Categories : Academic items
Shii News – Academic Items
1.ONLINE Presentation “ARSHEEF: Getting Closer to Libraries and Archives” by Athena Pfeiffer and Mathias Ghyoot, Near Eastern Studies, Princeton University, 8 November 2024, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EST
ARSHEEF is a collaborative project and a website that makes available up-to-date guides to libraries and archives across North Africa, the Middle East, the Caucasus, and South Asia, as well as digital options for those who cannot travel. We will also discuss political and practical problems associated with research in these regions.
Information and registration:
https://theias.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYtf-ytqzMoGtJpFRoDJDB5oxMigAbcCHCe#/registration
2. Colloque international « Liberté et féminisme dans la pensée arabe des XIXe et XXe siècles. Avancées et blocages », Université Paris Nanterre, 14 novembre 2024, 9h00 – 17h30 CET
Information et programme : https://iismm.hypotheses.org/108756
3. Symposium “Braudel’s La Méditerranée (1949): Paradigms and Possibilities after 75 Years”, Stanford University, 15-16 November 2024
Information and program:
https://cmems.stanford.edu/sites/cmems/files/media/file/braudel-symposium-program-15-oct-2024.pdf
4. ITS-Colloquium “Islamic Feminism – Exploring Boundaries and Embracing Possibilities”, Frankfurt am Main, 22-23 November 2024
The workshop explores Islamic feminism as one of the most discussed intellectual movements in the Islamic world, examining its diversity and reflecting on its boundaries and theoretical potential for further development. Speakers: Sedigheh Vasmaghi (Tehran), Ravza Altuntaş Çakır (Istanbul), Randa Aboubakr (Cairo), Marzieh Bakhshizadeh (Reutlingen), Aicha Barkaoui (Casablanca), Clara Bauer (Freiburg), Kata Moser (Göt-tingen), and Mansooreh Khalilizand (Freiburg).
Deadline for registration: 10 November 2024.
Information and program: https://aiwg.de/colloquium_islamic_feminism/
5. Assistant Professor of Medieval Jewish Literature and Thought in the Islamic World, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Applicants must have a strong command of medieval Hebrew and Arabic and be versed in the philology, aesthetics, and history of both languages and literary traditions. Knowledge of additional relevant languages (Aramaic, Persian, Latin) will be considered an asset.
Deadline for applications: 25 November 2024. Information: https://apply.interfolio.com/157195
6. Saturday, 2 November, 12:00 p.m. ET: Teaching Persian Grammar through Literature: Bringing Language to Life in Persian Second Language Classrooms
The Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali Institute of Iranian Studies
in collaboration with the
Department of Middle Eastern Studies and the
Center for Middle Eastern Studies, University of Chicago
jointly present:
Teaching Persian Grammar through Literature: Bringing Language to Life in Persian Second Language Classrooms
Azita H. Taleghani, Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, University of Toronto
Saturday, 2 November 2024, 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time (Canada and US)
Zoom Meeting Registration:
https://utoronto.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEvdO2qpjMuGNwq5LZUoaVQ1W2expF2RC-0
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Abstract:
The term grammar has been interpreted as a set of arbitrary rules about fixed structures in language such as verb paradigms and rules about linguistic forms. Grammar is unquestionably much more than this. As Batstone (1994) states, grammar is a broad and diverse phenomenon that characterizes three interdependent dimensions: form, meaning, and use. Teaching grammar is significantly essential for second or foreign language learning. Its main purpose is to help students carry out either verbal or written communicative tasks. This paper explores the use of literature in teaching grammar in second-language classrooms in general and Persian second-language classes in particular. After a brief discussion of various theories and methods of teaching grammar, the benefits, and challenges of using different genres of literature in Persian second-language classes will be examined by answering the following questions: Why are literary texts useful for teaching grammar in Persian second-language classes? What kind of literary texts should be selected and how to use them in Persian second language grammar classes?
7. Online Event at Cambridge:
Fri 1 Nov, 1:00pm – 2:00pm UK time
Istanbul in the 16th Century An Online Specialist Art Short Course
(Convened by Chiara De Nicolais)
8. AKU-ISMC: ‘The Rise of Islam in a Multicultural Setting’ Lecture by Professor Ilkka Lindstedt
London, 20.11.24, 5.30 pm UK time
Inperson only.
Registration required:
9. CfA: International Summer School Towards Inclusive Global Histories
Organized by the European Network in Universal and Global History (ENIUGH) in collaboration with Global Diplomacy Network (GDN), Linnaeus University Center for Concurrences in Colonial and Postcolonial Studies (LNUC), and the Asian Center, University of the Philippines.
The Summer School
Archives and Voices have become much-debated aspects of recent research in global history. Under the overall theme of “Towards Inclusive Global Histories” the summer school aims to further discussion, self-reflection, and the exploration of new avenues in global history. We aim to explore alternative ways of practicing global history and to meet the challenges of connectivity bias, Eurocentrism, Anglophone dominance, and lack of attention to gender perspectives and Indigenous methodologies. In recent years, decoloniality as a research practice and method has raised further questions regarding the situatedness of knowledge and the role of local sources in global history. At the same time, a current nationalist backlash in many countries has led to calls for a return to national history, thereby challenging the fundamental premises of global history.
The summer school will focus on three novel research fields within global history: Global Diplomacy, gender, and environmental questions. By framing approaches that emphasize different voices and alternative archives in terms of “global histories” in the plural, we aim to promote the inclusion of a broad range of voices, perspectives, and orientations within the field, while forcefully rejecting the possibility of insisting on a single, dominating story or grand narrative of global history. The summer school will offer plenary sessions by leading experts in the field and allow for hands-on methodological conversations among all participating scholars. Early career scholars will be encouraged to reflect on key methodological questions along the lines of the summer school themes with scholars from around the world.
We invite contributions consisting of projects based on original research and empirically grounded PhD thesis work in progress. We encourage theoretical, methodological, ethical, and historiographical reflections on how to make global history more inclusive. Although the main language of the summer school will be English, individual presentations and panels in other languages can be accommodated.
In particular, we welcome contributions (individual papers) tailored to one (or more) of the following themes:
- Indigenous, subaltern, gender, LGBTQ+, non-human, and minority studies
- Expanding the global archive along and against digitization
- Diplomatic practices, languages, and concepts of Interpolity Relation, c. 1400-1900
- Global History and Decoloniality
- National history, nationalist backlash, and identity politics
- Global Environmental History
- Nordic Colonialism
With these themes in mind, the European Network in Universal and Global History (ENIUGH) is happy to announce its summer school in partnership with the Global Diplomacy Network and the Concurrences Centre for Colonial and Postcolonial Studies to be held at Växjö, Sweden, on 7-9 September 2025. Early career scholars (PhD students, postdocs, and assistant professors) are invited to present on-going research exploring relations, transfers, and entanglements between actors or groups of actors located in, or spanning, different regions of the world allowing for comparative and longue durée conversations. The summer school provides the perfect platform to kick-start a week of intense discussions that will culminate in the 8th European Congress on World and Global History (10-12 September 2025).
The Application Process
The Call is open to Ph.D. students and early career scholars from history and related disciplines, who work in the interdisciplinary field of writing connected, entangled, or comparative histories that incorporate transnational or transregional perspectives or challenge the confines of national and Eurocentric historiographies.
The language of presentations will be English but papers in other languages are also accepted. Participants are expected to present a paper of 3000–4000 words in length as the basis for discussion with the whole group; the papers will be circulated among the participants beforehand.
On the final day, participants are invited to pitch their research to the audience of the ENIUGH congress, marking the end of summer school and the opening of the ENIUGH congress.
The Summer School will cover the participation fees of early career scholars from the Global South, who may not have access to institutional funding. Travel grants will be considered awarded to outstanding applicants based on availability and individual needs.
Applications should contain:
- a CV
- a summary/exposé of the dissertation
- an abstract of your planned paper
- your contact data and institutional affiliation.
Please send your applications electronically as ONE PDF DOCUMENT to Christoph Gümmer: christoph.gummer@uni-leipzig.de and headquarters@eniugh.org. The last day of submission is 31st January 2025.
10. Hybrid: Book Launch: Governance and Islam in East Africa 7 November 17:30 GMT
Join the Governance Programme of the Aga Khan University Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisation (AKU-SMC) in a celebration of the publication of Governance and Islam in East Africa: Muslims and the State in Kenya and Tanzania edited by Farouk Topan, Kai Kresse, Erin E. Stiles and Hassan Mwakimako. Focusing on relations between Muslims and the State in post-Independence Kenya and Tanzania, the book brings together scholarship from both the Global North and Global South. Professor Michael Jennings will engage the book’s editors in a discussion that examines this complex topic through the three lenses of politics, institutions and the law.
The book has been published Open-Access, so please download your free copy HERE.
7 November 2024
17:30
Aga Khan Centre, 10 Handyside St, London N1C 4D
REGISTER NOW TO ATTEND IN PERSON OR ONLINE
Further details are provided in the image below or click here.
- October 29, 2024
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1.The Centre de Recherche sur le Monde Iranien (CNRS, Sorbonne nouvelle, Inalco, EPHE-PSL) is pleased to announce the
Ehsan and Latifeh Yarshater Distinguished Lectures in Iranian Studies in Paris
(XIe Conférences d’études iraniennes Ehsan et Latifeh Yarshater)
To be held on November 18, 20, 26, and December 2 and 9, 2024
at the Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art (INHA)
2 rue Vivienne 75002 Paris, Auditorium Jacqueline Lichtenstein
Our speaker, Dr. David Durand-Guédy (Universität Hamburg) will deliver five lectures (in French) on the theme:
Une histoire de l’espace à l’époque des premières dynasties turques et mongoles
Further information at: https://cermi.cnrs.fr/evenements-periodiques-du-cermi/conferences-detudes-iraniennes-ehsan-et-latifeh-yarshater/
Since 2001, the Centre de Recherche sur le Monde Iranien is the recipient of an endowment provided through the Persian Heritage Foundation for a biennial lecture series in Iranian Studies – the Ehsan and Latifeh Yarshater Distinguished Lectures in Iranian Studies in Paris.
Information regarding past lectures can be found here:
2. UCLA : ‘Empire of Refugees: North Caucasian Muslims and the Late Ottoman State’
Historiography of the Middle East Lecture Series
Tuesday, October 29, 2024
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM PST
UCLA Bunche Hall 10383
3. The Supreme Wisdom Lessons
A Scripture of American Islam
Michael Muhammad Knight,
University of Central Florida, 2024
series: Comparative Islamic Studies
For more information and to order at 25% off quoting the code RELIGION visit the book page:
https://www.equinoxpub.com/home/supreme-wisdom-lessons/
Part of our Equinox Religion Library Islamic Studies Collection:
https://equinoxreligionlibrary.com/projects/islamic-studies-collection
4. Writing People’s Histories: Sanaa Alimia / Asim Qureshi / Fatima Rajina
Join the Aga Khan University Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations for an evening of conversation as the journalist and presenter Malia Bouattia discusses with Sanaa Alimia, Asim Qureshi and Fatima Rajina how their books are woven together through the writing of people’s histories and rendering visible racialised, purposefully marginalised and often dehumanised subjects.
1 November 2024, 17:30
Aga Khan Centre, 10 Handyside St, London N1C 4D
REGISTER NOW TO ATTEND IN PERSON OR ONLINE
Further details are provided here.
5. The MBRN and Cardiff’s Islam in UK Centre are organising a conference about conversion to Islam, see below and attachment. The deadline for the CfP is 31 October.
Do you study conversion or work with converts? We’re looking forward to welcoming you to the next Muslims in Britain Research Network and Islam UK Centre conference on the impact of Muslim Converts in Britain.
The Islam-UK Centre, Cardiff University & MBRN (Muslims in Britain Research Network) invite submissions for academic papers and professional contributions to a one-day conference about Muslim converts in Europe. This interdisciplinary conference is open to academic scholars, non-academic professionals and practitioners, and members of religious communities.
We will showcase contemporary research and practice in relation to Muslim converts in Britain, and identify topics for future research and practice by addressing the following questions:
- What impact have British Muslim converts had on Muslim communities and wider British society?
- What resources do British Muslim converts use to create progress and change in their own lives, and more widely?
- What are the challenges and needs faced by British Muslim converts in the contemporary context, and how can research help to identify and address these?
Find further information on submission criteria here:
https://mbrn.org/upcoming-events/
6. AKU-ISMC’s new Centre for the Languages of the Muslim World is delighted to offer this short course as part of its Professional Development series. Arabic Transliteration for Academics, Publishers and Librariansis aimed at professionals, scholars and students who work with Arabic text and would like to acquire knowledge of transliteration systems and gain or improve their practical transliteration skills under the guidance of experienced tutors.
The course is a 5-hour practical workshop-style course taught in two highly interactive sessions. Both sessions incorporate tailored feedback from the tutors.
In session I, participants will learn about transliteration and transcription, the various conventions and scholarly traditions, linguistic issues, contextual needs, and specific problems of Arabic-to-roman rendering; participants will learn and practise contextually appropriate practical transliteration, with tailored feedback from the tutors. Session II will comprise a “problem clinic” workshop focused on short, sample texts chosen by each participant and submitted in advance. During the course, consideration will also be given to issues of bias and ideology.
The course is equally well suited to native and non-native speakers of Arabic.
Aims of the course
Develop an understanding of transliteration and transcription, linguistic issues, contextual needs, and specific problems of Arabic-to-roman rendering
Familiarisation with the various conventions and scholarly traditions
Practise contextually appropriate practical transliteration, with tailored feedback from the tutors.
Date and time
5 December | 14:00 – 17:00 (London time) 12 December | 14:00 – 16:00 (London time)
Eligibility Criteria
The course assumes full reading ability of the Arabic script, and at least some basic knowledge of, or working familiarity with, the Arabic language. The course is equally well-suited to both native and non-native speakers of Arabic.
Note
The course will be delivered via Zoom. Readings and further details will be provided later upon registration.
This course will not be recorded.
7. CFP: Sensescapes of War and Ritual in the Early Modern Islamic World, c. 1500-1800
International Conference, Utrecht University, 13-14 February 2025
The religiopolitical landscapes of Islamicate empires were reshaped by the introduction of new destructive warfare technologies and intense ideological propaganda during the early modern period. In this crucial era, collective religious identities were recast in the crucible of prolonged conflicts and contending visions of piety, eschatology, and community. Warfare and rituals were deeply intertwined, as both served performative and symbolic roles in the construction and maintenance of confessional boundaries. These symbolically loaded phenomena served to purify communities of heresy and reinforce distinct religious identities. The ritualization of violence shaped the sensory experience of both warfare and religious ritual. This conference, convened by the SENSIS research project at Utrecht University, invites contributions that examine how sensory experiences both shaped and were shaped by religious transformation, mobility, and violence in this pivotal period between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries.
By searing the traumatic experiences of battle into collective memory and affecting the psychological and emotional states of both combatants and noncombatants, wars were not only fought on the battlefield but also felt in the streets, in homes, and in the imaginations of people, thereby creating new emotional and sensory communities. Although research on the early modern Islamic world has made great strides in exploring military technology, the mobilization and provisioning of armies, and the relationship between warfare and state-building, the impact of these developments on the sensory regimes and experiences of early modern Muslims remains largely unexplored. This conference aims to address this gap by highlighting how warfare transformed sensory experiences, thereby contributing to a deeper understanding of the sensory dimensions of early modern Islamic societies.
Moreover, apart from the visceral theaters of war, the early modern period saw the rise of states that legitimized themselves through elaborate public rituals, offering new multisensory experiences. Clamorous commemorations, carnivalesque ceremonies, and starkly embodied rituals stimulated and calibrated the senses. New sartorial, sonic, tactile, and olfactory practices enriched the senscapes of war and religious rites. While scholarship has advanced the study of confessionalization in the context of the Ottoman and Safavid empires, the sensory dimensions of public expressions of religious identity formation remain underexplored. Parallel to the theme of warfare, this conference also seeks to highlight how sensory experiences contributed to the formation of religious identities in Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal contexts.
The conference will address the following key questions:
How did the development and adoption of new military technologies by Muslim dynasties transform the sensory experience of battlefields in the early modern era? How did early modern authors construct, mediate, and express the sensorium of warfare? How did violence reshape the sensory perception of landscapes, sacred spaces, and bodies? In what ways did religious transformations, imperial conversions, and polemical encounters reconfigure the sensory experiences of people? How did they contribute to the crystallization of confessional differences both within and between Sunni and Shia Islamic traditions? How did mobility (particularly pilgrimage, travel, and migration) transform the sensory worlds of early modern Islamicate empires? How can sensory history complement our understanding of broader historical dynamics in the early modern period, such as the formation and development of empires, intercommunal relations, and the transformation of religious practices?
Possible topics for papers include, but are not limited to, the senses in:
- Experiences of violence and war
- The performance of rituals
- Sectarian conflict
- Devotional practices
- Mysticism and occult sciences
- Islamic law, theology, philosophy, and ethics
- Mobility (travel, migration, pilgrimage, and exile)
- Cross-cultural encounters
- Religious change and its effects on the sensory landscape of sacred spaces
- Religious identity
- Material cultures of war and religious ritual
- Colonial expansion and war
Paper proposals:
Please send your proposals to sensis@uu.nl including paper title, abstract (max 250 words), name, and institution, by December 15. We welcome scholars regardless of geographical location and particularly encourage graduate students and early-career scholars to submit paper proposals. We have limited funds available to supplement travel costs of presenters. Please indicate in your email if you would like to be considered for a travel grant and/or whether you can secure travel funding from your home institution. No registration fee is required for participation.
Please note that this will be the second of three conferences organized by the SENSIS research group. The final conference, scheduled for May 2025, will focus on sensory history approaches to material culture. For more details, visit our website: https://sensis.wp.hum.uu.nl.
Contact Email
URL
https://sensis.wp.hum.uu.nl/2024/10/call-for-papers-sensis-conference-2025/
8. International Workshop “Accessing the Sea in the Middle Ages: Quantitative Approaches to Mediterranean Mobility”, Heidelberg University, 30-31 October 2024
Utilising the eponymous ‘Database of Medieval Maritime Predation’ as a tool, the medievalists are collecting and analysing documents from the Archives of Barcelona, Valencia, Mallorca, Genoa, Venice and Malta to track maritime predators from East to West and vice versa.
Information and program: https://rmblf.be/2024/10/04/colloque-accessing-the-sea-in-the-middle-ages-quantitative-approaches-to-mediterranean-mobility/
9. Post-doctoral Fellowship (2 years, for Non-German Female Researcher) for the Project “Studies in Late Antiquity and Early Islam (LAESSI)”, University of Göttingen
The Projects investigates religious, political, cultural, economic trajectories from Late Antiquity to Early Islam (ca. 300 to ca. 930) in the MENA region. Individual proposals related to this overall theme are welcome. Applications should comprise a CV, a list of publications and a short proposal (max. five pages).
Deadline for applications: 3 November 2024.
Contact Prof. Dr. Jens Scheiner (jschein@uni-goettqaboo.de )
- October 26, 2024
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1.4th International Kurdish Studies Conference
We are delighted to announce the 4th International Kurdish Studies Conference, taking place from April 22-23, 2025, at the University of Kurdistan Hewlêr in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
This conference, co-organized by the Kurdish Institute of Paris, the University of Kurdistan Hewlêr, and the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research – Kurdistan Region Government, with the support of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and the French Ministry of Higher Education, aims to bring together scholars from around the world to discuss pioneering research on various aspects of Kurdish studies.
With keynote speakers Prof. Hamit Bozarslan (EHESS, France) and Prof. Khanna Omarkhali (Free University of Berlin), the event will cover topics including Kurdish society, politics, language, gender studies, migration, and much more.
Panel proposals and abstract submissions are open until December 16, 2024. Join us for a dynamic exploration of Kurdish studies and its relevance in today’s changing geopolitical landscape. Travel grants are available for early-career and female academics.
For submission guidelines and more details, contact kurdishstudiesconference@ukh.edu.krd
Organising Committee
Salih Akin, University of Rouen-Normandy, France
Nazand Begikhani, Sciences Po, France
Amiri Cali, Advisor, KRG Ministry of Higher Education
Naif Bezwan, University of Vienna, Austria
Janroj Yilmaz Keles, Middlesex University, United Kingdom
Bayar Mustafa, University of Kurdistan Hewlêr, Kurdistan
Arzu Yilmaz, University of Kurdistan Hewlêr, Kurdistan
Kind regards
Janroj Yilmaz Keles, PhD SFHEA
Associate Professor in Politics, Law School, Middlesex University
Visiting Professor in International Relations at the Centre for Peacebuilding and Dialogue, University of Kurdistan Hewlêr
Visiting Senior Fellow at the Centre for Women, Peace and Security, LSE
W09 Williams Building, The Burroughs, London NW4 4BT
Email: J.Keles@mdx.ac.uk
2. 2025 BRISMES Conference: Call for Papers
Newcastle University, Newcastle • 1-3 July 2025
Proposals due by 13.12.24.
Full information at:
And
https://www.brismes.ac.uk/pages/preview/AHEjwgi7DXvi2y3zMIWztWXq
3. Seminar “Societies, Politics and Cultures of the Iranian World” this Thursday, October 24, 2024
We regret to announce that the first session of the seminar, scheduled for Thursday, October 24 at 5 p.m. at Inalco, must be cancelled. The lecture by Mr. Marc Toutant, “Le Tuḥfat al-ṭālibīn, une grammaire moghole du turc oriental. Philological, Cultural and Political Teachings” will be postponed to a date to be communicated later.
The seminar “Societies, Politics and Cultures of the Iranian World” will therefore begin on Thursday, November 14, 2024 at 5 p.m. at INALCO (4th floor, room 4.15, 65 rue des Grands Moulins, Paris XIII), with the intervention of Mr. Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi (EPHE-PSL, LEM), for a conference entitled: “Persian Mystical Poetry and Spiritual Exercises”.
Summary:
Mystical poetry in the Persian language in the classical age (tenth-fifteenth century) is characterized, as we know, by the extreme richness of its symbolic lexicons: from the evocation of eroticism and the beauties of nature to drinking, debauchery and immorality. The present examination does not concern these technicalities, which have been extensively studied for a long time; rather, he will endeavour to recover a layer of unrecognized meaning, hidden under these lexicons, which has to do with ascetic practices and spiritual exercises. The scattered allusions in mystical prose literature or symbolic philosophical fables allow us to discover hermeneutical grids where “the morning breeze” can refer to morning breathing exercises, where “the dew” can evoke the ascetic’s perspiration, and “the rose petals”, the purple cheeks. In this way, in the case of the great Ḥāfeẓ, for example, a lyrical description of nature or the lament of heartache can refer, in addition to their obviate meaning expressed in a sublime poetic language, to specific mystical practices and inner experiences.
Bibliographical orientations:
– Naṣrallāh Pūrjavādī, Zabān-e ḥāl dar ‘erfān va adabiyyāt-e fārsī, Téhéran, Hermes, 1385 solaire/2006
– Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi, “Singing the Sweetness of Prayer. De quelques aspects méconnus du vocabulaire technique de la poésie mystique persane”, Journal des Savants, January-June 2014, p. 121-141.
– Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi, “Provocation, Love, Inner Freedom. On Some Spiritual Aspects of Iranian Islam”, Revue des Sciences Philosophiques et Théologiques 101.2 (April-June 2017), p. 187-200.
You will find the 2024-2025 program of the monthly research seminar “Societies, Politics and Cultures of the Iranian World” attached, and on the CeRMI website:
https://cermi.cnrs.fr/seminaires-de-recherche/societes-politiques-et-cultures-du-monde-iranien-2024-2025/
4. University of Edinburgh
Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Research Seminar Series: Peter Hill
Date & Time: 28 October 2024, 5:15pm – 6:30pm
Venue: Project Room 1.06, 50 George Square
In brief: Dr Peter Hill (Northumbria University) will give a talk entitled ‘Disturbance of Thoughts: Doubt, Impiety, and Unbelief in the Arab-Ottoman World, 17th-19th Centuries’, which will draw on his research into political thought, intercultural exchanges, and the modern Middle East.
Booking: Not required for attending in person, simply turn up on the day.
For attending online, you can email an IMES colleague for joining details.
See:
5. Historians of Islamic Art Association
2025 Symposium, April 3-5
Pre-registration will close by February 14
Thursday, April 3 – MIT and Boston College
MIT:
- 10:30am – 1:00pm: Viewing of the collections and the exhibition “Refracted Histories through Stained Glass: 19th Century Islamic Windows as a Prism into MIT’s Past, Present, and Future,” followed by a light lunch. Aga Khan Documentation Center at MIT. Capped at 30, please register.
Boston College:
- 3pm: Welcome Remarks, Boston College
- 3:15 – 4:45 pm: Roundtable: Provenance and Islamic Art: Current Discussions and Future Directions.Speakers: Elizabeth Dospel Williams, Gwendolyn Collaço, Inês Fialho Brandão, Margaret Graves, Amanda Phillips, Martina Rugiadi, Eiren Shea, Alyson Wharton(-Durgaryan), Franziska Kabelitz
- 5 – 6:30 pm: Keynote lecture: Nasser Rabbat, Aga Khan Professor and Director of the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture, MIT. Writing (Art) History in the Time of War
- 7:00 – 9:00 pm: reception and visit “Wonders of Creation: Art, Science and Innovation in the Islamic World.” McMullen Museum, Boston College, 2101 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA
Friday April 4 – Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
- 9:00 – 11:00 am: Panel 1: “Inscribed Meaning, Memory, and Identity: The Embodiment of Textiles, Dress and Jewels in the Islamic World”
- ‘Reading’ Inscribed Textiles in Context: an Abbasid tiraz textile in a Fatimid Burial. Arielle Winnik, Postdoctoral Associate, Yale University Art Gallery
- Messages in Minerals: Decoding Inscribed Gemstones. Courtney Stewart, Research Associate, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Two Inscribed Ghurid Talismanic Jewels in the al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait. Jochen Sokoly, Associate Professor, Virginia Commonwealth University, Qatar
- Traceable Origins of Coins, Embroidery & Adornment in Palestinian Headdress, (Late 19th – Early 20th Centuries). Wafa Ghnaim, Founder, Tatreez Institute and Research Scholar, Metropolitan Museum of Art
- 11:00 – 11:30 am: Coffee break
- 11:30 – 1:00 pm: Panel 2: “Writing, Speaking”
- Flipping the Script of a Historical Whodunnit: An Epigraphical Forgery at the Abbasid Nilometer in Cairo. Heba Mostafa, Associate Professor, University of Toronto, St George
- Playing with Arabic Script: Visual Analogies and the Imagination in Medieval Islamic Aesthetics. Zahra Kazani, Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Cambridge
- Cloths of Mourning: Late Safavid Epigraphic Textiles. Sarah Molina, PhD Candidate, Harvard University
- 1:15 – 2:00 pm: lunch
- Optional lunchtime discussion: AI and Islamic Art History. Led by Nancy Um, Associate Director for Research and Knowledge Creation, Getty Research Institute, and Hossein Nakhaei, PhD Candidate, University of Pittsburgh. Capped at 20, please register.
- 2:00 – 3:30 pm: Collection viewings, limited capacity. Please register.
- “Inscribed Meaning, Memory, and Identity: Dress and Adornments in the MFA Collections”
- “Contemporary Calligraphy – New Acquisitions”
- 3:30 – 5:30 pm: Panel 3: “Architecture Speaks”
- Architecture as Archive: Re-framing Mughal Imperial Lineage. Srinanda Ganguly, PhD Candidate, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign
- A Seventeenth-Century T-Shaped Mosque in Anatolia? The Byzantinizing Mosque of Hüsrev Paşa near Eskişehir. Zeynep Oguz, University of Zagreb
- The “Defender of Islam” Defiant: The Mausoleum of Qus and the Virtual Hajj.” Mikael Muehlbauer, Interim Assistant Educator, Office of Academic and Professional Programs, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Forging locality in domes: Muslim architecture of Quanzhou, Chendai, and Baiqi in the 20th and 21st centuries. Sylvia Wu, Assistant Professor, the University of Texas at Austin
Saturday, April 5, Boston College
- 9:00 – 11:00 am: Panel 4: “The Architecture and Arts of Islamicate Central Asia during Dynastic Ruptures”
- Bihzad’s Ghost: The Timurid—Abu’l-Khayrid transition in Transoxiana, 1480–1510. Jaimee Comstock-Skipp, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow, University of Oxford
- Qarakhanid Architecture Re-examined: Portals, Patronage, and Consolidating Turko-Islamic Power in eleventh-century Transoxiana. Dilrabo Tosheva, AKPIA Fellow, Harvard University
- The pre-Mongol City of Balkh as Seen by its Residents: a Report from the Fadaʾil-i Balkh. Said Reza Husaini, Research Fellow, King’s College, Cambridge University
- Historical Madrasas as Spolia: Appropriating Timurid and Abu’l-Khayrid Monuments in Toqay-Timurid Urban Squares. Yue Xie, PhD Candidate, Harvard University
- 11:00 – 11:30 am: coffee break
- 11:30 am – 1:00 pm: Critical Explorations of Gen AI through Visual Datasets and the ‘Missing Metadata’ of Islamic Art, Aroussiak Gabrielian, Assistant Professor, USC Architecture (Landscape Architecture + Media Arts), Huma Gupta, Assistant Professor, Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture, MIT
- 1:00 – 2:00 pm: Lunch
- Optional lunchtime discussion: Teaching Difficult Topics. Led by Zohreh Soltani, Assistant Professor, Ithaca College, and Emily Neumeier, Assistant Professor, Temple University. Capped at 20, please register.
- 2:00 – 4:00 pm: Panel 5: “Responding to a Changing World”
- Tool of Craft or Homage to Profession? A Study of a Qajar Architectural Tablet and a Futuwwatnama of Architects. Salimeh Hosseini, PhD Candidate, University of Chicago,
- The meaning of ‘photography’ (fotogerāfi) is light-drawing (nūr-negārī)”: Mystical Metaphors in Technical Manuals of Photography in Nineteenth-Century Iran. Chaeri Lee. PhD Candidate, Indiana University
- “The Gift of the Orient”: Ottoman Cultural Brokers in the US, ca. 1900. Roxanne Goldberg, PhD Candidate, MIT
- The Spatial Realms of Ottoman Imperial Portraiture: Sultan Selim III, Self-Representation, and Topkapı’s Renewal. Hilal Uǧurlu, Associate Professor, MEF University, Istanbul, and Deniz Türker, Assistant Professor, Rutgers University
- 4:00 – 4:30 pm: Coffee break
- 4:30 – 6:30pm: Panel 6: “Realms of Response: Javab and Cultural Production in Early Modern Iran and South Asia”
- The Poetics of Pottery and the Aesthetics of Absence: Isfahan’s Music Room. Michael Chagnon, Aga Khan Museum
- Speaking Cities: The City and the Self in Premodern Urban Descriptions. Farshid Emami, Assistant Professor, Rice University
- Mirroring the Cosmos: The Mi‘raj as an Inner Journey Towards God in Hindustani Painting. Murad Khan Mumtaz, Associate Professor, Williams College
- Self/Reflection: Ghiyas/Sherley, or how to talk back in Safavid art and history. Kishwar Rizvi, Professor, Yale University
- Moderator: Paul Losenky, Professor, Indiana University
- 6:30 – 8:00pm: Closing reception at the McMullen Museum, Boston College, 2101 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA
6. HIAA ONLINE WORKSHOPS
Addressing Fraught Proximities between the Historical and the Contemporary in the Teaching of Islamic Art and Architecture
November 21, 2024 (Thursday)
11am CST/ 12:00 EST/ 17:00 GMT
To register: https://temple.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUofu-trT0pHtasBVgmHrZJxj4aXL3-CkZd
Moderator: Theodore Van Loan (Washington and Lee University)
Panelists: Alessandra Amin (Johns Hopkins University), Stephennie Mulder (UT Austin), Kirsten Scheid (American University Beirut), Mohammed Mourtaja (Washington and Lee University), Saima Akhtar (Barnard College)
The premise that research and teaching of the historical art and architecture of the Middle East can be dispassionately separated from urgent political and cultural issues of the region has been thoroughly dismantled by postcolonial critical practices. Yet, at the same time, it remains an open question how curricular and pedagogical practices of historical “Islamic” art and architecture might be responsive to such concerns. For students interested in the field, these issues are of prime interest, as they are for faculty who are often lack the critical tools to engage with historical material as it is set within proximate location to death, destruction, and conflict, to state things in the starkest of terms. This workshop will bring together a multidisciplinary group of art historians and others in related fields whose work, and research practices involve conceptualizing connections between the study of historical art and architecture and these various urgent concerns. These concerns include modes of neo-colonial exploitation, warfare, ethnic cleansing, genocide, Islamophobia, human rights, cultural heritage protection, among others. The Humanities offer us no easy answers or concrete methodologies to address these challenging proximities, but nonetheless they need to be urgently discussed.
7. Medieval Landscapes of Anatolia: Deciphering the dynamic relationship between urban and rural, Online Talk Serie Archaeology Seminar – October 23
The IFEA, together with METU and Sorbonne Universite, organises an online Talk Serie Archaeology Seminar in 2024-2025.
The first lecture will be held online, October 23, 7.00pm (Istanbul time)
Speakers : Burcu Erciyas (METU) & Maxime Durocher (SU)
Title : “Resilient Landscapes and Dynamic Communities of Medieval Komana”
Link and registration : https://www.ifea-istanbul.net/index.php/fr/evenements/eve-archeo/archaeology-seminar-medieval-landscape-of-anatolia-deciphering-the-dynamic-relationship-between-urban-a
Contact Email
maxime.durocher@sorbonne-universite.fr
URL
https://www.ifea-istanbul.net/index.php/fr/evenements/eve-archeo/archaeology-se…
8. Iowa State University – Assistant Professor – Art History
https://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=67995
Pennsylvania State University – Assistant Professor (Tenure Track) of Architectural History
https://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=67961
University of Massachusetts – Amherst – Associate/Full Professor – Islamic/Middle Eastern Studies
https://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=68010
Harvard University – NELC – Preceptor in Persian
https://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=68018
Texas Christian University – Assistant Professor, Modern Middle East
https://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=67985
9. Hybrid: Columbia University
Arabic Studies Seminars with Nouri Gana Melancholy of the Oppressed 24/10
The first meeting of the semester with Professor Nouri Gana (UCLA) next Thursday (10/24) at 7pm EST in Faculty House for a book talk on his latest book: Melancholy of the Oppressed: Defeat and Cultural Critique in the Arab World.
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 are not a CUID holder, please RSVP as soon as possible. If we don’t receive your RSVP by the end of Friday, we may not be able to let you in.
This meeting will also be live streamed here on ZOOM for those guests who can’t make it in person.
The talk will begin at 7:00 pm.
- October 22, 2024
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1.Two Upcoming Classical Persian Courses
Two upcoming courses on Classical Persian historical texts and manuscript studies organized by the Ferdowsi School of Persian Literature:
The first course, starting on October 21st and running for three weeks, focuses on the Classical Persian of historical texts. It’s designed to familiarize participants with the classical historical tradition, exploring the style, grammar, and essential tools needed to critically read and analyze historical texts. This course, as well as the next one are suitable for Masters’ or PhD students of Persian and Iranian studies.
Course Title: Classical Persian through Historical Texts: From Naršaxī to Juwaynī
The second course, starting on November 11th and lasting for two weeks, is specifically aimed at developing techniques for reading Classical Persian manuscripts. Throughout the course, we’ll read and analyze a variety of manuscripts—both prose and verse—and practice the skills needed to work with them. We might also dedicate some time to exploring manuscripts participants are currently working with.
Course Title: Classical Persian through Living Books: Unlocking the Persian Manuscripts
Ruben Nikoghosyan
Yerevan, Armenia
Website: www.ferdowsi.org
2. Orsatti, Paola. “Persian Language in Arabic Script: The Formation of the Orthographic Standard and the Different Graphic Traditions of Iran in the First Centuries of the Islamic Era”.Creating Standards: Interactions with Arabic script in 12 manuscript cultures, edited by Dmitry Bondarev, Alessandro Gori and Lameen Souag, Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, 2019, pp. 39-72. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110639063-002
The paper is available for download here (open access): Persian Language in Arabic Script: The Formation of the Orthographic Standard and the Different Graphic Traditions of Iran in the First Centuries of the Islamic Era (degruyter.com)
3. British Colonial Policy and Intelligence Files on Asia and the Middle East, c. 1880–c. 1950
Brill
We are excited to introduce our new online resource, British Colonial Policy and Intelligence Files on Asia and the Middle East, c. 1880–c. 1950. India Office Political and Secret Files and Confidential Print.
The series comprises fourteen collections of historical British government documents related to intelligence gathered on countries in Asia and the Middle East, including India, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, and more. The original documents are part of the Oriental & India Office Collections at the British Library in London. The collection will be hosted on the new De Gruyter Brill platform.
4. Jobs:
Indiana University – Bloomington – Roger E. Covey Professor of Silk Road Studies, Open Rank, Tenure Track
https://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=67817
New York University Arts and Science – Tenure Track Position in 18th and 19th Century Middle Eastern History
https://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=67805
5. Indiana University’s Summer 2025 Language Workshop is now accepting applications for its intensive online Kurdish program!
- Learn 1 year of language in 2 months
- Enjoy 18 hours of live instruction per week, plus cultural activities
- Combine the effectiveness of intensive study with the convenience of an online class
- Speed your learning by studying alongside enthusiastic and talented language learners
Funding Opportunities
- Explore available funding options here: https://languageworkshop.iu.edu/funding
Priority Application Deadline
- December 6, 2024
Learn more and apply here: https://languageworkshop.indiana.edu/kurdish
Questions? Email the Language Workshop at languageworkshop@iu.edu or join virtual office hours.
6. Indiana University’s Summer 2025 Language Workshop is now accepting applications for its intensive online Turkish program!
- Learn 1 year of language in 2 months
- Enjoy 18 hours of live instruction per week, plus cultural activities
- Combine the effectiveness of intensive study with the convenience of an online class
- Accelerate your learning with daily 1-on-1 skills training
- Speed your learning by studying alongside enthusiastic and talented language learners
Funding Opportunities
- Explore available funding options here: https://languageworkshop.iu.edu/funding
Priority Application Deadline
- December 6, 2024
Learn more and apply here: https://languageworkshop.indiana.edu/turkish
Questions? Email the Language Workshop at languageworkshop@iu.edu or join virtual office hours.
NEW RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS, 2025-2026
The Raoul Wallenberg Institute at the University of Michigan is proud to announce the launch of a new fellowship program for scholars of all academic ranks.
The Wallenberg Institute fosters the values embodied by Raoul Wallenberg—empathy, tolerance, and leadership—by studying hatred directed against religious and ethnic communities, fostering cross-cultural understanding, and elevating civic discourse. Through teaching, research, and public engagement, the institute will develop strategies to combat antisemitism, divisiveness, and discrimination.
The Wallenberg fellowships will support original research, scholarship, and public-facing or community-based projects that support the mission of the Institute. Fellows will have the time and resources to work on their own projects while contributing to the university community. Research fellowships are renewable on an annual basis for up to a total of three years, contingent on satisfactorily meeting the terms of the fellowship. Fellows who extend to second and third years will be required to either teach one course per year (in years two and three) or contribute equivalent service (such as curatorial work, student engagement, or public outreach). Scholars are also welcome to apply for single semester or single year fellowships. We are looking for a diverse range of scholars and practitioners to create a dynamic and innovative environment of research and collaboration.
Eligibility:
- This open-rank fellowship is intended for scholars and practitioners from any relevant discipline.
- Applicants must have successfully defended their PhD by August 1, 2025.
- Applications are open to scholars regardless of citizenship or permanent residency status.
Terms:
- Fellowships are renewable for up to a total of three years. Starting annual salary for fellowships is $68,000 and will be commensurate with experience. All fellows will be eligible for university benefits and will be provided with a research budget to be used during the tenure of the fellowship.
- Fellows are required to be in residence and will be provided workspace at the Wallenberg Institute.
- Fellows are expected to participate in weekly Wallenberg Fellows’ workshops and engage in the University’s intellectual community. They may be invited to present their work at the Institute, give guest lectures in classes, or mentor students.
Requirements for Application:
- Applications should be submitted through Interfolio: apply.interfolio.com/156501
- Proposal of no more than 1000 words describing your project, your relevant competencies and skills, how a Wallenberg fellowship will assist in its completion, how your project will advance the goals of the institute, and the particular ways in which you propose to contribute to the campus community (ie. teaching, student engagement, curatorial work, etc.).
- Curriculum vitae
- Writing Sample of approximately 30 pages.
- Names and contact details of two references (contacted for finalists only).
Timeline:
- Applications for the 2025-2026 academic year will be open in October.
- Deadline for applications for the 2025-2026 academic year is December 8.
- Offers for Wallenberg Fellows for the 2025-2026 academic year will be extended in Spring 2025.
Questions about the fellowship program may be directed to Dr. Miriam Mora.
Contact Information
Miriam Eve Mora, PhD
Managing Director, Raoul Wallenberg Institute at the University of Michigan
Office Phone: (734) 763-1734
Mailing Address:
3246 LSA Building
500 S. State Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1382
Contact Email
URL
https://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=67900
8. CALL FOR PAPERS: The Tenth Biennial Convention of the Association for the Study of Persianate Societies ASPS/Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies
August 12-16, 2025 Tashkent, Uzbekistan
The Association for the Study of Persianate Societies (ASPS) is pleased to announce its Tenth Biennial Convention, to take place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, August 12-16, 2025. Our meeting will be hosted by Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies.
The Deadline for Submission of Abstracts is October 31, 2024.
Please note that those wishing to submit an abstract must be a current (2024) ASPS member. Otherwise your submission will not be considered. You must be a 2025 member to register and participate in the conference. To become a new member or renew your ASPS membership please proceed to our membership page. We will likely have a limited number of fellowships available for participants from Afghanistan and Central Asia, and for graduate students from the US. Further details regarding application procedures for travel fellowships will be announced later.
Submissions in all humanities and social science disciplines related to Persianate Societies are welcome. Pre-organized panels are strongly encouraged. Submissions for pre-organized panels must include a panel abstract of no more than 300 words plus individual abstracts of no more than 300 words for each panelist. Panels must be limited to a minimum of three panelists and a maximum of four.
Submissions for pre-organized panels and individual papers can be made by clicking here. For questions, please contact the Chair of the Convention and ASPS Secretary, Rob Haug at haugrt@ucmail.uc.edu.
9. CfP: TRANSLATION AND MULTILINGUALISM IN MONGOL AND POST-MONGOL EURASIA
Workshop co-organised between
TRANSLAPT (University of Münster) & NoMansLand (IFI – ÖAW)
4-6 June 2025, University of Münster, Germany
Abstract submission deadline: 15 November 2024
Full information at:
https://www.uni-muenster.de/ArabistikIslam/translapt/call_for_papers/index.html
10.Zoom: Zahra Institute Speaker Event on Oct. 23 with Dr. Michael Chyet
We are excited to invite you to our next Fall Speaker Series event taking place on Wednesday, 23 October. Our speaker, Dr. Michael Chyet (Missouri State University), will present on, “Managing Variation: A Methodology for Standardizing Kurdish.”
Dr. Chyet recently retired (June 2024) from his position as Cataloger of Middle Eastern languages at the Library of Congress. Formerly he was Senior Broadcast Editor of the Kurdish Service of the Voice of America, and professor of Kurdish at the University of Paris and at the Washington Kurdish Institute. Dr. Chyet currently teaches Kurdish via Zoom for Missouri State University (MSU). He is working on a third, expanded edition of his Kurdish-English dictionary, Ferhenga Birûskî.
𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: Managing Variation: A Methodology for Standardizing Kurdish
𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧: 12:00 pm Central /1 pm Eastern, Wednesday, October 23
𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: Zoom, https://zoom.us/j/93793822840?pwd=pxFUOJfxlj73aaYeD5HaFfrETX6kga.1
For Zoom link and more information, please see the event flyer below and visit our website: https://www.zahrainstitute.org/. Feel free to share with your networks.
11. Job: Political Science Endowed Chair position at Texas Christian University (TCU)
Texas Christian University invites highly qualified candidates to apply for the Herman Brown Endowed Chair of Political Science. The ideal candidate will have an exceptional record of nationally and internationally recognized research and a demonstrable aptitude for, and commitment to, effective undergraduate teaching. We welcome applicants at the rank of Professor or senior Associate Professor, and from all subfields of Political Science. Nominations are welcome. We seek an individual who will contribute intellectual and programmatic leadership in a large and thriving undergraduate department.
Full review of applications begins on November 1 and will continue until the position is filled.
Full information at:
12. Rethinking Contemporary Islamic Movements – a podcast series
Announcing the podcast series ‘Rethinking Contemporary Islamic Movements‘ on our (Cambridge) website (and that of our partners at the Edinburgh Alwaleed Centre). This podcast series seeks to advance comparative analysis of wider patterns of change, continuity, similarity, and difference across diverse contemporary Islamic movements operating within and across Europe and the Middle East and North Africa.
It came out of a joint project – Rethinking Transnational Islamic Movements within & across the Middle East & Europe– between Iman Dawood (Cambridge) and Guy Eyre (Edinburgh).
13. Call for Assistant/Associate Professor; Farzanah Family Assistant/Associate Professor of Iranian Studies University of Oklahoma, Norman Campus.
The David L. Boren College of International Studies at the University of Oklahoma seeks applicants for a full-time Farzaneh Family Professor of Iranian Studies, at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor (tenure-track or tenured), with a start date of August 15, 2025.
The College encourages applications from all interested and qualified parties. Our mission statement and other information can be found at www.ou.edu/cis. We seek a scholar of Iranian Studies working in the Political Science subfields of International Relations and/or Comparative Politics. While the position is open with respect to substantive specialization within these subfields, we have particular interest in candidates with research interests in comparative and/or international political economy, political/economic development, international trade, natural resource economies, or economic inequality.
The successful candidate will teach undergraduate and MA-level courses in Iranian Studies, as well as courses within their areas of specialization, particularly as they relate to Iran and the broader Persian Gulf region. The College has particular teaching needs in the subjects of the politics and economics of Iran, US-Iran relations, as well as international political economy, political economy of development, and international trade. The successful candidate will also be expected to develop and maintain a consistent research agenda leading to high-quality academic publications and will have an opportunity to take an engaged role in the Farzaneh Family Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies (https://www.ou.edu/cis/research/farzaneh-family-center).
For information about The Boren College of International Studies: (https://www.ou.edu/cis).
Required Qualifications:
• Ph.D. in Political Science or International Relations in hand or expected by time of appointment.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct high-quality research in their areas of expertise related to Iranian / Persian Gulf Studies.
• Demonstrated ability or potential to teach courses in Iranian Studies, International Relations and/or Comparative Politics.
Preferences (Not Required):
• One or more publications in relevant peer-reviewed outlets and additional ongoing research.
• Research expertise in comparative and/or international political economy, political/economic development, international trade, natural resource economies, or economic inequality.
• Demonstrated ability or potential to generate external research funding.
• Demonstrated ability or potential to participate in the programming activities of the Farzaneh Center.
• Working proficiency in Persian.
• Excellence in teaching and in supporting student success.
Application Instructions:
Applicants are invited to submit a cover letter, current C.V., writing sample, and list of three potential academic references to http://apply.interfolio.com/156855. The cover letter may address examples of the candidate’s approach to teaching, inclusive excellence, research, service, and student mentorship. Additional materials may be requested at a later date. The search will remain open until filled. The search committee will begin reviewing applications on November 18, 2024.
14. UCLA: IRANIAN STUDIES & YARSHATER CENTER
Symposium & Workshop:
Nezāmi and the Iranian World
November 21 – November 22, 2024
A symposium and workshop convened by
Domenico Ingenito (University of California, Los Angeles)
Morning Refreshments at 8:30am
Conference beings at 9:00am
Full information at:
15. HYBRIDE Conférence “La Muqaddima d’Ibn Khaldûn, une oeuvre multidimensionnelle et uni-verselle” avec Abdelhamid Larguèche (université Tunis-Manouba) et Gabriel Martinez-Gros (université de Nanterre), Centre arabe de recherches & d’études politiques, Paris, 22 octobre 2024, 18h30
Cette conférence se propose d’explorer les multiples facettes de ce grand penseur, qui fut à la fois historien, économiste, sociologue, et peut-être même visionnaire. Nous examinerons en particulier sa théorie de l’‘Um-ran et discuterons de la manière dont son oeuvre résonne encore aujourd’hui avec notre modernité. Quels enseignements La Muqaddima peut-elle nous offrir sur notre existence actuelle et les défis de notre société contemporaine ?
Information et inscription: https://www.carep-paris.org/prochain-evenement/la-muqaddima-dibn-khaldun-une-oeuvre-multidimensionnelle-et-universelle/
16. Assistant Professor for Modern Middle Eastern and North African History, Department of Mid-dle Eastern Languages and Cultures (MELC), Indiana University, Bloomington
We seek a scholar with research and teaching experience specialized in the contemporary MENA region, and with a substantive focus in one or more of the following areas: States and societies – Religion – Immi-gration and displacement – Water or fossil fuel resources – Human security (civil conflict).
Deadline for applications: 30 October 2024. Information: https://mesana.org/resources-and-opportunities /2024/08/29/assistant-professor-of-modern-middle-eastern-and-north-african-history-1
17.Tenure Track Assistant Professor in the Modern Arab Middle East, Crown Center for Middle East Studies, Brandeis University
Candidates in Anthropology or Sociology. Applicants must have training, linguistic expertise, and research and teaching interests in the region. Applicants should have a Ph.D. in hand when the appointment begins.
Deadline for applications: 31 October 2024. Information: https://www.brandeis.edu/crown/grants/index.html
18. Lecturer in South or Southeast Asian Islam, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX
Qualification: Ph.D. in Religious Studies or related field; ability to teach courses on Islam in Asia across all periods, Islam and empire, contemporary Islam, and courses that would contribute to the minor in Asian Studies; experience mentoring culturally diverse students.
Deadline for applications: 1 November 2024. Information: https://apply.interfolio.com/150783
19. ONLINE Course “Introduction to Arabic Translation” (10 Hours), Centre for the Languages of the Muslim World, Aga Khan University, London, 31 October, 7, 14, 21, 28 November 2024, 14:00 – 16:00 London Time
Aims of the course: Study a selected range of Arabic texts in order to comparatively analyse competing translations of each, via exercises in contrastive stylistics. – Identify and discuss typical rhetorical features of Arabic and English. – Facilitate an understanding of key issues in Arabic-to-English translation. – Introduce the underpinnings of translation methodology.
Information:
https://www.aku.edu/ismc/events/pages/event-detail.aspx?EventID=2595&Title=Introduction%25
- October 19, 2024
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1. Ghand-e Parsi: Gateway to Academic Persian Language and Literature
Persian Language Courses & Persianate Studies Coaching
October – December 2024
More information and registration:
https://sites.google.com/view/persian-autumn-school/home
2. Full conference program: Translation and Multilingualism in the Premodern Islamic World(s)
The final program for our upcoming 15 -16 November 2024 conference, “Translation and Multilingualism in the Premodern Islamic World(s).”
For two days, 24 esteemed scholars will present thought-provoking papers on often-overlooked aspects of translation and multilingualism in the premodern Islamic world. This is open to the public, and no prior registration is required. All sessions will be recorded and made available on the AGYA YouTube channel for those unable to attend in person.
We have six keynote speakers with excellent papers:
*Beatrice Gründler, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany: Arabic Lingua Franca and Popular Philosophy
*Fatemeh Keshavarz, University of Maryland, USA: Wild Birds Cannot be Sold: Rumi on Translating Wordlessness and Speech
*Dimitri Gutas, Yale University, USA: Language Politics and Translation in Multilingual Near East in Early Islam
*Louise Marlow, Wellesley College, USA: Arabic-Persian Bilingualism and Translation in Ilkhanid Iran
*Ross Brann, Cornell University, USA: Islamicate Jewish Religious and Literary Intellectuals on the Status of Arabic and Hebrew
*Geert Jan van Gelder, University of Oxford, United Kingdom: The Ultimate Domesticising Translation into Arabic
A prestigious publisher will publish the conference proceedings.
You can view the full conference program here:
3. ONLINE 42nd RIMO Symposium “Recent Developments in Family Law in the MENA Region”, Netherlands, 7 November 2024, 1:00 pm CET
Various speakers from both national and international backgrounds will discuss developments in family law in several countries within the MENA region, including Egypt, Syria, and Tunisia.
Information and registration: https://www.verenigingrimo.nl/symposium
4. 5th Mid-Atlantic Ottomanist Workshop, University of Richmond, 28 February – 1 March 2025
This workshop aims to bring together scholars at all stages of their careers who are based in the Mid-Atlantic region and who are working to advance the study of Ottoman Empire and its interactions with the wider world from the 15th to the early 20th century.
Deadline for abstracts: 22 November 2024.
Information: https://networks.h-net.org/system/files/attachments/call-papers-maow-2025.pdf
5. For sale: Islamic Law Library of Professor Baber Johansen (Harvard)
Professor Baber Johansen was one of the world’s leading scholars in the field. He taught at Harvard for the last 20 years after many years in Paris and Berlin. His research and teaching focus on the relationship be-tween religion and law in the classical and the modern Muslim world. His library is now for sale. It is of a manageable size (c. 1500 titles in c. 1800 volumes) and thematically focused on Islamic Law and Society.
Information: https://gerlachbooks.com/COL_177
6. Script-switching in Literary Texts
We are the LangueFlow group, which is an international research team focusing on multilingual literature. We are writing to let you know that we have published a Call for Papers on literary heterographics, script-switching and multiscriptism (https://langueflow.eu/cfp-script-switching-in-literary-texts/) for a one-day colloquium on 14 March 2025
7. Lecture – “Mongol Connections: Iran in Trans-Asian Networks”, Sussan Babaie, University of Kashan – October 20
The department of advanced studies of art at the University of Kashan organizes a series of lectures, which seeks to share the latest research in the field of art history.
Title: Mongol Connections: Iran in Trans-Asian Networks
Speaker: Dr. Sussan Babaie (Professor of Art History, Arts of Iran and Islam, The Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London)
A Brief description of the Lecture:
This talk situates Iran and its arts during the Ilkhanate within the larger cultural network created by the Mongols across Asia. Unlike such models of analysis as ‘Silk Road’ exchange and trade, or of influence from one culture to another, from one artistic model on to another, this project advocates for looking at the arts of Ilkhanid period ion Iran as intersecting and competing histories of objects, artists, and technologies, informed by the newly forged connections across the Eurasian expanse of the Great Mongol State. The emphasis is on the connected histories of art as the methodological approach rather than on a national history of art.
About the speaker:
Dr. Sussan Babaie is Professor of the Arts of Iran and Islam at The Courtauld, University of London. She was trained as a graphic designer at Tehran University before she went on to study Art History and receive her PhD from Institute of Fine Arts, New York University.
She writes on a range of subjects and periods, from the early modern Persianate arts with Isfahan and Its Palaces and Persian Kingship and Architecture (2008), Persian Kingship and Architecture (2015), The Mercantile Effect: On Art and Exchange in the Islamicate World (2017), and Iran after The Mongols (2019), to modern and contemporary arts such as Shirin Neshat, Honar: The Afkhami Collection of Modern and Contemporary Iranian Art, and Geometry and Art in the Modern Middle East. Sussan is currently working collaboratively on a number of projects that focus on the arts across trans-Asian networks: co-editor and author of Cultural History of Asian Art, six volumes series; co-curator of the Royal Academy of Art exhibition on arts of the Great Mongol State (Spring 2027); and as the principal investigator and lead scholar on Mongol Connections, a traveling seminar supported by a generous Connecting Art Histories grant from Getty.
Date: Sunday, October20
Time: 15PM, London time
Online Lecture in Persian
Register: please send a message to this Gmail Account: advancedstudies.art.association@gmail.com
Contact Email
advancedstudies.art.association@gmail.com
8. On-line Event on Islam and the Middle East around Cambridge this week
18.10.24
2:00pm – 3:00pm (UK time)
(Said Reza Huseini)
- October 15, 2024
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1.Transforming Empire: The Ottomans from the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean
Essays in Honor of Linda Darling
Edited by Serpil Atamaz, Onur İnal and Alexander Schweig
Brill, 2024
2. Exhibition – “The Art of Dining: Food Culture in the Islamic World”, Detroit Institute of Arts
I am delighted to share with you the Detroit Institute of Arts’ Fall exhibition, The Art of Dining: Food Culture in the Islamic World, running Sept. 22, 2024 through Jan. 5, 2025. Bringing together 230 works from a broad geographical expanse, the exhibition explores connections between art and cuisine from antiquity to the present, and invites visitors to consider the personal and cultural connections we make through the preparation, sharing, and enjoyment of food.
You can find more information on the exhibition website:
https://dia.org/events/exhibitions/art-dining
The exhibition was originally organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and curated by Linda Komaroff as Dining with the Sultan: The Fine Art of Feasting. To find the beautiful exhibition catalogue, look for this title!
All my best,
Katherine Kasdorf
Associate Curator, Arts of Asia and the Islamic World, Detroit Institute of Arts
Contact Information
Katherine Kasdorf
Contact Email
URL
https://dia.org/events/exhibitions/art-dining
3. Mehrdad Alipour, author of Negotiating Homosexuality in Islamwillbe giving two lectures to discuss his new book.
First lecture: October 25th at the College of Liberal Arts at University of Texas Austin.
Second lecture: November 6th at Princeton University.
More information can be found on the event page of UT at Austin and the event page at Princeton.
4. Call for Papers: Annual Conference of the British Association for Islamic Studies
Monday 30 June – Tuesday 1 July 2025
Old Divinity School, St John’s College, University of Cambridge
https://www.brais.ac.uk/conferences/brais-2025-call-for-papers
4. ANNA CHRYSOSTOMIDES
WOMEN FIGHTING THE ENEMIES OF MUḤAMMAD AND CONVERTING TO ISLAM BEFORE THEIR HUSBANDS: THE ABBASID-ERA STORIES OF UMM FAḌL AND UMM HAKĪM
Monday Majlis Online on the 14th of October, 17:00-18:30 (UK time)
Centre for the Study of Islam, Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter
Register please on this link:
https://universityofexeter.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUodOGorzssGtzlnl8LB3SiJKWmPZtUecfD
6. Call for applications – Bahari Visiting Fellowship in the Persian Arts of the Book at the Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Libraries are now accepting applications for Visiting Fellowships to be taken up during academic year 2025/26. Fellowships support periods of research in the Special Collections of the Bodleian Libraries, across a range of different subjects. Of particular interest might be the Bahari Visiting Fellowship in the Persian Arts of the Book
Details of the Fellowship terms and application process can be found on our Fellowships webpage: Bodleian Visiting Fellowships | Bodleian Libraries (ox.ac.uk).
Applications for these Fellowships should be made by the deadline of Friday 29 November 2024, 5pm GMT.
For further information, please email: fellowships@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.
7. ONLINE MAJLISES of the Centre for the Study of Islam, Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter, 2024 autumn term
6thof November (Wednesday) CIS Majlis/Visiting Speaker. 17:00-18:30 (UK time).
Tahera Qutbuddin
Is Oration Literature? Establishing the Khutbah of the Pre- and Early Islamic Oral Period as the Foundational Genre of Classical Arabic Prose
Register please on this link:
https://universityofexeter.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEvduqppz8iEt1ZdHVYHRhR4iC3UBgEvsB3
11th of November (Monday) 17:00-18:30 (UK time).
Kevin Blankinship,
Debating Veganism in the Medieval Islamic World: A Debate between al-Maʿarrī and the Shiite missionary al-Muʾayyad fī l-Dīn al-Shīrāzī
Register please on this link:
https://universityofexeter.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIlcu2oqj8sHtyy9qRR8dUpt2cjNRP95_kk
18th of November (Monday) 17:00-18:30 (UK time). Robert Hoyland
Robert G. Hoyland
Christian and Muslim Papyri from Khirbet Mird, Palestine: An Archive from the 7th and 8th Centuries
Register please on this link:
https://universityofexeter.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwsdu6prT8qEtcuNk-156YHonlo8qYCMRlB
25th of November (Monday) 17:00-18:30 (UK time).
Fozia Bora
A Somali Village in Colonial Bradford (1904) – A (Counter) Archival Study
Register please on this link:
https://universityofexeter.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcsdO2grDwvG9zhY8VHexgzl7azheKxyx_V
2nd of December (Monday) 17:00-18:30 (UK time).
Jonathan AC Brown
What Happens When God’s Law Gives You Unjust Results?
Register please on this link:
https://universityofexeter.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcrdOuvpjouG9XCAE3_xuDKhxrJYlBaZyzO
9th of December (Monday) 17:00-18:30 (UK time).
Jan-Peter Hartung
Approaching Taliban Ideology through Layers of Time
Register please on this link:
https://universityofexeter.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0rdu2srjgrGNVDIoeptFzTR__cmUbdwYS2
11th of December (Wednesday) CIS Majlis/Visiting Speaker. 17:00-18:30 (UK time).
Amira K. Bennison
Power and the City: Marrakesh under the Almoravids and Almohads (1070-1269)
Register please on this link:
https://universityofexeter.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEpfuqorDgsG9WLRGacBbRXWZGow3cAEYIR
In the spirit of the label ‘Majlis’ and also to make the talks even more interesting, our speakers present the topic discussed as embedded in their own journey. You can watch the previous Majlises here, but we don’t record the Q&A in order to keep the discussion free. Please come and enjoy the talks and the discussions : )
If you’d like to be included in the CSI (Centre for the Study of Islam, Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter) mailing list, please write to I.T.Kristo-Nagy@ex.ac.uk.
8. CFP: The Roshangar Undergraduate Persian Studies Journal
The Roshangar Undergraduate Persian Studies Journal invites submissions for its Fall 2024 edition! We are seeking written or visual works relevant to Persian studies, such as essays on
Iranian society and culture, reviews of Persian literature, films, and theatre, creative works inspired by coursework in Persian studies, and more. Written submissions in English (1500-2000 words) should be in docx format, double-spaced, and adhere to MLA format citations. The word count for written submission in Persian is 500-800 words. Poetry submissions should be between 1-3 pages in length.
The students don’t have to be a Persian studies major or minor, or a UMD student to submit their work! Submissions are open to all undergraduate students. Submissions from UMD students will be considered for the Amouzegar Undergraduate Scholarship as well as Roshangar.
We will accept submissions for our Fall 2024 issue from Tuesday, October 1 – Tuesday, October 22th. The final revision of accepted submissions will be due Monday, November 25. Please submit your work by email to our director & editor-in-chief, Marjan Moosavi, at moosavi@umd.edu, and our assistant editors at roshan@umd.edu by that date. For inquiries, contact our assistant editor at the same email address.
9. Call For Applications – Two Ahmanson-Getty Postdoc Fellowships at UCLA (AY2025-26)
[DEADLINE February 1 2025]
UCLA Center for 17th-&18th-Century Studies and William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, University of California, Los Angeles
We invite applications for two postdoc fellowship positions: one focusing on early modern China (with a preference for the Qing period) and the other focusing on the early modern Islamicate world (with a preference for the Ottoman lands). The Islamicate world fellow is invited to make use of UCLA Islamic Collections in Ottoman Turkish, Persian, or Arabic language(s) and incorporate them in their research.
The theme-based resident fellowship program, established with the support of the Ahmanson Foundation and the J. Paul Getty Trust, is designed to promote the participation of junior scholars in the Center’s yearlong core program. Awards are for three consecutive quarters in residence at the Clark Library. Scholars must have received their doctorates in the last six years (2019–2025), and their research should pertain to the announced theme. Fellows are expected to make a substantive contribution to the Center’s workshops and seminars.
Application Requirements: Applications should include a research proposal (less than 1000 words), a writing sample (less than 10,000 words), and a CV. Applicants should identify relevant resources from the Clark Library at the end of their research proposal.
Award Amount: $69, 073 fellowship for three consecutive quarters in residence at the Clark Library.
Eligibility: Open to U.S. applicants, as well as international applicants who are eligible for a visa. Applicants must have formal documentation of Ph.D. being awarded by August 1. Fellows are expected to have full-time involvement in scholarly pursuits during the period of the fellowship.
Academic Level Requirements: Ph.D. awarded in the last six years.
This fellowship is required to be taken onsite.
Further details and a link to our online application can be found on our website: https://www.1718.ucla.edu/research/fellowships/
The deadline for fellowship applications for the 2025–2026 year is February 1, 2025.
An extended description of the program is available here: http://www.1718.ucla.edu/core/
10. The CeRMI is pleased to invite you to the first session of the seminar “Societies, Politics and Cultures of the Iranian World”, which will be held on Thursday, October 24, 2024, 5pm-7pm, in room 4.15 at the INaLCO (65 rue des Grands Moulins, Paris XIII,3rdfloor).
We are pleased to welcome Mr. Marc Toutant, Research Fellow at the CNRS (CETOBaC), for a conference entitled: The Tuḥfat al-ṭālibīn, a Mughal grammar of Eastern Turkish. Philological, cultural and political teaching.
Summary:
The Tuḥfat al-ṭālibīn is a grammar of Eastern Turkish (or “chaghatay”) written in Persian at the end of theeighteenth century by a certain Ḥayāt ‘Alī Dihlawī for a Mughal dignitary. Preserved only in manuscript form in several libraries on the subcontinent, the work has not yet been the subject of any study. Sometimes mentioned briefly in manuscript catalogues, this grammar is nevertheless one of the few direct testimonies that can tell us about the relationship that the descendants of Babur (1483-1530), the founder of the Great Mughals, had with their mother tongue. Although Persian had definitively established itself since the reign of Akbar (1556-1605), there is a whole set of grammatical and lexical treatises that show that Turkish retained a certain importance for these Indian Timurids (Babur was descended from the lineage of Tamerlane), which it is now necessary to specify. The other interest of the Tuḥfat al-ṭālibīn is that it includes many quotations from Central Asian poets and as such is considered a cultural repertoire.
Based on the examination of three papers from Hyderabad, Rampur and Islamabad, this presentation will aim to answer the following questions : how do we write a grammae of Turkish in Persian during the Mongol period ?What do the many poetic illustrations of the Tuḥfat al-ṭālibīn tell us about the reception of Central Asian culture in India at the end of the eighteenth century? In what way does the treatise of Ḥayāt ‘Alī Dihlawī recall the link of the Mughals with the dynasty of Tamerlane?
Bibliographical orientations:
-Alam (M.). 2015. “Mughal Philology and Rūmī’s Mathnavī”. World Philology, dir. par S. Pollock, B. A. Elman, K. Chang. Cambridge : Harvard University Press. 178-200.
-Guizzo (D.) 2002. The three classics of Persian lexicography of the Mughal era: Farhang-i Ğahāngīrī, Burhān-i Qāṭiʿ and Farhang-i Rašīdī. Venise : Ca’ Foscarine.
-Péri (B.) 2020. “Turki Language and Literature in Late Mughal India as Reflected in a Unique Collection of Texts”. Turkish History and Culture in India. Identity, Art and Transregional Connections, dir. par A. C.S. Peacock & R. P. McClary. Leyde : Brill. 367-387.
-Siddiqi (W.H). 1997.Fihrist Nuskhahā-yi khaṭṭī fārsī,Kitābkhāna-yi rażā – rāmpūr, delhi: diamond printers.
-Turan (F.). 2009. “Turkic grammar books written in Mughal India during the 18th and 19th centuries”. Turkic Languages 13. 163-171.
You will find the 2024-2025 program of the monthly research seminar “Societies, Politics and Cultures of the Iranian World” attached, and on the CeRMI website:
11. Cardiff University Jameel Scholarship/ Ysgoloriaeth Jameel Prifysgol Caerdydd
Founded in 2005, the Islam-UK Centre works towards the promotion of better understanding of Islam and the life of Muslims in Britain, through high quality teaching and research. Its activities address issues which are central to the situation of Muslims in contemporary Britain. / Oed Canolfan Islam y DU a sefydlwyd yn 2005 yw gweithio tuag at hyrwyddo gwell deallttwriaeth o Islam a bywyd Mwslimiaid ym Mhrydain drwy gynnig addysgu ac ymchwil o’r radd flaenaf. Mae ei gweithgareddau’n mynd i’r afael a materion sy’n ganolog i sefyllfa Mwslimiaid ym Mhrydain ar hyn o bryd.
The Centre provides unique training and research opportunities. / Mae’r Ganolfan yn cynnig cyfleoedd hyfforddi ac ymchwil unigryw.
One Fully Funded PhD Scholarship for a UK student. Scholarship includes a stipend (circa £19,237 per year for three years) plus £2,500 annually towards research costs. / Un Ysgoloriaeth PhD wedi’i hariannu’n llawn ar gyfer myfyriwr o’r DU. Ar gael ar gyfer dechrau ym mis Ionawr 2025. Mae’r ysgloriaeth yn cynnwys cyflog (tua £19,237 y flwyddyn am dair blynedd) ynghyd a £2,500 bob blwyddyn tuag at gostau ymchwil.
Apply Today!
Closing date for Jameel Scholarship applications 23:59 on 2nd December 2024.
#Cflywynch gais heddiw!
Y dyddiad cau ar gyfer cyflwyno cais ar gyfer Ysgloriaeth Jameel yw 23:59 ar 2 Rhagfyr 2024.
Link to Apply / Ffurflen Gais
https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/cardiff/jameel-scholarship-application-form-phd-uk
12. Workshop “Aesthetic, Rituals, and Narratives in Islamic Mobilisation
St Antony’s College, Oxford, Thursday 24 October, 9am-7pm
Booking required by Tuesday 15 October.
Please email mec@sant.ox.ac.uk to register.
The finalized programme will be shared with all registered participants.
13. Indiana University’s Summer 2025 Language Workshop is now accepting applications for its intensive online Pashto program!
- Learn 1 year of language in 2 months
- Enjoy 18 hours of live instruction per week, plus cultural activities
- Combine the effectiveness of intensive study with the convenience of an online class
- Speed your learning by studying alongside enthusiastic and talented language learners
Funding Opportunities
- Explore available funding options here: https://languageworkshop.iu.edu/funding
Priority Application Deadline
- December 6, 2024
Learn more and apply here: https://languageworkshop.indiana.edu/pashto
Questions? Email the Language Workshop at languageworkshop@iu.edu or join virtual office hours.
Contact Information
Kathleen Evans, Director, Indiana University Language Workshop
Contact Email
URL
https://languageworkshop.indiana.edu/summer-language-workshop/overview/online/p…
14. Lecture – “Can Pre-Islamic Architecture be Islamic Architecture? The Rock-Cut Tombs at Hegra”, Martin J. Devecka, Columbia University – November 19
Date: November 19th, 6:10 pm to 8:00 pm
Place: Columbia University, 612 Schermerhorn
Can Pre-Islamic Architecture be Islamic Architecture? The Rock-Cut Tombs at Hegra
From an early date, Islamic writers connected the Qur’anic Thamud with Hegra, an abandoned Nabatean-Roman site in the Northern Hijaz now known, by reason of that association, as Mada’in Salih. The site itself thus forms a kind of bridge across the historical rupture separating Islam from Jahiliyya. What exactly happens to such a site when it becomes “Islamic?” This talk explores how the idea of constructing Islam works as a monumentalizing lens that changes the way we look at pre-Islamic architecture by blurring some features even as it makes others stand out in sharp relief. At Hegra, it will be argued, the effect of this reinterpretation produces rupture where it might have been possible to see continuity in a way that turns Nabatean ruins into an infrastructure for producing Islam.
To be able to access the Columbia campus, we kindly ask you to register at this Google form by November 15th if you plan on attending: https://forms.gle/VrnvtubqgZCAaLxKA
15. Workshop – Summer 2025 Arabic Language Study, Indiana University
Indiana University’s Summer 2025 Language Workshop is now accepting applications for its intensive immersion programs in Arabic, Chinese, and Russian!
- Learn 1 year of language in 2 months and earn college credit
- Accelerate your learning with daily 1-on-1 skills training
- Live the language in immersion housing and classes
- Speed your learning by studying alongside enthusiastic and talented language learners
Funding Opportunities
- Explore available funding options here: https://languageworkshop.iu.edu/funding
Priority Application Deadline
- December 6, 2024
Learn more and apply here: https://languageworkshop.indiana.edu/overview
Questions? Email the Language Workshop at languageworkshop@iu.edu or join virtual office hours.
Contact Information
Kathleen Evans, Director, Indiana University Language Workshop
Contact Email
URL
https://languageworkshop.indiana.edu/summer-language-workshop/overview/immersio…
16. Extended Deadline for IDHN Conference Submission
We are extending the deadline for abstract submission for the upcoming IDHN conference to October 27, 2024. To submit, please send an email to team@idhn.org with a preliminary title, abstract (150-300 words), and your academic affiliation.
Please note that the conference date has not changed; it will continue to be on Thursday, November 21, 2024.
We look forward to receiving your submissions!
17. ONLINE Webinar “Global Islamophobia and the Rise of Populism” by Ivan Kalmar & Audrey Truschke, „Democracy and Ethnonationalism Lecture Series”, Rutgers Law School, 15 October 2024, 12:00 pm EDT
Information and registration:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ThhPNVrQSO2SPM9NIcXkUA#/registration
- October 12, 2024
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1.Conference and Public Talks: “Law and Society in Saudi Arabia”, Leibniz Zentrum Moderner Orient, Berlin, 8-10 October 2024
The conference, organised by Ulrike Freitag, Nora Derbal, and Dominik Krell, addresses the role of the law in Saudi society both in the past and the present. With this “law and society” approach, the conference seeks to bridge the gap between the study of social, political, and historical phenomena on the one hand, and research on the Saudi legal system on the other hand.
Information and programme: https://www.saudi-law-society.net/
2. HYBRIDE Présentation-débat autour de l’ouvrage “Islam, autoritarisme et sous développe-ment” d’Ahmet T. Kuru, IISMM/IREL/GSRL, Paris, 9 octobre 2024, 18h00 CET
Pourquoi les pays à majorité musulmane affichent-ils des niveaux élevés d’autoritarisme et de faibles niveaux de développement socio-économique par rapport aux moyennes mondiales ? Ahmet T. Kuru critique les explications qui pointent du doigt l’islam comme la cause de cette disparité, puisque les pays à majorité musulmane ont affiché des niveaux de développement philosophique et socio-économique plus élevés que les pays occidentaux entre le 9e et le 12e siècle.
Information : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_nD1tDF3w8&list=PLtoVEQO2iwNtOymVhfS9pMeP5z7 WrYTFz&index=2;
Inscription : https://framaforms.org/presentation-debat-autour-de-louvrage-islam-autoritarisme-et-sous-de-veloppement-dahmet-t-kuru
3. Conference “Historicizing the Muslim Sensorium: Toward a Sensory History of Islam in the Early Modern World”, Utrecht University, 17-18 October 2024
This conference brings together a multi-disciplinary group of scholars to advance the history of the senses in the early modern Islamic world (c. 1500-1900). We will explore how Muslims across different historical, geo-graphical, social, and intellectual contexts experienced sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. What does Islamic sensory history teach us about the “gunpowder empires” of the Ottomans, the Safavids, and the Mughals that conventional history does not?
Information and programme:
https://sensis.wp.hum.uu.nl/wp-content/uploads/sites/456/2024/09/Conference_Program_2024.pdf
4. ONLINE Workshop “Critical Conversations on Islam and Asia”, Washington University, 18 October 2024, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm ET
Although Islam originated and remains vibrant in the Middle East, the three largest national populations of Muslims are in Asia, with Indonesia being the largest in the world. This online workshop will explore the contemporary dynamics of Islam in Asia, focusing on Southeast Asia, and its relation to global Islam.
Information, abstracts, and registration:
https://www.eastwestcenter.org/events/critical-conversations-islam-and-asia
5. Colloque international « Définition de l’humain en islam : approches plurielles », Sorbonne, Paris, 24-25 octobre 2024
Ce colloque réunira pendant deux jours douze spécialistes des quatre grandes disciplines rationnelles de l’époque classique : la philosophie péripatéticienne, la théologie du kalām, la mystique et le droit, avec comme objectif de croiser, dans une approche transdisciplinaire, différentes perspectives sur ce sujet.
Information et programme :
https://iismm.hypotheses.org/files/2024/10/colloque_definition_de_l_humain_programme.pdf
6. “Travellers in Ottoman Lands Seminar Three (TIOL3): Places Forgotten, Places Remembered”, Istanbul, 9-12 April 2025
Topics: Horticulture and botany •Memorials, cemeteries, places of worship of various faiths • Women travellers • Cuisine • Art and Culture • Travel and exile • Archaeology • Explorers and photographers • Modes of travel • Famous travellers • Architecture; etc.
Deadline for abstracts: 15 November 2024.
Information: https://www.travellersinottomanlands.com/call-for-papers
7. Conference “The Ottomans and Diplomacy”, Skilliter Centre for Ottomans Studies, University of Cambridge, 10-12 July 2025
Taking diplomacy in its widest sense including public, cultural, personal, military and economic diplomacy, the conference will explore the Ottoman empire’s relations with the outside world. Topics to be covered will in include, for example, material culture, the construction of diplomatic texts including diplomatic ego documents and diplomatic social interactions.
Deadline for abstracts: 9 December 2024.
Information: https://newn.cam.ac.uk/research/skilliter-centre-ottoman-studies/conferences-and-workshops
8. Two Stipends for Doctoral Students (4 Years) at the “Berlin Graduate School Muslim Cultures and Societies”
We are interested in attracting outstanding doctoral students who will contribute to and write their PhD theses in the framework of our project “The socio-cultural life of sociological concepts: Arab contributions to global theory”, funded by the Einstein Foundation Berlin.
Deadline for applications: 15 October 2024.
Information: https://www.bgsmcs.fu-berlin.de/announcements/2024_cfa_Einstein_stipends_2024.html
9. Professorship in the Study of Religion, Focus on Contemporary Religious Developments, Department of Social Anthropology and Cultural Studies (SACS), University of Bern
The successful candidate will have an internationally recognized record in research and teaching. They should have experience in securing external funding, particularly if appointed as an associate or full professor.
For the hiring of an assistant professor an outstanding dissertation and an advanced new research project preparing the habilitation is expected (at least four peer-reviewed journal articles independent of the dissertation). The teaching languages are German and English.
Deadline for applications: 14 October 2024.
Information: https://ohws.prospective.ch/public/v1/jobs/eae237d9-106a-47a1-8ddf-ca66becc3cd9
10. Digital Humanities Research Associate (65-70 %) to Join the Unit “Middle East and Muslim Societies”, Department of Social Anthropology and Cultural Studies (SACS), University of Bern
Candidates must have at least an MA or a comparable track record in Digital Humanities or Data Science (with proven ability to work with historical Arabic sources), or in Islamic, Arab, and/or Mediterranean Studies (with demonstrated expertise in Digital Humanities).
Deadline for applications: 15 October 2024. Information: https://shorturl.at/CI6Gp
11. Post-doctoral Fellowship (4 Years) for the Project “Global Capitalism and Rurality: Agency, Commodification and Socio-Ecological Transformation of the Middle Eastern Countryside, 1870-1945”, University College Dublin
The Project compares the Middle Eastern tribes of diverse origins (Syria, Iraq, Southern Turkey and Northern Arabia) examining the ‘capitalization’ of their agriculture and the commercialization of their livestock. It examines intertwined processes such as commodification, the scientification of cultivation etc. among the tribal communities of the Middle East.
Deadline for applications: 29 October 2024.
Information: https://my.corehr.com/pls/coreportal_ucdp/apply?id=017715
12. Humanities Research Fellowship for the Study of the Arab World (Postdoctoral Fellowship), NYU Abu Dhabi
We welcome applications from recent PhD graduates (PhD in hand between September 2020 and September 2025) working in all areas of the Humanities related to the study of the Arab world, its rich literature and history, its cultural and artistic heritage, and its manifold connections with other cultures. This includes, among others, Islamic Intellectual History and Culture.
Deadline for applications: 1 November 2024. Information: https://apply.interfolio.com/126632
13. Assistant Professor (Tenure-track) in the Field of Postcolonial Literature, University of California
We are especially interested in applicants with expertise in literature from Africa, South Asia, and the Arab world. We seek outstanding candidates with the potential for exceptional research, excellence in teaching, and a clear commitment to enhancing the diversity of the faculty, and majors and minors in English.We wel-come applicants who pursue postcolonial studies via a broad range of methodological frameworks.
Deadline for applications: 1 November 2024. Information: https://recruit.apo.ucla.edu/JPF09851
14. Fellowships for Historical Research on the Islamic World, School for Historical Studies, Princeton University, NJ
The School embraces a historical approach to research throughout the humanistic disciplines, from socioec-onomic developments, political theory, and modern international relations, to the history of art, science, phi-losophy, music, and literature. Accepted Members receive access to the extensive resources of the Institute. The only obligation is to pursue one’s research.
Deadline for applications: 15 October 2024. Information:
15. Assistant Professor of Arabic Studies, University of Richmond
We seek a teacher-scholar with research and teaching interests in modern Arabic literatures and Arab world cultures. We welcome expertise in at least two of the following areas: Arabic Literature, Cinema, and Culture; Mediterranean and Transcultural Studies; Ethnic and/or Minority studies; Colonialism and Post-Colonialism; Environmental Humanities and Ecocriticism; Arabic Language and Translation Studies; Gender and Sexuality Studies. Native or near-native fluency in Arabic and English is required.
Review of applications will commence on 1 October 2024 until position is filled.
Information: https://richmond.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/1/home/requisition/3326?c=richmond
16. Assistant Professor of Arabic, University of Utah
Candidates must have a Ph.D. in hand by the start date in Arabic Cultural Studies, Comparative Literature, Middle/Near Eastern Studies, Second Language Acquisition, Linguistics, or a related field. Demonstrated experience in teaching Arabic as a foreign language at the college level in North America and native or near-native fluency in Arabic and English are required.
Deadline for applications: 1 November 2024.
Information: https://mesana.org/resources-and-opportunities/2024/10/01/assistant-professor-of-arabic24
17. Research Associate, Global Kurdish Initiative for Peace, American University, Washington, DC
Qualification: M.A. in the political sciences or a liberal arts discipline such as Middle Eastern Studies. – Experience in a higher educational setting. – 3-5 years of relevant experience. – Knowledge of Kurds and the Middle East, Kurdish and Arabic language.
Deadline: Until position is filled. Information: https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/research-associate-global-kurdish-initiative-for-peace-at-american-university-4036486693/
18. Mediterranean Seminar Prize for the Best Source Edition, Book Translation, or Essay Collection, 2025
The Prize is open to books published from 2022 to 2024 inclusive. The committee is most interested in collections of essay that break new ground conceptually or methodologically, are comparative and/or interdisci-plinary, that emphasize the intercultural/interregional/inter-religious contact, that are “of” rather than merely “in” the Mediterranean, and that are both internally coherent and comprehensive.
Deadline for applications: 31 December 2024.
Information: https://mediterraneanseminar.squarespace.com/book-prize-2025
19. Invitation to Join the “Global Turkology Academic Network” Hosted by Virginia Tech University
This network facilitates academic interaction, exchange, and cooperation among students and scholars working on any aspect of global Turkic communities. It provides an interdisciplinary academic venue for a non-Orientalist, critical, and nuanced understanding of the Turkic world’s histories, cultures, politics, languages, and societies.
If you would like to share your new book or article, conference or panel information, or other academic activities, contact Tugrul Keskin: global-turkology-g@vt.edu
20. Articles sur « Aspects pluriels de l’écriture de soi dans l’adab prémoderne (IIIe/IXe-XIIe/XVIIIe siècles) » pour Revue Annales Islamologiques 61, 2027
Les articles concerneront des textes d’adab au sens large de ce terme (incluant aussi bien les textes histori-ographiques que littéraires), qui comportent une composante autobiographique et/ou qui relèvent de l’ego-document et qui ont été produits en langue arabe dans l’aire culturelle arabo-musulmane, quelle que soit leur nature générique (chroniques historiques, textes religieux et spirituels, récits de voyage, mémoires, journaux intimes, etc.).
Les propositions doivent être envoyées avant le 31 octobre 2024.
Information : https://iismm.hypotheses.org/104325
21. Articles for the Journal “Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft (ZDMG)”
The ideal article has a historical orientation and is written on a strong philological basis. It deals with pre-modern Muslim societies (up to ca. 1800) and tackles one of the following broader themes: history, religion, culture, law, literature, societal issues. The ZDMG publishes articles in English, German or French.
Deadline for submissions: 15 October 2024. Information: https://www.dmg-web.de/page/zdmg_en
22. 4th North American Conference on Iranian Linguistics
(NACIL 4)
University of Toronto Mississauga
May 23–25, 2025
Call for Papers
Conference Description
Abstracts are invited for 30-minute talks (20 minutes + 10 minutes Q&A) and/or poster presentations on any aspect of Iranian linguistics. We welcome abstracts from all areas of linguistics, including but not limited to morphology, syntax, semantics and their interfaces, phonetics, phonology, language pedagogy, psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, computational linguistics, historical linguistics and language documentation.
NACIL 4 is honoured to host a special session to celebrate Professor Simin Karimi’s career on the occasion of her recent retirement.
Keynote Speakers
Professor Faruk Akkuş (University of Massachusetts, Amherst)
Professor Simin Karimi (University of Arizona)
Professor Naomi Nagy (University of Toronto)
Abstract Guidelines
Abstracts should meet the following requirements:
Abstracts, including references and data, must not exceed two A4 pages in length, with 2.5 cm (1 inch) margins on all sides. The font size should not be smaller than 11pt.
- Examples, tables, graphs, etc. must be included into the text of the abstract, and not at the end.
- Abstracts should be anonymized: please do not include your name or affiliation in the abstract.
- Submissions are limited to two per author, with at most one single-authored paper.
- Abstracts must be submitted in PDF format through Oxford Abstracts.
Submission link: https://app.oxfordabstracts.com/stages/76660/submitter
Abstract submission deadline: 06-Dec-2024, 11:59pm Eastern Time
Notification of Acceptance: Late January 2025
Questions can be directed to: nacil4conference@gmail.com
23. Conference – Reinterpreting History and Memory: Contemporary Art of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
12-13 October, 2025
SOAS, The University of London
This British Academy international conference will explore how history and memory is reflected through contemporary art in the MENA region, and art’s association with broader social and intellectual practices.
It will examine the possibility of challenging the present through the reinterpretation of history, exploring the enduring and collective impact of recent traumatic memories. The focus will be on art closely linked with activism, both within the region and among the global diaspora, examining the strategies used by artists to critically reimagine both the distant and recent past; a past that no longer exists but continues to haunt the present.
The conference also explores how these artworks challenge and address current affairs in the context of historical narratives. By bringing together academics and professionals from diverse disciplines, the conference will provide an interdisciplinary framework for studying contemporary art, shedding light on the connection between art discourse, politics, and culture in the MENA region today.
Contact Information
conferences@thebritishacademy.ac.uk
Contact Email
URL
https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/events/british-academy-conferences/reinterp…
24. University of Edinburgh lecture
Milk and Honey: Technologies of Plenty in the Making of a Holy Land,
by Dr Tamar Novick from Humboldt University, Berlin
Date, time and location: Monday 14 October, 17:15,
in 1.06 — Project Room in 50 George Square.
For zoom access please email Ines.Asceric-Todd@ed.ac.uk.
The talk is followed by a reception.
- October 08, 2024
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1.Annemarie Schimmel-Foundation for Islamic Studies Research Award
(PhD thesis award)
The Annemarie Schimmel-Foundation for Islamic Studies (Bonn) calls for recommendations for the 2025 grant of its PhD thesis award. Eligible for the award are outstanding PhD dissertations in the field of Islamic Studies. The awardee will be honored at a ceremony at the Deutscher Orientalistentag 2025 in Erlangen (8–12 Sept 2025) and will receive a 5000 Euro prize. The board of the Annemarie Schimmel-Foundation, in cooperation with the DMG section for Islamic Studies, will evaluate all eligible proposals after the call’s closure. Please note that the award may be shared.
Only contributions in English or German that have been published since 2022 will be considered. PhD dissertations that have been submitted and defended but not yet published may also be considered if accompanied by the supervisor’s report and an additional expert opinion.
Recommendations may be submitted by all university professors and by PhD-holding members of the DMG. Recommendations of non-German studies are explicitly welcomed. A submission should include an electronic version of the research work (either in its published form or, if not published, in the form submitted) and a short explanatory statement (1–2 pages).
Self-nominations by candidates are also accepted. If you plan to submit your own research
contribution, please do so in electronic form, including an abstract and a CV.
Please submit your recommendations by 31st March 2025 to the Board of the Annemarie Schimmel-Foundation at: Prof. Dr Regula Forster, regula.forster@uni-tuebingen.de
2. Annemarie Schimmel-Foundation for Islamic Studies Research Award
(advanced scholars)
The Annemarie Schimmel-Foundation for Islamic Studies (Bonn) calls for recommendations for the 2025 grant of its advanced scholars award. Eligible for the award are outstanding monographs in the field of Islamic Studies. The awardee will be honored at a ceremony at the Deutscher Orientalistentag 2025 in Erlangen (8–12 Sept 2025) and will receive a 5000 Euro prize. Please note that the award may be shared. The board of the Annemarie Schimmel-Foundation, in cooperation with the DMG section for Islamic Studies, will evaluate all eligible proposals after the call’s closure.
Only monographs written in English or German that have been published since 2022 will be considered. They must not be PhD dissertations or books developed from a PhD dissertation.
Recommendations may be submitted by all university professors and by PhD-holding members of the DMG.
Recommendations of non-German studies are explicitly welcomed. A submission should include an electronic version of the monograph and a short explanatory statement (1-2 A4 pages).
Self-nominations by candidates are also accepted. If you plan to submit your own research contribution, please do so in electronic form, including an abstract and a CV.
Please submit your recommendations by 31st March 2025 to the Board of the Annemarie Schimmel-Foundation at: Prof. Dr Regula Forster, regula.forster@uni-tuebingen.de
3. Yale University seeks to appoint a Postdoctoral Associate for a two-year position beginning in the academic year 2025-2026 within Archaia: the Yale Program for the Study of Global Antiquity.
Archaia is a collaborative forum that brings together scholars and graduate students working on early and pre-modern cultures and civilizations at Yale in the Humanities and Social Sciences in addition to the Divinity and Law Schools and various University collections and libraries, including the Yale University Art Gallery, the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, the Peabody Museum of Natural History, and the Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage. Participating departments and disciplines include Classics, East Asian Languages and Literatures, Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, History, Religious Studies, Archaeology and Anthropology, History of Art, and the Divinity School. In addition to hosting conferences and colloquia, the year-long Ancient Societies Workshop (ASW), and study tours, Archaia offers a graduate qualification for students interested in research beyond departmental lines. For additional information, see https://archaia.yale.edu/certification. Information about past post-doctoral fellows can be found here.
Past Archaia seminars and ASW topics have included ancient music, comparative linguistics in pre-modern languages, ancient comparative law, ancient ritual, antiquity through the digital humanities, and the archaeology of Dura Europos. Anticipated upcoming topics include environmental determinism, constructions of the human body and race and how these ideas travel cross culturally, and the archaeology of Gerasa; we are also open to other innovative and cross-disciplinary proposals for future workshops and core seminars. We especially welcome applicants working in areas beyond the ancient Mediterranean world.
The postdoctoral associate is expected to take an active role in Archaia programming while pursuing research in their own area of expertise. Additionally, the associate’s duties include: (1) participating in the Archaia Steering Committee, coordinating the graduate certification program, and participating in the graduate forum as a mentor; (2) offering, in the first year, a graduate seminar and/or a study tour (the seminar may be connected with the tour); (3) in the second year of the appointment, co-teaching the Archaia core seminar with a Yale faculty member and/or co-organizing the Archaia Study Tour. The postdoctoral associate will receive guidance from and report to the Archaia co-chairs and will also be provided with at least one mentor from a field/department close to their area of training and expertise.
Salary is commensurate with education and experience along with Yale’s benefits package that includes health insurance.
Requirements
- A Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, Classics, East Asian Studies, South Asian Studies, History, Religious Studies, Archaeology, Anthropology, History of Art, or a related field.
- The intellectual training and trajectory of the postdoctoral associate must show a commitment to cross-disciplinary or cross-cultural research in more than one of the areas, languages, and/or disciplines represented by Archaia.
- The successful applicant will be able to demonstrate a desire and ability to build collaborative relationships across departments and collections.
- We especially encourage applications from scholars underrepresented in the study of antiquity.
Applicants and referees should upload documentation via Interfolio: https://apply.interfolio.com/155704 .
Applicants must supply:
(1) a cover letter,
(2) a curriculum vitae,
(3) a research statement (1000 words max.) detailing the work that the associate wishes to pursue at Yale,
(4) three brief descriptions (not syllabi) of up to 500 words each, for
- a co-taught global antiquity seminar to be offered as an Archaia core course;
- a graduate seminar related to your own research specialization, and with some concern for global antiquity;
- a travel study opportunity (5-10 days)
(5) a teaching portfolio (including teaching evaluations or other evidence of teaching effectiveness and syllabi for courses taught or planned),
(6) three letters of recommendation addressed to the Chair of the Search Committee, Prof. Molly Zahn.
| Review of applications will begin Dec. 1, 2024. |
4. Qeshm: The History of a Persian Gulf Island
W Floor and D T Potts
Mage, 2024
https://magepublishers.com/qeshm/
5. The Department of Middle Eastern Language of the University of Chicago is honored to have Prof. Nasrin Rahimeh as speaker in the Franklin Lewis Lecture Series of 2024-2025. The lecture will be in person and on zoom on Thursday, October 24 at 5:30 PM US Central Time at SHFE 146.
Please see below the information about this talk and our speaker, and attached the poster of the lecture.
Title: Iranian Women Writers and the Question of Reader Responsibility
Abstract: In this presentation, I examine the question of readers’ responsibility vis-à-vis fiction by contemporary Iranian women writers. Against a backdrop of Iranian women’s writing being treated as a barometer of women’s agency and/or subjugation, I propose ways of reading that complicate the assumption that women’s writing merely mirrors Iranian society today. Drawing on works by Belqeys Soleimani and Fereshteh Sari, I focus on the ways their fiction complicates questions of subjectivity, challenging us to read beyond the binarism of resistance or conformity.
Register for Zoom:
https://uchicago.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUucuytqzIjGNS9EN2u7jsUOVxjGIQTgYnV
6. Zoom: Zahra Speaker Event on Oct 9: Berlin Circle (1916-1925) and the Rise of Pan-Persianism in the Early 20th Century, 9.10.24
Join us for the second event of our 2024 Fall Speaker Series on Wednesday, 9 October. Our speaker, Dr. Ahmad Mohammadpour (Bentley University), will present on, “Berlin Circle (1916-1925) and the Rise of Pan-Persianism in the Early 20th Century.”
Dr. Mohammadpour is a Kurdish sociologist and anthropologist whose research focuses on contemporary Iran’s intellectual thought, internal colonialism, ethnoreligious minoritized communities, and the political economy of de-development, with a focus on Kurds in Iran. His presentation will examine how the Berlin Circle and the rising Pan-Persianism of the early 20th century shaped the Kurdish identity and resistance in Iran.
𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: Berlin Circle (1916-1925) and the Rise of Pan-Persianism in the Early 20th Century.
𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧: 12:00 pm Central /1 pm Eastern, Wednesday, October 9
𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: Zoom, https://zoom.us/j/96379904649?pwd=H9bzjq3yRq37e43eJeFfDqKe4BdJBL.1
7. Two faculty positions currently available in the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies at Georgetown University.
1. Assistant Teaching Professor of Arabic
- Location: Main Campus, Washington, DC
- Position Type: Faculty – Main Campus Non-Tenure Line – Instructional
- Start Date: August 1, 2025
Description:
The Department invites applications for a full-time Assistant Teaching Professor of Arabic, beginning in August 2025. This is a three-year renewable contract pending a successful first-year review. We seek a dynamic individual with expertise in teaching Modern Standard Arabic within the context of Arab-Islamic culture. Native or near-native fluency in Modern Standard Arabic and an Arabic dialect is required, along with proficiency in classical Arabic language and culture.
Qualifications:
Ph.D. by Summer 2025 preferred; advanced ABDs considered.
- Experience in proficiency-based, communicative methods of teaching.
Application Deadline: October 15, 2024
Apply Here: [Assistant Teaching Professor of Arabic]
2. Teaching Professor of Arabic, Open Rank
- Location: Main Campus, Washington, DC
- Position Type: Faculty – Main Campus Non-Tenure Line – Instructional
- Start Date: August 1, 2025
Description:
We invite applications for a full-time Teaching Professor of Arabic (open rank) with responsibilities to direct our Arabic language program. This position starts in August 2025 and involves a three-year renewable contract. The successful candidate will be responsible for teaching Arabic language courses and coordinating the Arabic Language Program. Native or near-native fluency in Modern Standard Arabic and an Arabic dialect, along with a solid foundation in classical Arabic, are required.
Qualifications:
- Ph.D. by Summer 2025 preferred; advanced ABDs considered.
- Experience in proficiency testing and language program coordination is preferred.
Application Deadline: October 15, 2024
Apply Here: [Teaching Professor of Arabic, Open Rank]
8. Digital Resource – New Podcast episode on Iranian Mina’i wares with Dr Richard McClary
The ART Informant podcast is back with a new episode dedicated to the study of Iranian mina’i wares with Dr Richard McClary, Senior lecturer in Islamic art history at the University of York.
Throughout his career, Dr McClary has published extensively on artistic and architectural productions across the Islamic world. In July 2024, his latest monograph was published at Edinburgh university press, titled “Mina’i Ware: A Reassessment and Comprehensive Study of Iranian Polychrome Overglaze Wares through Sherds”.
The episode dives into this production of ceramic, limited to Iran between 1180 and 1220, its technique, classification, use, and the problems of fakes and forgeries tied to the art market at the end of the 19th century.
The ART Informant is a space for collectors, connoisseurs, students, experts, and people who love Islamic and Indian Arts, to explore the different areas of the art world including the market, exhibitions, latest research and much more!
Every month, join Isabelle Imbert as the Art Informant in conversations with some of the best and most interesting people of the industry, such as market experts, scholars, curators and many others.
Contact Email
URL
https://isabelle-imbert.com/art-informant-podcast/richard-mcclary/
9. CFP – 35th Deutscher Orientalistentag, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
We cordially invite you to participate in the 35th Deutscher Orientalistentag (DOT) at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 8-12 September 2025. The section on Material Culture, Art History and Archaeology is open for papers referring to periods and regions covered by Oriental Studies at large, although traditionally there has been a focus on Islamic cultures. The section will be organized by Ilse Sturkenboom (LMU Munich) and Lorenz Korn (University of Bamberg). This is an opportunity to meet and to discuss ongoing research and to be in touch with other areas of SWANA-related academia. Please submit your abstract through the conference portal until 31 January 2025. Pre-organized panels on specific topics are also welcome. For all technical issues concerning registration, submission of abstracts etc. please refer to the conference website: https://www.dot2025.fau.eu/
Contact Information
Else Sturkenboom, Institute of Art History, LMU Munich
Lorenz Korn, Institute of Oriental Studies, University of Bamberg
Contact Email
URL
https://www.uni-bamberg.de/islamart
10. LSE: Gholam Reza Nikpay Annual Lecture 14 November
The Iranian History Initiative at LSE is pleased to invite you to attend the Gholam Reza Nikpay Annual Lecture in modern Iranian history, which this year will be delivered by Professor Ali Ansariof the University of St Andrews, on 14 November at 6pm in the Wolfson Theatre, Cheng Kin Ku Building, LSE.
Professor Ansari will be speaking on ‘History and Historical Writing in Pahlavi Iran.’
Full events details: https://www.lse.ac.uk/International-History/Events/2024/History-Historical-Writing-in-Pahlavi-Iran-the-Gholam-Reza-Nikpay-Annual-Lecture
Event Registration: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScrj7dhbA8UWu-dWUVP7Tu873m7wYE_3bq9EbLirEe61cpWTA/viewform
11. The Department of Humanities at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice (Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici dell’Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia) invites applications for a fellowship in: “Environmental History in the medieval Islamicate Mediterranean, c. 650-1050”,
Academic discipline: STAA-01/J History of Islamic Countries, area Cod. GSD (vd. DM 639/2024) – 10/STAA-01, duration 24 months, tutor Prof. Helen Foxhall Forbes, financed by the ERC COG project “SSE1K – Science, Society and Environmental Change in the First Millennium CE”, Grant Agreement n. 101044437, CUP: H73C22001720006, Principal Investigator Prof. Helen Foxhall Forbes.
Abstract: The research fellow will examine the history of water and the broader environment in the Islamic Mediterranean from the 7th century to the early 11th century, focusing on social and/or intellectual themes. They will conduct original research on Arabic sources, and may also use archaeological evidence, to examine human relationships with the environment, with particular attention to the role of water and climate fluctuations. They will collaborate with the SSE1K research team to make comparisons between different contexts and regions across the Mediterranean. The research fellow will define a topic of study and the most promising approach suited to their skills in discussion with the PI and the research team. Applicants should therefore outline their proposed area of research in the motivation letter (maximum 500 words). The research fellowship is particularly, but not exclusively, focused on water in terms of toponymy, ritual practices, resource management, reaction to climate events, and scientific knowledge. The geographical area of interest ranges from Mesopotamia to the Islamic West, with a particular focus on the latter. Excellent knowledge of the Arabic language and research experience with premodern Arabic written sources is required. Knowledge of other languages relevant to this area, such as Syriac, Hebrew, or Greek, is desirable. In addition to preparing their own research for publication, the fellow will collaborate on various activities of the SSE1K project, including participating in team meetings and dissemination activities (conferences, seminars, workshops) on the project’s topics. The research may be carried out in English.
Deadline: Nov 12, 2024, 12 noon Italian time.
Full details at:
https://apps.unive.it/common2/file/download/assegni_ricerca/66fbae5d6018c
12. UCLA: The ‘Arabicate’ World: Arabic in the Making of African, Asian, and Mediterranean Literatures
A one-day conference organized by the Center for Near Eastern Studies and the Ibn Khaldun Chair in World History
Friday, October 18, 2024
8:30 AM – 4:30 PM PST
UCLA Royce Hall & Online
https://www.international.ucla.edu/cnes/event/16782
13. AUC: Entertainment in the History of the Middle East:
The Serious Business of Leisure and Fun
The Department of Arab and Islamic Civilizations (ARIC) at the American University in Cairo (AUC) is pleased to announce the Call for Papers for its Annual History Seminar 2025. The upcoming round of the seminar aims to explore various aspects of the social and cultural history of entertainment and entertainers and analyze the roles they played in the history of the Middle East.
The seminar sessions will be held in Cairo, Egypt, at AUC Tahrir Square Campus on Friday 11 and Saturday 12 April 2025. Abstracts of around 300 words, in either English or Arabic, along with a recent CV are expected by 1 December 2024. Please send abstracts and CVs to ahs@aucegypt.edu . Unfortunately, we do not have funds to assist with air travel or accommodation. However, there are no registration fees for the seminar.
Call for Papers
Historicizing entertainment and leisure is one of the growing areas in the social and cultural history of the Middle East. While it has often been approached from the perspective of court and high culture, recent scholarship also pays attention to forms of entertainment beyond the court and ones that crossed various social boundaries including from the perspectives of “history from below”. The work of storytellers, poets and poetry reciters, singers, dancers, acrobats, magicians, as well as games, shadow plays and sports, can help us understand various aspects of past societies.
The upcoming round of the Annual History Seminar aims to study various aspects of the social and cultural history of entertainment and entertainers in the Middle East. The aim is to analyze the various roles that entertainers and entertainment activities played in different historical contexts in the past of the Middle East. Through studying various forms of entertainment and the positionality and dynamics between entertainers and other social actors we can better understand some of the worldviews and mentalities of historical societies. Rather than describe the work of particular entertainers, we hope to probe the relations between various social actors and analyze changing social, economic and political relations among them. We aim to look at the social and cultural history of the Middle East through the lens of entertainment.
We invite abstracts of around 300 words in either English and Arabic for presentations that would revolve around the broad theme of entertainment and leisure activities in the history of the Middle East. Possible themes include:
Historicizing Entertainment: What are the sources we can use to shed light on entertainers, usually associated with the lower strata of society? Can some traditional sources, such as al-Maqrizi’s seminar Khitat, be used differently to study entertainment? Are there alternative archives or untraditional sources that can be approached?
Regulating Entertainment: Although their arts were much in demand, entertainers, especially dancers and singers, had to deal with the antagonism of ruling and religious authorities. How did entertainers navigate this tension between popular demand and moral censorship and regulations? What roles did state officials, such as muhtasibs and qadis, play in this dynamic? What were the discrepancies between those different perspectives and how wide were they? How did different social groups moralize different forms of entertainment? What were the varying attitudes towards music for example and how did they shift over time and space? What were the various licit and illicit forms of entertainment and did this distinction shift over time? What aspects of entertainment were criminalized in a given society and how was that regulated?
Literature and History as Entertainment: Middle East historiography has been dominated by textual studies, and yet the entertainment aspect that many texts provided has not always received enough attention. Which literary genres developed as forms of entertainment and in which historical contexts? How did history as a genre become popular and when and why can it be considered a form of entertainment? What about folk epics (siyar) and popular tales (such as Alfa Layla wa Layla)?What roles did they play in entertaining? What themes were more prevalent in these genres?
Medieval Popularization: Medievalists speak of a bourgeois trend and popularization in the society and culture of the Middle East. How was this trend reflected in the entertainment practices of the time?
Mulids and Entertainment: The period 1200-1900 witnessed a significant expansion of mulids and saint festivals in different parts of the Middle East and across religious communities. What impact did this have on the different entertainment crafts. Can we link the history of mulids to the expansion of entertainment crafts?
Parody, Satire, Jokes, and Carnival: Entertainment activities often have a light aspect to them, yet one that carries very serious connotations at times. What roles did parody and satire play in some of the entertainment activities of the past? Can the concept of “carnival” help us understand some aspects of popular celebrations and entertainment in Middle East history?
The Crafts and Skills of Entertainers: Some forms of entertainment (dancing, shadow plays, poetry-reciting) required a high level of skill and craftsmanship. Can they be classified as high culture, low culture, popular culture? To what extent, how, when and why, were some forms of entertainment classified as crafts?
Organizing Entertainment: How were entertainers organized, both in terms of their own structures (guilds), and from the point of view of ruling authorities in terms of tax-paying? Did crafts remain within families?
Entertainment and the Margins? Where did different entertainers fall in the social structure of the city? Were they necessarily part of the urban poor? Were some entertainers marginalized and others celebrated? Where did entertainers lie within rural society? What chances did entertainers have for social mobility?
Locating Entertainment: Where did entertainment activities take place within the urban and rural landscape contexts? Where did they live? Were there specific areas and times in cities that were set aside for entertainment? How did this change from one historical context to another? How did the development of the urban landscape in critical turning points, such as the mid-Ottoman period of growth or the 19th century, affect the position and location of entertainment?
Coffee Shops and Entertainment: Since the early 16th century, coffee shops have become an integral component of social and cultural life in the Middle East. What roles did this new space play in entertainment? What forms of art, culture and play did it encourage?
Class and Entertainment: What roles did cultural salons play in the medieval Middle East? What, if any, parallels did these gatherings have across different social classes and periods? How did literacy or lack thereof affect entertainment? How did class and taste intersect?
Gendering Entertainment: How were certain entertainment activities gendered? And how did this differ from one region or period to another? What roles did women play in entertainment and in which contexts? How were aspects of the management of entertainment businesses and taxation gendered? What roles did enslaved people play in the entertainment business and how was that gendered? How gendered was the management of entertainment and its administration?
Sports and Games: Games and spectator sports have a long history in the Middle East but they are not often studied for the medieval period even though military regimes such as the Mamluks encouraged some of them such as polo. What public games were popular in different historical periods? Who patronized these games and public spectator sports? What political and social roles did these activities play? How was this different at various historical junctures?
Modernity and Entertainment: How did the changes in the 19th century impact people and practices of the entertainment business? How did the Arab Nahda affect entertainment in particular? How did ideas of social reform as well as religious reform movements affect the culture of entertainment? How did new forms of entertainment such as the press and the theater affect the culture of entertainment and affect other traditional forms of entertainment? How did the social placement of entertainers and the functions of entertainment change with modernity? What new forms of entertainment arose with changing social and political circumstances and why? How did changes in urban landscapes affect entertainment practices?
The sessions of the seminar are scheduled for Friday 11 and Saturday 12 April, 2025 at the Oriental Hall of the Tahrir Square Campus of the American University in Cairo. Participants should plan to speak for around 20 minutes in either English or Arabic. Abstracts of around 300 words, in either language, along with a recent CV are expected by 1 December, 2024. Graduate students and PhD candidates are encouraged to apply. Participants will be informed by late December 2024. Please send abstracts and CVs to ahs@aucegypt.edu.
Inquiries can be directed to either of the organizers:
Dr Nelly Hanna nhanna@aucegypt.edu
Dr Amina Elbendary abendary@aucegypt.edu
14. Literary Modernity in the Persophone Realm: A Reader
Editors: C. Nolle-Karimi et al.,
Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2024
https://www.scienceopen.com/book?vid=1a31f3ab-1a9d-44c3-a865-1eab2df9fe96
15. IIS: Listening in Many Tongues: Multilingual interpretive communities and acts of translation in Early Modern South Asia
This conference seeks to bring together scholars working across diverse fields, languages, and geographies on ideas of translation. For example, these would include scholars concentrating on Ismaili and Sufi studies in Persian and South Asian vernaculars and those working across Arabic, Malayalam, scholars working on Jain and Apabhramsa texts in translation, and on sites in South India.
Please note: this conference will take place on 21-22 October 2024.
The conference will be followed by a musical performance entitled Sham-i Mousiqi: An evening of Persian, Afghan, and South Asian Music. The concert will be held at The Ismaili Centre London on 21 October
https://www.iis.ac.uk/events/listening-in-many-tongues/
16. IIS: Conference on Afghanistan
The Central Asian Studies Unit at IIS and The Collective for Afghanistan Studies are organising an international conference entitled, “Afghanistan: Continuity and the Persistence of Tradition, Culture, and Identity”. Conference presentations will focus on history, identity, women, community, heritage, literature, and other topics in Afghanistan and its diaspora.
This conference will take place on 8-9 November 2024.
- October 05, 2024
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1.Cambridge Seminars in the History of Cartography 2024-2025
United Kingdom
19 November 2024, 5.30pm UK time
Finnian O’Cionnaith, Dublin
‘A peculiar survey … for our peculiar purpose’: founding the Ordnance Survey of Ireland
25 February 2025, 5.30pm UK time
Maurice Whitehead, Venerable English College, Rome
Maps, meridians and missions: Christopher Maire, SJ (1697–1767), an English cartographer in continental Europe
6 May 2025, 5.30pm UK time
Onur Engin, University of Cambridge
Echoes on the map: unveiling the auditory history of late Ottoman Istanbul through digital cartography
All are welcome
All seminars will be on Zoom and joining instructions will be circulated nearer the time. Please send an email to events@emma.cam.ac.uk if you wish to join the mailing list.
The seminars are kindly supported by Emmanuel College Cambridge
Contact Information
For any enquiries, please contact Sarah Bendall at sarah.bendall@emma.cam.ac.uk
2. CFP INSAP 2025: Celestial Connections Across Time and Space
Call for Papers: INSAP XIII: Celestial Connections Across Time and Space
(Queen’s University Belfast, 8-13 June 2025)
We are delighted to announce a call for papers for the INSAP XIII conference Celestial Connections Across Time and Space. This conference aims to bring together scholars, artists, and scientists from various disciplines to explore the multifaceted relationships between the skies – be it the stars, planets, or other celestial phenomena – and their influence across cultures, histories, and fields of study. INSAP’s purpose from its inception has been to foster a dialogue that bridges the gap between the sciences and the arts, encouraging a holistic understanding of the universe.
Themes and Topics:
We invite proposals for papers, presentations and posters on a wide range of topics, including but not limited to:
- Astronomy and Cosmology Through the Ages
How different civilisations have understood and interpreted the cosmos, including the development of astronomical knowledge, cosmological models and their influence on scientific progress. - Astro-Architecture and Celestial Alignments
Studies on ancient and modern architecture designed with astronomical significance, such as megalithic structures, sacred sites, and observatories aligned with celestial events. - Art and the Celestial: The depiction of celestial bodies and phenomena in visual arts, literature, and music across different historical periods and cultures.
- Philosophy and the Cosmos: Philosophical interpretations of the universe.
- Literature and Myth: The portrayal of celestial events in literature, myths, and legends; how the skies have inspired narratives and storytelling.
- History of Science: The development of astronomical knowledge, key figures, and their contributions to understanding the universe.
- Space Exploration and Human Imagination
Discussions on the impact of space exploration on contemporary culture, ethics, and the future of human civilisation, including the role of science fiction and speculative narratives. - Interdisciplinary Approaches: Combining methodologies from different fields to explore celestial phenomena.
- Environmental and Ethical Implications of Space Exploration
Consideration of the environmental impact of space missions and the ethical questions surrounding the exploration and exploitation of outer space.
Submission Guidelines:
We welcome submissions from established scholars, early-career researchers, graduate students, practitioners in the arts and anyone interested in the sky. Submissions include:
Individual Paper: Abstracts of up to 300 words and short bio of the author(s).
Artistic Presentations or Performances: A description of the work (up to 300 words) and any technical requirements.
Key Dates:
Abstract Submission Deadline: 22 December 2024
Notification of Acceptance: 20 January 2025
Submission Process:
All submissions should include the following:
Title of the presentation.
Name(s) and affiliation(s) of the author(s).
Contact details.
A brief bio (up to 150 words).
Please submit your abstracts and proposals via the Proposal Submission Form:
Conference Publication:
Papers from the conference will be considered for publication in a special journal issue of Culture and Cosmos.
Contact Information
For any queries, please contact the conference organising committee at insapxiii@gmail.com
3. ONLINE Webinar A Persian Paradise: Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson in Iran 1925-1927
with Nicci Obholzer
British Institute of Persian Studies (BIPS), 16 October, 2024, 5:00 pm UK Time
This talk will take us behind the scenes of the Sissinghurst Castle’s exhibition “A Persian Paradise: Vita and Harold in Iran 1925-1929”: Nicci Obholzer reflects on the new research which led to this exhibition, the digitisation project of the Sissinghurst’s archives which made it possible, and where these take Sissinghurst’s new understanding of its collection.
The exhibition was sponsored by BIPS and the Iran Society and became Sissinghurst’s most visited exhibition ever.
Information and registration:
https://www.bips.ac.uk/event/persian-paradise/
4. Call for Applications: SoFCB Junior Fellows Program
Rare Book School’s Andrew W. Mellon Society of Fellows in Critical Bibliography (SoFCB) invites applications for its 2025–27 cohort of Junior Fellows. The deadline is Friday, November 1, 2024.
This scholarly society works to advance the study of texts, images, and artifacts as material objects through capacious, interdisciplinary scholarship—and to enrich humanistic inquiry and education by identifying, mentoring, and training promising early-career scholars. Junior Fellows will be encouraged and supported in integrating the methods of critical bibliography into their teaching and research, fostering collegial conversations about historical and emerging media across disciplines and institutions, and sharing their knowledge with broader publics.
The fellowship includes tuition waivers for two Rare Book School courses, as well as funding for Junior Fellows to participate in the Society’s annual meeting and orientation. Additional funds are available for fellows to organize symposia at their home institutions, and fellows will have the option of attending a bibliographical field school to visit libraries, archives, and collections in a major metropolitan area. After completing two years in good standing as Junior Fellows, program participants will have the option to become Senior Fellows in the Society.
The Society is committed to supporting diversity and to advancing the scholarship of outstanding persons of every race, gender, sexual orientation, creed, and socioeconomic background, and to enhancing the diversity of the professions and academic disciplines it represents, including those of the professoriate, museums, libraries, archives, public humanities, and digital humanities. We warmly encourage prospective applicants from a wide range of disciplines, institutions, and areas of expertise.
For more information and to apply, please visit: http://rarebookschool.org/admissions-awards/fellowships/sofcb/. For more information about diversity and the SoFCB, please read the SoFCB Diversity & Outreach Committee’s Welcome Letter: https://rarebookschool.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/2024-SoFCB-Welcome-Letter.pdf.
Inquiries about the SoFCB Junior Fellows Program can be directed to SoFCB Administrative Director Kathryn Higinbotham at kathryn.higinbotham@virginia.edu.
Contact Information
SoFCB Administrative Director Kathryn Higinbotham at kathryn.higinbotham@virginia.edu.
Contact Email
kathryn.higinbotham@virginia.edu
URL
https://rarebookschool.org/sofcb/
5. Second Symposium on Middle Eastern, North African and Central Asian Dances, Music and Performing Arts (MENACA 2024), Pomona College in Claremont, California, 3-6 October 2024
The program offers scholarly papers, two keynote speakers, movement workshops, a film screening, and a dance concert providing a rich scholarly context in which dialogue and debate are encouraged.
Information and programme: https://www.menaca2024.com/schedule/
6. ONLINE Launch “Big Bang or Slow Motion? Changing State-Society Relations in MENA” of the Special Issue “Drivers of Change in Social Contracts in the Middle East and North Africa Region”, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), 9 October 2024, 4:00 –
5:30 pm CET
A first input will take a conceptual perspective and compare the changes in the MENA with those in other regions. The second input deals with the very specific social contract that emerged in Egypt under President Sisi after the 2011 revolution and the 2013 coup. The third input will focus on digitalisation as a potential factor of change to social contracts in MENA. The final open debate will discuss policy options and research needs for more inclusive and sustainable development.
Information and registration: https://archive.newsletter2go.com/?n2g=ezs426oj-wre98ce9-ji8
7. International Workshop “Women’s Knowledge Production in Qur’anic Exegesis”, Berlin Insti-tute for Islamic Theology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10-11 October 2024
The international workshop, organized by the Chair for Islamic Textual Studies (Qur’an and Hadith), aims to illuminate the often overlooked contributions of women to the field of Qur’anic exegesis. It seeks to delve into the role of women in generating exegetical knowledge, both historically and in contemporary contexts.
Information and programme:
https://www.islamische-theologie.hu-berlin.de/de/workshop-knowledge-production_poster-programm.pdf
8. ONLINE Seminar “Women, Workers, and Dis/Empowerment in Saudi Arabia” by Nora Jaber (Edinburgh), Centre for Gulf Studies, Exeter, 5 November 2024, 17:00 – 18:30, London Time
This talk examines the relationship between Saudi Arabia’s legal gender order for citizens and its labour regime. It shows how ‘women’s empowerment’, while beneficial to some, is implicated in the reproduction of material inequalities that are invariably racialised and gendered, particularly as they affect migrant workers. It considers how future feminist struggles can be articulated and directed so as to dissolve, rather than re-produce, the social relations through which all forms of exploitation are sustained.
Information and registration: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/events/details/index.php?event=14195
9. ONLINE Seminar “Redirecting Movement in the Indo-Iranian Borderlands and Beyond” by Mikiya Koyagi (University of Texas Austin), Centre for Gulf Studies, Exeter, 12 November 2024, 17:00 – 18:30, London Time
This talk conceptualizes the Indo-Iranian borderlands not as a periphery between empires but as a space where multiple routes of circulation merged, linking Iran to India, India to the Soviet Union, and interior lands to the Persian Gulf and beyond. It does so by examining how the formation of the Pahlavi state redirected the movement of goods, people, and ideas in the Indo-Iranian borderlands and its surrounding areas with the border town of Dozdab (present-day Zahedan) as the emerging infrastructural nodal point.
Information and registration: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/events/details/index.php?event=14196
10. ONLINE Seminar “The Voyage of The Crooked: Writing History Across the Gulf and Indian Ocean” by Fahad Bishara (University of Virginia), Centre for Gulf Studies, Exeter, 3 December 2024, 17:00 – 18:30, London Time
This talk charts out an oceanic microhistory, grounded in the voyages of the Kuwaiti dhow, The Crooked in 1924-25. It anchors itself in the nakhoda’s logbook, and looks out onto a world of texts, letters, accounts, and other writings by nakhodas. Through these writings, and from The Crooked’s deck, we can begin to thread together lifeworlds and histories that have been scattered along the coasts of Arabia, South Asia, and East Africa.
Information and registration: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/events/details/index.php?event=14198
11. HYBRID International Conference “Conflict Dynamics in Arabic and World Literature”, Cairo, 7-9 December 2024
Conflict dynamics allude to the attitudes, perceptions, and elements that shape the course of conflicts, in-cluding identity issues, feelings, lack of communication, and contentious politics. Those conflicts are best conveyed, negotiated and, at times, resolved through narrative. Literary and cultural products convey all kinds of conflict dynamics, whether as power struggles or resolution strategies.
Extended deadline for abstracts: 15 October 2024.
Information: https://conferences.andromedapublisher.org/CDIAAW/?
12. “3rd Postgraduate Islamic Studies International Conference: Understanding Islam an Muslim Societies in a Changing World”, Western Sydney University, 9 December 2024
The conference seeks to examine the inner complexities of Islam as a complete way of life and its variety of rituals, practices, and teachings embedded in the pattern of Muslim everyday living using modern academic tools, scientific research methods, and theoretical frameworks. It is designed to foster and disseminate on-going and new research about Islam and Muslims in national and international contexts.
Deadline for abstracts: 9 October 2024. Information: https://www.isra.org.au/postgradconf24/
13. “Fifth European Convention on Turkic, Ottoman and Turkish Studies (Turkologentag 2025)”, University of Mainz, 18-20 September 2025
The conference is organized in co-operation with the Society for Turkic, Ottoman and Turkish Studies (GTOT e.V.). We are inviting proposals for papers and panels in the domains of language, literature, history, culture, society, politics, and philology of the Turks and the Turkic peoples. Conference languages are English, Ger-man, and Turkish.
Deadline for abstracts: 15 December 2024. Information: https://turkologentag.uni-mainz.de/call-for-papers/
14. 13th Nordic Conference on Middle Eastern Studies: “A New World Order – A New Middle East?”, Oslo, Norway, 25-27 September 2025
We encourage papers that address different aspects of these developments, ranging from the religious, cul-tural, historical, and social to the political. We also welcome papers on other relevant themes pertinent to Middle Eastern and/or Islamic Studies, including the disciplines of Middle Eastern history, anthropology, ar-chaeology, religion, politics, sociology, language, and literature.
Deadline for abstracts: 15 December 2024.
Information: https://nsmes.org/Thirteenth-Nordic-Conference-on-Middle-Eastern-and-Studies
15. The HM Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Professorship of Modern Arabic Studies, University of Cambridge
The ideal candidate will have an innovative vision for the future of Modern Arabic Studies at Cambridge and enthusiasm to build on current strengths in maintaining and developing a leading research presence. They will hold a PhD or equivalent postgraduate qualification and would ideally currently hold a professorial position.
Deadline for application: 5 November 2024.
Information: https://www.minervasearch.com/current-opportunities/sultanqaboos/
16. Assistant Professors in Arabic Studies, Department of Arabic and Translation Studies, Amer-ican University of Sharjah
A PhD in Arabic Studies, Arabic Literature or related areas is required. The willingness and ability to teach entry-level Arabic heritage classes is essential. The ability to offer courses on the history, culture and society of the United Arab Emirates will be a distinct advantage. Successful applicants will have native or near-native proficiency in Arabic and English.
Deadline for applications: 15 December 2024.
Information: https://mesana.org/resources-and-opportunities/2024/09/17/positions-in-arabic-studies
17. Visiting Lecturer (1-3 Semesters +) in Middle Eastern and North African Studies (Arabic Language and Literature), Bowdoin College, Brunswick
An advanced degree, MA or PhD, in Arabic or a related discipline is required by the date of appointment. Successful candidates will demonstrate a strong commitment to undergraduate liberal arts education.
Deadline for application: Open until filled. Information: https://careers.bowdoin.edu/postings/14923
18. Tenure Track Position in International Relations (Focus Middle East), Government Department, Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, PA
The rank will be Assistant Professor or Instructor depending on qualifications. Applicants should possess or be close to completing a doctorate degree. The position is in international relations and we are particularly interested in candidates whose scholarship and teaching combine that expertise with a regional focus on the Middle East.
Deadline for applications: 7 October 2024. Information: https://apply.interfolio.com/149720
19. Advanced Assistant or Associate Professor in Arabic Literary / Cultural Studies, Tulane University
We are actively seeking an Arabist who can teach a variety of literary or cultural topics in both English and Arabic, with the period of specialization open. The ideal candidate might also contribute to our programs in Gender and Sexuality Studies, Africana Studies, Environmental and Urban Studies, and/or Native American and Indigenous Studies. Candidates should have an established record of scholarship and demonstrated excellence in teaching.
Deadline for applications: 15 November 2024. Information: https://apply.interfolio.com/152104
20. Assistant Professor (Tenure-Track) in the Arabic Language and Culture, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC
We seek candidates who have a commitment to excellence in teaching and research. Applicants must have a Ph.D. (or ABD status) in Arabic linguistics, literature, second-language pedagogy, or a related area. We seek a candidate with native or near-native fluency in Arabic and English, and experience in teaching Arabic language courses of all levels.
Deadline for applications: 20 October 2024. Information: https://mesana.org/resources-and-opportunities/2024/09/23/assistant-professor-in-the-arabic-language-and-culture
21. Assistant Teaching Professor for Persian Language and Culture (3 Years), University of Washington
Qualifications: Master’s degree or PhD in a relevant field such as Persian language, Persian culture, language pedagogy, or applied linguistics; superior proficiency in Persian, as demonstrated by teaching reviews; demonstrated excellence, as demonstrated by teaching reviews, in college-level Persian language teaching at all levels to diverse groups of students, including heritage learners.
Deadline for applications: 10 October 2024. Information: https://mesana.org/resources-and-opportunities/20 24/09/17/assistant-teaching-professor-persian-language-and-culture243
22. Grants and Places in the Doctoral Program of the “Berlin Graduate School Muslim Cultures and Societies (BGSMCS)” for 2025/2026, Freie Universität Berlin & Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin & Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient (ZMO)
The BGSMCS supports doctoral candidates who develop academically well-founded and relevant answers to questions arising in various research areas under the thematical umbrella of Muslim cultures and societies. The BGSMCS also provides its fellows with access to a broad academic network. The program is ideal for highly qualified and socially engaged junior scholars with a global outlook. Introduction week: 7-10 October 2024.
Deadline for applications: 1 November 2024.
Information: https://www.bgsmcs.fu-berlin.de/announcements/202409_cfa_doctoral_programme.html
23. ONLINE Course: „Istanbul in the 16th Century“, SOAS, London, 18 October – 6 December 2024
This online specialist art short course will explore the geography of the Ottoman capital and how it changed and reached its apex under the patronage of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent. The lectures offer a wide view on the artistic output of the time, looking at ceramics, works on paper but also textiles and architec-ture.
Introduction and programme: https://www.soas.ac.uk/study/find-course/istanbul-16th-century
24. REMMM: Dissent in the Arabic literary space: Commitment, autonomy and international circulation
Main themes:
1 – Dissent and the role of literary actors
2 – Dissent and autonomy of the field
3 – Dissent and the international circulation of works and actors
Deadline for abstracts: 15 December 2024. Information:
25. Articles on “Secularism in Social and Political Contexts: Contemporary Trends, Movements, and Ideas in the Middle East” for a Special Issue of the Journal “Religions”
Themes: 1) Original research articles studying how secularism manifests itself in social, political, and intel-lectual layers in the last decade. 2) Articles/reviews that explore contemporary academic approaches, ideas, theories, and methods on the study of secularism and politics in the Middle East. Editors: Dr. Gokhan Bacik & Dr. Serkan Seker.
Deadline for manuscripts: 30 June 2025.
Information: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/religions/special_issues/35392B10OI
26. History of Science/Medicine job at Rice University
Assistant Professor, Medieval or Early Modern History of Science, Technology, and/or Medicine at Rice University
Call for applications
Institution Type: College / University
Location: Texas, United States
Position: Assistant Professor
The Department of History in the School of Humanities at Rice University in Houston, Texas, seeks applicants for a tenure-track assistant professor of medieval or early modern history of science, technology, and/or medicine. A PhD in a relevant field is required at the time of appointment. The area of geographical specialization is open. The search will be held in the 2024-2025 academic year, with a start date for the position of July 1, 2025.
This position will complement the Department of History’s strengths and course offerings at the graduate and undergraduate levels, and will also facilitate interdisciplinary connections with other departments in the School of Humanities and the School of Social Sciences and with programs in Medieval and Early Modern Studies, Science and Technology Studies, Medical Humanities, Ancient Mediterranean Civilizations, Jewish Studies, the Center for African and African American Studies, Politics, Law, and Social Thought, and the Center for Environmental Studies. The successful candidate for this position will hold a primary appointment in the Department of History, complement existing faculty strengths, and foster connections with STEM fields on campus.
The Department of History at Rice University has a growing strength in the history of science, technology, and medicine and has implemented a new pre-modern course requirement for undergraduate majors. The University offers an undergraduate interdisciplinary major and minor in Medieval and Early Modern Studies and has recently launched a minor in Science and Technology Studies. The Fondren Library’s Woodson Research Center has a rich collection of rare books pertaining to the history of science, technology and medicine, including early editions of Copernicus, Newton, Robert Boyle, and William Harvey.
Applicants should demonstrate an outstanding record of research and teaching. Applicants should be prepared to teach regularly-offered undergraduate and graduate courses in the medieval and early modern history of science, technology, and/or medicine. Candidates with evidence of teaching excellence and of cultivating connections with STEM students of diverse backgrounds are particularly encouraged to apply. The normal course load in the School of Humanities is 2:2.
Review of applications will begin on October 15, 2024 (via Interfolio) and must include a letter of application; CV, including a list of publications and other authored, creative works; diversity statement; a writing sample of approximately 25 double-spaced pages; evidence of teaching excellence; and 3 letters of reference. The position will remain open until filled. For further information or questions contact Luis Campos, search committee chair, at lc@rice.edu. General information about the Department of History can be found at https://history.rice.edu.
Rice University is a private, comprehensive research university located in the heart of Houston’s dynamic museum district and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice University offers undergraduate and graduate degrees across eight schools and has a student body of over 4,000 undergraduates and a nearly equal number of graduate students. The fourth largest and most diverse city in the United States, Houston provides an opportunity for scholars to collaborate with area universities, museums, and civic organizations, and to engage with the broader metropolitan community.
Application Process
This institution is using Interfolio’s Faculty Search to conduct this search. Applicants to this position receive a free Dossier account and can send all application materials, including confidential letters of recommendation, free of charge.
Apply Now
27. University of Michigan – Ann Arbor – Assistant Professor – Modern Arabic Literature and Culture
Closing date: Nov 1 , 2024
https://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=67767
28. University of Nevada Reno – Assistant Professor, History
Pre-modern or modern Middle East, broadly defined.
Closing date: Oct 25, 2024
https://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=67790
29. The first online Monday Majlis of the Academic Year at Centre for the Study of Islam, Exeter:
Regula Forster
On Animals, Stones, and Alphabets:
The 14th-Century Egyptian Alchemist Aydamir al-Jildakī and His Natural Encyclopaedia
Monday Majlis Online on the 7th of October, 17: 00-18:30 (UK time)
Centre for the Study of Islam, Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter
Register please on this link:
https://universityofexeter.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIvd–rrDouHNDNvAhz1UzISuCVMprpA0iu
- October 01, 2024
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1.The Intensive Online Course on Islamic Philosophy
January 2-15, 2025
This course comprehensively explores Islamic Philosophy, covering its key concepts, historical development, and contemporary relevance. This is a great opportunity to learn from renowned scholars in the field and engage in interactive discussions and exercises.
Some of the Distinguished Scholars:
– Dr. Seyyed Hosein Nasr
– Dr. Oliver Leaman
– Dr. Muhammad Legenhausen
Key Course Features:
Expert Instruction by distinguished scholars
Comprehensive Curriculum covering essential topics
Interactive Format with discussions and Q&A
Flexible Learning with online access and live sessions
Please visit the following link for more information about the course: https://hikmat-ins.com/islamic-philosophy
2. IMES – University of Edinburgh
Dr Vladimir Hamed-Troyansky (University of California, Santa Barbara) will be giving our next IMES Research Seminar, ‘Empire of Refugees: North Caucasian Muslims and the Late Ottoman State’, Monday, 30 September at 17:15- 18:30 (UK time)
This will be an online seminar only.
If you are interested in joining us, please contact Anthony.Gorman@ed.ac.uk for Zoom details.
3. AKU – ISMC: Arabic Pasts Histories and Historiographies (Hybrid) 3 – 4 October 2024
This annual exploratory and informal workshop offers the opportunity to reflect on methodologies, case studies, and research agendas for investigating history writing in Arabic in the Middle East, North Africa, and beyond in any period from the seventh century to the present.
Join us for two days of papers addressing fundamental questions such as ‘Who does history represent – how and why?’ ‘How can works of fiction contribute to our understanding of the past as it was actually experienced in earlier times?’ ‘In what ways do educational institutions, museums, media organisations and proponents of heritage use history writing to shape loyalties and senses of belonging in society?’ and many more topics.
Please register to join us in person at the Aga Khan Centre in London or online. The workshop runs 3-4 October 2024.
Download finalised Arabic Pasts Schedule.
Organisers
Arabic Pasts is co-organised by Hugh Kennedy (SOAS), Lorenz Nigst (AKU-ISMC), and Sarah Bowen Savant (AKU-ISMC).
Join Online
You can also join us online by registering via Zoom.
4. 6th ḤAJAR ONLINE WORKSHOP
Archaeology and Material Culture of the Hajj
Friday, October 18th, 2024, 15:45 – 19:00 (CET)
Chairs: Irina Shingiray (Oxford University), Valentina Vezzoli (University of Udine)
CASE STUDIES (30 min each)
Serap Ermis (Goethe University Frankfurt)
Hidden memories. Remembering and forgetting the city of Makkah in the 19th century Ottoman period
Sterenn Le Maguer (University of Lausanne/Archaïos)
Water management on the Hajj road between Kufa and Mecca (Darb Zubaydah), 8th -10th centuries
Mounia Chekhab Abudaya (Museum of Islamic Art Doha)
Presenting the Hajj in a museum context
BREAK 17:15 – 17:30
DISCUSSANTS (15-20 min each)
Harry Munt (University of York)
Richard McGregor (Vanderbilt University)
GENERAL DISCUSSION
For registration and Zoom link please write to hajararchaeology@gmail.com before October 16th.
About ḤAJAR: https://hajar.hypotheses.org/about
Contact Information
About ḤAJAR: https://hajar.hypotheses.org/about
Contact Email
URL
https://hajar.hypotheses.org/hajar-online-conferences
5. Aesthetics and the Art of Living in the Zagros Mountains of Iran
E Friedl
EUP, 2024
6. Zoroastrians in Early Islamic History Accommodation and Memory
D. Magnusson
EUP, 2023
7. Hybrid event: The Iranian left: historical, local and global themes
London: 14 November, 2024, 9.30 – 6.30
The Iranian left has a long and tumultuous history, dating back to the late 19th and early 20th century when socialist and communist groups came to play a significant role in the Constitutional Revolution of 1906-1911 and the subsequent decades which followed. A range of left-wing forces advocated for greater equality, cultural and economic reforms, social and labour rights and self-determination, navigating a perilous path between creeping authoritarianism and foreign encroachments. These struggles had a considerable political and social impact but were at the same time fraught with miscalculations and tragic compromises. The left played a significant role in the Iranian Revolution of 1979 but was eventually marginalized by the rise of the Islamic Republic. Despite repression and persecution, left-wing movements have continued to exist in Iran, advocating for workers’ rights, social justice, and political reform.
This workshop brings together leading specialists on the history and politics of the left in Iran to consider the historical and contemporary status of the left in Iran and amongst the diaspora. It will consider the role of the left in the 1979 revolution and in the protest movements of 2009, 2019 and 2021 and focus on how Iranian leftist movements have dealt – theoretically and politically – with issues of nationalism, Islam, imperialism, gender and Third-Worldism.
Workshop is organized by the Aga Khan University, Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations, London.
It will be a hybrid event. It is free to attend but registration is required.
Venue: Aga Khan Centre, London & Zoom
Please follow the URL to see the workshop programme and the list of speakers, and for the links to in-person and online registration.
Contact Information
Dr. Hadi Enayat (Organizer)
Contact Email
URL
https://www.aku.edu/ismc/events/pages/event-detail.aspx?EventID=2597&Title=The%…
8. Mahmoud Kianush tribute event
Mahmoud Kianush (1934-2021): A literary figure like no other
3.30pm, Saturday 05 October 2024
Mahmoud Kianush, poet, writer, literary critic, translator, and Journalist was born in Iran and had lived and worked in London since 1974. He played an important role in introducing English literature to Iranians and translated several modern Iranian poems into English.
A prolific writer, he published more than 60 books of poetry, novels and short stories, including children’s stories. In 1996 he published Modern Persian Poetry in English. He published many poems in English, the most recent collection, The Journey and Other Poems, was published in October 2020.
Programme
- Panel discussion
- Film on Kianush
- Music by Hossein Hadisi
*Please note that this event’s proceedings will be held in Persian language.
9. The College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota—Twin Cities and the Religious Studies Program invite applications for a full-time, tenure-track faculty position at the assistant professor level in Early Islam (to c. 1250).
The appointment will begin on August 25, 2025. The appointment will be 100% time over the 9-month academic year with a 2/2 course load at the rank of tenure-track assistant professor.
We seek a scholar of Early Islam who has some background in Religious Studies. Possible methodological approaches and areas of specialization include, but are not limited to:
- Early Islamic world
- Critical historical, comparative, literary, or anthropological approaches
- Exegesis, rhetoric, oral and written textuality, interpretive traditions
- Historiography
- Qur’anic studies
- Islamic legal studies
- Classical Islamic thought (and its modern resonances)
- Transnational connections, race, ethnicity, and identity
- Interreligious encounters, negotiations, and/or dialogue
- Social, political, and economic history of early Muslim/Islamic societies
As a tenure-track faculty member, responsibilities will include executing an innovative and consistent research and publication agenda; offering courses in the area of research specialty as well as teaching core courses in the Religious Studies and Islamic Studies undergraduate and graduate curricula (e.g., Foundational Islamic Texts; Introduction to Religions of the World; and/or Theory and Methods in the Study of Religion); supervising graduate research (in Religious Studies and the tenure-granting department); creating new avenues for cross-disciplinary research at the university that would include the study of Islam; and service to the Religious Studies Program, the tenure department, the College, and the University.
The deadline for application materials is Monday, October 28, 2024. To review the complete position announcement, including duties and responsibilities of the position, required and preferred qualifications, and application instructions, please visit https://hr.myu.umn.edu/jobs/ext/364840 or search hr.umn.edu/Jobs/Find-job for posting #364840.
For further information concerning the position, please contact Dr. Andrea Sterk, chair of the search committee, sterk@umn.edu.
10. New York University: NYU – NY: Arts and Science (A&S): Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies
Location New York, NY Open Date Sep 20, 2024
Deadline Nov 01, 2024 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time
Description
The Department of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at New York University invites scholars of the eighteenth and/or nineteenth century Middle East (broadly defined) to apply for a tenure-track position at the assistant professor level. Candidates should be grounded in historical methods and be able to contribute to the department’s joint PhD program with History. The position will begin on September 1, 2025, pending budgetary and administrative approval. The department’s strong preference is for an expert on the eighteenth- and/or nineteenth-century Persianate world broadly defined, including but not limited to Iran, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Afghanistan, and the Indian Ocean world. All applicants are expected to contribute to MEIS’s interdisciplinary undergraduate curriculum and its doctoral programs.
The Faculty of Arts and Science at NYU is at the heart of a leading research university that spans the globe. We seek scholars of the highest caliber that embody the diversity of the United States as well as the global society in which we live. We strongly encourage applications from women, racial and ethnic minorities, and other individuals who are under-represented in the profession, across color, creed, race, ethnic and national origin, physical ability, gender and sexual identity, or any other legally protected basis. NYU affirms the value of differing perspectives on the world as we strive to build the strongest possible university with the widest reach. To learn more about the FAS commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion, please read here. (http://as.nyu.edu/administrative-resources/office/facultydiversity.html).
EOE/Affirmative Action/Minorities/Females/Veterans/Disabled/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity.
In compliance with NYC’s Pay Transparency Act, the annual base salary range for this position is $70,000 to $110,000. New York University considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, as well as market and organizational considerations when extending an offer.
Qualifications
Candidates must have the Ph.D. by the time of appointment, demonstrate potential for superior scholarly accomplishment, and be prepared to teach a wide range of graduate and undergraduate courses and to supervise doctoral dissertation research.
Application Instructions
Application materials should include: 2-3 page cover letter; cv; 1 article or chapter-length writing sample; the names and contact information of 3 references; and a 1 page statement of your approaches to teaching, including how you support diversity and inclusion in the classroom.
Application Process
This institution is using Interfolio’s Faculty Search to conduct this search. Applicants to this position receive a free Dossier account and can send all application materials, including confidential letters of recommendation, free of charge.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
For people in the EU, click here for information on your privacy rights under GDPR: www.nyu.edu/it/gdpr
https://apply.interfolio.com/155283
- September 28, 2024
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment