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Shii News – Academic Items

1. CFP: Arab Cinema (edited collection)

Essay contributions are sought for an edited collection on cinema of the Arab world that is presently under favorable consideration by the editors of an appropriate series at a major academic publisher.

Whereas the Arab world continues to be a central focus of Western media attention, relatively little scholarly work has been produced on Arab cinema. This forthcoming scholarly collection aims to explore and analyze the current state of cinematic and media production in the Arab world, drawing upon the expertise of scholars and practitioners, including but not limited to those who hail from or are based in the region itself. The volume will adopt a contemporary perspective, covering specific aspects and attributes of the Arab world as a whole and integrating an array of topics and theoretical approaches representing current developments in Arab filmmaking and studies. Recognizing the field’s interdisciplinary breadth, the collection seeks intellectual inclusiveness and welcomes essays from diverse academic and national locations. Its aim is to (re)situate Arab cinema and its scholarly pursuit, both recent and historical, on the map of international cultural studies, by soliciting critical work in areas including but not limited to:

Political conditions of filmmaking in the Arab world / reflections on the Arab Uprisings / co-optations of revolt / the refugee crisis
Arab(ic) filmmaking outside the region (“beur” cinema, exilic and diasporic filmmaking)
Comparative analyses of trends or films in (specific) Arab cinemas and those from non-Arab regions
Revision preoccupation with Islam and “terrorism”
Films concerning Palestine/Israel, Zionism, and the Arab-Israeli struggle
Censorship and propaganda
Classical industry films revisited / popular cinema / genres / star system
New directors / auteurism
The persistence and future of national cinemas
Animation / digital media / experimental / avant-garde
Documentary traditions and transformations
Commercially successful political comedies
The relationship of literary theory and theories of visual art to film analysis
Politics of distribution / film festivals / “world” cinema / transnational networks / collectives
Economics of Arab filmmaking / sources of funding within and beyond the region
Class politics / anti-colonial and postcolonial tendencies / returns to Marx
Feminism and women’s cinema / queer theory / masculinities
Cinema studies as a discipline in the Arab world

Deadline for electronic submission of 350-word abstracts (to include brief biographical statement and sample 5-item bibliography): March 1, 2016.

E-mail abstracts to: Terri Ginsberg, Assistant Professor of Film (The American University in Cairo) – terri.ginsberg@aucegypt.edu

AND

Chris Lippard, Associate Professor of Film & Media (University of Utah) – c.lippard@utah.edu

Commissioned papers should not exceed 5000 words (20 pages) and must be completed by January 15, 2017. While the collection will be published in English, papers submitted in Arabic are also acceptable and will be translated.

2. Opportunities – Grabar Travel Grant and Post-Doctoral Fellowship (deadline Dec. 15, 2015)

The Historians of Islamic Art Association (HIAA) has established a permanent fund in memory of Professor Oleg Grabar and in support of the annual award of Grabar Grants and Fellowships. These competitive grants and fellowships are intended to encourage and further the professional development of Ph.D. students and post-doctoral scholars in the history of Islamic art, architecture and archaeology, and are open to all nationalities.

All applicants must be HIAA members at the time of application. Membership status will be verified by the HIAA Secretary, as necessary.

Applicants from outside the United States are responsible for meeting the requirements for and obtaining any visas necessary for visits to or residence and research in the United States. Upon request, HIAA will supply documentation of the grant and/or fellowship award, the dates of the award, and financial support.

The Grabar Grants and Fellowships are administered by HIAA’s Grants and Fellowships Committee, chaired by Prof. Avinoam Shalem, Columbia University, New York.

The next deadline for the Grabar Travel Grant and Post-Doctoral Fellowship is December 15, 2015.

GRABAR TRAVEL GRANT

This competition is open to doctoral students who have been invited or accepted as participants in a scholarly conference or other professional meeting for the purpose of presenting papers, chairing sessions or moderating discussions.

The maximum amount of the award is $700 US.

To Apply

GRABAR POST-DOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP

The Grabar Post-doctoral Fellowship is intended to support post-doctoral scholars at early stage of their careers in advancing their research. Fellowship funds may be used in one of two ways:

To spend up to two months in residence as a visiting professor or fellow/research scholar at a university, museum, research institute or similar institution outside their usual country of residence or employment.

To support additional research to aid in preparing the dissertation for publication. The Grabar Post-Doctoral Fellowship will provide up to $2000 US per month, for a maximum of two months. An additional $1000 may be requested for travel or for supplies.

Applicants should have completed their PhD within the last five years or have submitted their dissertations by the start of the fellowship. The fellowship is open to scholars of all nationalities; however, applicants are responsible for obtaining required visas for residence and research in the country specified in their application.

To Apply

3. Foundation for Iranian Studies

Announcement of the Recipient of Award

For The Best Ph.D. Dissertation on a Topic of Iranian Studies, 2015

November 20, 2015

The Foundation for Iranian Studies is pleased to announce that the Committee on Selection of the Best Ph.D. Dissertation of the Year on a Topic of Iranian Studies of the Foundation for Iranian Studies has chosen Daniel Beben’s dissertation “The Legendary Biographies of Nâsir-i Khusraw: Memory and Textualization in Early Modern Persian Ismâ`îlism,” submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Indiana University, as the recipient of the Foundation’s annual Ph.D. dissertation award for the academic year 2014-2015.

In making its decision, the Committee, following the criteria established by the Foundation’s Board of Directors, noted that Daniel Beben has made an “exceptional contribution to the field of Iranian and Central Asian Studies” by, among other achievements, “stating clearly the study’s problematic… constructing an adequate and efficient theoretical framework…developing and employing successfully a rigorous methodology to bring together a significant array of primary and secondary sources in Europe and Central Asia, including critical information secured through interviews judiciously conducted in the field in Tajikistan and elsewhere to support an innovative approach to the study of Nâsir-i Khusraw’s intellectual and religious influence on the form and force of the Isma`ili da`wa… methodically connecting data, text, and speech to construct a credible framework for evaluating the effect of chanced confluence of ideas, values, socio-political tensions, and time on the evolution of Ismâ`ili organization and faith in Central Asia, the Middle East, and elsewhere and, by extension, potential applicability of the lessons derived to studies of other historically relevant events … excellent organization of the work.”

The Committee also cited Seyyed Ahmad Hashemi’s dissertation “The Question of Freedom within the Horizon of the Iranian Constitutional Movement, 1906-1921” submitted to the Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford, and Keenan Baca-Winters’ dissertation “From Rome to Iran: Identity and Xusro II” submitted to the Graduate Division of the University of California, Irvine, with honorable mention for superior scholarship, originality, clarity, and significant contribution to Iranian Studies.

Notice of the awards will appear in the Foundation’s interactive web, in Iran Nameh, MESA and ISIS journals, and in various Persian and English language academic publications.

Gholam Reza Afkhami

Chair

Ph.D. Dissertation Awards Committee

Foundation for Iranian Studies

4. Cultures of Resistance Scholarship at SOAS is open to students from war-torn areas, including countries in the Middle East, for the 2016-17 academic year.

There will be two scholarships available for students studying a range of full-time Masters’ programmes. The students will benefit from a full award which covers their tuition fees, living costs and accommodation at International Students’ House. Please see full information and criteria for the scholarship here.

The deadline for submissions is 24 February 2016 and the student must have an offer to study at SOAS in order to apply.

The Cultures of Resistance Scholarship programme has already provided opportunities for some exceptional students to study at SOAS. Here is a link to a video of one of this year’s recipients, Anmoy Chakma Kiron, speaking at a SOAS Scholars’ event about how much the award means to him.
Any further questions should be directed to:

Alice Green
Development Officer
Directorate of Development, Alumni and External Engagement
SOAS, University of London

E a.green@soas.ac.uk

http://www.soas.ac.uk/registry/scholarships/the-cultures-of-resistance-scholarships.html

5. Middle Eastern and/or South Asian film at the rank of Assistant Professor

https://www.higheredjobs.com/faculty/details.cfm?JobCode=176172533&Title=Assistant%20Professor%2C%20Middle%20Eastern%20and%2For%20South%20Asian%20Cinema

The Department of Middle Eastern and South Asian Languages and Cultures
at the University of Virginia seeks to hire a scholar of Middle Eastern
and/or South Asian film at the rank of Assistant Professor. We seek a
colleague with expertise in the fictional and/or documentary cinematic
traditions of at least one Middle Eastern or South Asian region and an
interest in engaging comparatively with other cinemas of the regions.
Applicants’ scholarship should centrally address
the movement of images, techniques, and narratives across our regions,
and into other geographical areas and/or disciplinary fields. Specific
areas of cinematic focus are open, but preference will be given to
candidates whose research and teaching suggest connections among Middle
Eastern and South Asian cinemas and can complement the strengths of our
department.
This colleague will join, and foster connections among vibrant
inter-disciplinary programs at the University of Virginia in regional
studies, media studies, and film studies. Required Qualifications:
Candidates must have an ongoing program of research and publication with
a focus on a relevant regional cinema that integrates in-depth analysis
of cinematic texts with broader inter-disciplinary engagements with
issues of nation, identity, or spatial location in the modern world.
They must also have a commitment to excellence in teaching and an
ability to teach courses across the Middle East and South Asia. This
position’s start date is August 25, 2016, and applicants must hold a PhD
by the time of appointment.
Preferred Qualifications: Preference will be given to candidates who
bring training in at least one of the regions’ languages or literatures.

To apply, please submit a Candidate Profile to posting # 0617740 through
Jobs@UVA (https://jobs.virginia.edu) and attach the following: CV, cover
letter describing qualifications and research trajectory, contact
information for three references, and two writing samples:
(1) an article-length sample of written work (attach to “Writing Sample
1” in Jobs@UVA), and
(2) the front matter [table of contents, acknowledgments, and
introduction] of your dissertation or, if appropriate, book (attach to
“Writing Sample 2” in Jobs@UVA).
Review of applications will begin January 15, 2016, and will continue
until the position is filled. The committee anticipates conducting
on-campus interviews in February, 2016. A letter of invitation will be
provided to candidates who are selected for an interview.
Questions regarding the application process for Jobs@UVa should be
directed to:
Cameron Clayton
Administrative Coordinator
MESALC
rcc8k@eservices.virginia.edu
For additional information contact:
Daniel Lefkowitz, Chair
MESALC Film Studies Search Committee
dl2h@virginia.edu
The University will perform background checks on all new faculty hires
prior to making a final offer of employment.
The University of Virginia is an equal opportunity/affirmative action
employer. Women, minorities, veterans and persons with disabilities are
encouraged to apply.

6. 26th Annual Conference of ASEN: “Nationalism, Migration and Population Change”, London School of Economics and Political Science, 19-21 April 2016

Applicants are asked to consider the interplay between nationalism and population changes such as migration, differences in population growth rates and urbanization. We welcome both historical and contemporary perspectives from a wide array of disciplines.

Deadline for abstracts: 5 January 2015. Information: http://asen.ac.uk/conference/call-for-papers/

7. W3-Professorship in Oriental Studies (Arabic and Islamic Studies), Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany

The successful candidate will be expected to have research and teaching expertise in the discipline of Oriental Studies, especially in the early modern and modern developments of the culture, history, and religion of the Arab and Islamic worlds, combined with experience in working with sociological and anthropological approaches to these fields. Candidates should be familiar with German to the extent that they are able to teach in that language within a year’s time. The appointment begins April 1, 2016.

Deadline for application: 2 January 2016. Information: http://ec.europa.eu/euraxess/index.cfm/jobs/jobDetails/34044376

8. University of Exeter

Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Social Sciences with reference to the Middle East, University of Exeter

You will hold a PhD or equivalent in Middle East Studies, Politics, Sociology, Anthropology, Gender Studies or related fields, and have an independent, internationally-recognised research programme in an active field of Social Science and Gender Studies research related or complementary to existing Exeter strengths.

Deadline for application: 6 January 2016. For information contact Prof Christine Allison at C.Allison@exeter.ac.uk.

Two Al-Qasimi Chairs in Arabic and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter

The area of specialism sought for the two chairs is broadly conceived: all areas in the study of Islam using different disciplinary approaches and interdisciplinary methods. For both chairs, excellent mastery of the uses of Arabic is expected, and proficiency in other relevant languages (Persian, Turkish, Urdu, Kurdish, Indonesian) highly desirable.

Deadline for applications: 6 January 2016. Information: https://jobs.exeter.ac.uk/hrpr_webrecruitment/wrd/run/ETREC107GF.open?VACANCY_ID=843651DajS&WVID=3817591jNg&LANG=USA

Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Gender Studies with reference to the Middle East and Islam, University of Exeter

Deadline for applications: 6 January 2016. Information: https://jobs.exeter.ac.uk/hrpr_webrecruitment/wrd/run/ETREC107GF.open?VACANCY_ID=670875DaQc&WVID=3817591jNg&LANG=USA

9. Visiting Faculty Teaching on the Arab World and the Gulf Region, Kuwait Program at the Paris School of International Affairs at Sciences Po, 2016-2017

KSP is offering one-semester teaching opportunities. Selected visiting faculty will teach one graduate course in English, during one semester. This opportunity is open to both professors and practitioners. Applications from all social sciences and the humanities are welcome. Individuals from all nationalities may apply.

Application deadline: 31 January 2016. Information
www.sciencespo.fr/psia/sites/sciencespo.fr.psia/files/KSP_Visiting_Faculty_2016-2017.pdf

10. Hartwell and Sheikh Zayed MPhil Studentship for Starting Graduate Islamic Studies in October 2016, University of Cambridge

The studentship is available for those studying Islamic Studies in the Faculty of Divinity on the MPhil in Theology and Religious Studies. The sum awarded will cover the costs of fees and maintenance at either Home or Overseas rate following University guidelines, and may be offered to students undertaking study at MPhil level.

Deadline for applications: 2 December 2015. Information: www.orinst.ox.ac.uk/administration/grants/index.html#sheikhzayed

11. Articles for Journal “Zeitschrift für Recht und Islam”, edited by GAIR; Association for Arabic and Islamic Law

The journal is covering theoretical legal debate as well as the practical application of both secular and Islamic laws. The journal gives space to a wide range of perspectives and takes regard of the historical development as well as the interaction of “secular” and Islamic laws in different contexts.

Contributions can be submitted in German and English until 29 February 2016. Information: www.gair.de/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/CfP-ZRI-2016-English.pdf.

Posted in: Academic items

November 23, 2015
by Andrew Newman
0 Comment

Shii News – Academic Items

1.PhD Scholarship in Islamic & Middle Eastern Studies at Edinburgh

The Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Edinburgh is delighted to invite applications for a fees only PhD scholarship in any area within its expertise.

The scholarship will be funded by IMES and will cover tuition fees at the Home/EU rate (currently £3,996 p.a. for 2015-2016).

Applications for both the Scholarship and the PhD must be made by 1st February 2016.

Applications for the PhD can be made via the online admissions portal at the url address given below.

Informal enquiries are welcome and should be directed to Dr Nacim Pak-Shiraz:

Nacim.Pak-Shiraz@ed.ac.uk

PhD in IMES

Award

The award will cover:

the UK/EU rate of tuition fee
A successful non-EU/overseas applicant will be liable for the difference between the UK/EU and overseas tuition fee rate each year.
Subject to satisfactory progress, the scholarship will be awarded for a maximum of three years.

Eligibility

The award is open to UK, EU and overseas students commencing a PhD degree in the academic year 2016-2017.

Only applications to year one of a PhD programme of study will be considered.

Among the areas of supervision we cover are:

Shiism, pre-modern Islamic and Iranian history, history of Islamic science.
The history and historiography of late antiquity, early Islam, and the early medieval Mediterranean.
The biography of Muhammad; the Quranic exegesis, and the Hadith
Middle Eastern and especially Iranian Cinema; cinematic representations of gender and religious themes; Persian literature
Modern history of the Middle East and especially Egypt; Cosmopolitan societies: Greeks of the Middle East
Politics of eastern Arab countries; civil wars in the Arab world; the politics and sociology of modern Islam.
Gender and sexuality in contemporary Middle Eastern media

Applying

The deadline for the application is 1 February 2016.

PhD Scholarship in IMES Application Form (40.5 KB)

Applications should be emailed to:

LLC Postgraduate Admissions

Work: +44 (0)131 650 4465
Email: llc.pgadmissions@ed.ac.uk

Related Links

IMES PhD Online Application

2. Report for the Middle East Library Partnership Project :

http://melib.web.unc.edu/files/2015/10/Kurzman_Mellon_Project_Report_2015_10_16.pdf

The survey reports on the 237 respondents in Arab countries, plus an additional 20 respondents in North America responding to challenges and opportunities for collaboration between libraries in Arab countries and the United States.

The Middle East Library Partnership Project grew out of the Task Force on Global Dimensions of Scholarship and Research Libraries, convened by Duke University and the Center for Research Libraries (CRL) and supported by the Mellon Foundation.

http://melib.web.unc.edu/

3. Call for Papers for the Zeitschrift für Recht und Islam (ZRI, previously: GAIR-Mitteilungen) of the Gesellschaft für Arabisches und Islamisches Recht (GAIR, Association for Arabic and Islamic Law).

GAIR is a non-profit scientific association established in 1997. Its aim is the furthering of mutual understanding of law, legal systems and legal practice between European scholars and those of the Arabic and wider Islamic region. The annual scientific journal contributes to this aim by publishing contributions on the legal developments in this field, covering theoretical legal debate as well as the practical application of both secular and Islamic laws. The journal gives space to a wide range of perspectives and takes regard of the historical development as well as the interaction of “secular” and Islamic laws in different contexts. Its analyses and debates go beyond the basic principles and outlines of those legal systems, but also address the actual developments, both in aspiration and reality. In addition, it covers key phenomena affecting – or even determining – scientific discourse, legislation and legal practice in the relevant states. This focus does however not confine itself to topics of specific or general regional interest, but also addresses the influence of global developments and tendencies, as well as the legal relations among states.

Accordingly, we invite well-known and junior scholars as well as practitioners to help furthering this mutual understanding and dialogue by submitting publishable manuscripts. In view of implementing the aims of our association in a full and broad manner, the editors welcome contributions from specific disciplines, as well as interdisciplinary contributions that address the aspects above. We highly welcome the submission of articles, reports and reviews as well as case reports and comments on cases and legislation to the editorial double peer review process. Submissions must, however, not have been published or submitted for publication elsewhere.

The editors accept submissions in German and English. Please send your contributions:

until 29 February 2016 to zri@gair.de

enclosing a brief personal description (no detailed curriculum vitae required). We kindly ask you to provide your submissions in the following format:

 _Font size: 12pt;

 _Line spacing: single;

 _Font: Times New Roman, Times, Arial Unicode MS, Gentium;

 _Length: maximum 15 pages;

 _References: footnotes, but no separate literature list.

Quotes from the Arabic language that go beyond technical terms or short phrases should, in addition to the Arabic original, be provided in transcribed form (using an accepted scientific transcription system such as DMG or Encyclopaedia of Islam) and in translation.

Each submission will be subject to a double peer review procedure by two anonymous colleagues in the relevant area. Once their reports on a submission have been received, the authors will be notified whether their submission is accepted, accepted subject to changes, or rejected. The editors will be overseeing this process and make the final decision on publication. All authors will receive their contribution with editorial changes for a final review prior to publication.

For any queries please contact Sina Nikolajew from the editorial team (mitteilungen@gair.de ), as well as the editors Beate Backe (beate.backe@googlemail.com ), Hatem Elliesie (hatem.elliesie@gmail.com ), Kai Kreutzberger (kai.kreutzberger@gmail.com ) and Prof Dr Dr Peter Scholz (peter.scholz@fu-berlin.de ).

4. Collection of the non-hoard numismatic material in the Egyptian National Library
is now on-line.
Enl.numismatics.org

Our catalog of 6,500 numismatic pieces – coins, glass weights, dies, medals, etc.
– is the third major catalog of Islamic numismatic material held in the Egyptian
National Library, formerly the Khedivial Library, Egypt’s most important library.
Our catalog differs from its predecessors in a number of ways. First, it is a new
catalog in that we had to read the inscriptions from the digital images which were
taken under difficult and rushed conditions and not from the actual objects for
reasons which are explained in the section entitled Introduction. Second, we
included in this electronic catalog inscriptions in Arabic as Dr. Sherif Anwar
read them, which was never possible in the previous studies because of costs.
Inscriptions in European languages and references are the work of Dr. Norman D.
Nicol from the 1982 catalog of the collection.

Third, images of every piece are part of this catalog, which was financially
impossible when the earlier catalogues were published. Fourth, the images are in
color which modern technology permits at no additional cost. On the other hand the
Egyptian National Library required that all images used on this webpage carry a
watermark. Images without watermarks of specific items can be acquired by
contacting the Egyptian National Library citing the 1982 catalog number, which is
the last number in the title listing for each item. Fifth, whenever a mint was
named and could be located, an accompanying map is included on the webpage.
Finally, as far as possible, all the data and search tools are available in both
Arabic and English for the first time in a catalog. Electronic searches in Arabic
and English can by undertaken by going to the category “browse” and then using the
various lists to narrow the search. In order to find a specific piece based upon
its 1982 catalog number go to the heading “search” and under “keyword” go to “recordId” and type in the
appropriate number.

This project is a result of the cooperation of the Egyptian National Library and
Archives and the American Numismatic Society with funding from USAID through the
American Research Center in Egypt. This electronic catalog is made available under
the Open Database License. It is powered by Numishare and numismatic concepts
defined on Nomisma.org.

For more information, please contact:

Jere L. Bacharach      Sherif Anwar
Department of History     College of Archaeology
University of Washington     Cairo University
Seattle, WA USA      Cairo, Egypt
jere@uw.edu       sherifcoins@yahoo.com

5. Research Grants by the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), Herndon, VA

IIIT invites applications for short-term research grants (maximum $2,500) for Spring 2016. The grants are meant to support research and writing by individual scholars. Grants could include funding for travel, research support, publication and dissemination of results.

Deadline for application: 7 December 2015. Information: http://iiit.org/Research/ResearchGrants/CallforGrantApplications/tabid/400/Default.aspx

6. Institute for the Study of Islamic Thought ht in Africa (ISITA) and the Program of African Studies, Northwestern University Center for African Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Call for Papers

Sacred Word:

The Changing Meanings in Textual Cultures of Islamic Africa

A Symposium dedicated to the memory of Professor John O. Hunwick (1936-2015)

Sponsored by the Institute for the Study of Islamic Thought in Africa (ISITA) and the Program of African Studies (PAS) at Northwestern University and the Center for African Studies (CAS), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, this symposium will take place at Northwestern University (Evanston, IL) from April 21-22, 2016.

This meeting is the first in a series of collaborative programs on Islam in Africa organized under the auspices of the newly established Illinois-Northwestern Consortium for African Studies (funded by a U.S. Department of Education Title VI National Resource Center grant). It is being planned in anticipation of the ISITA-led workshops, projected for summer 2017 in Evanston and Africa, on aspects of the codicology of West African Arabic manuscripts, and also in preparation for PAS and CAS’s collaboration with the University of Birmingham on its 2016 Thirteenth Cadbury Workshop on “Bodies of Text: Learning to be Muslim in West Africa.”

A special evening reception Thursday April 21st is planned to honor Professor John O. Hunwick, in whose memory the conference is dedicated. This will involve members of his family, his students, and additional community friends and associates in a time for remembering his many contributions.

For full information, see:

http://www.isita.northwestern.edu/documents/CFP%20Sacred%20Word%20ISITA%202016%20symposium.pdf

7. Open Access Journal

The Comparative Oriental Manuscript Studies Bulletin (ISSN 2410-0951, since 2015) has succeeded the Comparative Oriental Manuscript Studies Newsletter as the main organ of the European network in Comparative Oriental Manuscript Studies.

It is a biannual peer-reviewed international journal, published on-line (under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license) and on paper as print-on-demand.

It is dedicated to the vast variety of issues concerned with the research into the oriental manuscript traditions, from instrumental analysis, to codicology and palaeography, to critical text editing, to manuscript preservation, to the application of digital tools to manuscript research. The geographical focus is the Mediterranean Near East, with its wide array of language traditions including, though not limiting to, Arabic, Armenian, Avestan, Caucasian Albanian, Christian Palestinian Aramaic, Coptic, Ethiopic, Georgian, Greek, Hebrew, Persian, Slavonic, Syriac, and Turkish.

http://www1.uni-hamburg.de/COMST/bulletin.html

8. University of California – Irvine – Meghrouni Family Presidential Chair in Armenian Studies
http://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=52094

9. Societas Iranologica Europaea
Outstanding European PhD in Iranian Studies

Award Winners 2015
In 2015 the prize was divided in equal parts between Agnès Lenepveu-Hotz and Arash Zeini.

Agnès Lenepveu-Hotz, Étude diachronique du système verbal persan (Xe-XVIe siècles): d’un équilibre à l’autre (EPHE, Paris 2012).

The dissertation of Agnès Lenepveu-Hotz on “Étude diachronique du système verbal persan (Xe-XVIe siècles): d’un équilibre à l’autre” was carried out at the École Pratique des Hautes Etudes (Paris) under the supervision of Professor Philip Huyse and submitted in 2012.
The work, which was published as a volume of the Collection linguistique de la Société de Linguistique de Paris (Peeters Press, Leuven) in 2014, is a diachronic study of the Persian verbal system and traces its development from Middle to New Persian. Based on ten texts representative for the different chronological stages between the 10th and 16th century, the work provides a minute and philologically sound study of representative text material, including early Judeo-Persian.
This precise, comprehensive and systematic analysis of certain well-known phenomena and forms is a great step forward towards a better understanding of the diachronic development of New Persian and will be an important and very useful reference work.

Arash Zeini, The Pahlavi Version of the Yasna Haptaŋhāiti (SOAS, London 2014).
The work of Arash Zeini is a dissertation on ” The Pahlavi Version of the Yasna Haptaŋhāiti” under the supervision of Almut Hintze, for which he was awarded a PhD in 2014 at SOAS, University of London.
In this excellent work on a very complicated Sasanian religious text, the author displays masterful knowledge of Book Pahlavi and other relevant languages, and has produced a very careful and thorough critical text edition with an extensive commentary. The work also includes important studies of Zoroastrian exegetical literature and scholastics, and of fire worship in Gathas, displaying profound knowledge of modern theoretical literature. Zeini sees the PYH as a text in its own right, and substantiates this view with considerable implications for the study of Zoroastrianism in particular and religion in general.

10. HISTORIANS OF ISLAMIC ART ASSOCIATION

2016 Biennial Conference

The Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London

October 20-22, 2016

Regionality: looking for the local in the arts of Islam

The Fifth Biennial Conference of the Historians of Islamic Art Association will take

place at The Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London, from October 20th to

October 22nd, 2016. The Courtauld Institute of Art is one of the world’s preeminent

centres for the study of art history and conservation. The introduction in 2013 of a

dedicated teaching position for Islamic art history marks the enormous strides taken in

our field in recent decades, and recognizes the fact that the study of the arts of Islam have

become an integral part of the broader art historical discipline and have made important

contributions to cross-cultural studies, trans-disciplinary approaches, and the general

widening of the scope of art history.

The London venue celebrates the European ‘roots’ of the study of the arts that fall under

the cultural umbrella of Islam, and the formation of the important early collections and

exhibitions that launched its scholarship. Those early, mostly connoisseurial categories of

regional types and styles – the “Moresque”, Persian painting, Turkish tiles, Indian

decorative arts – formed the foundations from which universalizing narratives of

“Islamic” arts emerged, especially in the period after the Second World War. Some fifty

years later, we are witnessing a resurgence of the study of regional specificities,

augmented with deeper research into the diverse facets of any given locality or artistic

form, and a greater commitment to the linguistic and cultural particularities that shaped

the arts, architecture and archaeology in a specific locale. Rigorous application of trans-

disciplinary research strategies have contributed to the deepening of our understanding of

the arts of Islam in local terms, and have allowed us to embrace broader historical

trajectories to include the modern and contemporary in our field.

The conference organizers believe that this is a time to celebrate the diversity within

HIAA’s specialist remit and to take stock of our field’s capacity for extending beyond

nationalistic formulations of history, and for breaking out of Euro-centred identities and

perspectives. As such we invite proposals for papers and pre-organized panels that take

regionality as their principal theme, that complicate simplistic assumptions about ethno-

national labels, and that highlight the local. Paper proposals from all parts of the field,

from the late antique to the contemporary, from Spain to Southeast Asia, are welcome.

The conference program will feature guided object-handling sessions at the Victoria and

Albert Museum and the British Museum, allowing direct access to a wide range of media

from these two remarkable survey collections. On October 19th, there will be an

opportunity to preview the exhibition Power and Protection: Islamic Art and the

Supernatural, at the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology in Oxford (travel to

Oxford not provided). On October 23rd, the Sarikhani Collection of Persian Art in

Oxfordshire has generously invited conference participants to a daylong visit to the

collection (travel by coach will be provided).

Graduate students and early career scholars will be considered for travel and lodging

grants. We urge our senior colleagues to seek funding in their home institutions.

The conference schedule will be finalized by August 2016. There will be three keynote

talks marking each day of the conference and a special dinner on October 22nd for all

speakers, session chairs and discussants. Tea, coffee, and some lunches will be provided.

The guided handling sessions – in small groups and focused by media – take place on the

morning of Friday 21st October at the V&A and British Museum. Advance registration

required. Details forthcoming.

Abstracts and Panel Proposals

Proposals may be submitted either for individual papers or for pre-arranged panels.

Paper proposals should include your name, contact information, affiliated institution,

professional/academic position, paper title, and the abstract.

Panel proposals should include a panel description of no more than 300 words and the

names, contacts, and proposal abstracts of all participants.

The abstracts should be no longer than 300 words and should indicate the original

contribution of the paper and/or panel.

Proposals should be submitted by Monday 4th January 2016 to Sussan Babaie, HIAA

President-elect, at HIAABiennial2016@gmail.com.

Selected speakers will be given 20 minutes for their presentation followed by a short

Q&A. Time will be allotted for panel discussions at the end of each panel.

All Symposium participants must be HIAA members in good standing. To join or renew

your membership in HIAA, please follow the instructions on the HIAA website:

http://www.historiansofislamicart.org

Program Committee for HIAA Biennial 2016:

Mariam Rosser-Owen, Victoria and Albert Museum

Scott Redford, SOAS, University of London

Sussan Babaie, The Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London

Key dates:

Deadline for submission of abstracts and panel proposals: 4 January 2016

Accepted papers and panels announced via email: 28 February 2016

Deadline for draft paper submission: 1 September 2016

Conference dates: 20-22 October 2016

For further details please contact Sussan Babaie at HIAABiennial2016@gmail.com

11. POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP IN ISLAMIC STUDIES

The Alwaleed Centre at the University of Edinburgh (www.alwaleed.ed.ac.uk) seeks to appoint a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, on a fixed-term non-renewable three-year basis, to assist the development of its interdisciplinary research and teaching activities, to commence on 1st February 2016 or as soon as possible thereafter. The successful candidate will have expertise in any aspect of Islamic Studies (broadly understood, so that it could include such sub-disciplines as Art, Ethics, Law, Philosophy, Science or Theology). Applications would be particularly welcome from candidates with expertise on Christian-Muslim Relations.

Closing date: 5 pm on Tuesday 15 December 2015

Further details: https://www.vacancies.ed.ac.uk/pls/corehrrecruit/erq_jobspec_version_4.jobspec?p_id=034833 or
or http://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/AML229/post-doctoral-research-fellow-in-islamic-studies/

12. Research Associate

The University of Manchester – School of Arts, Languages and Cultures

Location:	Manchester
Salary:	£30,738 to £37,768 per annum
Hours:	Full Time
Contract Type:	Contract / Temporary

Placed on:	19th November 2015
Closes:	20th December 2015
Job Ref:	HUM-07417
★ View Employer Profile

Closing date : 20/12/2015

Reference : HUM-07417

Faculty / Organisational unit : Humanities

School / Directorate : School of Arts, Languages and Cultures

Division : –

Employment type : Fixed Term

Duration : From 1 February 2016 until 31 January 2017

Location : Oxford Road, Manchester

Salary : £30,738 to £37,768 per annum

Hours per week : Full time

The Hippocratic Aphorisms have exerted a singular influence over generations of physicians both in the East and in the West. Galen (d. c. 216) produced an extensive commentary on this text, as did other medical authors writing in Greek, Latin, Arabic and Hebrew. The Arabic tradition is particularly rich, with more than a dozen commentaries extant in over a hundred manuscripts. The present project breaks new ground by conducting an in-depth study of this tradition through a highly innovative methodology: it approaches the available evidence as a corpus, to be consulted electronically, and to be analysed in an interdisciplinary way. Professor Peter E Pormann has obtained €1.5m from the European Research Council, and he will be the project head.

Your main tasks will be to edit and proof the corpus of Arabic commentaries on the HippocraticAphorisms; to conduct high-level research on it, aided by a variety of IT tools.

You will have a good command of classical Arabic, a Doctorate on a topic related to the project and previous research experience involving either medieval Arabic manuscripts or Graeco-Arabic studies. In addition, we expect you to be able to transcribe medieval Arabic manuscripts from a wide variety of origins and scripts (eg nasḫ, maġrībī, nasta’līq) and be familiar with standard IT packages, with a willingness to work with Macs and Mellel.

As an equal opportunities employer, we welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons. However, as black and minority ethnic (BME) candidates are currently under-represented at this level in this area, we would particularly welcome applications from BME applicants. All appointments will be made on merit.

Enquiries about the vacancy, shortlisting and interviews:

Professor Peter E Pormann, Director of the John Rylands Research Institute and Professor of Classics and Graeco-Arabic Studies

Email: peter.pormann@manchester.ac.uk

General enquiries:

Email: hrservices@manchester.ac.uk

Tel: 0161 275 4499

Technical support:

Email: universityofmanchester@helpmeapply.co.uk

Tel: 01565 818 234

This vacancy will close for applications at midnight on the closing date.

Posted in: Academic items

November 19, 2015
by Andrew Newman
0 Comment

Shii News – Academic Items

1.The European University Institute* is now accepting applications *for its Doctoral Programme <http://www.eui.eu/ServicesAndAdmin/AcademicService/DoctoralProgramme/Index.aspx?utm_source=mailchimp&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=phd2016>.
Our fully funded four-year Ph.D. programme is an excellent opportunity
for master students and other young scholars interested in pursuing
doctoral studies in economics, law, history and the social sciences, and
I hope you will share this information with your students.

<http://www.eui.eu/ServicesAndAdmin/AcademicService/DoctoralProgramme/Index.aspx?utm_source=mailchimp&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=phd2016>

The European University Institute:

* Offers one of the *largest and most prestigious doctoral and
postdoctoral programmes* in the social sciences in Europe.
* Has been*fully focused on postgraduate studies *for more than*40
years*.
* Hosts an intellectual community of more than *900 scholars* *from
over 60 countries*.
* Has an *excellent record in job placement*: 69% of EUI Alumni are
employed in academic positions, 19% in the private sector or in national
governments, 12% in international organisations and EU institutions.
* *Offers 150 grants for a fully funded Ph.D. programme *for the next
academic year.
* *Is located*in beautiful historic buildings in the scenic hills of
*Florence, Italy*.

The four departments offer a clearly structured doctoral programme with
close academic supervision. Researchers get access to high-level
research, and their independent research is supported by excellent
on-site facilities, missions and exchange programmes. Academic life at
the EUI is deeply international, dynamic and inter-disciplinary, and the
research networks formed by our members are enduring and of global
scope. Most of our graduates go on to become faculty members in
universities, both in their country of origin and around the world.
Placing your students in the EUI’s prestigious doctoral programme will
reflect well on you as an academic teacher and your institution.

<http://www.eui.eu/DepartmentsAndCentres/Economics/DoctoralProgramme/Index.aspx?utm_source=mailchimp&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=phd2016>

<http://www.eui.eu/DepartmentsAndCentres/HistoryAndCivilization/DoctoralProgramme/Index.aspx?utm_source=mailchimp&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=phd2016>

<http://www.eui.eu/DepartmentsAndCentres/Law/DoctoralProgramme/Index.aspx?utm_source=mailchimp&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=phd2016>

<http://www.eui.eu/DepartmentsAndCentres/PoliticalAndSocialSciences/DoctoralProgramme/Index.aspx?utm_source=mailchimp&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=phd2016>

I thank you in advance for forwarding this information about our
Doctoral Programme
<http://www.eui.eu/ServicesAndAdmin/AcademicService/DoctoralProgramme/Index.aspx?utm_source=mailchimp&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=phd2016>
to your students and hope that you will also share it among your colleagues.

The call for applications for the academic year 2016/2017 will close on
*31 January 2016.*

For information on research themes, application requirements, grants and
eligibility:

* http://www.eui.eu/Phd
<http://www.eui.eu/ServicesAndAdmin/AcademicService/DoctoralProgramme/Index.aspx?utm_source=mailchimp&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=phd2016>
* applyres@eui.eu <mailto:applyres@eui.eu>
* +39 055 4685 373

Sincerely yours,

Rainer Bauböck
Dean of Graduate Studies
European University Institute
<http://www.eui.eu/?utm_source=mailchimp&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=phd2016>
San Domenico di Fiesole, Florence – Italy

2. The Sharmin and Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Iran and Persian Gulf Studies at Princeton University invites applications for a postdoctoral position in the contemporary politics, economics or diplomacy of natural resource extraction in Iran and the Gulf region, or a closely related subject of research, starting in September 2016. This twelve month position may be renewed for up to three years, subject to satisfactory performance. The Center pursues a comprehensively interdisciplinary approach to advancing understanding of Iran and the Persian Gulf, with special attention to the region’s role and significance in the contemporary world. The goal of the program is to support outstanding scholars of Iran and the wider Iranian world at an early stage of their careers and thus to strengthen the field of Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies in the United States and abroad.

Candidates are required to apply online at https://jobs.princeton.edu (Requisition#1500901) and submit the following documents: (1) cover letter with title and summary (200 words) of proposed research project; (2) research proposal (max. 1600 words), including description of project, bibliography, timetable, explicit goals, and the reason it is proposed to be pursued at Princeton; (3) curriculum vitae and list of publications; (4) sample chapter (in English) of dissertation or other recent work; (5) contact information for three references.

DEADLINE: All materials, including letters, must be received by January 31st, 2016 for full consideration. Applications will continue to be reviewed until the position is filled. Preferred start date is September 1, 2016. This position is subject to the University’s background check policy.

The Sharmin and Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Iran and Persian Gulf Studies at Princeton University invites applications for a postdoctoral position in the medieval history of Iran in the period ca. 100-1000 CE, preferably with a focus on the history, sources and language(s) of the Sasanian period, starting in September 2016. This twelve month position may be renewed for up to three years, subject to satisfactory performance. The Center pursues a comprehensively interdisciplinary approach to advancing understanding of Iran and the Persian Gulf, with special attention to the region’s role and significance in the contemporary world, but with a keen awareness of the importance of the history of the region. The goal of the program is to support outstanding scholars of Iran and the wider Iranian world at an early stage of their careers and thus to strengthen the field of Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies in the United States and abroad.

Candidates are required to apply online at https://jobs.princeton.edu (Requisition #1500905) and submit the following documents: (1) cover letter with title and summary (200 words) of proposed research project; (2) research proposal (max. 1600 words), including description of project, bibliography, timetable, explicit goals, and the reason it is proposed to be pursued at Princeton; (3) curriculum vitae and list of publications; (4) sample chapter (in English) of dissertation or other recent work; (5) contact information for three references.

3. CALL FOR PAPERS | THE ISLAMIC MANUSCRIPT ASSOCIATION

SUFISM AND ISLAMIC MANUSCRIPT CULTURE – THE ELEVENTH ISLAMIC MANUSCRIPT CONFERENCE

Hosted by the University of Cambridge, UK, 13–15 September 2016

***CFP Deadline: 23 November 2015***

Sufis have written litanies, panegyrics, didactic works in verse and prose, hagiographies, discourses, exegetical works, and metaphysical treatises made into manuscripts both humble and lavish. Sufi lodges have housed libraries and manuscript ateliers, and Sufi networks have disseminated manuscripts across the Muslim World. This conference seeks to present current international research trends on the relationship between Sufism and Islamic manuscript culture and generate discussion and study in this field. Possible topics for papers include but are not limited to:

Apotropaic uses of Sufi and non-Sufi manuscripts by Sufis
The arts of the book and Sufi artists and patrons
Bibliophilia and bibliophobia in Sufism
Cataloguing manuscripts on Sufism
Collection care programmes for collections of Sufi manuscripts
Conservation treatments on Sufi manuscripts
Diagrams and illustrations in manuscripts on Sufism
Digital humanities and the study of manuscripts on Sufism
The effects of recent conflicts in the Muslim World on collections of Sufi manuscripts
The history of Sufi libraries
Paratexts in manuscripts on Sufism
Preparing printed and digital editions of manuscripts on Sufism
The production of manuscripts by Sufi lodge ateliers
Publication programmes or series of editions or facsimiles of manuscripts on Sufism
Dissemination of texts and manuscripts through Sufi networks
The use of manuscripts in Sufi rituals

SUBMISSIONS

This call for papers is open to members and non-members of the Association. The languages of the Conference will be Arabic and English, and submissions will be accepted in both languages. The duration of each conference paper will be 20 minutes, followed by ten minutes of questions and answers. The Association will pay for round-trip economy-class travel to Cambridge, accommodation, and meals for individuals whose papers are accepted. All abstracts will be peer-reviewed.

The deadline for submission of abstracts is 10.00 GMT on Monday, 23 November 2015. For further guidance, see our website.

MORE INFORMATION

The Islamic Manuscript Association is an international non-profit organisation dedicated to protecting Islamic manuscript collections and supporting those who work with them. Our conferences have been held at the University of Cambridge every summer since 2005 and themes have included topics as diverse as ‘Manuscripts and Conflict’ (2014), ‘The Science of Manuscripts’ (2012), ‘Central Asian Islamic Manuscripts’ (2010), ‘West African Islamic Manuscripts’ (2008), and ‘Conservation, Cataloguing, Accessibility, Copyright and Digitisation’ (2005).

For the call for papers in full, see our website: http://www.islamicmanuscript.org/biennialconference/2016conference.aspx

14. Lecture – Christiane Gruber, ‘Muhammad Among the Great Men of the World: Enlightenment, Nationhood, & Early 20th-Century Iranian Carpets’ (Cambridge, UK, 19 Nov)

Cambridge Lectures in Islamic Art:

‘Muhammad Among the Great Men of the World: Enlightenment, Nationhood, and Early 20th-Century Iranian Carpets’

Professor Christiane Gruber (University of Michigan)

Thursday, 19 November 2015, 5.30 pm
Nihon Room, Pembroke College, Cambridge

Posted in: Academic items

November 12, 2015
by Andrew Newman
0 Comment

Shii News – Academic Items

1. Persianate Subalterns:

The first workshop of the Persianate Subalterns project – on pre-Safavid subalterns – will take place on 7-8 November, 2015 in Edinburgh, UK.

To register for free live-streaming of this event, and for further information, and information on our Twitter feed, please visit:

https://www.shii-news.imes.ed.ac.uk/the-subalterns-project/the-first-workshop-edinburgh-7-8-november-2015/

2. The second Ethnographic Film and Media Program of the Middle East and Central Eurasia (Network of the European Association of Social Anthropologists)

We are pleased to announce the second Ethnographic Film and Media Program of the Middle East and Central Eurasia, which will be held annually in conjunction with the Anthropology of the Middle East and Central Eurasia Network of the European Association of Social Anthropologists (EASA).

Our second program will be held with the collaboration of the Department of Sociology of the University of Nantes and Institut du Pluralisme Religieux et de l’Athéisme – IPRA/MSHG (Nantes) during 19th and 20th November 2015 (University of Nantes, Nantes, France).

http://easaonline.org/networks/amce/film.shtml

Curator and organiser: Dr. P. Khosronejad (Institut du Pluralisme Religieux et de l’Athéisme – IPRA/MSHG, Nantes, France)

Contact : Pedram.khosronejad(AT)univ-nantes.fr

3. The IU Libraries Area Studies Department is excited to announce the return of our Area and International Studies Librarianship course in an all-new format. This Spring we will be offering the course online, which means that we will be able to enroll students beyond the boundaries of Indiana University. If you know librarians, library students, or others interested in Area Studies Librarianship would you kindly help us spread the word? This course is team-taught by the entire department, who collectively have global subject expertise. Additionally, we will bring in other relevant experts in our discipline. You will find more details about the course in the attached flyer. International students are welcome; all non-IU students, please see the attached form for enrollment information. If you have any questions about the class, please feel free to contact Marion Frank-Wilson at mfrankwi@indiana.edu

4. Research Methods in Islamic Studies: A Beginners Guide

The Centre for Islamic Shi’a Studies would like to invite you to attend our second in a series of workshops on research methods and techniques within academic and seminarian studies of Islamic studies.

The workshop will run as a full day workshop on the 14th and 15th of November 2015 from 10am to 5pm. It will be led by Dr. Ahab Bdaiwi, a lecturer and researcher in Islamic intellectual and religious history at the University of Saint Andrews with vast experience in the many research methods in Islamic Studies. The workshop shall cover topics such as how to read classical Arabic texts, research methodology, practical skills and techniques within academia and much more.

There will be a charge of £75 per person in order to cover the costs of running the workshop. This must be paid on registration.

Location: Brunei Gallery, Room B104, SOAS, University of London, Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG.

Refreshments will be provided.

Places are limited.
In order to register for attendance please contact: h.alkhateeb@shiastudies.org

Amir F. M. Bahrululoom
Alsalam Foundation
247 High Road, Willesden, London
United Kingdom, NW10 2RY
Tel: (+44) 2084513322 | Mob: (+44) 7816518699
www.salamf.org

5. Ethnomusicology grants

Three grants made available for students or young people interested to join in a short term study of ethnomusicology in Iran for a period of three months. The grant made available by Golnoosh Zolfonoon, the daughter of one the outstanding Iranian Setar player Maestro Zolfonoon (whom passed away a few years ago). The course take place in Khaneh Honarmandan (The Great National House of Iranian Artists). Grants cover complete fees (please note that traveling and living costs are not covered in grants). Course presented in Persian language (although you may find several volunteer students and young scholars willing to help you with Persian there).

Please do let your students and interested people know by distributing this announcement. For farther detail about the course please visit following link or contact the course conductor
Prof. Mohammad R. Azadehfar (azadehfar -at- art.ac.ir):

https://www.academia.edu/7731885/An_Open_course_Introduction_to_Ethnomusicology_and_Anthropology_of_Music_

6. The 14th Arabic Papyrology Webclass: Documents on Marriage and Divorce

Layout: Women in Muslim societies not only showed presence in the labor
market and as foundation founders, but also in courts while claiming
their personal rights. Therewith, legal evidence set up by scholars
provide information on the legal framework and give information of the
then legal discourse. Yet, these sources pay little attention to
gendered marital conditions and are devoid of the immediacy provided by
documentary evidence. We will read both marriage contracts and divorce
documents, and complement this by letters written by and to women.

Mode: This is an on-line webclass. We will read both published and
unpublished documents. A scan of the document to be discussed will be
sent to you in advance. Communication will be in English.

Time: 16 November 2015 – 15 February 2016, Monday, 6-8 pm CET.

Further Information: www.naher-osten.lmu.de/apw.

—
Prof. Dr. Andreas Kaplony
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Institut für den Nahen und Mittleren Osten
Veterinärstrasse 1, Zimmer 209, D-80539 München
Tel. 0(049)89-2180-2352, 2436
www.naher-osten.lmu.de

7. Leiden University: Assistant Professor in Arabic Philosophy

http://werkenbij.leidenuniv.nl/vacatures/wetenschappelijke-functies/15-360-vacature-universiteit-leiden-assistant-professor-in-arabic-philosophy.html

Only applications received before 30 November 2015 can be considered.

8. Middle East and Central Asia Music Forum

Friday 27^th November 2015

Convened by the Music Department at City University London and Music Department, SOAS in conjunction with the Institute of Musical Research

Venue: City University London, Music Department, Room AG09, College Building, St John Street, London EC1V 4BP

All welcome and admission is free but advance registration is requested for planning purposes.

http://www.city.ac.uk/events/2016/november/middle-east-and-central-asia-music-forum

Registration from 9.30am

9.45am Welcome

Session 1, 10-11.30am

Tamara Turner (King’s College, London)

‘Algerian Diwan of Sidi Blel: Moving and Musicking the Affective Community’

Rachel Beckles Willson and Salvatore Morra (Royal Holloway, University of London)

‘Al Kindi,Villoteau and the North African oud: The Case of the Horniman Museum in London’

11.30-12 Tea/Coffee

Session 2, 12-12.45pm

Owen Wright (SOAS)

‘A Safavid Theoretical Text’

12.45 – 2.15pm Lunch (not provided)

Session 3, 2.15-3.45pm

Louis Brehony (King’s College, London)

‘Mohammed Assaf: Arab Idol and the Zionist occupation of Palestine’.

Ruth Davis (University of Cambridge)

Title tbc

3.45-4.15pm Tea/Coffee

Session 4, 4.15-5pm

Saeid Kord Mafi (SOAS)

‘Broadening Practice Horizons Through Theory: A Study of Some Modal Capacities in Persian Classical Music’

Film screening (tbc), 5 – 6.30pm followed by Q&A

6.45pm onwards, a local restaurant will be booked for anyone who would like to end the day with a shared meal.

The Middle East and Central Asia Music forum has been running since 2007 and is open to researchers, students and anyone interested in the music and culture of the region. In the spirit of fostering dialogue and interdisciplinarity, we hope that the issues discussed at the forum will be of interest to a broad audience, including musicologists, ethnomusicologists and other researchers in the arts, humanities and social sciences. In addition, we welcome those working on other aspects of Middle Eastern and Central Asian culture broadly speaking (dance, visual arts, media, film, literature, etc.)

The Forum is convened by Dr Laudan Nooshin, City University London (l.nooshin@city.ac.uk) and Dr Rachel Harris, SOAS (rh@soas.ac.uk)

9. The American Research Institute of the South Caucasus (ARISC) announces its funding opportunities for 2015-16.

ARISC Graduate Fellowships
The American Research Institute of the South Caucasus (ARISC) announces the availability of US graduate fellowships in support of research in the South Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, and/or Georgia). Awards will be made for a maximum of $1500 each. Projects in all fields in the social sciences, humanities and related sciences are eligible. Proposals will be judged on their quality and on the potential of the research to strengthen scholarship on the South Caucasus. The purpose of the fellowship is to help cover travel and/or living expenses in the South Caucasus. During his/her stay in the South Caucasus, the fellow is expected to give an ARISC-sponsored presentation on a subject related to his/her research. The fellow will acknowledge ARISC in any publication that emerges from the research carried out during the fellowship.

Application requirements: Please send a complete application including the application form, a project statement of not more than 3 pages, work schedule, budget, and curriculum vitae, by Friday, December 18, 2015, to info@arisc.org. Two letters of recommendation must also be submitted. All information must be received by Friday, December 18, 2015, in order for the applicant to be considered for the fellowship, as well as in any presentations of the research results.

For details, eligibility, and to download the application form, please visit http://arisc.org/?page_id=70#Grad

ARISC Junior Research Fellowship
The American Research Institute of the South Caucasus (ARISC) announces the availability of US graduate student, postdoctoral and junior scholar fellowships in support of research and mentoring activities in the South Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, and/or Georgia). The goals of the fellowship are 1) to support research in and the study of the South Caucasus; 2) to select, recognize and financially support individuals early in their careers who demonstrate high potential to contribute to research in this region; 3) to support a mentoring relationship that will both develop the academic skills of the mentee and strengthen ties between the US and host country. Projects in all fields in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences are eligible, but all projects must include one or more undergraduate and/or graduate students from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and/or Georgia as research assistants/participants. Research awards will be made for a maximum of $4000 each to help cover travel, living, and research expenses in the South Caucasus. For ARISC grant purposes, mentoring is understood to involve integrating a local scholar into a research project in a fundamental way that involves cultivating skills and knowledge of methods that will contribute to the professional development of the local scholar. Proposals will be judged on their quality and on the potential of the research to strengthen scholarship on the South Caucasus.

Application requirements: Please send a complete application including the application form, a project statement of not more than 1500 words, work schedule, budget, and curriculum vitae, by Wednesday, December 23, 2015, to info “at” arisc.org. Three letters of recommendation must also be submitted. Letters of recommendation should be sent directly from your referee via email to info “at” arisc.org. All information must be received by Wednesday, December 23, 2015, in order for the applicant to be considered for the fellowship.

This fellowship is supported with a grant from the US Department of Education.

For details, eligibility, and to download the application form, please visit http://arisc.org/?page_id=70#ResFlw

ARISC Collaborative Heritage Management in Armenia Grant
Date Due: December 18, 2015

The American Research Institute of the South Caucasus invites proposals from collaborative teams in support of the preservation and conservation of the Republic of Armenia’s archaeological and historical heritage. This ARISC program, generously funded by Project Discovery!, seeks to foster joint work between American and Armenian scholars and institutions dedicated to the proper curation and preservation of heritage materials such as artifacts, sites, and manuscripts. Successful applications will demonstrate substantive collaborations that not only contribute to heritage conservation but also demonstrate efforts to build capacity and enhance local knowledge of current techniques and approaches to heritage management. These grants require active participation of both American and Armenian principal investigators in all aspects of the collaborative project.

Examples of potential projects include:
•    Restoration of threatened archaeological remains
•    Stabilization of historical resources
•    Long-term protection for archaeological sites or historical monuments
•    Curation and permanent exhibition of heritage materials
•    Cataloging and recording of collections
•    Digitization of heritage materials for wider public access
•    Enhancement of conservation lab facilities
•    Advanced training for specialists

Given the level of funding, these awards can also be used as seed grants to demonstrate the feasibility of a pilot program and/or in concert with funds from parallel sources.

Grantees will be required to either give a talk or run a workshop pertinent to the subject of the grant while in Armenia.

For details, eligibility, and to download the application form, please visit http://arisc.org/?page_id=70#CHM

ARISC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, physical or mental disability, medical condition, ancestry, marital status, age, sexual orientation, or status as a covered veteran.

10. Second Annual Conference: “Academia and Social Justice”, Asfari Institute for Civil Society and Citizenship / Arab Studies Institute, American University of Beirut, Lebanon, 11-13 March 2016 X

This conference aims to query aspects of this relationship between academia and social justice in the Arab region and internationally. What are the debates and paradigms that define this engagement given the trends towards market-place economics, corporatization, and political orthodoxy?

Deadline: 30 November 2015. Information: https://gallery.mailchimp.com/2706fba83081d638f41bab041/files/AI_ASI_2016_Call_4_Papers_E.pdf
11. Islamic World History, Eastern Connecticut State University – www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=51918

Postdoctoral Fellow in Islamic Art, Washington University in St. Louis – www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=51902

Assistant Professor of World History, Georgian Court University – www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=51932
12. Master’s and Doctoral Scholarships for Syrian Students in Social Sciences, Humanities, Human Rights, Law and Legal History, Economic History / Studies at the Central European University, Budapest, Hungary

The University is offering a number of full scholarship packages for the Academic Year 2016/2017. Application deadline: 4 February 2016. Information: https://networks.h-net.org/node/73374/announcements/90564/cfa-graduate-scholarships-syrian-students

13. http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/asian-and-african/2015/11/new-evidence-for-the-style-of-the-fraser-artist-in-delhi-portraits-of-afghans-1808-10.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+asian-and-african+%28Asia+and+Africa%29

New evidence for the style of the “Fraser artist” in Delhi: Portraits of Afghans 1808-10

One of the earliest European scientific accounts of Afghanistan is Mountstuart Elphinstone’s An Account of the Kingdom of Caubul, and its Dependencies in Persia, Tartary, and India, which was first published by Longman, Rees, & Co in London in 1815 and went through several different editions in the 19^th century.

14. CfP: The Third Annual Conference of British Association for Islamic Studies (BRAIS) is taking place in London on 11th and 12th April 2016 and the organisers particularly encourage panel proposals on any aspect or sub-discipline of Islamic Studies. For full details on how to submit papers or panels please visit our website:
http://www.brais.ac.uk/conferences/brais-conference-2016/brais-2016-call-for-papers

Completed submission forms must be submitted via e-mail attachment to conference2016@brais.ac.uk by 5pm (UK time) on Monday 30th November 2015.

Posted in: Academic items

November 03, 2015
by Andrew Newman
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Shii News – Academic Items

1.The first workshop of the Persianate Subalterns project – on pre-Safavid subalterns – will take place on 7-8 November, 2015 in Edinburgh, UK. To register for free live-streaming of this event, and for further information, and information on our Twitter feed, please visit:

https://www.shii-news.imes.ed.ac.uk/the-subalterns-project/the-first-workshop-edinburgh-7-8-november-2015/

2. Lecture – Manouchehr Moshtagh Khorasani, “Persian Fire and Steel: Historical Firearms of Iran” (London, 6 Nov)

by Pradines Aga

Persian Fire and Steel: Historical Firearms of Iran

By Dr Manouchehr Moshtagh Khorasani

Friday 6 November 2015, 17:30– 19:00

Aga Khan University Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations

210 Euston Road

London NW1 2DA

Abstract

The first part of the lecture will introduce a series of Persian manuscripts on production and typology of historical firearms in Iran, including the earliest known Persian manuscript on firearms from the Safavid period.

The second part will show a selection of 100 unique examples of Persian firearms from the Military Museum of Tehran, which belonged to the personal royal collection of Nāsser al-Din Shāh Qājār. These include matchlock, flintlock and percussion cap muskets, pistols, cannons and other items which had been collected from the early Safavid period. Persian cannons, howitzers and mortars from the Artillery Museum of St. Petersburg will also be shown.

Speaker

Dr. Manouchehr Moshtagh Khorasani is a specialist in Persian/Iranian arms and armor. He has written five books, co-authored four books and published 147 print articles in different journals across the world. He won the prestigious awards of the Book Prize of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 2009 and 2012.

Chair

Dr. Stephane Pradines

Registration

The event is free but tickets are limited. To attend in person, please book your place here.

The event will be also broadcast online. Please register your attendance to the webinar here.

3. Istituto Lorenzo de’ Medici – Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz
MPI, November 5 – 07, 2015

Collecting and Empires
The Impact of the Creation and Dissolution of Empires on Collections
and Museums from Antiquity to the Present

Venue
5 – 6 November LdM Church Auditorium (San Jacopo in Campo Corbolini),
via Faenza 43, 50123 Florence
7 November Kunsthistorisches Institut – Palazzo Grifoni Budini Gattai,
via dei Servi 51, 50122 Florence

PROGRAMME

Thursday 5 November
Istituto Lorenzo de’ Medici – San Jacopo in Campo Corbolini, via Faenza
43, 50123 Florence

8:30
Welcome and Opening Remarks – Rappresentanti degli enti coinvolti

Royal Collections in the Ancient World
Chair: Maia Wellington Gahtan

9.00
Zainab Bahrani (Columbia University, New York)
The biopolitics of collecting: Empires of Mesopotamia

10:00
Alain Schnapp (Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Paris)
The idea of collecting from Mesopotamia to the classical world,
convergences and divergences

Coffee/ Tea

11:30
Carrie Vout (University of Cambridge, Cambridge)
Collecting like Caesar: the pornography and paideia of amassing
artefacts in the Roman Empire

12:30
Michèle Pirazzoli-t’Serstevens (École pratique des Hautes Études, Paris)
Princely treasures and imperial expansion in Western Han China (2nd-1st
c. BCE)

Collections and questions of national identity
Chair: Daniel J. Sherman

15:00
Enrique Florescano (Conaculta, México)
The Mexica Empire: Memory, Identity, And Collectionism

16:00
Dominique Poulot (Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Paris)
Empire and Museums: the case of Napoleon I

Coffee/ Tea

17:30
Christoph Zuschlag (Universität Koblenz-Landau, Landau)
Looted Art, Booty Art, Degenerate Art – Aspects of Art Collecting in
the Third Reich

18:30
Katia Dianina (University of Virginia, Charlottesville)
The Dispersal of the Russian Art Empire

Friday, 6 November
Istituto Lorenzo de’ Medici – San Jacopo in Campo Corbolini, via Faenza
43, 50123 Florence

Expanding empires – morning session
Chair: Eva Maria Troelenberg

9:00
Gerhard Wolf (Kunsthistorisches Institut, Florence)
Material versus Visual culture: Collecting, Dispersing and Display in
Imperial Dynamics (400 – 1600)

10:00
Catarina Schmidt Arcangeli (Kunsthistorisches Institut, Florence)
Collecting in Venice and Creating a Myth

Coffee/ Tea

11:30
Hannah Baader (Kunsthistorisches Institut, Florence)
– title to be confirmed-

12:30
Michael North (Ernst Moritz Arndt Universität Greifswald, Greifswald)
Collecting European and Asian Art Objects in the Dutch Colonial Empire,
17th and 18th Centuries

Lunch

Expanding empires – afternoon session
Chair: Francesca Baldry

15:00
Thomas DaCosta Kaufmann (Princeton University, Princeton)
Habsburg Imperial Collecting

16:00
Ebba Koch (Universität Wien, Vienna)
The Mughal emperors as collectors: Jahangir (rul. 1605-27) and Shah
Jahan (rul. 1628-58)

Coffee/ Tea

17:30
Tapati Guha-Thakurta (Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta)
The Object Flows of Empire: Cross-Cultural Collecting in Early Colonial
India

18:30
Ruth B. Phillips (Carleton University, Ottawa)
Imperfect Translations: Indigenous Gifts and Royal Collecting in
Victorian Canada

Aperitivo

21:00
Concert
Conservatorio Luigi Cherubini – Sala del Buonumore, Piazza delle Belle
Arti 2, 50122 Florence
L’Ensemble Marâghî – Ottoman Classical Music
Music of the Habsburg Empire, directed by Maestra Daniela De Santis

Saturday, 7 November
Kunsthistorisches Institut – Palazzo Grifoni Budini Gattai, via dei
Servi 51, 50122 Florence

Late and Post-Empire, De-Colonization and Museums
Chair: Thomas DaCosta Kaufmann

9:00
Edhem Eldem (Bogaziçi University, Istanbul)
Ottoman Imperial Collections in the Nineteenth Century: A Critical
Reassessment

10:00
Eva Maria Troelenberg (Kunsthistorisches Institut, Florence)
Collecting Big: Monumentality and the Berlin Museum Island as a “World
Museum” between the Imperial and Post-Imperial Age

Coffee/ Tea

11:30
Daniel J. Sherman (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel
Hill)
The (De) Colonized Object: Museums and the Other in France since 1960

12:30
Wendy Shaw (Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin)
Islam and the Legacies of Empire: Ownership of Islam in 21st-Century
Museums

15:00
Roundtable
Moderated by Krzysztof Pomian (Uniwersytet Mikolaja Kopernika, Torun;
Ecole des hautes Études)

For more information, contact Myra Stals, myra.stals@lorenzodemedici.it

—-

The creation and dissolution of empires has been a constant feature of
human history from ancient times through the present day, especially if
one passes from a historical to a theoretical definition of empire as
an open expanding global frontier. Establishing new identities and new
power relationships to coincide with changing political boundaries and
cultural reaches, empires also destroyed and/or irrevocably altered
social structures and the material culture on which those social
structures were partly based. The political activities of empires—both
formal and informal to use Doyle’s definition—find their material
reflection in the creation of new art forms and the reevaluation of old
art forms which often involved the movement of objects from periphery
to center (and vice versa) and promoted the formation of new
collections. New mentalities and new social relationships were
represented by those collections but they were (and are) also fostered
through them.

In recent decades such issues surrounding objects and empire have
become important components of our understanding of British
colonialism, and to a lesser extent of anthropological approaches to
colonial studies more broadly conceived. Concurrent with these
developments, comparative studies of the political forms of empires
have also appeared, though the baseline for such comparisons is
invariably the Roman Empire, from whose imperium we derive our word,
but which is ill-suited to describe post-WW-II hegemonies or even Asian
historical examples. This conference seeks to cast a wider net
temporally, spatially and conceptually by exploring the impact of the
expansion and contraction of empires on collecting, collections, and
collateral phenomena such as cultural exchange in a selection of the
greatest empires the world has known from Han China to Hellenistic
Greece to Aztec Mexico to the Third Reich without privileging
particular political models and always with an eye to how these
historical situations invite comparisons not only with each other but
also with contemporary imperial tendencies.

While some scholars would argue that the term empire no longer applies
to today’s global and transnational environment, others have redefined
‘empire’ in terms of contemporary capitalism and a developing
post-modern global order. Exclusively based on political and economic
concerns (including identity politics) and for the most part
distressingly Eurocentric, these analyses of empire or its evolution
into something else yet to be defined, also neglect the impact of
material culture, even though material culture studies have made great
strides in recent decades by addressing issues of the migration of
objects and people for both political and non-political reasons.
Therefore by investigating empires and imperialism in a comparative
manner through the lens of collecting practices, museum archetypes and
museums proper, it is hoped that this conference workshop will help
shape our understanding of what is indeed imperial about our own
approach to material culture.

Contribution to Scholarship: While individual empires have been studied
extensively, it is only in recent decades that they have been examined
from comparative political, social and cultural perspectives. It is
also only recently that scholarship in history of collecting and
anthropology has begun to address the role imperial expansion on
collecting and museums in reference to European and particularly
British colonialism. Still there is very little written on the history
of collecting from any perspective outside of the European tradition or
from before the Renaissance. This conference would—for the first
time—approach the subject of collecting and empires from a global and
inclusive comparative perspective, from which it is hoped that
significant conclusions may be drawn about the social, cultural and
political impact of collecting and display across the centuries and
down to present times.

Reference / Quellennachweis:
CONF: Collecting and Empires (Florenz, 5-7 Nov 15). In: H-ArtHist, Oct
23, 2015. <http://arthist.net/archive/11289>.

4. 13th Annual Duke-UNC Islamic Studies Graduate Student Workshop on “Global Muslim Modernities and the Post-Secular”, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 27-28 February 2016

The concepts of “modernity” and “secularism” have received renewed attention within academic literature on Muslim societies and Islamic studies. This year’s conference aspires to create a forum for those exploring innovative engagements with this material from an interdisciplinary perspective drawing on critical theory and global approaches. Ph.D. students are especially encouraged to apply.

Deadline for abstracts: 1 December 2015. Information: DUKEUNCconf@gmail.com

5. Graduate Student Conference “Islam and the Modern State”, Buffett Institute for Global Studies at Northwestern, Evanston, IL, 7-8 April 2016

The conference will examine how modern states exist in tension with the practices, institutions, and sensibilities associated with Islam. This interdisciplinary conference will draw together advanced graduate students and senior scholars to probe the enduring entanglement of religion and modernity.

Deadline for abstracts: 9 November 2015. Information: http://buffett.northwestern.edu/programs/grad-conference/index.html
6. MENA Workshop Program for PhD Students in Beirut (May 2016) and Cairo (September 2016)

The American Political Science Association (APSA) is now accepting applications for this two-part workshop program. This is a unique opportunity to network with colleagues from across the MENA region and develop current research related to civil society in the Arab region and the changing state-society dynamics engendered by the Arab Uprisings post-2010.

Deadline for applications: 2 December 2015. Information: www.apsanet.org/menaworkshops
7. Professor/Associate Professor in Modern Gulf History, Centre for Gulf Studies, Qatar University

Qualifications: A doctorate in History with specialization in the Gulf, with significant record of; relevant and evidence of superior teaching experience, etc.

Deadline for application: 30 November 2015. Information: https://careers.qu.edu.qa/OA_HTML/OA.jsp?OAFunc=IRC_EID_VIS_INTG_GATEWAY&p_action=viewPosting&p_svid=9016&p_spid=440135&p_srid=239166

8. Associate Professor of Literature and Culture in the Gulf, Qatar University

Qualifications: A doctorate in Literature and Culture with specialization in Identity, Gender, Literature and Culture in the Gulf, with significant record of publications in this field; superior teaching experience; fluency in Arabic and English.

Deadline for application: 30 November 2015. Information: https://careers.qu.edu.qa/OA_HTML/OA.jsp?OAFunc=IRC_EID_VIS_INTG_GATEWAY&p_action=viewPosting&p_svid=4346&p_spid=202145&p_srid=111182

9. Post-doctoral, Visiting Research and Sabbatical Fellowships, Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore

MEI is offering up to two Visiting Sabbatical Fellowships for 2016-1017 and one or two post-doctoral Fellowships for two years, ideally from 1 August 2016 to 31 July 2018. The fellowships are for recent Ph.D. recipients in the social sciences or humanities working on anthropological, cultural, economic, historical, political, religious, or sociological topics in the greater Middle East region, especially on contemporary studies of the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf, Iran, and Turkey.

Information: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/index.php/web/new-job-opening

10. Jeffrey H. Aronson Chair in Middle East Politics, Department of Political Science, Johns Hopkins University – http://apply.interfolio.com/31675
Aga Khan Chair in Islamic Humanities, Brown University – www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=51860

Visiting Scholar in Islamic Studies, California State University, Fresno – www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=51858

Assistant Professor in Islamic Middle Eastern History University of West Georgia – www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=51866

Assistant Professor, Islamic Middle Eastern History; University of West Georgia – www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=51866

11. The third Conference of the School of Mamlūk Studies will take place in Chicago, 23-25 June, 2016

Panel proposal “Authors as Readers”

Call for papers

Before composing a book, any author reads. In the Mamluk period—an example in terms of intellectual vivacity—scholars and books travel easily, ideas are extensively discussed and shared, scholars’ life is intense and prolific… How to compose a book in such a context of information overload? We are lucky enough to have at our disposal very precise sources about scholars’ biography, consisting in biographical notes, exceptional documents such as personal notebooks and reading journals, or paratexts in manuscripts attesting of their reading/borrowing/purchasing… These provide us with a more intimate insight of the scholars’ tastes and reading activity.
Many fascinating questions can be approached thanks to these sources. What did scholars like to read? How often and how much did they read? How did they use their readings for their works? What do we know of their note-taking strategies? Did Mamluk scholars use special devices to remember what they read/listen to? How did they gain access to books?
These are only a few questions that could be dealt with in the frame of this panel. The goal of the panel is to show authors as readers in the context of the Mamluk period, a rich and age-old tradition.

Please submit your paper abstract (300 words max) and a one-page CV for consideration before November 20, 2015 to elise.franssen@ulg.ac.be.
Participants whose proposal is accepted will be notified by November 27, 2015.
Please have a look at the following page for practical information regarding the Third SMS Conference: http://mamluk.uchicago.edu/school-of-mamluk-studies.html.

Élise Franssen, post-doc
University of Liège (ULg), Belgium
elise.franssen@ulg.ac.be

12. ANN: Qajar Court Photography and the Persian Past (New York,

26 Oct 15-17 Jan 16)

Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, 15 East 84th St. New

York, NY 10028, October 26, 2015 – January 17, 2016

Lecture Series: The Eye of the Shah: Qajar Court Photography and the

Persian Past

Each will have a reception to follow and RSVP is required. RSVP

212.992.7800 or isaw.nyu.edu/rsvp

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Nasseredin Shah and his 84 Wives

Beate Petersen, Film Director and Producer

Film Screening, 6 pm

In 1842 the 11 year-old heir to the Persian throne received a camera

from Queen Victoria of England. The young heir fell in love with the

magical contraption. In the following decades he documented his life,

revealing to the public eye, what it was never supposed to see.

“Nasseredin Shah and his 84 Wives” is based on the photos taken by the

Shah himself, as well as by his court. With the addition of animated

sequences, it tells the story of the rivalry and intrigues within the

harem, the murders, the corruption, the political power struggle, the

murders, and of Persia’s troubled relation to Europe. The documentary

focuses on an aspect that is all too often overlooked: that is, the

influential role played by women in the origins of modern Iran.

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

The Discursive Spaces of Qajar Photography

Mirjam Brusius, University of Oxford

Public Lecture, 6 pm

When the mid-19th Century European travellers documented Persia’s

heritage with a photographic camera, many compiled albums that came to

have ubiquitous aesthetic and political functions. Consequently, in the

20th century, some of the albums ended up in different discursive

spaces: some can be found in state archives as diplomatic gifts

compiled by the Shah, some became indispensable tools for

archaeologists, others were admired by Islamic art curators in museums

for their lacquerwork bindings. This lecture explores some of the

fascinating biographies of these albums, including the impact they

still have today.

Thursday, December 3, 2015

Qajar Photography and Contemporary Iranian Art

Layla S. Diba, Independent Scholar and Art Advisor

Public Lecture, 6 pm

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Ancient Persianisms: Persepolitan Motifs in 19th Century Qajar Persia

Judith A. Lerner, Institute for the Study of the Ancient World

Public Lecture, 6 pm

Pre-Islamic imagery – specifically that of the Achaemenid (c. 550-330

BCE) and Sasanian (224-651 CE) dynasties – had remained strong in the

art of Islamic Iran (post-651 CE); the major pictorial themes of razm

u bazm (fighting and feasting), along with hunting and enthronement,

continued through successive Islamic dynasties in painting, metalwork,

ceramics and textiles, all artistic media that were prominent in

pre-Islamic Iran. But one medium of the pre-Islamic period had all

but disappeared: monumental relief sculpture carved into living rock.

This ancient artistic medium had been dormant for more than a

millennium when it was revived under the second Qajar ruler, Fath ‘Ali

Shah (r. 1797-1834). During his reign all but one of the eight known

Qajar rock reliefs were carved; after his reign – except for one relief

executed in 1878 by his great-grandson, Naser al-Din Shah (r.

1848-1896) – monumental sculptured reliefs were no longer made.

Instead, relief carving on a much smaller scale was used for

embellishing the stone foundations of Qajar buildings. The stylistic

and iconographic contrasts between these two modes of sculptural

expression is striking: the earlier Qajar reliefs draw upon those of

the Sasanians, the last Persian dynasty before the Muslim conquest, and

feature enthronement and hunting scenes, while the later ones quote

those of the earlier Achaemenids, specifically images from their

capital city, Persepolis. What brought about this change? In this talk

I offer some reasons for this shift from Sasanian to Achaemenid imagery

and propose that it stemmed, in great part, from the desire in Iran to

forge a modern national identity that drew upon Iran’s imperial

pre-Islamic past. Select photographic examples of these reliefs and

monuments which provided the inspiration for the Qajar pieces, and

which form part of ISAW’s exhibition, Eye of the Shah: Royal Court

Photography and the Persian Past, will be discussed in the context of

“Persianisms.”

The Series is part of the exhibition ‘The Eye of the Shah: Qajar Court

Photography and the Persian Past’, which presents some 200 photographic

prints, a number of vintage photographic albums, and memorabilia that

utilized formal portraiture of the shah, the exhibition shows how

photographers – many of them engaged by Naser al-Din Shah Qajar (r.

1848-1896), the longest reigning Shah of the Qajar Dynasty (1785-1925)

– ultimately created a portrait of the country’s ancient and recent

past. Most of the photographs in the exhibition have never been

publicly displayed.

Further details: http://isaw.nyu.edu/exhibitions/shah

Reference / Quellennachweis:

ANN: Qajar Court Photography and the Persian Past (New York, 26 Oct

15-17 Jan 16). In: H-ArtHist, Oct 27, 2015.

<http://arthist.net/archive/11358>.

Posted in: Academic items

October 28, 2015
by Andrew Newman
0 Comment

Shii News – Academic Items

1. Duke University – Middle East & Islamic Studies Librarian
http://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=51822

University of Toronto, St. George Campus – Tenure Stream Assistant Professor in Islam and Modernity {Department for the Study of Religion (60%) and the Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations (40%)}
http://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=51823

2. Open Access Book: Writing Self, Writing Empire Chandar Bhan Brahman and the Cultural World of the Indo-Persian State Secretary
Author: Kinra, Rajeev.
Published: California: University of California Press, 2015.
394 p.
ISBN: 9780520286467 (pbk. : alk. paper) 0520286464 (pbk. : alk. paper)

Chandar Bhan Brahman (d. ca. 1670), one of the great Indo-Persian poets and prose stylists of early modern South Asia. Chandar Bhan’s life spanned the reigns of four emperors: Akbar (1556–1605), Jahangir (1605–1627), Shah Jahan (1628–1658), and Aurangzeb ‘Alamgir (1658–1707), the last of the “Great Mughals” whose courts dominated the culture and politics of the subcontinent at the height of the empire’s power, territorial reach, and global influence.

Chandar Bhan was a high-caste Hindu who worked for a series of Muslim monarchs and other officials, forming powerful friendships along the way; his experience bears vivid testimony to the pluralistic atmosphere of the Mughal court, particularly during the reign of Shah Jahan, the celebrated builder of the Taj Mahal. But his widely circulated and emulated works also touch on a range of topics central to our understanding of the court’s literary, mystical, administrative, and ethical cultures, while his letters and autobiographical writings provide tantalizing examples of early modern Indo-Persian modes of self-fashioning. Chandar Bhan’s oeuvre is a valuable window onto a crucial, though surprisingly neglected, period of Mughal cultural and political history.

3.Open Access Journal: Journal of Georgetown University-Qatar Middle Eastern Studies Student Association

Open Access Bibliography: Albiblio – Bibliography of One Thousand and One Nights in Egypt

International Qur’anic Studies Association

4. Naples Qisas conference information now available online

Dear Colleagues,

Apologies for cross-postings. I have received a number of inquiries about the upcoming conference on qisas al-anbiya’ co-organized by Roberto Tottoli, Marianna Klar, and myself being held this week in Naples. The papers will eventually be published online, but for now we have made the full conference program with abstracts available here:

http://www.mizanproject.org/conference-islamic-stories-of-the-prophets/

Those seeking more information should contact us at qisasconference@gmail.com.

Thank you,

Michael Pregill

Interlocutor

Institute for the Study of Muslim Societies and Civilizations

Boston University

5. Panel Discussion – First Biennale of Contemporary Photography of the Arab World (London, 22 Oct)

The Image is Witness: panel discussion with curators Karin Adrian von Roques, Vali Mahlouji and Gabriel Bauret

22 October, 6-8pm, Institut Francais, London

This November the First Biennale of Photography from the Arab World will be held in Paris. Organised by the Institut du monde Arabe in partnership with la Maison européenne de la photographie, the biennale aims to bring to light the diverse and vibrant photographic output of the artists coming from the Middle East and North Africa. To celebrate the occasion and understand its timing and significance, this panel will bring curators Karin Adrian von Roques, Vali Mahlouji and curator of the biennale Gabriel Bauret, in a conversation aimed to take a closer look at the issues of representing, (re)framing and understanding Arab photography in the West today.
The talk will start at 6pm, and will be followed by drinks reception at the Institut Francais.

This panel is a part of a series of talks organsied by IESA UK for Nour Festival of Arts 2015, and will be followed in the next two weeks by four events at Leighton House on contemporary art from the MENA region as vehicle for cultural and civic engagement and community revitalisation.

To book and for further information, please click here or visit Nour Festival website.

Places are limited so please book early to avoid disappointment.

Please contact Aliya Say if you have any questions.

6. AYVERDİ PRIZE FOR OTTOMAN TURKISH

AATT is pleased to announce an award ($500) for best translation of an Ottoman archival/historical or literary work by an undergraduate or graduate student in a semester length Ottoman course, during the academic year or during a summer progtram. To nominate a deserving student instructors should send AATTsecretariat@gmail.com a letter including the student’s name, status, department, a 5-10 page translation and a scanned copy of the Ottoman original by October 31, 2015. The award will be announced at the annual Ottoman and Turkish Studies Association meeting held in conjunction with the Middle East Studies Association Conference.

7. Ashmolean Museum, Oxford – Research Assistant, “Divination and Art in the Medieval and Early Islamic World” Project, funded by the Leverhulme Trust

The Ashmolean Museum is seeking to appoint a research assistant to join the team of the Leverhulme Trust-funded project “Divination and Art in the Medieval and Early Islamic World (1200-1800)” directed by Dr Francesca Leoni. The project examines the multiple roles of “licit” divinatory arts (i.e. astrology, geomancy, bibliomancy, dream interpretation, physiognomy and ‘ilm al-huruf) in the medieval and early modern Islamic world through their impact on visual and material culture. The post-holder will provide support to the project’s Principal Investigator and the core research team, undertake independent research and assist with a range of tasks and outcomes, including publications and the organisation of a large-scale exhibition.

Candidates should have a doctoral degree or equivalent knowledge or experience in a relevant area, specialist knowledge of Islamic Art and have demonstrated experience in the museum sector. The successful post-holder will also have a significant research and publication record and have good working knowledge of at least one language amongst Arabic, Turkish and Persian.

Applications for this vacancy are to be made online. You will be required to upload your CV, a supporting statement (max. 2 pages of A4) telling us how your skills, experience and knowledge meet our selection criteria, and a written sample of your published work (not to exceed 5,000 words) as part of your application. Incomplete submissions will not be considered.

To apply for this role and for further details, including job description and selection criteria, please click on the link below:

https://www.recruit.ox.ac.uk/pls/hrisliverecruit/erq_jobspec_version_4.jobspec?p_id=120668

The closing date for applications is Wednesday 18 November 2015 at 12.00 noon.

Interviews will be held at the Ashmolean Museum on 25 November with a view to appointment starting in 4 January 2016.

8. new book

Publication – Aesthetic Hybridity in Mughal Painting, 1526-1658 (Valerie Gonzalez)

Dear Colleagues,

I am delighted to announce the publication of my book, Ashgate Publishing, series “Transculturalisms 1400-1700”. This two-part book is a critical-aesthetic study of early Mughal painting that also offers substantial essays on coeval Persian painting and pre-Mughal Sultanate book art. To be noted is the first part dedicated to methodology. This important section of the book examines variegated epistemological questions raised by the study of painting and art in Islam in general from the critical viewpoint, while providing an assessment of the scholarly literature on Mughal painting and its hybrid ontology. Overall, this book proposes a new way of researching and thinking about the pictorial traditions in Islam that should interest anyone seeking alternative paths to the current art historical practice.

The title’s description with further details can be accessed through these links: http://www.ashgate.com and http://www.ashgate.com/default.aspx?title_id=10078&edition_id=10391&page…

A book launch is planned on Friday November 27 2015, at the Nehru Center, London (http://www.nehrucentre.org.uk/). Reception at 6pm. Presentation lecture and book signing at 6.30pm. Address: 8 S Audley St, London W1K 1HF. Tel: 020 7491 3567.

9. Open Access Books from Brill Publishing

Childhood in the Late Ottoman Empire and After edited by Benjamin C. Fortna, SOAS, University of London

Series: OEH

Volume: 59

Format: Hardback

ISBN: 9789004293120

Expected: November 2015

Muslims in Interwar Europe Edited by Bekim Agai, Frankfurt University, Umar Ryad, Utrecht University, and Mehdi Sajid, Utrecht University

Series: MUMI

Volume: 17

Format: Hardback

ISBN: 9789004287839

E-ISBN: 9789004301979

Locating Hell in Islamic Traditions Edited by Christian Lange, University of Utrecht

Series: IHC

Volume: 119

Format: Hardback

ISBN: 9789004301214

E-ISBN: 9789004301368

Publication date: September 2015

The Imagined and Real Jerusalem in Art and Architecture:Edited by Jeroen Goudeau, Mariëtte Verhoeven and Wouter Weijers, Radboud University, Nijmegen

Series: RSH

Volume: 2

Format: Hardback

ISBN: 9789004270824

E-ISBN: 9789004270855

Publication date: September 2014

Catalogue of Turkish Manuscripts in the Library of Leiden University and Other Collections in the Netherlands Jan Schmidt, University of Leiden

Series: IMB

Volume: 3

Format: Hardback

ISBN: 9789004221901

E-ISBN: 9789004221918

Publication date: July 2012

Islam and the Making of the Nation Chiara Formichi, City University of Hong Kong

Series: VKI

Volume: 282

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 9789067183864

E-ISBN: 9789004260467

Publication date: June 2012

A Grammar of the Bedouin Dialects of Central and Southern Sinai Rudolf E. de Jong

Series: HO1

Volume: 101

Format: Hardback

ISBN: 9789004201019

E-ISBN: 9789004201460

Publication date: April 2011

Ibn Taymiyya’s Theodicy of Perpetual Optimism Jon Hoover

Series: IPTS

Volume: 73

Format: Hardback

ISBN: 9789004158474

E-ISBN: 9789047420194

Publication date: May 2007

10. Wednesday 18 November, 5.00 pm – The Warburg Institute, in conjunction with the Bilderfahrzeuge Project

“Prophetic Products: The Prophet Muhammed in Contemporary Iranian Visual Culture”

Professor Christiane Gruber, Department of the History of Art, University of Michigan

Please note that this lecture starts at 5.00 pm

Attendance is free of charge and pre-registration is not required.

The Warburg Institute,

University of London,

School of Advanced Study;

Woburn Square, London

Tel. (020) 7862 8949

11. The Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Cultures at Barnard College, Columbia University, is seeking a full-time teacher-scholar in Middle Eastern Cultures and Civilizations, starting September 1, 2016.

Rank open with strong preference for candidates with an established record of teaching and research. Candidates should demonstrate a broad interest in the cultures and civilization of the Middle East; discipline and geographic area of specialization is open but knowledge of major languages and mastery of at least two, including Arabic and Persian, are preferred. Teaching will include undergraduate general education courses such as “Middle Eastern Civilizations” and “Asian Humanities: Colloquium on Major Texts of South Asia and the Middle East,” as well as more specialized and graduate courses. Particular attention will be given to candidates with a record of diverse, innovative, and interdisciplinary research and teaching. The successful candidate will be responsible for helping to build an independent Program in Middle Eastern Studies at Barnard, and coordinating with MESAAS, Columbia University. Ph.D. required. Solid publications are expected. Application, including a complete curriculum vitae, a writing sample, and three references, to be sent directly to http://careers.barnard.edu/postings/1795. Review of applications will begin on October 30, 2015 and continue until position is filled. Barnard is an independent college of liberal arts and sciences for women that is affiliated with Columbia University. Barnard College is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is actively committed to creating a diverse and inclusive community. We especially encourage women and candidates from diverse backgrounds to apply.

12. International Society for Iranian Studies

ISIS Award Nominations Announcement

The Nominations are now open for:

The Saidi-Sirjani Book Award

The Ehsan Yarshater Book Award

THE RAHIM M. IRVANI DISSERTATION AWARD

THE MEHRDAD MASHAYEKHI DISSERTATION AWARD

The Latifeh Yarshater Award

Please consult the ISIS website for the details of each award and use the website to submit your nomination: http://www.iranianstudies.com/awards

Posted in: Academic items

October 17, 2015
by Andrew Newman
0 Comment

Shii News – Academic Items

1.Global Challenges Fellowship

The School of Public Policy (SPP) and the Institute for Advanced Study at Central European University (CEU IAS) in Budapest, and the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi) in Berlin are collaborating on a unique fellowship program that seeks to bridge policy theory and practice to generate mutually beneficial and groundbreaking exchanges between the two areas. The goal is to encourage fresh perspectives on some of the most pressing global public policy challenges by forging closer ties between policy practitioners and academics from Europe and outside the “established West.” See detailed information here.

Application deadline is 11:59 p.m. on November 23, 2015 (Central European Time, GMT+1).

Applicants must:

be from Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, or Turkey; and be residents of these countries at the time of application.
hold an academic degree in the social sciences, humanities, and/or law.
have at least three years of demonstrated professional experience at the time of application. Those with at least 15 years of demonstrated policy-making experience or seven years of experience since earning their PhDs will be considered for the senior fellowship.
be able to communicate fluently in English, the working language of the program.
have a demonstrated record of policy engagement and submit an innovative research proposal.

See detailed information here.

Please send questions, including those regarding applications, to gcf@ceu.edu.

2. Lecturer in Persian Language – Department of Near Eastern Studies
https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/apply/JPF00880

Job #JPF00880
College of Letters & Science – Near Eastern Studies

RECRUITMENT PERIOD
Open date: October 5th, 2015
Next review date: February 16th, 2016
Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.
Final date: February 16th, 2016
Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

DESCRIPTION

The Department of Near Eastern Studies at the University of California, Berkeley seeks qualified applicants for a non-tenure track, temporary position as a full-time lecturer in Persian language. The appointment is full-time (teaching 3 courses each semester) and is renewable, based on need, funding and performance. The expected start date is July 1, 2016.

Minimum full-time annual salary is $49,012. Salary is commensurate with education and experience.

Basic Qualifications (by time of application): The successful candidate must have an M.A. or Ph.D. (or equivalent degree) in Persian language, linguistics, applied linguistics, or related field, and experience in teaching Persian at the college level.

Additional Qualifications (by start date): S/he must possess native or near-native competence in speaking, listening, writing, and reading Persian, and must have the capacity to employ up-to- date and effective methods of language pedagogy and testing.

Preferred Qualifications (by start date): Experience with computer-assisted language learning (CALL) is desirable.

Responsibilities include teaching first-, second-, and third- year Persian language courses; cooperating with the department’s language coordinators in planning and teaching the department’s Language Pedagogy course for teachers of Near Eastern languages; providing guidance, in consultation with ladder faculty in Persian language, to undergraduates in NES who wish to complete a minor or major in Persian; and, if relevant, providing preparatory guidance and materials for Graduate Students Instructors and lecturers teaching Persian during the summer session.

This recruitment is open until filled. Applicants should submit the following materials at https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/apply/JPF00880: an application letter that includes a brief statement of the candidate’s teaching philosophy; a curriculum vitae; and three confidential letters of recommendation. All letters will be treated as confidential per University of California policy and California state law. Please refer potential referees, including when letters are provided via a third party (i.e., dossier service or career center), to the UC Berkeley statement of confidentiality (http://apo.berkeley.edu/evalltr.html) prior to submitting their letters.

Applications must include a demonstration video of recent classroom instruction. The video should be no longer than 20 minutes and may be submitted via web link or DVD. (If submitting DVD, it needs to be sent to the Persian Language Lecturer Search, Department of Near Eastern Studies, 250 Barrows Hall, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720-1940). The demonstration video may be from an elementary or intermediate Persian class, but should not be from the very early first-year Persian lessons.

Please direct all inquiries to: nes@berkeley.edu

The University and the Department are interested in candidates who will contribute to diversity and equal opportunity in higher education through their teaching. The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status. For the complete University of California non- discrimination and affirmative action policy, see: http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000376/NondiscrimAffirmAct.

REQUIREMENTS

DOCUMENTS

Curriculum Vitae

Application Letter – Application letter that includes a brief statement of the candidate’s teaching philosophy

Digital Video – Digital video – via either web link or DVD – of not more than twenty minutes of a recent class taught. The demonstration video may be from an elementary or intermediate Persian class, but should not be from the very early first-year Persian lessons.

REFERENCES

3 letters of reference required
HOW TO APPLY:

PLEASE USE THIS LINK: <https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/apply/JPF00880>.

3. CALL FOR APPLICATION | Conference: Interfaith Love: Love, Sex and Marriage in the Islamicate World from the Middle Ages to the Present | Deadline: 15 December 2015

From Wednesday 22 until Friday 24 June 2016, LUCIS organises in cooperation with the University of Naples ‘L’Orientale’ and the University of Salento an international conference entitled: Interfaith Love: Love, Sex and Marriage in the Islamicate World from the Middle Ages to the Present.

Theme

Interfaith love is a compelling topic in societies where faith is a decisive mark of identity, and culture is continuously shaped by interreligious coexistence and conflicts. In Medieval Islamic imagery the ‘religious other’, either boy or girl, has a prominent place in erotic poetry and love romances. The theme went through significant reshaping in the early modern period, when the confrontation between the Ottomans and Europe opened wide spaces for uncertain identities across contested frontiers. Eventually, it has taken on distinctive new forms in contemporary societies within the fragile framework of the Middle Eastern national identities but also in the West where issues related to interfaith love and marriages are increasingly part of the public debate.

This international conference seeks to explore, through a diachronic, interdisciplinary and comparative approach, how interfaith love is perceived and represented in historical, religious, legal, literary and artistic sources, both Islamic and non-Islamic. Relevant materials will be approached from multiple perspectives, and preferably in a comparative way, in order to bring out their historical, cultural and societal implications, and to analyse the way they shaped cultural representations both in the past and in the present. Narratives of interfaith love mirror a society’s understanding of cultural cross-influence, with its ‘dangers’ and ‘seductions’. As interfaith love concerns all the religious cultures involved in the process, the Islamic view will be complemented with that of other relevant cultures intertwined with Islam. This conference seeks to bring into focus the many facets of representation of this theme and trace its metamorphoses at turning points in history.

The main research questions we aim to address include:
– What are the different perceptions and representations of interfaith love in the various kinds of textual and visual sources produced both within and outside the Islamicate world?
– How social norms and boundaries shape and define the ‘performances’ of love affairs between the members of two different religious communities or two different sects within Islam (e.g. between Alevi and Sunni or Sunni and Shiite Muslims)?
– What are the gender implications of interfaith love and, in particular, how the representation of homoerotic love is intertwined with that of the ‘beloved infidel’?
– Why is the beloved in Islamic mystical-erotic poetry often of a different faith?

Organizing committee

Rosita D’Amora (University of Salento) Turkish Studies
Petra de Bruijn (Leiden University) Turkish Studies
Samuela Pagani (University of Salento) Arabic Studies
Monica Ruocco (Università L’Orientale of Naples) Arabic Studies
Asghar Seyed-Gohrab (Leiden University) Persian Studies

Call for application

Scholars, PhD candidates and advanced MA students doing research related to the subject of Interfaith Love are invited to apply for participation.

If application for participation has been successful, the following is granted:
– Participation in the complete programme, including lunches and the conference diner.
– Not included travel and accommodation expenses and the other meals.

To apply for participation, applications have to be sent to lucis@hum.leidenuniv.nl.

For more information please contact: Rosita D’Amora (rosita.damora@unisalento.it) and Asghar Seyed-Gohrab (A.A.Seyed-Gohrab@hum.leidenuniv.nl).

This application includes the following:
– a title and an abstract of 300 words (max.) of your presentation
– a short biography of 50 words (max.)

Deadline for application: Tuesday, 15 December 2015, 24.00 hrs (CET).

Applications that will reach us after this date will not be taken into consideration.

Programme

A provisional program will be available by the beginning of February.

4. Faculty Position in Arabic Studies: The Department of Arabic and
Translation Studies in the American University of Sharjah invites
applications for a faculty position in Arabic Studies at the rank of
Assistant or Associate professor beginning in the Fall 2016, subject to
budgetary approval. A Ph.D. is required in Arabic studies with a focus on
classical Arabic literature The ability to teach entry level Arabic
heritage courses is essential. The successful candidate will have a native
or near-native proficiency in Arabic, while being able to teach in
English. The language of instruction at AUS is English, however,
candidates able to teach courses in both Arabic and English are preferred.
Strong scholarly record/potential and relevant teaching experience are
expected.

AUS is located in the emirate of Sharjah, adjacent to Dubai, UAE. Founded
in 1997 by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qassimi, AUS is
an independent, not-for-profit coeducational university in the Gulf,
serving some 6,000 students of 92 nationalities. The American University
of Sharjah (AUS) is accredited by the Commission of Higher Education of
the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Review of
applications will begin immediately.

Applicants should have experience in and/or familiarity with the North
American higher educational system, and experience in dealing with
cultural and educational needs of a linguistically and culturally diverse
student population. The ability to contribute to other courses offered by
the Department will be a distinct advantage.

Interested applicants should send a letter of application, curriculum
vitae, a statement of research, a statement of teaching philosophy, and a
list of at least three referees to: Dr Mahmoud Anabtawi, Dean, College of
Arts & Sciences, e-mail: <about:blank>cashr@aus.edu
For full consideration, applications must be received before November 15,
2015.

For information about the American University of Sharjah (AUS), please
visit: <http://www.aus.edu> www.aus.edu

5. Buddhist and Muslim Encounters in Premodern South Asia

12-13 October 2015

University of Lausanne (Switzerland), Building Amphimax, Room 414
The conference is open to the public. If you are interested in attending, please contact Kathrin Holz to confirm that space is available: kathrin.holz@unil.ch

The religious and cultural encounters between Buddhist and Muslim communities in South Asia bear a long history of interaction and exchange spanning the period of 711 CE and 1400 CE. With the rise of Islam in the 7th century and the subsequent expansion of Arab armies into Sind (modern-day southern Pakistan) and Northern Afghanistan in the early 8th century, Muslims came to rule regions deeply embedding in Buddhist culture. The rapidly expanding Arab empire led to heightened exchanges in an intensified sphere of cultural encounters. A second phase developed in the late 10th century with the rise of Turkic dynasties, particularly that of the Ghaznavid with its capital in Ghazna, Afghanistan. In the 13th century Mongol Il-khanid rulers extended their authority into Central Asia and across the Middle East. Il-khanid rulers had adopted aspects of Tibetan Buddhism and Nestorian Christianity until largely converting to Islam in the late 13th century. The diverse religious milieu established under their rule is an important example of the complex networks of politics and the negotiation of religious boundaries in the period. These encounters had a lasting impact on medieval systems of knowledge, literature, trade and travel, language, and cultural transmission. On the whole, the accelerated pace of exchange was accompanied by imperial projects to collect across cultures forms of knowledge. Authors such as al-Biruni and al-Yaqubi exemplify the movement to produce studies on Buddhist thought and practices. There are also a few Buddhist sources, e.g. the Kālacakratantra, which bear witness to Buddhist circles actively discussing the religious beliefs and practices of Muslims. The social, political and cultural effects of these events were felt over a period of more than six centuries and the historical memory of that past is alive today.

It is also a period that witnessed the decline of Buddhism and its eventual eclipse in South Asia. A key moment in the debates about the decline of Buddhism is the sacking of the Nalanda monastery complex in 1193 by Ikhtiyar al-din Muhammad b. Bakhtiyar Khalji. The destruction of this site and the decline of Buddhism has frequently been attributed to Islam and iconoclastic theology. However, in many regions in India, Buddhism declined without the pressure of any Muslim conquests. For this reason, it is equally important to explore regions that did not face direct contact with Muslim armies. Especially East India, where Buddhism remained active up to the 13th century AD, deserves special attention. Therefore, the issues of Islamic conquest and the waning of Buddhism in South Asia require further thought and revision.

This conference seeks to refine and contribute further to the understanding of the encounter between Buddhist and Muslim communities in South Asia during the medieval period. The complexity of approaching this history can be seen in the variety of sources that have to be addressed. The multitude of Indic languages and scripts, as well as a knowledge of Chinese, Arabic and Persian has left the study of the significant cross-cultural influences of this period neglected. Therefore, the organisers of this conference will bring together a variety of historians, languages specialists, art historians and archaeologists to address the subject. Due to the limited information that can be derived from written sources this interdisciplinary approach will help to further enhance the understanding of this complex period of South Asian history.

The primary questions that this conference wishes to address relate to the processes of the transmission of knowledge and inter-communal and religious perceptions. How did Muslim and Buddhist communities view each other? In what ways did their encounter lead to cultural, social and religious change of the period? What role did politics and economics play in the cross-cultural exchange?

A further goal of the conference is to produce an edited volume of articles on the topic of Buddhist and Muslim Encounters in South Asia.

Program

MONDAY 12th OCTOBER 2015

8.30-9.00 : Registration

9.00-9.30 : Welcome and Introduction

Theme 1 – Deconstructing Scholarship on Islamic/Buddhist Interactions

9.30-11.00 : Session 1

Audrey Truschke (Stanford) – “The Power of the Sword in Narrating Muslim and Buddhist Interactions”

Abhishek Amar (Hamilton College) – “Islamic State and Buddhist Monasteries in the Thirteenth Century Magadha”

André Wink (University of Wisconsin-Madison) – “Buddhism in Indian History”

11.00-11.30 : Break

Theme 2 – Cultural and Religious Exchanges

11.30-13.00 : Session 2

Abdul Samad (Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) – “Encounters between Buddhism and Islam in Gandhara: An Archaeological Perspective”

Zafar Paiman (Paris) – “L’utilisation de l’argile rouge dans les monastères bouddhiques, à Kaboul et sa region” (The Use of Red Clay in the Buddhist Monastaries in and around Kabul)

KTS Sarao (University of Delhi) – “Buddhist and Muslim Encounters in the Eighth Century Sind”

13.00-15.00 : Lunch

15.00-17.00 : Session 3

Finbarr Barry Flood (New York University) – “Islamicate Elements in Ladakhi Art: Buddhist Elites in Comparative Perspective”

Tamara Sears (Yale University) – “Wilderness Encounters: Diachronic Peregrinations and Architectural Environments in Precolonial Central India”

Suchandra Ghosh (University of Calcutta) – “Interface between Buddhism and Islam: View from Early Chittagong in Southeastern Bengal”

Persis Berlekamp (University of Chicago) – “Mongol period cultural exchange, South Asia, and manuscript illustration in the Ilkhanid realm”

19.00 : Dinner

TUESDAY 13th OCTOBER 2015

9.00-9.30 : Coffee

Theme 3 – Perceptions of the Other

9.30-11.00 : Session 4

Minoru Inaba (Kyoto University) – “On the Muslim Descriptions of the Bāmiyān Colossi”

Sara Cappelletti (University of Pisa) – “Muḥammad presented as an avatāra: the BuddhistKālachakra literature, the Ismaili traditions and the Ghaznavid empire”

Walter Slaje (Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg) – “Buddhism and Islam in Kashmir according to the Rājataraṅgiṇīs”

11.00-11.30 : Break

Theme 4 – Transmission of Knowledge

11.30-13.00 : Session 5

Christopher Beckwith (Indiana University-Bloomington) – “The Law of Heaven and Early Central Asian Science”

Bart Dessein (Ghent University) – “Pyrrho of Elis and Medieval Western Europe: What Happened in Between?”

Heidrun Eichner (Universität Tübingen) – “Buddhism in the Works of Avicenna?”

13.00-15.00 : Lunch

Theme 5 – Politics, Trade and Economics

15.00-16.00 : Session 6

Annette Schmiedchen (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin) – “Medieval Endowment Cultures in Western India: Buddhist and Muslim Encounters – Some Preliminary Observations”

Ranabir Chakravarti (Jawaharlal Nehru University) – “The Maritime Network of the Northern Konkan Coast: Meeting Ground of Buddhism and Islam (8th – 11th Centuries CE)”

16.00-16.30 : Session 7

Closing Discussion

19.00 : Dinner

6. Recent news from www.islamicreformlations.net

Thoughtcrimes: Politics, Communities and Security 1pm-5.15pm, 21st October 2015, jointly convened with the Department of History, University of Birmingham. This seminar, the third in our series on the issues raised by recent counter-extremism legislation, will examine the practical implications of legislation in communities, in the workplace and in universities. Presentations by Elizabeth Poole, Charlotte Heath-Kelly, Chris Allen and Rizwaan Sabir. A programme is available here, together with details of how to register your attendance, and directions to the venue here.

Islamic Peace Ethics: Legitimate and Illegitimate Violence in Modern Islamic Thought, 15-17 October 2015: ITHF (Institute for Theology and Peace), Hamburg. This workshop includes presentations by an international array of speakers, including three researchers associated with the LIVIT and Islamic Reformulations projects: Dr Sarah Elibiary (former Islamic Reformulations Research Fellow, now SOAS) on “In Quest for Legitimacy: Usul and furu’ in Modern Violent Discourses”; Dr Bianka Speidl (former LIVIT PhD student) on “The Rhetoric of Power in Muhammad Husayn Fadlallah’s al-Islam wa-mantiq al-quwwa“; Rob Gleave’s lecture will be on “Violence through Example: the use of Sunna in Shi’i and Salafi justifications for violent action”.

Conference: Reformulation and Hermeneutics: Researching the History of Islamic Legal Theory, Istanbul, 21st-24th February 2016. You can now register your interest in attending this event, through the instructions on the page here. The conference is a collaboration between the Islamic Reformulations project and the Faculty of Theology, Istanbul University. A first iteration of the conference programme will be available soon.

Uncovering the Divine Law in Islam: A workshop on Muslim Legal Theory 4-7th October 2015. This workshop was held in Exeter recently. Many thanks to all involved. A programme of the workshop is available here; the themes developed here will also be explored in the “Reformulation and Hermeneutics” conference in Istanbul in February 2015.

Though not directly connected to the project, the following might be of interest to colleagues on the list:

Islamic law and Ethics

8th Conference of the International Society for Islamic Legal Studies

Coinciding with the 6^th Annual Conference of

the Leiden University Centre for the Study of Islam and Society (LUCIS)

6^th-8^th November 2015

Leiden University, The Netherlands

Programme and Details of how to register attendance:

http://isils.net/isils.net/conferences/Program2015

7. History of Medieval Iran

Princeton University’s Department of Near Eastern Studies invites applications for a tenure track position in the history of medieval Iran. Research expertise may be in any period of the history of Iran and the Persian-speaking world between 1000 and 1800. The successful candidate will be expected to teach undergraduate and graduate courses in this field and to provide training to graduate students reading primary sources in the original Persian.

To apply, please complete an online application at https://jobs.princeton.edu. Applications must include a cover letter, curriculum vitae (including language proficiencies and teaching experience), statement of research interests, and a paper or chapter of published writing or work-in-progress. Applicants must supply the names of three referees and their contact information in their online application. For any questions, please contact Karen Chirik (kchirik@princeton.edu).

The expected start date of the appointment is September 1, 2016. We will begin reviewing applications on November 2, 2015. Princeton University is an equal opportunity employer and complies with applicable EEO and affirmative action regulations. This position is subject to the University’s background check policy.

8. https://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=51611

MIT’s Program in Science, Technology, and Society invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position, at a rank of assistant, associate, or full professor. We seek an STS scholar with expertise in one of more of the following research areas: (1) science, technology, and society in Africa, Latin America, and/or Asia; (2) science, technology, and public policy and/or security. Graduate and undergraduate teaching, and advising are expected. Interest in establishing scholarly connections at MIT beyond the STS Program are desirable.

Candidates must hold a Ph.D by the start of employment. The offer is contingent upon completion of the degree by the start date of employment. Candidates must be able to demonstrate excellence in research and teaching. The appointment is anticipated to begin in academic year 2016-2017.

9. International Colloquium: “Muslims, Sports and Physical Activity”, KU Leuven University, 7 December 2015

We would like to examine how Muslims make sense of religion and their religious identity in sportive activities and how public policies are organized vis-a-vis the needs of the Muslim populations in Europe. During this workshop we want to address a range of issues such as space, gender, social inclusion, multiculturalism, citizenship, politics of identity and secularism.

Deadline for abstracts: 15 October 2015. Information: http://gulenchair.com/articles/call-for-paper-muslim-and-sports

10. Conference: “How Do We See Each Other? The Abrahamic Religions and Interreligious Relations in the Past and Present”, Institute for Culture and Society, University of Navarra, Spain, 10-11 March 2016

This conference will consider interdisciplinary perspectives of how the Abrahamic religions perceive and relate to one another today, and how they have perceived and related to each other in the past.

Deadline for abstracts: 15 November 2015. Information: https://networks.h-net.org/node/73374/announcements/88404/how-do-we-see-each-other-abrahamic-religions-and-interreligious

11. 2nd International Conference on Islamophobia: “From Orientalism to Islamophobia?”, University of Fribourg, Switzerland, 21-22 October 2016

Accommodation and subsistence expenses will be covered by the convenors; the participants will need to take of their own travel costs. The conference languages are English and German.

Deadline for abstracts: 1 January 2016. Information: https://networks.h-net.org/node/73374/announcements/84922/cfp-2nd-international-conference-islamophobia-fribourg

12. 4 Two-years Postdoc Positions at New Research Priority Area: “The Making and Unmaking of the Religious”, Forum for Interdisciplinary Religious Studies, University of Göttingen, Germany

Studies will focus on discursive, institutional and materially mediated practices that constitute the religious field by (a) drawing boundaries of the religious; (b) constructing religious differences; and (c) shaping continuity and change of religious traditions. The positions are available from January 1, 2016. Applicants should be excellent researchers, holding a PhD in any relevant discipline and having a solid publication record in the study of religion. Fluency in English is required; proficiency in German is helpful but not mandatory.

Application deadline: 25 October 2015. For information contact cmeyer7@uni-goettingen.de

13. Arabic Instructor, Northwestern University, IL – www.mena.northwestern.edu/people/faculty/faculty-search.html#ArabicOpening

14. Graduate School Grants for 10 PhD Students at the “Berlin Graduate School Muslim Cultures and Societies”

The BGSMCS is funded by the German federal and state governments’ Excellence Initiative. It will admit up to fifteen PhD students to its doctoral programme, which is to begin on 1 October 2016. Up to ten of these candidates will receive a Graduate School grant; the other candidates will be supported in their search for funding.

Application deadline: 15 November 2015. Information: www.bgsmcs.fu-berlin.de/en/studies/application/index.html

15. PhD Position in SNF-Research Project “Afterimages of Revolution and War. Trauma- and Memoryscapes in the Post-revolutionary Iranian Cinema”, Institute for Media Studies, University of Basel

The PhD position is to be filled at the intersection of Film Studies, Middle Eastern Cinema Studies and Cultural Memory Studies. It will start on February 1, 2016 for the duration of 3 years.

Deadline for applications: 31 October 2015. Information: http://direktlink.prospective.ch/?view=201D6E49-2FDD-4B43-932B102EEA87510F

Posted in: Academic items

October 12, 2015
by Andrew Newman
0 Comment

Shii News – Academic Items

1.Séminaire ‘Sociétés, politiques et cultures du monde iranien’

« Le soufisme et le salafisme au Kurdistan d’Iran : une discontinuité historique dans le discours religieux contemporain »

Séance du 8 octobre 2015, 17h-18h30

Hawzhin Baghali, doctorante, CETOBAC, EHESS, Paris

Dans cette présentation, nous nous intéressons au changement discursif religieux dans une région qui constitue de nos jours le Kurdistan d’Iran. L’histoire des régions périphériques tel que le Kurdistan a généralement été ignoré au déterminent d’une histoire du centre. Sur la plan politique, l’Iran est connu peut être la capitale du monde chiite, tandis que la plupart de ses régions frontalières de pays sont sunnites, même que la plupart de la population kurde d’Iran. Cette dernière présente un visage sensiblement différent à par rapport à l’Iran chiite.

Les acteurs religieux dans la société kurde se présentent à travers deux discoures religieux. L’un repose sur le soufisme et l’autre sur l’islam politique. Aujourd’hui, les soufis sont considérablement marginalisés, moment où le Kurdistan était l’un des centres du soufisme depuisle XIVe siècle jusqu’au milieu du XXe siècle. En fait l’islam soufiste représentait l’islam dominant au Kurdistan. Mais à partir de cette date, l’islam politique émergé comme discours dominant par une rupture historique. Actuellement, il y’a trois groupes au Kurdistan sous la formes de groupe islamique ; Dawat va eslah-e Iran qui a l’approche des frères musulman, Maktab-e Qoran qui veut présenter un islam kurde et les petites groupes salafistes.

Donc en présentant de la situation de l’islam soufi et l’islam politique au Kurdistan nous nous demandons que comment l’islam politique a pris la place de soufisme au Kurdistan en tant que le discoures religieux dominant, de sorte que le soufisme se redéfini sous la forme du groupe politique aussi ?

Lieu : Université Sorbonne nouvelle – Paris 3, centre Censier, 13 rue de Santeuil, salle 410 (4e étage), 75005, Paris.

Organisateurs :

Matteo De Chiara (INaLCO), Denis Hermann (CNRS), Fabrizio Speziale (Paris 3), Julien Thorez (CNRS).

2. Assistant Professor in Modern Middle East History, Murray State University – www.murraystatejobs.com/postings/4834

Project Director Middle East Forum, Washington – www.meforum.org/5530/job-announcement-washington-project-director

Assistant Professor in the History of the Modern Middle East/North Africa, Kansas State University – www.k-state.edu/hcs/jobs/openings/5609AsstProf.pdf

Assistant Professor in the History of the Islamic World, Furman University – https://jobs.furman.edu/postings/5290

Tenured or Tenure-Track (any level) Position on History of the Modern Middle East for Arab Crossroads Program, New York University, Abu Dhabi
The position is to begin in September 2016. Applicants must hold a Ph.D. by the time of appointment. Deadline for applications: 1 November 2015. Information: http://nyuad.nyu.edu/about/careers/faculty-positions.html

3. Summer School: “Critical Muslim Studies: Decolonial Struggles, Theology of Liberation and Islamic Revival”, Granada, Spain, 23 May – 3 June 2016

The Center for the Study of Intercultural Dialogues is hosting this summer institute which is open to advanced undergraduates, graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, junior faculty as well as professionals and activists interested in any aspect of Critical Muslim Studies. This seminar is open to both Muslims and non-Muslims.

Application Deadline: 5 February 2016. Information www.dialogoglobal.com/granada

4. Articles on “Water Security/Sovereignty in the Middle East and North Africa” for Special Issues of “Middle East Law and Governance” (MELG)

MELG invites scholars to consider how water offers a fruitful analytic vehicle by which to reflect on and assess the governing processes and conditions between people, state agencies, and other institutions in the Middle East and North Africa.

Deadline for proposals: 30 November 2015. Information: http://pomeps.org/2015/09/24/call-for-papers-water-securitysovereignty-in-mena/

5. Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages

Associate Professor within Modern Iran: History, Society and Politics

Oslo

http://uio.easycruit.com/vacancy/1485798/62042?iso=no

Description

A permanent (tenure) position of Associate Professor in Modern Iran: History, Society and Politics is available at the Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages, University of Oslo.

The holder of the position is expected to initiate and lead research related to historical, social and political developments in Iran in the period after 1900, to supervise PhD and MA candidates, to participate in teaching, exam setting and evaluation at all levels, and to carry out administrative duties in accordance with the needs of the Department. The successful candidate will play a central role in further development of high-quality research and teaching in Middle East Studies at the Department in collaboration with colleagues, and is expected to contribute to the activities at the Department’s Centre for Islamic and Middle East Studies.

Requirements

PhD or equivalent academic qualifications with a specialization in the study of modern Iran
The ability to use oral and written Persian language sources in research and in courses taught at all levels
Pedagogical skills and a willingness to take active part in academic leadership and administration, see How to document your pedagogical skills
Personal suitability and motivation for the position

The following qualifications will be taken into account in the assessment of the applicants:

Academic qualifications and academic production with a focus primarily on the study of modern Iran; with an emphasis on works published within the last 5 years. Originality and innovative thinking are preferred to quantity
Ability to contribute to the teaching of courses in Persian language
International peer-reviewed publications
Potential to contribute to the long-term development of the academic and research environment at the department
Positive results in external fund raising
Pedagogical qualifications and ability to inspire students
Interest, ability and/or experience in management and administration
Collaborative skills and willingness to initiate joint projects
Experience with collaboration across established academic disciplines, and ability to build international networks
Communication and public outreach skills
Candidates with sufficient knowledge of one of the languages of the Middle East (in addition to Persian) to be able to use it in research, may be preferred

In the assessment of the qualified candidates all criteria listed above will be explicitly addressed and assessed. The quality of published academic work, development potential and breadth of intellectual/academic interest will be prioritized in this order.

Applicants who at the time of appointment cannot document basic teaching qualifications will be required to obtain such qualifications within a two year period. The teaching language is normally Norwegian at the bachelor level, while the Master studies programme option in Middle East Studies is conducted in English. On the appointment of a candidate who is not fluent in Norwegian, Swedish or Danish, the appointee will be expected within two years to learn sufficient Norwegian to be able to participate actively in all functions the position may involve.

We offer

salary level 60-68 (NOK 510 100 – 591 400, depending on level of expertise)
the possibility to apply for promotion to full professorship at a later stage
a professionally stimulating working environment
pension agreement with Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
attractive welfare benefits

Submissions

Applicants must submit the following attachments with the electronic application form, in pdf format:

Application letter describing qualifications
Curriculum Vitae
List of published and unpublished works
Description of one or more research projects which may be relevant for the Department
Proposed topics for MA theses (areas in which you feel qualified to supervise MA theses)

Applicants are asked to describe and exemplify the entire range of qualifications and criteria mentioned in the announcement of the post.

Selection procedure

As the first step in the evaluation process, a Selection Committee will assess all applications and invite the most qualified applicants to submit a portfolio of educational certificates and academic works (up to 10 publications, which should not exceed 500 pages in total) for further assessment by an Expert Committee. Applicants who are invited to submit academic works are asked to select three works, published within the last five years, to be considered as more relevant for the position. In longer publications (monographs), applicants may specify the relevant pages. Applicants are also asked to submit a portfolio that documents other qualifications (public outreach, teaching and supervision, and any experience with leadership and administration). The Expert Committee’s assessment shall constitute the basis for the further proceedings by the appointments board.

Finally, the most highly ranked candidates will be invited for an interview and a trial lecture.

Within his/her normal duties, and in accordance with his/her academic competence, the person appointed may also be asked to work outside his/her department. The appointment is made under the condition that the employer may change the subject area and assigned tasks according to the needs of the department.

See also Rules for appointments to Associate Professorships which includes a guide for applicants and evaluation committees.

According to the Freedom of Information Act (Offentleglova) § 25, Chapter 2, demographic information about the applicant may be used in the public list of applicants even if the applicant opts out of the entry in the public application list.

The University of Oslo has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results.

The University of Oslo aims to achieve a balanced gender composition in the workforce and to recruit people with ethnic minority backgrounds.

If you have further questions, please contact:

Head of Department/Professor Bjørn Olav Utvik, mailto:b.o.utvik@ikos.uio.no
Professor Brynjar Lia, mailto:brynjar.lia@ikos.uio.no
Senior Executive Officer Evian Nordstrand (questions on electronic application), mailto:evian.nordstrand@hf.uio.no

6. Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz – Max-Planck-Institut – Research Collaborator (pre-doctoral, part-time)
http://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=51737

University of Alabama – Huntsville – Assistant Professor, Non-Western
History
http://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=51768

University of Central Florida – Assistant Professor, Tenure Track /
World Heritage
http://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=51725

Posted in: Academic items

October 06, 2015
by Andrew Newman
0 Comment

Shii News – Academic Items

1.Manhattan College – Assistant Professor with Teaching Field in
African or Middle Eastern History
http://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=51561

American University – Beirut – The Alfred H. Howell Endowed Chair in History and Archaeology
http://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=51663

University of Massachusetts – Lowell – Assistant Professor of History
of the Middle East and the Islamic World
http://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=51693

Massachusetts Institute of Technology – Mellon Postdoctoral
Fellowship in the Humanities
http://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=51694

Binghamton University – Assistant Professor, Ottoman History (c.
1300-1750)
http://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=51664

University of Nevada, Reno – Assistant Professor, History of the
Middle East and Security Studies
http://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=51661

2. Details for a session on “Social policy, Islam and Muslim Societies” at 24th World Congress of Political Science, Istanbul, 23-28 July 2016 (https://istanbul2016.ipsa.org/my-ipsa/events/istanbul2016/panel/social-policy-islam-and-muslim-societies). The deadline for submitting an abstract is the 7th of October 2015. Please submit your abstracts (250 words outlining the main question, method, findings, conclusion) through the dedicated ISA submission website (https://istanbul2016.ipsa.org/events/gateway?destination=my-ipsa/events/submit/paper).
24th World Congress of Political Science (RC30 Comparative Public Policy)

Session Title: Social policy, Islam and Muslim Societies

Organisers:

Dr. Rana Jawad, Lecturer in Social Policy, Director of Studies for MIPPA, Department of Social and Policy Sciences, University of Bath, United Kingdom (R.Jawad@bath.ac.uk)

Dr. Ali AkbarTajmazinani, Assistant Professor (Social Policy), Faculty of Social Sciences, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran (atmazinani@yahoo.com)

With a total population of around two billion people, Muslims constitute the majority population in nearly 40 countries around the world from Morocco to Malaysia and also form a considerable part of other mixed societies. One of the most prominent features of Islamic social teachings revolves around social welfare concepts, principles, as well as strategies and solutions. However, it is not possible to portray a single picture of social policy in Muslim societies given the vast diversity of historical, political, and economic circumstances they have experienced as well as various cultural characteristics they possess. Despite these diversities, Muslim societies have to respond to more or less similar social problems with regard to family and gender issues, inequality and poverty, education and health, as well as juvenile delinquency and criminal justice. How do they deal with these issues and what is the status and role of Islamic teachings in such social policies? This session is aimed to address these broad questions and welcomes papers dealing inter alia with the following:

Variations in readings of Islamic social policy
The relation between state social policy as well as social welfare action in general and Islamic teachings
Historical developments of social policy in Muslim societies
Dominant social policy approaches in various policy domains
Emergent patterns of social policies as a consequence of the Arab Spring
Public attitudes toward social policies among Muslims

Dr. Ali AkbarTajmazinani

Assistant Professor (Social Policy), Faculty of Social Sciences

Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran

Telefax: 0098+21+22260055

Email: atmazinani@yahoo.com

Website: http://socialpolicy.ir

Webpage:http://www.atusocialscience.ir/taj%20mazinani.htm

3. The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Department of Asian Studies (http://asianstudies.unc.edu) invites applications for a tenure-track position in Persian studies with support from the Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute at the rank of Assistant Professor, to begin July 1, 2016. The Department seeks a promising scholar and teacher who will actively contribute to the intellectual mission of a research institution. Candidates must be able to teach Persian language courses at the advanced level and participate in the continued development of the Department’s program in Persian studies. Interest in developing public programs is desirable. PhD in hand or near completion in Persian studies, Persian language and literature, or related field is required. Native or near-native fluency in Persian and English and demonstrated potential for innovative scholarship are also required. Candidates whose research and teaching interests include fields such as language, literature, cultural studies, intellectual history, gender studies, visual studies, performance studies, and other related fields are encouraged to apply. A candidate hired without PhD in hand by the date of appointment will be appointed as Instructor.

Qualified applicants should submit an online application at http://unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/84569. Application materials should include a detailed letter, CV, sample syllabi, and a writing sample. Paper or email applications will not be accepted.

Applicants will also be required to identify the names, titles, and email addresses of four professional references at the time of application. Recommenders identified by the applicant will be contacted via email with instructions for uploading their letters of recommendation.

Inquiries may be sent to persiansearch@unc.edu.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, race, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or status as a protected veteran.

Review of applications will begin November 15, 2015. The search will remain open until the position is filled.

4. Call for Papers

Journal of Islamic Studies and Culture

ISSN: 2333-5904 (Print) 2333-5912 (Online)

Journal of Islamic Studies and Culture is a peer reviewed international scholarly journal. The journal is dedicated to the scholarly study of all aspects of Islam and of the Islamic world. Particular attention is paid to works dealing with history, geography, political science, economics, anthropology, sociology, law, literature, religion, philosophy, international relations, environmental and developmental issues, as well as ethical questions related to scientific research. The journal is committed to the publication of original research on Islam as culture and civilization. It particularly welcomes work of an interdisciplinary nature that brings together history, religion, politics, culture and law. The Journal has a special focus on Islam in Africa, and on contemporary Islamic Thought. Contributions that display theoretical rigor especially work that link the particularities of Islamic discourse to the enterprise of knowledge and critique in the humanities and social sciences, will find Journal of Islamic Studies and Culture to be receptive to such submissions.

The journal is published by the American Research Institute for Policy Development that serves as a focal point for academicians, professionals, graduate and undergraduate students, fellows, and associates pursuing research throughout the world.

The interested contributors are highly encouraged to submit their manuscripts/papers to the executive editor via e-mail at editor@aripd.org. Please indicate the name of the journal (Journal of Islamic Studies and Culture) in the cover letter or simply put ‘Journal of Islamic Studies and Culture’ in the subject box during submission via e-mail.

The journal is Abstracted/Indexed in CrossRef, CrossCheck, Cabell’s, Ulrich’s, Griffith Research Online, Google Scholar, Education.edu, Informatics, Universe Digital Library, Standard Periodical Directory, Gale, Open J-Gate, EBSCO, Journal Seek, DRJI, ProQuest, BASE, InfoBase Index, OCLC, IBSS, Academic Journal Databases, Scientific Index.

E-Publication First^TM

E-Publication First^TM is a feature offered through our journal platform. It allows PDF version of manuscripts that have been peer reviewed and accepted, to be hosted online prior to their inclusion in a final printed journal. Readers can freely access or cite the article. The accepted papers are published online within one week after the completion of all necessary publishing steps.

DOI^®number

Each paper published in Journal of Islamic Studies and Culture is assigned a DOI^® number, which appears beneath the author’s affiliation in the published paper.

JISC is inviting papers for Vol. 3, No. 2. The online publication date is December 31, 2015. Submission Deadline: November 30, 2015.

For any additional information, please contact with the executive editor at editor@aripd.org

Dr. Mohammad Reza Iravani, Azad University of Khomeinishahr & Islamic Azad University, Khomeinishahr branch, Khomeinishahr, Esfahan, Iran.

Editor-in-Chief

Journal of Islamic Studies and Culture

Website: www.jiscnet.com

________________

5. Comparative Islamic Studies,

Issue 9.1 (2013) table of contents

Special issue on Sufism, Pluralism and Democracy

Guest edited by Clinton Bennett and Sarwar Alam

http://equinoxpub.com/CIS

6. CFP – Eleventh Islamic Manuscript Conference: Sufism and Islamic Manuscript Culture (Cambridge UK)

The Islamic Manuscript Association—in cooperation with the Thesaurus Islamicus Foundation and the HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Centre of Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge—invites the submission of abstracts for the Eleventh Islamic Manuscript Conference, to be held from 13 to 15 September 2016 at Magdalene College, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.

The theme of the conference is Sufism and Islamic manuscript culture. Sufis have written litanies, panegyrics, didactic works in verse and prose, hagiographies, discourses, exegetical works, and metaphysical treatises made into manuscripts both humble and lavish. Sufi lodges have housed libraries and manuscript ateliers, and Sufi networks have disseminated manuscripts across the Muslim World. This conference seeks to present current international research trends on the relationship between Sufism and Islamic manuscript culture and generate discussion and study in this field. Possible topics for papers include but are not limited to:

Apotropaic uses of Sufi and non-Sufi manuscripts by Sufis
The arts of the book and Sufi artists and patrons
Bibliophilia and bibliophobia in Sufism
Cataloguing manuscripts on Sufism
Collection care programmes for collections of Sufi manuscripts
Conservation treatments on Sufi manuscripts
Diagrams and illustrations in manuscripts on Sufism
Digital humanities and the study of manuscripts on Sufism
The effects of recent conflicts in the Muslim World on collections of Sufi manuscripts
The history of Sufi libraries
Paratexts in manuscripts on Sufism
Preparing printed and digital editions of manuscripts on Sufism
The production of manuscripts by Sufi lodge ateliers
Publication programmes or series of editions or facsimiles of manuscripts on Sufism
Dissemination of texts and manuscripts through Sufi networks
The use of manuscripts in Sufi rituals

This invitation is open to members and non-members of the Association. The languages of the Conference will be Arabic and English, and submissions will be accepted in both languages. The duration of each conference paper will be 20 minutes followed by ten minutes of questions and answers. The Association will pay for round-trip economy-class travel to Cambridge, accommodation in Magdalene College, and College-based meals for authors whose papers are accepted.

Papers should not have been presented or published previously. Selected papers will be considered for publication in the Association’s peer-reviewed Journal of Islamic Manuscripts, and speakers are expected to give the Journal the right of first refusal.

The deadline for submission of abstracts is 10.00 GMT on Monday, 23 November 2015. Please submit a cover sheet (downloadable here), an abstract of no more than 250 words, and a biographical statement (a personal statement of no more than 200 words detailing your current work, education, research interests, and previous publications or research projects in third-person prose form), to the email, fax, or postal address below. Incomplete submissions will not be considered.

The Islamic Manuscript Association Ltd

c/o 33 Trumpington Street

Cambridge CB2 1QY

United Kingdom

Fax: +44 (0)1223 302 218

B. Davidson MacLaren

Executive Director, The Islamic Manuscript Association

c/o 33 Trumpington Street

Cambridge CB2 1QY

United Kingdom

E: davidson@islamicmanuscript.com

W: www.islamicmanuscript.org

7. The Politics of Dress and Identity in Eastern Mediterranean Societies, Past and Present

An international symposium organized by the Fitting in/Standing Out project (NWO), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the University of Salento (Lecce), and the Allard Pierson Museum (Amsterdam)

24-26 March 2016, Allard Pierson Museum (Amsterdam)

Dress plays an essential role in the presentation of the self and in the perception of the other. Clothing and headgear, as well as accessories, tattoos, and hair styles, overtly state and sometimes more subtly convey information about a person’s social standing, gender, ethnicity, regional background, affiliations, profession, or religious beliefs – in other words, about the particular position (s)he holds, or would like to show as having, at a certain moment in time within a certain group or society. Dress is also part of the negotiation of identity and status; it allows individuals to articulate, or conceal, different identities, whether these are individual or collective, imposed or chosen. Identificational changes – when entering a new phase of life or assuming a new status or role – are often marked by the rejection of certain dress codes and/or the acquisition of new ones. Similarly, transient identities can be expressed through a new or composite dress vocabulary. Although dress is usually perceived, understood, and represented as an unambiguous statement about one’s identity, it is in fact a source of many potential ambiguities. The meanings and symbolic values associated with dress are not only culturally situated; they are also dependent on the time and place, the wearer, and the audience. Moreover, they constantly change over time.

This international symposium takes an interdisciplinary, diachronic, and comparative approach to explore the interplay between dress and identity in the broader Mediterranean basin, with a special focus on Muslim societies and interconnected cultures, in both the past and present. It aims to bring together anthropologists, sociologists, historians, art historians, archaeologists, and scholars of other disciplines working on this subject, using a wide spectrum of methods – from textual to textile analysis. The study of dress and, in particular, of attempts to control the meanings of dress – whether in practice, depictions, or texts – not only has great potential for social and cultural history, but is also crucial to understand sartorial dynamics within contemporary societies. From the sumptuary laws issued in many ancient societies to the contemporary debate on veiling practices among Muslim women, dress is, and has always been, the site of competing discourses, where authority and resistance, and the interests of the community and those of the individual meet. By bridging the gap between different academic fields, this symposium aims to put perceptions of dress in the past and the present into a broader perspective.

The main themes we aim to discuss are:

How is dress used to reify or challenge community boundaries? How do intersecting identities influence choices in dress?
How is dress represented in visual and written sources? What is the relation between these and actual dress practices? How do these images and texts contribute to construct, reinforce, or subvert identity categories?
How do actual garments, depictions of dress, or discourses on dress refer to the past (i.e. religious or cultural traditions) to legitimize the present?
What role does dress play in the articulation of transient or multiple identities, for example in cases of conversion, migration, or the assumption of a new social status?
How do political, economic, and cultural connections between the East and the West influence dress? How is exotic dress appropriated locally to negotiate status and identity?

Scholars, PhD candidates, and advanced MA students doing research related to the subject of dress and identity are invited to submit a proposal for the symposium. If application for participation has been successful the following is granted:

Participation in the complete program, including lunches and the conference dinners;
Not included:travel, accommodation expenses, and other meals.

The conference does not offer travel grants, but we can support applications for additional funding sought from third parties such as the Pasold Research Fund (www.pasold.co.uk)

To apply for participation applications should be send to the symposium organizers: Rosita D’Amora rosita.damora@unisalento.it or Tineke Rooijakkers c.t.rooijakkers@vu.nl

Deadline for application: Monday, 16 November 2015, 24.00 (CET)

This application includes the following:

a title and an abstract of 300 words (max.)
a short biography of 50 words (max.)

We intend to publish a selection of the papers presented at the symposium in an edited volume. The deadline for the submission of these articles is: Thursday, 15 September 2016.

The organizing committee: Rosita D’Amora, Tineke Rooijakkers, Bas ter Haar Romeny, Mat Immerzeel, Judith Kindinger, and Alexandra Pleşa

8. Workshop: “Diaspora Mobilization for Conflict and Post-conflict Reconstruction”, University of Warwick, 26-27 November 2015

Submission of papers is particularly welcome to provide insights about: 1) diasporic identities, 2) conditions providing political opportunity structures for transnational mobilization, 3) causal mechanisms concatenating in mobilization processes, 4) and transnational diaspora networks.

Deadline for abstracts: 30 September 2015.

Information: www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/pais/research/clusters/comparativepoliticsanddemocratisation/diasporas/news/

9. Workshop Proposals for “7th Annual Gulf Research Meeting”, University of Cambridge, 16-19 August 2016

Deadline for applications: 30 September 2015. Information: http://grc.net/alerts/grm_2016.html

10. The University of Cambridge is seeking to appoint a University Lecturer in Modern Arabic Literature and Culture in the Department of Middle Eastern Studies, to begin on 1st September, 2016. This appointment is tenure-track, subject to an initial probation period.

http://www.ames.cam.ac.uk/faculty/jobs/arabic-literature-lecturer

11. Arizona State University seeks an instructor of advanced Persian (Farsi) to teach small groups in an intensive setting in the Washington, DC, area. Candidates must have a master’s degree or higher in second-language acquisition, linguistics, or a closely related field; possess native or near-native proficiency in Persian; be a U.S. citizen or authorized to work in the United States; and have documented experience teaching Persian to adults. Preference will go to candidates who have taught in intensive language programs and to candidates with experience teaching Persian above the intermediate level. Salary competitive. Successful candidate will teach full time beginning no later than January 1, 2016 for remainder of federal fiscal year, with potential for renewal beyond FY2016
Applications must be received by November 2, 2015.

Candidates should send a letter in English explaining their interest in and qualifications for a short-term, intensive advanced Persian program; a CV; contact information for two references–one of whom should be able to comment on the applicant’s teaching experience; and student evaluation results, if available. Materials should be sent tomelikiancenter@asu.edu.

Background check is required for employment. Arizona State University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer committed to excellence through diversity. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. Please see ASU’s complete non-discrimination statement at: https://www.asu.edu/titleIX/.

Posted in: Academic items

October 02, 2015
by Andrew Newman
0 Comment

Shii News – Academic Items

1. Workshop – Armenian Manuscript Studies (Berlin, 14-18 March 2016)

We would like to inform you about our workshop on Armenian Manuscript Studies, to be held at the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin (Berlin State Library) from March 14th to 18th 2016. The workshop will be conducted by one of the leading specialists in the field, Prof. Dickran Kouymjian (California State University Fresno, Berberian Chair of Armenian Studies, emeritus). It is a cooperative working seminar between the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin and the Martin-Luther-University Halle Wittenberg (Oriental Institute).

The participants will be introduced to the study of different codicological and paleographical aspects of Armenian manuscripts, including an overview on the history, collections and catalogues of Armenian manuscripts. Among the topics to be covered will be bindings, genres, mise-en-texte, mise-en-page, inks, illuminations and miniature paintings, colophons, scripts, periodization, provenance, etc. The theoretical part will be supplemented by hands-on sessions, in which the participants will have the unique opportunity to observe the features discussed among Armenian manuscripts in the collection of the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin.

Applications, including a motivational letter, curriculum vitae, a summary of any current research project, should be sent to orientabt@sbb.spk-berlin.de or by regular mail to Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Orientabteilung, Potsdamer Straße 33, 10785 Berlin, by 15 October 2015.

14-18 March 2016, Berlin: Armenian Manuscript Studies. An Introduction (registration by 15 October 2015) http://staatsbibliothek-berlin.de/fileadmin/user_upload/zentrale_Seiten/orientabteilung/pd…

2. Symposium – Friedrich Sarre and the Berlin Museums (Berlin, 23 Oct 2015)

Wie die islamische Kunst nach Berlin kam.

Der Sammler und Museumsdirektor Friedrich Sarre

Tagung 23. Oktober 2015

Archäologisches Zentrum – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz

Brugsch-Pascha-Saal¸ Geschwister-Scholl-Str . 6, D-10117 Berlin

9.30 – 10.00 Introduction

Friedrich Sarre und die Berliner Museen

Friedrich Sarre and the Berlin Museums

Chair: Stefan Weber (Berlin)

10.00-10.30 Edhem Eldem (Boğaziçi University, Istanbul)

Friedrich Sarre, Osman Hamdi Bey, Halil Edhem Bey and the Birth of the Evkaf Museum in Contantinople

10.30-11.00 Gabriele Mietke (Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst, Berlin)

Interests and Activities of the Royal Museums of Berlin in the Ottoman Empire at the turn of the 19th century

11.00-11.30 Pause / Break

Friedrich Sarre und die Türkei

Friedrich Sarre and Turkey

Chair: Klaus Kreiser (Berlin)

11.30 -12.00 Malte Fuhrmann (Ruhr-Universität Bochum)

That’s What Friends Are For: The Sarres, the Humanns, and Enver Pasha

12.00-12.30 Patricia Blessing (Stanford University)

Friedrich Sarre and the Discovery of Seljuk Architecture in Anatolia

12.30-13.00 Veit Veltzke (Preußenmuseum, Wesel)

“Persia – finally cleared for us”: Friedrich Sarre and the expedition Klein between the Persian lion and the Ottoman half-moon during WWI

13.00-14.30 Mittagessen / Lunch

Orientalismusmode in Berlin

Oriental Fashion in Berlin

Chair: Sven Kuhrau (Berlin)

14.30-15.00 Anna Mc Sweeney (SOAS, London)

Arthur von Gwinner and the Alhambra Cupola

15.00-15.30 Angelika Kaltenbach (Potsdam)

Orient meets Occident: the Aleppo-Room and the Oriental Room in the Villa Stauß

15.30-16.00 Pause / Break

Der Sammler Friedrich Sarre

Friedrich Sarre as collector

Chair: Barry Flood (New York/Berlin)

16.00-16.30 Joachim Gierlichs (Qatar National Library, Doha)

Friedrich Sarre and his collection of Islamic Art

16.30-17.00 Irina Khoshoridze (Georgian National Museum, Tiflis)

Collectors and Museums –Alexandre Roinashvili (Roinov) and his collection

17.30-18.00 Eva Troelenberg (Kunsthistorisches Institut Florenz)

The Masterpiece, the Golden Age and the Canon. Friedrich Sarre and the Introduction of Islamic Art History as Object-History.

3. University of Toronto – St. George – Assistant Professor, Islamic Art and Architecture Before 1800

http://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=51576

4. AUB Post: Faculty position in Modern Arabic Literature

American University of Beirut – Department of Arabic and Near Eastern Languages

The Department of Arabic and Near Eastern Languages at the American University of Beirut seeks applicants in the field of Modern Arabic Literature and Literary Theory (with special emphasis on prose genres)

The language of instruction in this department (and only in this department) is Modern Standard Arabic (fuṣḥā), but mastery of English is an essential requirement. Applicants should be well versed in both Arab and Western classical heritages, including Western literary theory. A reading knowledge of French and/or German is highly desirable, as is the ability to teach a second Semitic language or elementary Persian. Applicants must be able to teach, in Arabic, service courses in Arabic grammar and modern Arabic thought to native speakers of Arabic. Solid knowledge of the Arabic language and heritage and training in modern Western methodologies are essential.

Interested applicants should submit a cover letter, a CV, and arrange for three letters of reference to be sent directly to:

Patrick McGreevy, Dean
Faculty of Arts and Sciences
American University of Beirut
c/o 3 Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, 8th Floor
New York, NY 10017-2303, USA

Patrick McGreevy, Dean
Faculty of Arts and Sciences
American University of Beirut
P.O. Box 11-0236, Riad El-Solh
Beirut 1107 2020, Lebanon

Electronic submissions are highly encouraged and may be sent to: as_dean@aub.edu.lb

For best consideration, please submit all required credentials by the early deadline of 15 October 2015 and indicate whether you will be attending MESA. Applications accepted through 30 November 2015. Visiting scholars will be considered.

For more information on this position, please visit http://www.aub.edu.lb/fas/pages/academic-employment.aspx

5. Middlebury College: Program in Arabic

Tenure Track Position in Arabic

Location: Middlebury, Vermont

The Program in Arabic at Middlebury College announces an opening for one tenure track position at the Assistant Professor level, beginning the Fall semester of 2016. Superior language proficiency in both Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and English is required, and native or native-like proficiency in at least one Arabic dialect is strongly preferred. The area of specialization for the position is open.

The successful candidate will teach MSA courses at all levels, from beginning to advanced levels, and will also offer non-language courses in both MSA as well as in English in their disciplinary area. Candidates should hold a PhD in their area of specialization or should at least have an advanced ABD status with near-term plans for completion of a doctorate by the time of appointment. Candidates must have prior experience teaching MSA at the college level, preferably in a liberal arts college setting, and in accordance with the proficiency-based communicative approach to Arabic language pedagogy.

Applications for this position will be accepted starting September 18^th 2015. Review of applications will begin on November 1^st 2015, and will continue until the position is filled.

Middlebury College uses Interfolio to collect faculty job applications electronically. Email and paper applications will not be accepted. Through Interfolio, candidates should submit a letter of application addressed to the Arabic search committee. The letter should include a section addressing approaches to teaching as well as current and future research. In addition, applications should include: a curriculum vitae, graduate transcripts, and three current confidential letters of recommendation (at least two of which must speak to teaching ability/promise). Samples of written scholarship will be solicited from candidates invited for interviews.

Inquiries regarding this position should be directed to Usama Soltan, Associate Professor of Arabic, at usoltan@middlebury.edu. More information is available at http://apply.interfolio.com/31686.

Offers of employment are contingent on completion of a background check. More information regarding background checks may be found here: http://www.middlebury.edu/academics/administration/prospective_faculty/background_checks

6. CALL FOR PAPERS

International Journal of Islamic Architecture (IJIA)

Special Issue on Imagining Localities of Antiquity in Islamicate Societies; Thematic volume planned for Summer 2017

In honor of the life of Dr. Khaled al-Asaad

Paper proposal deadline: 30 November 2015

The tragically familiar spectacles of cultural heritage destruction performed by the Islamic State group (ISIS) in Syria and Iraq are frequently presented as barbaric, baffling, and far outside the bounds of what are imagined to be normative, “civilized” uses of the past. Often superficially explained as an attempt to stamp out idolatry or as a fundamentalist desire to revive and enforce a return to a purified monotheism, analysis of these spectacles of heritage violence posits two things: that there is, fact, an “Islamic” manner of imagining the past – its architectural manifestations, its traces and localities – and that actions carried out at these localities, whether constructive or destructive, have moral or ethical consequences for Muslims and non-Muslims alike. In this reading, the iconoclastic actions of ISIS and similar groups, for example the Taliban or the Wahhabi monarchy in Saudi Arabia, are represented as one, albeit extreme, manifestation of an assumedly pervasive and historically ongoing Islamic antipathy toward images and pre-contemporary holy localities in particular, and, more broadly, toward the idea of heritage and the uses to which it has been put by modern nationalism.

But long before the emergence of ISIS and other so-called Islamist iconoclasts, and perhaps as early as the rise of Islam itself, Muslims imagined Islamic and pre-Islamic antiquity and its localities in myriad ways: as sites of memory, spaces of healing, or places imbued with didactic, historical, and moral power. Ancient statuary were deployed as talismans, paintings were interpreted to foretell and reify the coming of Islam, and temples of ancient gods and churches devoted to holy saints were converted into mosques in ways that preserved their original meaning and, sometimes, even their architectural ornament and fabric. Often, such localities were valued simply as places that elicited a sense of awe and wonder, or of reflection on the present relevance of history and the greatness of past empires, a theme so prevalent it created distinct genres of Arabic and Persian literature (aja’ib, fada’il). Sites like Ctesiphon, the ancient capital of the Zoroastrian Sasanians, or the Temple Mount, where the Jewish temple had stood, were embraced by early companions of the Prophet Muhammad and incorporated into Islamic notions of the self. Furthermore, various Islamic interpretive communities as well as Jews and Christians often shared holy places and had similar haptic, sensorial, and ritual connections that enabled them to imagine place in similar ways. These engagements were often more dynamic and purposeful than conventional scholarly notions of “influence” and “transmission” can account for. And yet, Muslims also sometimes destroyed ancient places or powerfully reimagined them to serve their own purposes, as for example in the aftermath of the Crusader presence in the Holy Land or in the destruction, reuse and rebuilding of ancient Buddhist and Hindu sites in the Eastern Islamic lands and South Asia.

This special issue invites scholars from across disciplines to engage with a critical reassessment of imaginings of the past in Islamicate societies. Papers may draw on historical or contemporary examples to explore some aspect of the themes outlined here, but are not limited to them.

How are and were ancient place and locality used in Islamicate societies to create a sense of the past, and what are/were the routes, rituals, and performances by which the past is inscribed on the landscape?
How are holy sites, sites of memory, and sites of ancient heritage simultaneously construed as contemporary and situated in the present in Islamicate societies?
Although ISIS and other Wahhabi and Salafi groups are often said to be “medieval” in their methods and attitudes, should they in fact be envisioned as hyper-modern, both in their generation of spectacles of violence designed for viral sharing in the social media age, but also in the way they target imaginings of heritage as a cherished building block of the modern nation state and of globalized notions of “universal” values?
Is there a broader project of reshaping the meaning of heritage unfolding across the Islamic world? The actions of the Taliban, Wahhabi projects of destruction in Saudi Arabia and Yemen, the devastation of heritage in Syria by Assad and rebel groups, and the depredations of Islamists in Mali are recent examples. Can they be considered acts of “iconoclasm” in the traditional sense? Are such acts in fact more closely related to other modern acts of heritage destruction aimed at erasing memory, for example during the Cultural Revolution in China or the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia?
Analysis of ISIS’ destruction frequently seems to parrot the agenda of ISIS itself in ways that amplify and reinforce their message, whether through viral sharing of their slickly produced videos on social media or credulous academic and journalistic analysis that takes ISIS at its word. How can researchers analyze these hypermodern forms without re-producing and disseminating the very vision of violence that they crafted? How can we formulate an active response that goes beyond expressions of dismay and condemnation?
Although Islamicate societies often found ways to revere, venerate, and coexist with the considerable traces of antiquity in their midst, Muslims were also sometimes agents of destruction. What were the contexts in which Muslims destroyed localities of antiquity in the past? What meanings were claimed for such actions and how were they justified by their agents?
Is there an “Islamic” notion of heritage? Can the ways Muslims imagined and continue to imagine the past enable a critical interrogation of notions of universal heritage that are predominant in the broader international community?

Essays that focus on historical and theoretical analysis (DiT papers) should be a minimum of 5,000 words but no more than 8,000 words, and essays on design (DiP papers) can range from 3,000 to 4,500 words. Contributions from practitioners are welcome and should bear in mind the critical framework of the journal. Contributions from scholars of heritage history and preservation as well as scholars and critics of heritage in the broadest sense are also particularly welcome.

Please send a 400-word abstract with essay title to the guest editor, Stephennie Mulder, The University of Texas at Austin (smulder@austin.utexas.edu), by 30 November 2015. Those whose proposals are accepted will be contacted soon thereafter and requested to submit full papers to the journal by 1 June 2016. All papers will undergo full peer review.

For author instructions regarding paper guidelines, please consult:www.intellectbooks.com/ijia

7. TUFTS UNIVERSITY

THE ARABIC PROGRAM, and

THE INTERNATIONAL LITERARY AND VISUAL STUDIES PROGRAM

in the Department of German, Russian and Asian Languages and Literatures

The Arabic program and the interdepartmental program on International Literary and Visual Studies at Tufts University invite applicants for a tenure-track Mellon Bridge Assistant Professorship in Comparative Literature with a focus on Arabic literary, film, and/or visual studies of any period. The ideal candidate will provide evidence of excellent research and teaching in these topics, with a rigorously comparative and/or trans-regional emphasis. We are especially interested in candidates whose work engages comparatively with multiple languages and literatures, as well as candidates whose work develops connections between literary and/or cultural studies, understood broadly, and other disciplines or intellectual areas.

Responsibilities include teaching a variety of thematic courses for Arabic Studies, possibly in Arabic, and for the interdepartmental program on International Literary and Visual Studies. There are rich opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration with other departments and programs including, Anthropology, Art History, Classics, Colonialism Studies, English, Film and Media Studies, History, International Relations, Middle Eastern Studies, Philosophy, Political Science, Religion, and Romance Languages.

This position is being supported by a grant from the Mellon Foundation to promote scholarship and teaching that bridges different departments and programs in the humanities at Tufts. The successful candidate will receive an appointment as a fellow at the Center for the Humanities at Tufts (CHAT) for the duration of the pre-tenure probationary period. We seek candidates whose research and teaching has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to diversity and inclusion in higher education.

Requirements: PhD by starting date; experience and demonstrated excellence in teaching courses in relevant subjects at the university level. While this position has no language-teaching duties, a high degree of fluency in both Arabic and English is required. Fluency in a third language is a plus.

Letter of Application, CV, statements of research and teaching interests, two writing samples, and three confidential letters of recommendation should be sent via Interfolio at https://apply.interfolio.com/31867 . Further materials will be requested of short-listed applicants. The review of applications will begin on November 16, 2015, and continue until the position is filled. Questions about the search should be addressed to Professor Kamran Rastegar: kamran.rastegar@tufts.edu.

Tufts University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. We are committed to increasing the diversity of our faculty. Women and members of underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

8. CALL FOR PAPERS: Cambridge workshop 20-22 June 2016

St Andrews-Cambridge joint research initiative

Khamriyya as a World Poetic Genre:

Comparative Perspectives on Wine Poetry in Near and Middle Eastern Literatures.

After the success of the first Khamriyya workshop held in St Andrews in November 2014 and the Lecture Series supported by the Honeyman Foundation in St Andrews during the 2014-15 academic year, we are now launching the second workshop, to be held in Cambridge (UK) on 20-22 June 2016, supported by the Cambridge Soudavar Fund for Persian Studies and the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. The results of this collaborative research will be published in a dedicated volume or special issue of a specialised journal.

The organisors designed the two workshops to function as real “work”shops where shared and mutual critical assessment and open discussions will clarify the state of the question and open up new avenues of research. By opening up the participation to specialists across language and cultural boundaries, we hope to foster a better understanding of the phenomenon of wine-poetry across Near and Middle Eastern Literatures.

The initiative welcomes contributions exploring various aspects of wine poetry in comparative perspective of Near and Middle Eastern literatures with the focus on the following topics:

Recusancy and transgression: wine poetry challenging cultural, social and

religious norms of society,

Imagery and stylistics: aesthetic transformations in the history of wine poetry,
Adoption and transmission: wine poetry crossing linguistic and cultural borders.

In order to put together the Programme, we would be grateful if you could submit your paper abstract (400 words max) and CV by the deadline of 30^th November, 2015 at the following email address: cv223@cam.ac.uk. The organisation panel will consider the applications and respond by 15^th January 2015. The scientific committee might suggest further focusing of some of the topics in order to better serve the comparative perspective of the workshops. The language of the presentations and publication is English.

For further information please contact Dr Kirill Dimitriev: kd25@st-andrews.ac.uk

or Dr Christine van Ruymbeke: cv223@cam.ac.uk.

9. Séminaire ‘Sociétés, politiques et cultures du monde iranien’

Séance du 8 octobre 2015, 17h-18h30

Hawzhin Baghali, doctorante, CETOBAC, EHESS, Paris

« Le soufisme et le salafisme au Kurdistan d’Iran : une discontinuité historique dans le discours religieux contemporain »

Lieu : Université Sorbonne nouvelle – Paris 3, centre Censier, 13 rue de Santeuil, salle 410 (4^e étage), 75005, Paris.

Organisateurs :

Matteo De Chiara (INaLCO), Denis Hermann (CNRS), Fabrizio Speziale (Paris 3), Julien Thorez (CNRS).

Posted in: Academic items

September 26, 2015
by Andrew Newman
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