, from relic Qurans to forged Quranic manuscripts (for example, falsely attributed to famous people), from xylograph Qurans to epigraphic Qurans, notably on textiles and coins. The issue aims to include a wide range of nuances in which the sacred text of Islam appears in manuscript or written form, with the aim of contributing to the study of the Quran as a living text.
Please send your paper proposal (500 words plus selected bibliography) to the following addresses for the end of May 2025:
Arianna.dottone@uniroma1.it or benazzouna@unistra.fr
You will be informed about the paper selection in June 2025 and the final text (between 8.000 and 12.000 words, and 8–10 HR images) will be expected for the end of December 2025.
For the stylesheet and transliteration chart, please refer to JIM website.
Contact Information
Nourane Ben Azzouna
Contact Email
URL
https://brill.com/view/journals/jim/16/1/article-p121_7.xml
2. Rethinking the Qur’ān in Late Antiquity
J Cole
De Gruyter, 2025
3. Ottoman Jewry, Leadership, Charity, and Literacy
Y Ayalon
Brill, 2024
4. Pacifism and Non-Violence in Contemporary Islamic Philosophy: Mapping the Paths of Peace
Tom Woerner-Powell
CUP, 2025
Open Acess at:
5. Le CeRMI a le plaisir de vous convier à la prochaine séance du séminaire “Sociétés, politiques et cultures du Monde iranien”, qui se tiendra le jeudi 10 avril 2025, 17h-19h, en salle 4.15 à l’INaLCO(65 rue des Grands Moulins, Paris XIII, 4eétage).
Nous sommes heureux d’accueillir M. Nima Asefi (Universität Hamburg), pour une conférence intitulée: “Central Iran during the Late Sasanian and Early Islamic Periods : A Study Based on the Pahlavi Archive of Hastijān and the Tārīkh-e Qom”.
Résumé:
Our understanding of Iran after the Muslim conquests relies mainly on chronicles written two centuries or later after the facts. For a long time, the scarcity of local accounts and limited access to original administrative documents left scholars with little direct evidence from the final years of the Sasanian Empire and the first two centuries of the Islamic period.
In the late 20th century, the discovery of the Pahlavi Archive of Hastijān provided researchers with valuable evidence from Central Iran during the first century following the collapse of the Sasanian Empire. Chiefly spanning the period of 3 to 50 years after the death of Yazdgird III, the last Sasanian king, this economic archive sheds new light on the distribution of wealth, the prerogatives of governors (darhandarzbed, ōstāndār), as well as storekeepers and public ration managers (dārīg). It also documents the presence of Arabs in the region, or the celebration of the Frawardīgān festival, thus offering invaluable insights into the history of that period.
A most useful complement to these documents is provided by the late 10th-century local chronicle of Tārīkh-e Qom, which describes the events following the arrival of the Ash‛ari Arabs in the region, between the years 62 and 82 after Yazdgird’s death. The book does not merely discuss the region of Qom and its surroundings extensively, it offers precious cues to identify protagonists and locate places mentioned in the Hastijān archive. Based on Tārīkh-e Qom, for instance, a recurring placename formerly misread as “Namtar” could be restored as “Namēwar,” and identified with the village of “Nīmwar” which is still standing to this day. Similarly, Tārīkh-e Qom provides a host of information about the life and whereabouts of one Yazdānpādār/Yazdānfāδār, an important character mentioned in both corpora. By cross-reading the data from the Pahlavi Archive of Hastijān and the Tārīkh-e Qom, therefore, we gain new insights about the life and circumstances of the people of central Iran right after the Arab conquests.
Orientations bibliographiques:
– Ansari, M. R. (ed.), 2006, Tārīx-e Qom, Qom: Ketābxāne-ye Omoumi-ye Āyatollāh Marʿaši Najafi.
– Weber, D., 2010, “Villages and Estates in the Documents from the Pahlavi Archive: The Geographical Background.” Bulletin of the Asia Institute, New Series, Vol. 24, p. 37-65.
– Weber, D., 2014, “Pahlavi Documents of Windādburzmihrābād. The Estate of a Zoroastrian Entrepreneur in Early Islamic Times (with an Excursus on the Origin of the Fulanabad-Type of Village Names).” Bulletin of the Asia Institute, New Series, Vol. 28, p. 127-147.
– Weber, D., 2014, “Arabic activities Reflected in the Documents of the Pahlavi Archive (Late 7th and Early 8th Centuries).” In R. Gyselen (ed.), Documents, argenterie et monnaies de tradition sassanide, Res Orientales 22. Bures-sur-Yvette, p. 179-189.
– Gignoux, Ph., 2013, “Les documents de Dādēn dans l’Archive de Berkeley/Berlin.” In Pavel Lur’e & S. Tokhtasjev (eds.), Commentationes Iranicae (Sbornik statej k 90-letiju V.A. Livšica). St. Petersburg, p. 157-165.
– Gignoux, Ph., 2010, “La société iranienne du 7e siècle AD d’après la collection de Berkeley.” In Carlo G. Cereti (ed.), Iranian Identity in the Course of History. Proceedings of the Conference Held in Rome, 21–24 September 2005, (Serie Orientale Roma CV, Orientalia Romana 9), Rome, p. 145-152.
Pour rappel, vous retrouverez le programme 2024-2025 du séminaire mensuel de recherche “Sociétés, politiques et cultures du Monde iranien” sur le site du CeRMI :
6. Invitation: Bilingual Lecture Series – Abbas Amanat
Calendar and Identity:
Why did the Persian solar calendar survive for 1400 years and become an important feature of Iranian identity?
Abbas Amanat
Monday, April 7, 2025 at 3:00 pm (Pacific), Bunche Hall 10383
Alternate live stream on Zoom:
https://ucla.zoom.us/j/95885037418
(No need to register in advance, just click the link at 4:00pm on April 6 to join)
Since the end of the Sasanian era the Persian solar calendar, and the associated rite of Nowruz, endured as became a significant features of Iranian, and to some extent the Persianate, cultural identity. With Hijra as its starting point but based on vernal equinox, it is a unique solar time reckoning throughout the Muslim world and beyond. This talk explores the circumstances that allowed the survival and its adoption as a national calendar of Iran at the turn of the 20th century. A book of the same title is in the press.
7. Pourdavoud Lecture Series with Yuhan Vevaina
Zoroastrian Hermeneutics in Late Antiquity
The Sūdgar Nask of Dēnkard Book 9
Wednesday, April 2, 2025 at 4:00pm Pacific
Royce Hall 306
Hybrid Zoom Option Available
The Sūdgar Nask of Dēnkard Book 9 is a commentary on the ‘Old Avesta’ of the 2nd millennium BCE produced in Pahlavi (Zoroastrian Middle Persian) in the Sasanian (224–651 CE) and early Islamic centuries. This commentary is a value-laden, ideologically motivated discourse that displays a rich panoply of tradition-constituted forms of allegoresis. It mobilizes complex forms of citation, allusion, and intertextuality from the inherited Avestan world of myth and ritual in order to engage with and react to the profound changes occurring in Iranian society. Despite its value and importance for developing our nascent understanding of Zoroastrian hermeneutics and the self-conception of the Zoroastrian priesthood in Late Antiquity, this primary source has attracted scant scholarly attention due to the extreme difficulty of its subject matter and the lack of a reliable translation. This 2-volume work represents the first critical edition, translation, and commentary of this formidable text which will contribute to the philological, theological, and historiographical study of Zoroastrianism in a pivotal moment in its rich and illustrious history. Reading the Sūdgar Nask is a hermeneutic process of traversing texts, genres, and rituals in both the Avestan and Pahlavi corpora, thus activating nodes in a web or network of textual and meta-textual relations that establish new forms of allegoreses or meaning making. It is argued that this entire hermeneutical complex of weaving a ‘new’ text composed of implicit proof text and explicit commentary renews, extends, and, ultimately, makes tradition.
8. Macaulay Family Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Art of the Islamic World
Smarthistory is seeking applications for a one-year Macaulay Family Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow to develop public art history content in the area of the arts of the Islamic world. This is a one-year full-time position, beginning September 2025. Applicants will have a Ph.D. in art history (earned within the last three years) as well as teaching experience.
The successful applicant will have a commitment to public scholarship and teaching and will be self-motivated and comfortable working remotely for a small organization. The Fellow will work closely with Smarthistory founders and Executive Directors Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker and content editor Dr. Marika Sardar. The position will largely consist of writing Smarthistory-style essays on the art of the Islamic world for a broad public audience. These essays will augment the work of numerous authors who have contributed to Smarthistory over the years. See https://smarthistory.org/islamic/ for existing content created prior to 1900 (note: Modern and Contemporary work is located elsewhere on the site, all of these sections will soon undergo a significant reorganization). The Fellow will also be expected to work with contributors and content editors, to seek new contributors, and help develop syllabi.
The Fellow will receive professional development mentoring, periodic performance evaluations, and will be supported in developing professional relationships with academic contributors, curators, and museums over the course of the year. This is a temporary full-time position with an annual salary of $60,000 (plus a generous health insurance option and a retirement match). The Macaulay Family Foundation Fellow can work remotely but will ideally be available during eastern-time zone working hours.
Smarthistory is a not-for-proft organization dedicated to making engaging yet rigorous art history accessible to learners around the world for free. Learn more about the organization and its mission here: https://smarthistory.org/about/.
Only those with a Ph.D. in art history will be considered (degrees expected to be received by the end of the academic year—prior to August 2025 may apply).
Application deadline: Wednesday, April 30, 2025
URL
https://smarthistory.org/macaulay-family-foundation-postdoctoral-fellowship-in-…
9. Great Mughals Conference – online tickets
The V&A will be hosting a two-day conference in conjunction with the Great Mughals exhibition on Thursday 27th and Friday 28th March.
In-person tickets are almost sold out, but online tickets are available via the website: https://www.vam.ac.uk/event/lXn7Yo3pzK9/the-great-mughals-conference-online-mar-2025
All of the talks will be streamed online, and ticketholders will receive a joining link prior to the event.
10. UW-Madison Annual Conference on South Asia, October 22-25, 2025
Call for Abstract Submission
Panel Discussant: Professor Sylvia Houghteling, Associate Professor of History of Art, Bryn Mawr College, Pennsylvania
The panel, “Ecological Imaginaries in South Asia’s Art History” invites abstracts for the Annual Conference on South Asia at UW-Madison in Wisconsin from October 22-25, 2025.
The preeminent archive of art and architectural histories—objects, structures, and creative renderings—is produced by the human species. Thereby, human agents such as artists, patrons, and audiences become the essential interlocutors in this disciplinary narrative. How can non-human agency activate the material and materiality of artmaking in new ways? What are the pathways to invigorate and rethink disciplinary methodologies and paradigms in the wake of epochal climate crises? And, how can this recalibration enrich scholarship on spatial and visual cultures of South Asia?
The early glimmers of such an ecological alertness can be seen in longue durée histories of the Mediterranean. Within art history, ecological imaginaries emerge in the North American context through the Land Art Movement and a call from art historian W J T Mitchell to study landscape not just as a “genre” but as a “medium” holding social, political, and cultural meaning (Mitchell 1994).
While the ecocritical turn in art histories of North America and Western Europe began to crystallize in the first decade of the twenty-first century, the ecological turn in South Asian Studies was first discernible in disciplines such as history and anthropology. However, the last few years has seen a growing momentum in South Asian scholarship on exploring the intersections between art history, hydro architecture, climate, materiality, monsoon, and geology in the construction of affect in spaces and works of art. This panel seeks to build on this burgeoning ecological turn in South Asia’s art history to pave the course for critical inquiries on the subject.
The panel invites abstract submissions from Art History and allied disciplines such as Architecture, Geography, Geology, Urban Studies, Anthropology, South Asian Area Studies among others.
The Annual Conference on South Asia invites scholars, students, and professionals to Madison, Wisconsin, for a four-day event featuring research panels and round tables, lectures, performances, film screenings, booksellers, association receptions, and other special presentations! The conference has grown year-by-year since its inception in 1971 and welcomed over 1,200 registered attendees in 2024.
Abstract Submission Deadline: Wednesday, 02, April, 2025
Eligibility:
- Paper must have 2 points of focus— ecology, South Asia
- Upon selection, pay registration fees through the conference website— $115 for students, $255 for non-students (refundable; student fees typically covered by conference grants offered through your institution/ department/ south asia studies institute at your institution)
How to submit?
Email Title: Abstract Submission for Ecological Imaginaries in South Asia’s Art History
Submission Format: Pdf attachment
Documents: 200-300 word abstract and CV
Email address for submission : krishnashekhawat@berkeley.edu
Selected participants will be contacted very shortly after 02 April, 2025.
Organizer: Krishna Shekhawat, University of California, Berkeley
For further information on submission guidelines: See section, “Panel and Single Paper Submission Guidelines” at https://southasiaconference.wisc.edu/conference-submission-guidelines/
11. Online Course: Classical Persian through Historical Texts: Reading Beyhaqī’s History of Mas’ūd
Upcoming online course titled “Classical Persian through Historical Texts: Reading Beyhaqī’s History of Mas’ūd“.
As the title suggests, the main text that we are going to study during this one week course, is the mid-11th c. historical masterpiece of Beyhaqī. You can learn more about the course and the program by visiting the course’s webpage.
The deadline for applications is March 26th, and the course will start on March 31st.
I also want to mention that the course is free of charge.
Ruben Nikoghosyan
Ferdowsi School of Persian Literature
Yerevan, Armenia
Website: www.ferdowsi.org
12. The next lecture in the Virtual Islamic Art History Seminar Series will take place on Tuesday, March 25, 2025 at 12:00 New York / 16:00 London / 17:00 Venice / 19:00 Istanbul.
Amber Elisabeth Peters (Ca’Foscari University) will present “The Ocean in Early-Modern South Asian Art.”
To attend, please make sure to register in advance here:
https://wellesley.zoom.us/meeting/register/ipegVg01RVGFLnpNRDJigA
Upon registration, you’ll receive the link to access the lecture.
You may also wish to save the date for our subsequent talk, which will be the final lecture of the semester. On Tuesday, April 15, 2025, Carol Bier (Center for Islamic Studies, Graduate Theological Union) will present “Geometry in Islamic Art: Number, Shape, and the Nature of Space.”
As always, you can find a full schedule of upcoming talks and register for our list-serv on our website at www.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!
13. “AI and the Digital Humanities for the Study of Asia, Africa, and Oceania.”
We are particularly interested in the following strands: Institutional organisation of/around DH and AI. – DH research design with AI. – AI and language. – AI and cultural heritage. – DH, AI and ethics.
Deadline for abstracts: 31 March 2025. Information: https://digitalorientalist.com/2025/03/04/cfp-the-digital-orientalists-virtual-conference-2025/
14. “XIII International Medieval Meeting Lleida”, Universitat de Lleida, Espanya, 3-6 June 2025
Main themes in Medieval Studies: Wars and Crusades. – Institutions, Law and Government. – Islam. – Judaism. – Political History. – Social and Economic History. – Woman and Gender Studies; Etc.
Deadline for abstracts: 30 March 2025. Information: https://www.internationalmedievalmeetinglleida.udl.cat/en/
15. 58th International Conference of the “ARAM Society for Syro-Mesopotamian Studies” on “The Aramaeans BC: History and Archaeology,” Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Oxford, 14-15 July 2025
Deadline for registration: 31 March 2025.
Information: https://www.aramsociety.org/conferences/current-conferences/
16. 58th International Conference of the “ARAM Society for Syro-Mesopotamian Studies” on “The Amorites and Hurrians”, Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Oxford, 17-18 July 2025
Deadline for registration: 31 March 2025.
Information: https://www.aramsociety.org/conferences/current-conferences/
17. “Third Conference of Early Modern Ottoman Studies (EMOS)”, Historians Association, Istanbul University, 4-6 September 2025
We invite historians, researchers, and scholars (with a PhD degree or having already started with their doctoral research) specialized in the political, diplomatic, social, economic, cultural, military, etc. intricacies of Ottoman early modernity.
Deadline for abstracts: 1 April 2025. Information:
https://networks.h-net.org/group/announcements/20060592/emos-early-modern-ottoman-studies-2025
18. Workshop “New Approaches to Khārijite History, 7th – 10th Century CE”, SCORE Social Contexts of Rebellion in the Early Islamic Period, University of Hamburg, 16-17 October 2025
The organisers invite contributions that study Khārijism from a decidedly historical perspective. Social-historical approaches are especially welcome, as are more experimental methods and those that bring in (sociological, anthropological …) theory. In order to respond to the dearth of research on Khārijism, we strongly encourage historians of the early Islamicate world and adjacent fields who do not usually work on Khārijites to consider submitting an abstract.
Deadline for abstracts: 15 April 2025. Information: https://www.aai.uni-hamburg.de/voror/medien/kharijite-history-cfp.pdf
19. “Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding”, Nominations for 2025
The total prizes for each sub-category of main languages are up to $200,000 USD. The total value of the award is $2 million. They include the translation from Arabic to German, Turkish and English and vice versa.
Deadline for nominations: 31 March 2025. Information: https://www.hta.qa/pages/topic/1872
- March 22, 2025
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1.Fully-funded 3-year PhD positionwithin the ERC-funded ALiDiM project, based at the Department of Asian and North African Studies at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice.
The call for applications to the Asian and African Studies PhD programwill be available from March 27 to May 7, 2025, with the position starting on September 1, 2025.
This PhD research will explore the development of classical Arabic linguistic studies within the broader framework of Islamic disciplines. The successful candidate will contribute to the work package on the influences on the Arabic linguistic thinking, specifically exploring the interplay between Islamic scholarly traditions and classical Arabic language studies.
We are looking for a motivated researcher with a background in Arabic and/or Islamic studies, proficiency in classical Arabic (preferably with experience in classical Arabic texts), and an interest in interdisciplinary research on Islamic intellectual history. The PhD student will be an integral part of our interdisciplinary team, participating in regular seminar-style meetings where ideas are exchanged, and research is discussed collaboratively. The team emphasizes collaboration and mentorship, providing training opportunities for professional development.
For further details on the position and on the ALiDiM project, please visit our website.
The call for applications will be published on the university website on March 27, 2025, with applications due by May 7, 2025. Please note that, as part of the required documentation, candidates must submit a research proposal that aligns with the topic outlined above, as detailed in the call for applications.
For further details regarding the scientific aspects of the position, prospective applicants are welcome to contact me directly (simona.olivieri@unive.it; alidim@unive.it).
- March 18, 2025
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1.SOAS Centre for Iranian Studies
07 – 08 May 2025
In these lectures, two distinctive understandings of Wisdom, from the Zoroastrian and the Sufi Muslim traditions respectively, are discussed in juxtaposition, in a study of two of the most famous examples of their religious literature. Definitions of terms such as ‘wisdom’, ‘knowledge’, ‘understanding’, ‘mysticism’ and ‘esotericism’ will be given, and answers sought, in what will, it is hoped, be an accessible, non-elitist, down-to-earth, exposition.
2. SOAS Shapoorji Pallonji Institute of Zoroastrian Studies
Kutar Memorial Lecture Series – Sogdian fire-worship: Between Zoroastrianism and Buddhism
6.00pm, Thursday 01 May 2025
In this lecture, the author will attempt to summarise what we know of fire worship in Sogdiana (the land in present-day Uzbekistan and Tajikistan) which was inhabited by eastern Iranian people. These groups, being active traders on the Eurasian tracks, developed a sophisticated culture in the pre-Islamic period. The images on mural paintings and other media, archaeological discoveries, and the few references in the written texts show that worship in front of a fire was a significant part of the ritual practices of Sogdians.
3. Zahra Institute: 2025 Spring Speaker Series and Annual Lecture
Untold Kurdish Women’s Histories
Wednesday, 19 March: 12pm Central / 1pm Eastern
Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/94141584925?pwd=ebwnEB2UsKcak3VxkYCKZe1PZgacZN.1
Farangis Ghaderi (Ph.D, University of Exeter) is a Kurdish scholar, lecturer in Gender and Kurdish Studies, and Director of the Centre for Kurdish Studies at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies of the University of Exeter, UK. She is co-editor of Women’s Voices from Kurdistan (2021) and the Principal Investigator of the Kurdish Digital Archive project at the University of Exeter. Her research focuses on Kurdish cultural production, Kurdish women, translation, literary history, and archives.
‘The Black Box of the Republic’: Dersim ’38 and the Making of the Modern Turkish State
Wednesday, 2 April: 12pm Central / 1pm Eastern
Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/96441162849?pwd=GaXrM34WzeUrMGtPKG3KYnNtOFlXRi.1
Cevat Dargın (Ph.D., Princeton University) is a historian and Visiting Assistant Professor at Columbia University’s Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies. His research focuses on the transformation from indirect imperial to centralized nation-state rule in the modern Middle East and North Africa during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Currently he is working on several projects, including a book manuscript which explores the formation of the modern state at the intersection of race, religion, and territory in the late Ottoman Empire and post-Ottoman territories.
Annual Lecture
The Life and Legend of the Sultan Saladin
Saturday, 5 April: 2:30 – 5pm Central
Where: Loyola University Chicago – Crown Center
Ticket: Free & open to the public | Dinner provided | Register here
Jonathan Phillips (Ph.D., University of London) is a leading historian of the Crusades and presenter of the Public Television series Ancient Roads: From Christ to Constantine. He is the author of several award-winning histories, including The Life and Legend of the Sultan Saladin (Bodley Head 2019), described by The Times of London as “Superbly researched… enormously entertaining… one of the outstanding books of the year.” His current research focuses on both the history of the Third Crusade and the memory of the crusades in Western Europe and the Near East.
4. Arabic Scholarship at Jordan Language Academy (JLA) – Summer 2025
Objective
The Jordan Language Academy (JLA) Scholarship aims to support exceptional students who demonstrate academic excellence, financial need, and a strong commitment to language learning. This highly competitive scholarship is available to students nominated by their academic departments for a four-week, full-time summer language program at JLA in Amman, Jordan.
Scholarship Details
- Location:Jordan Language Academy, Amman, Jordan
- Duration:4 weeks (Full-time)
- Available Sessions:
- June 10 – July 7, 2025 OR
- July 8 – August 4, 2025
- Language Level:Intermediate
- Scholarship Awards:
- One full scholarshipcovering 100% of tuition fees for one session
- One partial scholarshipcovering 50% of tuition fees for one session
Eligibility Criteria
- Academic Excellence:Strong academic record with proven potential in language studies.
- Financial Need:Priority consideration for students demonstrating financial hardship.
- Language Proficiency:Applicants must have an intermediate level of Arabic proficiency.
- Departmental Nomination:Formal nomination by the applicant’s academic department is required.
- Commitment to Cultural Exchange:Enthusiasm for cross-cultural engagement and learning.
- Personal Statement:A compelling statement outlining the applicant’s motivation for studying at JLA, future academic goals, and how the scholarship will support their aspirations.
- Interview:Shortlisted candidates must participate in an interview.
Nomination & Application Process
- Academic departments must submit a nomination letterendorsing the applicant.
- Nominated students must complete a formal application, including:
- Academic transcripts or records
- A personal statement detailing academic goals, financial need, and commitment to language learning
- A faculty letter of recommendation
- Arabic Essay:A 500–700 word essay in Arabic explaining the applicant’s motivation for studying at JLA, how the scholarship will support their goals, and their role in promoting cultural exchange
- JLA will evaluate applications based on academic merit, financial need, interviews, and nomination endorsements.
- Selected recipients will receive an official scholarship award notification with enrollment instructions.
Deadlines & Notification
- Application Deadline:April 20, 2025 24:00 GMT (Late applications will not be considered).
- Notification Date:Scholarship recipients will be informed by May 1, 2025.
Scholarship Disbursement
- Scholarship funds will be directly applied to tuition fees at JLA.
- Recipients are responsible for covering additional costs, including accommodation, travel, optional excursions, and personal expenses.
For inquiries or further details, please contact Jordan Language Academy at info@jordanla.com .
5. ‘The Socio-historical Process of Women’s Scientific Progress in Iran’
In: Feminine Visibility in Contemporary Iran
Brill, 2024
A Tavassoli and M Abedi
6. We are still accepting applications for a number of summer courses at the University of Virginia and elsewhere. An offering that may be of particular interest to H-Islamart is:
- M-85 Introduction to Islamicate Manuscripts, taught by Kelly Tuttle at the Free Library of Philadelphia
We hope you’ll consider immersing yourself in bibliographical inquiry alongside us this summer. In-depth course descriptions can be found at: https://rarebookschool.org/schedule/. To apply, visit: https://rarebookschool.org/admissions-awards/application/. We have transitioned into the rolling admissions phase of our admissions cycle, so we recommend applying as soon as possible!
Please feel free to reach out to rbsprograms@virginia.edu, or myself directly (emma.reilly@rarebookschool.org) with questions.
All best,
Emma
—
Emma Reilly (she/her)
Miranker Online Program Manager
Rare Book School
at the University of Virginia
Contact Information
Contact rbsprograms@virginia.edu or myself directly (emma.reilly@rarebookschool.org).
7. Le Centre de Recherche sur le Monde Iranien (CeRMI, UMR8041 CNRS) a le plaisir de vous convier à la XXVIème Journée Monde Iranien, qui se tiendra le vendredi 4 avril 2025 de 10h à 18h dans l’Auditorium du Pôle Langues et Civilisations de l’INaLCO, 65 rue des Grands-Moulins, Paris XIII (accueil café à partir de 9h30).
Vous trouverez le programme détaillé de la Journée en pièce jointe, et en ligne à cette adresse sur le site du CeRMI: https://cermi.cnrs.fr/xxvie-journee-monde-iranien/
Dans l’attente du plaisir de vous retrouver toutes et tous pour cette XXVIème Journée, organisée cette année par notre collègue Wouter Henkelman (EPHE-PSL).
8. ONLINE Lecture “Saints of Dayr al-Naqlun: Fragments of Devotional Life in the Medieval Egyptian Countryside” by Lev Weitz (Catholic University of America), Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture, Harvard University, 25 March 2025, 17:00 CET
This talk brings together documentary sources with archaeological and art-historical evidence from Dayr al-Naqlun, a monastery in Egypt’s Fayyum Oasis, to explore the distinctive ritual practices of Coptic Christianity in the rural hinterland of the Fatimid Caliphate.
Information and registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_23rCJf35S1KkSJVsjUIrIQ#/registration
9. HYBRID OTS-NYU Roundtable: “Halide Edib and Refik Halid Karay in Translation and as Dissidents”, New York University, 4 April 2025, 18:00 CET
This is an interdisciplinary round table on translation, Turkish literature and history, hosting literary scholars and translators İclal Vanwesenbeeck and Nefise Kahraman as well as the Middle Eastern/ Ottoman historian Christine Philliou.
Information and registration: https://nyu.zoom.us/meeting/register/lfGY6sbDTb2ZkTvI3AmUwA#/registration
10. “1st Annual Social Sciences Graduate Student Symposium of the Diyanet Islamic Research Insti-tute”, Lanham, MD, 3-4 May 2025
The Diyanet Center of America promotes informed discussions on Islam and Muslim societies, emphasizing classi-cal Islamic sciences and their contemporary relevance while supporting interdisciplinary research, collaboration, and public engagement.
Deadline for abstracts: 5 April 2025. Information: https://diyanetamerica.org/symposium/
11. „Congress of Qur’anic Studies (CQS)”, Faculty of Theology, Istanbul University, 26-28 September 2025
The congress aims to facilitate networking and intellectual exchange among researchers in the fields of Qur’an and tafsir, offer young academics opportunities to explore different perspectives, discuss past, present, and future studies, and create an environment for collaboration. To encourage discussions from various perspectives and through different academic formats, 12 working groups have been established.
Deadline for abstracts: 15 April 2025.
Information: https://cqs.istanbul.edu.tr/en/content/call-for-papers/call-for-papers
12. International Workshop “Greek Myths in Arabic Literature: Reception, Translation, Circulation, Re-Creation”, Rome, 6-8 November 2025
The workshop aims to stimulate debate on different types of texts, including poetry, staged or manuscript plays, fiction, translations, essays in the periodical press, encyclopaedic entries, school and university curricula, as well as in oral literature, music, cinema, and visual arts. The main focus is modern and contemporary Arabic literary production (1800-today), but special sessions will be dedicated to the reception of Greek myths in premodern Arabic literature.
Deadline for abstracts: 15 May 2025.
Information: https://www.digimyth.eu/digimythpublications/cfp-workshop-greek-myths-in-arabic-literature/
13. Session on „Digital Humanities and Cultural Research“ During „The International Conference on Shaping Knowledge Beyond Digital Archiving”, Abu Dhabi, 21-23 April 2026
Digital tools are redefining the study of literature, history, and cultural heritage. Researchers are using AI-driven text analysis, digital archives, and computational humanities methods to uncover new insights into manuscripts, language studies, and historical narratives. This theme explores innovative digital approaches that contribute to the preservation, interpretation, and recontextualization of cultural and historical knowledge.
Deadline for abstracts: 31 July 2025. Information: https://shapingknowledge.com/en
14. Postdoctoral Researcher (4 Years) in Ottoman History, University of Amsterdam
The researcher will be responsible for the Ottoman subproject within the “Daily Bread” project, which compares food protests between circa 1500-1800 in Dutch, Italian and Ottoman cities. This subproject can include protests in Istanbul and/or additional (major) provincial cities. The postdoc will select relevant cases, building on the existing historiography and their own expertise and linguistic scope. Excellent knowledge of Ottoman Turkish is a must.
Deadline for applications: 10.4 2025.
Information: https://werkenbij.uva.nl/en/vacancies/postdoctoral-researcher-in-ottoman-history-netherlands-13900
15. Altaf S. Al Sabah Visiting Chair (1 Year +) in Women and Societal Development Studies, American University of Beirut
We seek an advanced assistant or associate professor with a demonstrated record of scholarship on women and gender in the Middle East. While the specific area of expertise is open, the successful candidate must contribute to at least one of the core disciplines within SOAM. Applicants should hold a PhD in Women and Gender Studies or a related discipline and demonstrate a strong commitment to undergraduate and graduate teaching.
Deadline for applications: 31 March 2025. Information: https://apply.interfolio.com/163961
16. Visiting Assistant Professor (1 Year) in the History of the Mediterranean World, Hampden-Sydney College, Virginia
Successful candidates’ teaching will situate Mediterranean history in a transregional context; preference will be given to candidates focusing on late antiquity or the medieval era.
Deadline for applications: 24 March 2025. Information: https://apply.interfolio.com/164566
17. “26th Session of the Intensive Ottoman and Modern Turkish School”, Conducted by the Ottoman Studies Foundation (Boston, Mass.) in Cunda, Turkey, 7 July – 15 August 2025
The program provides daily instruction (2 hours) in reading and translating Ottoman Turkish texts in both manuscript and printed forms. There is a so-called ‘Early Ottoman course’ covering pre-nineteenth-century manuscripts and documents and a ‘Late’ one covering printed texts and documents in rik’a. The school also provides tuition in Persian (including Persian and Arabic elements in Ottoman) and Modern Turkish.
Deadline for applications: 24 March 2025. Information: https://networks.h-net.org/group/announcements/20062151/call-applications-26th-session-intensive-ottoman-and-modern-turkish
18. Summer Language Intensive Program in Modern Turkish and Ottoman Turkish, Istanbul University, 7 July – 8 August 2025
This program is ideal for MA and PhD students in the fields of history, literature, and Islamic studies. Included in the Program: 100 hours of intensive language training. – Access to the Islamic Studies Institute Special Collections Library. – Seminars by field experts. – Guided tours to key historical sites: Historical Peninsula, Süleymaniye Manuscript Library, and Presidential Archives. – Istanbul University certificate upon completion.
Information: https://islamtetkikleri.istanbul.edu.tr/en/content/summer-program/summer-language-intensive-program-2025
- March 15, 2025
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment