Categories : Academic items

1. Before World Literature: The Trickster Tales of al-Ḥarīrī in an Age of
Commentary

M Keegan

Is now available for pre-order. Until the end of December, there
is a 40% discount with the discount code PENN-HOLIDAY25, which means the
hardcover should cost less than $40 in the US with shipping

https://www.pennpress.org/9781512828870/before-world-literature/

 

 

 

 

 

2. Summer 2026 Arabic Language Study with Indiana University

https://languageworkshop.indiana.edu/summer-language-workshop/overview/languages/arabic/index.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.Summer 2026 Pashto Language Study with Indiana University

https://languageworkshop.indiana.edu/summer-language-workshop/overview/languages/pashto/index.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Summer 2026 Persian Language Study with Indiana University

https://languageworkshop.indiana.edu/summer-language-workshop/overview/languages/persian/index.html

 

 

 

 

 

5. Global Histories of MENA in the 20th Century – A Primary Source Collection

A new OA primary source collection, “Global Histories of MENA in the 20th Century,” that just went online at Exeter U.’s DAME project at:

https://humanities-collections.exeter.ac.uk/dame/s/en/item-set/15399

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. GLECC2026 Conference – Call for Papers
The second International Conference on Globalisation in Languages, Education, Culture and Communication (GLECC2026) is going to be held 28-30 July 2026, Manchester, UK.
The past two decades have witnessed remarkable advancements in the studies into Education, Second and Foreign Languages, Translation and Interpreting, Cultural Studies, and Communication. This growth, evident in both the number of active researchers and the volume of scholarly throughput and outcomes, can be largely attributed to the forces of globalisation. Consequently, adopting the globalisation perspective is timely and provides a natural framework for connecting these diverse yet interlinked disciplines.
This conference aims to bring together researchers, educators, practitioners, and policymakers from the realms of education, foreign and second languages, cultural studies, translation, interpreting, and communication to disseminate research outcomes, share insights, discuss findings, exchange visions, and identify challenges and trends in an interactive and immersive multidisciplinary environment.
The conference is co-organised by AT Publishing in association with its journals namely, Research in Education Curriculum and Pedagogy: Global Perspectives (RECAP) [ISSN: 2977-1633]; New Perspectives on Languages (NPL) [ISSN: 3033-490X]; The International Journal of Chinese and English Translation & Interpreting (IJCETI) [ISSN: 2753-6149]; and Recent Advances in Humanities Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) [ISSN: 2978-1345]. There is a “conference first” policy in place. Selected papers will be invited to further develop into full journal articles free of APCs.
Conference proceedings will be published open access with an ISBN.
Visit https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fglecc.org%2F2025%2F&data=05%7C02%7C%7C3218ca8c4aaf4ba290d508de3d651984%7C2e9f06b016694589878910a06934dc61%7C0%7C0%7C639015701609963702%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=v2Cfai5dguRn6k5II4B1JPLk7cgHejw8PEMfAexWhzU%3D&reserved=0to find out what the 2025 conference was like and the feedback from the participants, as well as the conference proceedings https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fglecc.org%2Fsubmission%2Findex.php%2Fportal%2Fissue%2Farchive&data=05%7C02%7C%7C3218ca8c4aaf4ba290d508de3d651984%7C2e9f06b016694589878910a06934dc61%7C0%7C0%7C639015701609993132%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=VSv1KjYx8FVQHfzp%2FmQxX7Z8U%2FJvVl4Yx3MAohoh7SI%3D&reserved=0
Submission deadline: 30 April 2026

 

 

 

 

 

7. Intimacies of Global Sufism,

Ne’matullahi Shrines and Material Culture Between Iran and India

Peyvand Firouzeh

Indiana, 2025

https://mngbookshop.co.uk/9780253074140/intimacies-of-global-sufism/

 

 

 

 

 

8. Iranian Solar Calendar and Endurance of Nowruz in Persian Time Culture
Abbas Amanat

Asemana, 2025

https://asemanabooks.ca/solar-calendar-and-iranian-identity/

 

 

 

 

 

9. The Piruzai of Afghanistan: A Visual Ethnography
Nancy Lindisfarne-Tapper and Richard Tapper
Read more

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. Senior Program Officer, Research & Learning
Scholars at Risk Network
Scholars at Risk is seeking a highly-organized, proactive and detail-oriented researcher/trainer for SAR’s research and learning team. The Senior Program Officer will play a key role in building out a new project focused on responding to recent threats to higher education in the US and abroad. The project will focus on producing reports, models, and guidance address recurring patterns of threats to higher education.

Deadline | 5 January 2026
More information

 

 

 

 

 

11. Assistant Professor in Political Science with emphasis on the Middle East
The American University in Cairo
The Department of Political Science invites applicants for an assistant professor position in Political Science with an emphasis on the Middle East starting Fall 2025. The position is on a 2-year fixed-term contract. Teaching responsibilities include a combination of courses at the BA and MA levels in Political Science, Comparative Politics of the Middle East, Introduction to Political Science, Research Methods, International Politics of the Middle East, and Comparative Theory.

Deadline | 10 January 2026
More information

 

 

 

 

 

12. Research Officer, Middle East Centre
London School of Economics
The Research Officer will work under the direction of the Director of the Middle East Centre at LSE, Dr Katerina Dalacoura. They should have proven expertise in at least one aspect in the study of secularity in the Middle East: government policy, religiosity, foreign policy and foreign relations, and the sociological aspects of secularisation (in relation to state institutions).

Deadline | 14 January 2026
More information

 

 

 

 

 

13. Post-Doc on the U.S. and SWANA Region
American University of Beirut
The purpose of the postdoctoral fellowship is to encourage original research on how U.S. economic and financial policies shape outcomes in the Global South, with a particular focus on their consequences for the Southwest Asia and North Africa region. Eligible candidates should hold a PhD (or be close to completing their PhD at the time of application) in Economics or a closely related field.
Deadline | 15 February 2026
More information

 

 

 

 

 

14. Call for Papers | A Sourcebook: The Global Archives of Mobility and Identity in the Ottoman Twilight

The Sourcebook will make available to readers an exciting and wide-ranging set of primary sources, including family records, diaries, correspondence, official documentation, oral history, and community newsletters, in order to present a global story of Ottoman mobility in unprecedented detail. This call for papers invites expressions of interest from potential contributors to this Sourcebook, who are interested in providing examples of relevant primary sources along with short contextual commentaries.

Deadline | 16 January 2026
More information

 

 

 

 

 

15. Small Grants Program “Constantine Zurayk: Nation, Identity, and History: Towards New Agendas”

The Arab Council for the Social Sciences (ACSS) is pleased to launch the ninth cycle of its Small Grants Program and the second on the theme of “Constantine Zurayk: Nation, Identity, and History: Towards New Agendas.” This grant, with a duration of 5-6 months, supports individual researchers up to three years out of the PhD and PhD students in advanced stages of their studies, in the social sciences and humanities, to conduct a research project on the Arab region on the theme of “Constantine Zurayk: Nation, Identity, and History: Towards New Agendas.”

Deadline | 12 February 2026

More information

 

 

 

 

 

16. Louvre Abu Dhabi Research Fellowship & Grant Programme (2025-2026)

The Louvre Abu Dhabi’s Research Fellowship Programme supports innovative work in art history, archaeology, museum studies, conservation, and heritage science. Launched in 2024, this Fellowship Programme enters its second edition in 2025, consolidating the museum’s role as a global platform for research and knowledge exchange. Fellows conduct research on-site using the museum’s Resource Center, Conservation Center and Scientific Laboratory – the first of its kind in the Gulf for material analysis.

Deadline | 7 February 2026
More information

 

 

 

 

 

17. Call for Papers | ​Specters of the Undercommons

This transdisciplinary conference invites contributions from scholars, practitioners, and artists working in the realms of humanities and beyond. Contributions may explore (among other themes): catastrophe and its racial, material, and ecological entanglements; acts and modes of affective witnessing through grief, celebration, and/or resistance; the metaphysical and cosmological as sites of spatialised anticolonial and antiracist thought; and spectral, fugitive, or insurgent modes of knowledge related to the undercommons that challenge institutional politics.

Deadline | 8 January 2026

More information

 

 

 

 

18. The British Institute of Persian Studies (BIPS) is currently seeking a part-time Junior Assistant to support its work in promoting scholarship and research excellence on all aspects of Iran and the wider Persianate world.

The role suits a well organised and methodical person, with an interest in the development of processes. The ideal candidate will be able to work both under supervision and semi-independently when required, will be proactive and enthusiastic and ideally interested in the promotion of the Persianate world, its history and culture.

The Junior Assistant will provide support in the following areas: Communication, Outreach, and Administration. It is expected that from time to time the Junior Assistant will be asked to undertake tasks other than those specified above, under the supervision of their line manager.

To be eligible, candidates must already have the right to work in the UK.
Location: London

Salary: £25,000 pro rata, subject to annual review

Contract: Fixed term

Closing date for applications: 05 January 2026, 5PM
Additional information about the role is available here.

To apply, email your CV and covering letter to:
bips@thebritishacademy.ac.uk

 

 

 

 

 

19. Aria Fani and Adeeba Shahid Talukder’s translation of Bijan Jalali’s poetry (Asemana Books, 2025) has won the MLA–Roth Translation Prize for 2025.

Shape of Extinction
Poems by Bijan Jalali
Translated from the Persian by Adeeba Shahid Talukder and Aria Fani
Preface by Domenico Ingenito
Critical Introduction by Aria Fani
Cover illustration and artwork by Amelia Ossorio

ISBN: 978-1-0690210-8-3
Publication date: May 9, 2025

https://asemanabooks.ca/shape-of-extinction/

 

 

 

 

 

20. First Virtual Research Workshop by the “Middle East Studies Association (MESA)”, 2-4 June 2026

Proposals should relate to MESA’s mission of scholarship and advocacy primarily concerning the region of the Middle East (including Southwest Asia, the Arab world, and North Africa) from the seventh century to today, though not at the exclusion of earlier time periods. Other areas of Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas – including diaspora communities – are also included as part of the study of the transnational dimensions of the societies of the Middle East in an interdisciplinary and comparative context.

Deadline for abstracts: 9 January 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/bdfhh2sv

 

 

 

 

 

21. Conference “Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Landscapes in Language, Society, and Cognition – Emerging Landscapes: Languages and Landscapes in Conflict”, Prague, Czech Republic, 16-18 September 2026

Landscapes are frontiers. We would like to encourage researchers to explore this frontier, emergent character of landscapes from an interdisciplinary perspective incorporating linguistic and extra-linguistic insights.

Deadline for abstracts: 31 December 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/v8ruhww4

 

 

 

 

 

22. Research Seminar on “Reproductive Ethics and Kinship in Contemporary Islamic Thought and Practice”, Research Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics, Hamad bin Khalifa University & SOAS, Qatar, 11-13 January 2027

We seek contributions that explore everyday decisions and moral frameworks that shape intimate and family life, including kinship norms, partner selection, fertility choices and reproductive technologies. The papers should highlight how Islamic ethical reasoning both informs and is shaped by lived experiences, social realities and political agendas. To be published at Brill Publishers.

Deadline for abstracts: 30 December 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/4my48n4n

 

 

 

 

23. 14 Postdoctoral Fellowships (2 years) – Germany

The fellowships are available to researchers from all over the world and from any discipline represented at one of the three universities with a minimum of one year and a maximum of seven years of post-doctoral experience, who cannot conduct or continue their work in the USA appropriately because of actual political pressure.

Deadline for applications: 9 January 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/3j7bh626

 

 

 

 

 

24. Managing Director of the Economic Research Forum (ERF), Cairo

Qualifications: A PhD degree in economics, or a related discipline. – A minimum of 15 years of experience in leadership positions. – Demonstrated excellence across a spectrum of areas, including: Intellectual Leadership. – Management & Financial Leadership. – Funding Mobilization. – Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to manage a network that represents the full diversity of the MENA region.

Deadline for applications: 31 December 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/a8usr6mt

 

 

 

 

25. Research & Teaching Fellow (1 Year) for the Hoover History Lab (Focus GCC), Stanford University

We prioritize research on war and diplomatic history, economic and financial history, political and institutional history, and science and technology history from the 18th century to the present. We are open to any specific topic and to all regions of the world. Candidates must have a Ph.D. or its equivalent by the time they start.

Deadline for applications: 2 January 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/9ymrrm5d

 

 

 

 

 

26. Visiting Assistant Professor of Global Studies (2 Years), Focus on Race and Global Inequality, Colby College, Waterville, Maine

We seek an innovative inter- or transdisciplinary scholar and teacher, either trained in an interdisciplinary program or with a strong and demonstrated commitment to inter- or transdisciplinary methodologies in their research and pedagogy. Areas of focus within race and global inequality could include indigeneity, sovereignty, borders, environ-ment and climate change, human rights, health and medicine, among other areas of specialization.

Deadline for applications: 5 January 2026. Information: https://apply.interfolio.com/178425

 

 

 

 

27. “Mobility Grant for Doctoral Students 2026-2027 (9 Months)”, IFEA Institut français d’études ana-toliennes, Istanbul

Applicants must hold a Master’s degree in research and be enrolled in a doctoral program at a French university at the time of taking up the position (no nationality requirement). The grant is contingent upon residency in Turkey for the duration of the period. Subject Fields: Archaeology, Ethnic History, Humanities, Social Sciences, Urban History.

Deadline for applications: 5 January 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/mrsehtsz

 

 

 

 

 

28. Interdisciplinary Summer Academy: “Reading the City: Epigraphy and Space in Istanbul in Ancient, Byzantine, and Ottoman Times”, Orient-Institut Istanbul, 21-27 September 2026

Through seminars and field excursions, participants will engage directly with epigraphic monuments – from palatial gates to Bosporus shorelines – while discussing their spatial, performative, and material dimensions. The Academy encourages interdisciplinary dialogue bridging philology, history, and art history in a collaborative and inspiring environment.

Deadline for applications: 3 January 2026. Information: https://oiist.org/call-for-applications-reading-the-city/

 

 

 

 

 

29. Contribute: Innovation During The Later Crusades: War & Society 

Innovation During The Later Crusades: War & Society
edited by Martin Neuding Skoog and Stefan Stantchev

Topics: Aspects of “the military revolution” in the context of the later crusades. – Changes in weapons technology and their impact on warfare. – Changes in styles of fortifications and siege warfare in late medieval frontier societies. – Innovation and change within military organizations, tactics and logistics. – Studies of innovation and change within target polities such as the Seljuk Turks, the Mamluks, the Ottomans and others.

Deadline for proposals: 31 December 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/bdhpwbcm

 

 

 

30. Chapters for Volume “Arab Sociologies in Post-Uprising Transformations”,

Questions: 1. How did sociology in the past 15 years contribute to processes of variation of discourses and practices, which may lead to a variety of alternative paths? – 2. How did sociology contribute to selection of particular discourses? – 3. Did sociology contribute to retention of specific resonant discourses, a process in which discourses and practices are included in individual and collective routines and identities?

Deadline for abstracts: 10 January 2026. Information: Contact Sari Hanafi sh41@aub.edu.lb

 

 

 

 

 

31. Call for Articles on “Political and Socio-Economic Transformations in MENA” for the “Journal of South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (JSAMES)”, AUC

Under this general theme, we welcome contributions that focus on political processes and institutions, patterns of conflict and cooperation (both within and across countries and non-state actors), economic transformations, the political economy of inequality, environmentalism, and securitization and change in the region, as well as other related topics.

Deadline for abstracts: 6 January 2026. Information and contact: dina.baslan@villanova.edu

 

 

 

 

32. CfP

If your research touches on authoritarian diffusion, surveillance, policing, regime learning, counter-revolution, digital repression, or international linkages between democracies and autocracies – Fabrizio Leonardo Cuccu and Paola Rivetti at Dublin City University would love to hear from you!

Deadline for abstracts: 10 January 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/4z73fyvr

 

1. Symposium “Ottoman Mobilities and Interactions”, British International Research Institutes (BIRI) & Sabancı University, Istanbul, 13-14 April 2026

Investigating the Ottoman Empire as a dynamic web of circulation in which people, objects, and ideas continually reshaped the imperial fabric.

Deadline for abstracts: 16 January 2026. Information: https://biaa.ac.uk/cfp-ottoman-mobilities-and-interactions/

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Workshop “Gulf-South Asia Relations in an Era of Deepening Interdependence”, Directed by Zahid Shahab Ahmed and Mujtaba Ali Isani at the “16th Gulf Research Meeting”, Cambridge, 21-23 July 2026

The workshop aims to unpack the multidimensional nature of contemporary Gulf–South Asia relations, by focusing on economic, political, strategic, technological, and cultural dimensions. It seeks to analyze the structural drivers of this transformation, including both internal and external factors, to assess how these forces are shaping patterns of interdependence, cooperation, and competition. The workshop will particularly focus on understanding the policy choices and strategic calculations.

Deadline for abstracts: 5 January 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/3e569jhc

 

 

 

 

 

3. Short-term Fellowships on the Theme “Praying in a Machine World: Technology & African and Middle Eastern Religious Cultures”, Library of Congress, Washington DC

Researchers are encouraged to propose projects that utilize new methodologies, interdisciplinary approaches, or comparative perspectives. Fellowships will be offered to individuals with doctoral degrees in the humanities or social sciences.

Deadline for applications: 9 January 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/85ch7zk3

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. PhD Programme of the European University Institute (EUI) on Middle Eastern Studies, Florence

The Department of History at the EUI welcomes projects in Mediterranean history, Ottoman history, and the history of the Middle East and North Africa, represented by Professor Giancarlo Casale and Professor M’hamed Oualdi. Students interested in Ottoman history will also have the opportunity to take part in the Ottoman History Working Group.

Deadline for applications: 15 January 2026. Information: https://iismm.hypotheses.org/138943

 

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5. ONLINE Course “Introduction to Arabic Manuscript Studies”, Summer 2026, Hill Museum and Manuscript Library, Colleville, MN, 22-26 June 2026

The course will introduce students to the study of Arabic manuscripts in their historical, cultural, and material dimensions and to a diversity of Arabic manuscript traditions from West Africa and the Middle East, both Islamic and Christian; provide basic introduction to paleography, codicology, and philological practices, with a special focus on the application of these skills in a digital context; and highlight a wide range of scholarly reference tools for the study of Arabic manuscripts.

Deadline for applications: 6 March 2026. Information: https://hmml.org/programs/arabic-mss-studies/

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Fourth Intensive Summer School on “Comparative Habsburg-Ottoman Paleography”, Au-strian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, 6-17 July 2026

This two-week intensive program is dedicated to the comparative study of early modern (1500–1800) Habsburg and Ottoman primary sources. Paleography courses encompass the study of various scripts in the target languages, the utilization of diverse source materials, their critical analysis, and the examination of intricate linguistic structures in them.

Deadline for applications: 1 February 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/3w2wbd9m

 

 

 

 

 

7. Call for applications | Postdoctoral positions in ERC project “ALiDiM” on Classical Arabic @ Ca’ Foscari | deadline 29.01.2026=
I am pleased to share that we are currently advertisingtwo 2-year postdoctoral positions(“contratto di ricerca”) within the ERC-funded ALiDiM project at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice.
We are seeking two motivated researchers with a strong background in Arabic and Islamic studies; research experience on Classical Arabic and classical texts; and interest in interdisciplinary research on Islamic intellectual history.

Position 1 will examine the intellectual history of the early Arabic linguistic tradition by exploring how ideas were transmitted, adapted, and transformed; while Position 2 will focus on the role of language data in shaping early linguistic discourse and norms.

The selected candidates will be an integral part of our interdisciplinary team, participating in weekly seminar-style meetings where ideas are exchanged, and research is discussed collaboratively. The team emphasizes collaboration and mentorship.
The application deadline is January 29, 2026, 13:00 CET. For full details on the positions, as well as information on the application and selection process, please refer to the calls for applications published on the university website (call Position 1; call Position 2). The positions will start May 1, 2026.

Feel free to share the calls and reach out to us at simona.olivieri@unive.it or alidim@unive.it for further details on our research!
Best regards,

Simona Olivieri

Assistant professor of Arabic language

PI ERC project ALiDiM – Arabic Linguistic Discourse in the Making

Department of Asian and North African Studies

Ca’ Cappello

Calle del Magazen, San Polo 2035

30125 Venezia

1. +39 041 234 8848
2. simona.olivieri@unive.it

0000-0002-0154-9156

 

 

 

 

 

8. JLA Arabic Language and Culture Scholarships – Summer 2026

https://jordanla.com/user_site/site/home_page.aspx

 

 

 

 

 

9. Call for Papers: Thematic Section on Muslim Communities and Conversion to Islam in Latin America

A special call for papers from the International Journal of Latin American Religions

Deadline: Jan 31, 2026

https://www.lacisa.org/call-for-papers-thematic-section-on-muslim-communities-and-conversion-to-islam-in-latin-america

 

 

 

 

10. UCLA: Pourdavoud Institute for the Study of the Iranian World

The recorded lecture of Lucinda Dirven, delivered at UCLA as part of the Pourdavoud Lecture Series on November 5, 2025.

Unlike the tendency to emphasize the multifaceted and diverse aspects of religious life in the Parthian Empire, this talk aims to identify shared characteristics by focusing on the religious preferences of the Arsacid rulers. Although Zoroastrianism was not yet clearly defined at this time, evidence suggests that Zoroastrian ideas influenced the ideology of Arsacid kingship. Conversely, the ideology of the King of Kings influenced the practices of families and rulers who reigned under their suzerainty, including those who were otherwise unaffected by Zoroastrianism. Although such practices were rare, they still had repercussions for the religious lives of the populace in the Arsacid Empire.

https://pourdavoud.ucla.edu/media/videos/zoroastrianism-in-the-religious-context-of-the-arsacid-empire/

 

 

 

 

 

11. Voyant Tools is now fully available for the Persian language, including a complete Persian interface. This update makes it much easier for researchers, instructors, and students working with Persian texts to explore digital methods of reading and analysis.

For those who may not be familiar with it, Voyant Tools is a free, web-based platform for textual analysis. It allows users to upload a text—or a collection of texts—and immediately access a wide range of interactive visualizations and computational tools. These include word frequency charts, keyword-in-context searches, topic clusters, term correlations, and other features that help reveal patterns within a text that are not always visible through traditional close reading.

Voyant is widely used in digital humanities, literary studies, linguistics, and classroom teaching because of its accessibility and intuitive design. With the addition of a Persian interface and improved support for Persian scripts, it is now much more suitable for work with Persian literature, archival materials, historical documents, and student essays.

https://voyant-tools.org/?lang=fa

1. Modern Standard Arabic (MSA)
Language Course

Dates: 27th January- 14th April 2026
Time: Tuesday 06:00 to 08:00 PM
Location: The Islamic College, London, NW10 2SW

More info and registration at:

Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) Language Course

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Amir Khosrow Afshar Visiting Fellowship, 2026-27

The LSE Iranian History Initiative welcomes applications for the Amir Khosrow Afshar Visiting Fellowship for the 2026-27 academic year. The Afshar Fellowship provides an opportunity for an external post-doctoral scholar of modern Iranian history, including both early-career researchers and established scholars, to travel to London and be affiliated with LSE while conducting research on any aspect of the modern history of Iran between 1500 and 1979. This might include research at the UK National Archives, the British Library, the LSE Library and Archives, or other libraries and archives in London and the UK.

The Iranian History Initiative particularly welcomes applications from scholars based outside of the UK; from scholars whose research involves the use of Persian-language primary sources; and from scholars working on any aspect of the history of Pahlavi Iran (1921-1979).

The Afshar Fellowship is tenable for a period of one month during either the Autumn (28 September to 11 December 2026), Winter (11 January to 25 March 2027) or Spring (26 April to 11 June 2027) terms at LSE. Fellowships are not tenable outside of these dates of term. Afshar Fellows will be reimbursed up to £2,000 for the cost of return economy travel to London, up to £125 per night for accommodation for a maximum of 31 days stay in London, and up to £125 for UK visa expenses.

Fellows will be formally affiliated with the Iranian History Initiative and the Department of International History at LSE. Afshar Fellows will receive an LSE ID card, granting them access to campus buildings, including the LSE Library. An IT account, including LSE e-mail and access to the LSE Library’s online resources, will also be provided. Afshar Fellows are expected to attend IHI and departmental events during the period of their residency in London and to present their research in a departmental forum or public event.

Applications, consisting of a research proposal (no more than three pages) and CV, should be made by email to Dr Roham Alvandi (R.Alvandi@lse.ac.uk) by no later than 19 January 2026. Applications will be assessed by a selection committee, and the fellowship will be awarded by the Department of International History’s Research Committee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Iʿjāz al-bayān

Arabic Edition with an Introduction

Ṣadr al-Dīn Qūnawī 

Edited by Anthony F. Shaker 

series: Monographs in Arabic and Islamic Studies

352 pages

Available in hardback and ebook editions

For more information and to order at a discount visit the webpage:

https://equinoxreligionlibrary.com/projects/i-jaz-al-bayan

Quote the code RELIGION for 25% off the print editions or RELIGION35 for 35% off the ebook edition

 

 

 

4. 4th Webinar, Saudi Women: From Where and Whither?

The 4^th Webinar of our ‘ Empowering Muslim Women in Scientific Research’ Series co-organized by the Universities of Sharjah & Manchester.

Dr Fowziyah Abu Khalid,

Title: Saudi Women: From Where and Whither?

17th Dec 2025, 1pm UK time/ 5pm UAE time

Registration at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/saudi-women-from-where-and-whither-fowziyah-abu-khalid-tickets-1977271463173?aff=oddtdtcreator [eventbrite.com]

 

 

 

 

 

5. Islamic Normative Legal Theory: Framework and Applications

Habib Ahmed
Journal of Law and Religion, Volume 40 / Issue 1, January 2025, pp 28 – 58
doi: 10.1017/jlr.2025.10056 Published Online on 27 August 2025

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Call for Expression of Interest for an edited volume on Histories of Islam and Muslims in Canada

We are trying to gauge interest for a potential edited volume examining the history of Islam and Muslims in Canada. This represents an understudied aspect of both Islamic studies and Canadian studies. Since there are very few scholars (professors, postdocs, graduate students) working in the area, we hope this proposed volume will garner interest and hopefully spur further interest in the subject matter.

This call for expression of interest is intentionally broad and encourages a diverse set of methodologies. Potential topics might include:

• Micro- and/or microhistories
• Focus on individuals (e.g., Peter Baker, Yasmin Rantansi, Nazem Khadri)
• Focus on a particular community, ethnicity, religious group (e.g., Twelver, Ismaili, Ahmadi)
• Municipal/provincial/geographic regions
• Historical/archival/statistical/ethnographic approaches (if the latter, please add a historical component.)
• Comparative (e.g., Cedar Rapids, IA, and London, ON; comparative/contrasting trends with other countries: e.g., US, UK, Sweden)
• Reflective pieces by senior scholars

Again, we are asking only for expressions of interest at this point. We will proceed accordingly depending upon what comes in. Please feel free to circulate to faculty, postdocs and graduate students.

If interested, by December 31, please contact:

Aaron W Hughes                                                         Jennifer Selby

aaron.hughes@rochester.edu                                    jselby@mun.ca

 

 

 

 

 

7. Mission Studies,

Volume 42 (2025): Issue 3 (Dec 2025): Special Issue: Indo-Persian Missions and Their Interreligious Challenge, edited by Norbert Hintersteiner and Haila Manthegi

https://brill.com/view/journals/mist/42/3/mist.42.issue-3.xml

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. For the benefit of those who could not attend the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) 2025 conference in Washington, DC, here is the link to their program:

https://www.mazdapublishers.com/images/upload/news/MESA-2025_Final-Program-R.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. The editors of Imago Mundiare pleased to share a call for papers prepared by IM editorial board member Martin Brückner who invites proposals for a thematic issue of Imago Mundi, Maps and the Imagination.

Maps and the Imagination

 

 

 

 

 

10. UCLA:

Panel Discussion on Afghan Refugees in Iran

Monday, January, 12, 2026 at 11:00 am Pacific Time

Online via Zoom

In Persian and English

Registration Required

Registration Link: https://ucla.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_hcYEa8i_QB6EIvQRBb9YEw

 

 

 

 

 

 

11. ONLINE Webinar “A Modern Iraq Convening” Organized by Pietro Menghini, Kiki Santing, and Peter Wien, Academic Research Institute in Iraq (TARII), 18 December 2025, 14:00 – 18:00 CET

The Modern Iraq Convening brings together a new generation of international scholars sharing an interest in Modern Iraqi studies to establish an international network of researchers focusing on Iraq in a multi- and cross-disciplinary fashion. This first edition of the Convening will be held in English, with Arabic editions planned for the near future.

Information, program, and registration: https://www.tarii.org/events/moderniraqconvening

 

 

 

 

 

12. International Conference “Islam and Digitality. Media, Materiality, Hermeneutics”, Goethe-University Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 10-11 July 2026

Main themes: We will address images of Islamic history and explore how their mediation in the digital age relates to contemporary religious identity and forms of theological differentiation. – We will examine how the digitisation of sacred texts and exegetical literature is changing the ways in which Muslim scholars engage with them. – We will investigate how Muslims employ the affordances of digital media to articulate specific interpretations of how Islam should be lived, interpreted and proclaimed

Deadline for abstracts: 19 December 2025.

Information: https://aiwg.de/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/CfP-IuD.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

 

13. Philip K. Hitti Endowed Chair in Middle Eastern Studies, American University in Beirut

We seek a distinguished and collegial scholar with a demonstrated commitment to high-level research relevant to the politics of the Middle East region; a sustained record of teaching and service at an internationally recognized institutions; and an established record of public and student engagement. We are open to applicants in Middle East Studies, particularly in the fields of Politics or Global Affairs, and at the rank of full professor.

Deadline for applications: 30 January 2026. Information: https://apply.interfolio.com/178776

 

1.International Workshop “(Re)Thinking the Role of Religion in Social and Humanitarian Action: Preaching in a Transnational Approach – Middle East (19th – 21st Centuries)”, Centre Marc Bloch, Berlin, 18-19 June 2026

This workshop seeks to explore the links between preaching and socio-humanitarian action in the contemporary Middle East. The chosen approach is deliberately cross-cutting: it brings Islam, Judaism, and Christianity into dia-logue, while situating the Middle East within a global perspective.

Deadline for abstracts: 1 February 2026. Information: Contact anr.predicmo@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Call for papers: Ruins and Memory in the Muslim World: Typologies and Motifs (622-1800 CE, Leiden University, 14-16 September, 2026

Muslims interacted with the remains of pre-Islamic history present in their contemporary landscapes, and how the physical ruins of the pre-Islamic past were visualised, imagined and put to use in historical, theological and other literary contexts, and in material formats too.

Deadline for abstracts: 1 February 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/9wejc3ej

 

 

 

 

 

3. Interdisciplinary Summer Academy: “Reading the City: Epigraphy and Space in Istanbul in Ancient, Byzantine, and Ottoman Times”, Orient-Institut Istanbul, 21-27 September 2026

This interdisciplinary Summer Academy invites advanced MA students, doctoral candidates, and early postdoctoral researchers to explore the role of epigraphy in shaping Istanbul’s urban, sacred, and imperial spaces across antiquity, the Byzantine era, and the Ottoman period.

Through seminars and field excursions, participants will engage directly with epigraphic monuments – from palatial gates to Bosporus shorelines – while discussing their spatial, performative, and material dimensions. The Academy encourages interdisciplinary dialogue bridging philology, history, and art history in a collaborative and inspiring environment.

Deadline for applications: 3 January 2026. Information: https://oiist.org/call-for-applications-reading-the-city/

 

 

 

 

 

4. Riwaq Book Prize / Call for Nominations – Deadline: 31 January 2026

Nominations of Outstanding Recent Monographs in Arabic Studies, Islamic Studies, and Related Middle Eastern Studies Invited for the „Riwaq Prize for Research and Culture“ by “The Divan – Arab Cultural Centre” (Berlin) and the “Orient-Institut Beirut (OIB)”

The prize is awarded in three language categories (Arabic, English, German). Monographs in the fields of philosophy, history and cultural studies, art and architecture, literature, linguistics, and translation studies published in their original language between 1 January 2022, and 31 January 2026, are eligible for nomination.

Deadline for nominations: 31 January 2026. Information: https://riwaqbookprize.com/en/

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Call for Book Chapters on “Watery Worlds: Decolonial Ecologies and the Mediterranean”,

Watery Worlds positions the Mediterranean as an environment where ecological volatility, colonial history, and decolonial futures intersect. By placing literary and cultural texts in dialogue with environmental humanities and blue humanities frameworks, the volume aims to illuminate the world-making capacities of water – how its flows, depths, and absences shape modes of belonging and unbelonging, practices of remembrance, and evolving imaginaries of place.

Deadline for abstracts: 30 January 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/mr3yedcb

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. CFP: Conveying Meaning through Iconic Visual Languages: Theory, Practice, and Didactics – A interdisciplinary Exchange

https://networks.h-net.org/group/announcements/20134475/cfp-conveying-meaning-through-iconic-visual-languages-theory-practice

1-3 July, 2026; abstracts: 5 January, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Persian Language & Cultural Immersion Summer School | Yerevan | 2026
Applications are now open for the 2026 Persian Language & Cultural Immersion Summer School organized by ASPIRANTUM in Yerevan, Armenia — a unique opportunity to combine intensive Persian study with exceptional cultural immersion.
Apply here:https://aspirantum.com/courses/persian-language-summer-school

Testimonials from ASPIRANTUM’s Persian language program alumni are available here: https://aspirantum.com/testimonials

Participants may choose a 6–10 week program (120–200 hours) starting on June 21, 2026. Classes are offered at beginner, elementary, and intermediate levels and include 4 hours of daily instruction focused on grammar, reading, speaking, writing, listening, and vocabulary.
Alongside rigorous language training, the program features a rich calendar of cultural events and trips, fully included in the participation fee:

• Garni Temple & Geghard Monastery excursion
• Aragats Mountain, Amberd Fortress & Yezidi tent visit
• Ejmiatsin, Yezidi Temple & medieval mausoleum tour
• Khor Virap, Noravank & Areni-1 Cave (world’s oldest winery)
• Lake Sevan day trip
• Celebration evenings, certificate ceremonies, and welcome/farewell events
• Optional activities: khachkar carving workshop, Armenian brandy tasting, culinary evening, Matenadaran visit, Blue Mosque visit, and more.

Deadlines:
Early Discount: February 25, 2026
Regular Application: May 21, 2026
Apply here: https://aspirantum.com/courses/persian-language-summer-school
For questions, contact khachik@aspirantum.com or WhatsApp: +37491557978

 

 

 

 

 

8. University of South Carolina – Instructor Modern Middle East Studies
https://networks.h-net.org/jobs/69570/university-south-carolina-instructor-modern-middle-east-studies

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. “Ḥabīb al-ḥaqq’sMiftāḥ al-ḥuqūq: A Persian Treatise on the Qurʾān and the Bible by a Catholic Missionary in the Persianate World,” in:Mission Studies 42 (2025) Issue 3: Special Issue: Indo-Persian Missions and Their Interreligious Challenge, 426–450.

D Halft,

https://brill.com/view/journals/mist/42/3/article-p426_7.xml?ebody=Abstract%2FExcerpt

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. University of Massachusetts – Amherst – Assistant Professor – History of Art & Architecture (Islamic)

Closing date: Jan 2, 2026

https://networks.h-net.org/jobs/69569/university-massachusetts-amherst-assistant-professor-history-art-architecture

 

 

 

 

 

11. Online Study Opportunity – Exploring Christian Arabic Manuscripts

I am excited to offer a new online learning opportunity designed to help you build confidence in reading Christian Arabic manuscripts.

Starting on day one, 6 December 2025, at 7am UTC (UK time), I have uploaded the first manuscript excerpt (“An Episode in the War on Book Theft”). You have nearly two days to decipher, transcribe and translate it at your own pace. On day two at 7pm, I will upload my transcription and translation with explanatory notes so you can compare your work and deepen your understanding. On day three at 7am, the next excerpt will be released, followed on day four at 7pm by my annotated solution—and the cycle continues.

I will respond to questions in the comments section about each manuscript for seven days after uploading my transcription and translation of it. Throughout the course, I will also share practical strategies for deciphering manuscripts and point you to helpful resources.

You will encounter a rich mix of manuscript excerpts: some short and approachable, others longer and more challenging (up to a full page). The content will range from brief literary passages to sizable colophons and fascinating readers’ notes. The age and provenance of the manuscripts will similarly be varied, from Egypt to Iraq, from the ninth to the nineteenth century. One thing will remain constant: every piece will be genuinely exciting to explore.

This study opportunity is offered by subscription at £49 per month and will initially run as a five-week trial. If enough learners subscribe, the programme will continue until 6 June 2026 (confirmation will be given on 6 January 2026). For the duration of the trial, the back catalogue of manuscripts, transcriptions and translations will be accessible to those joining with delay until the end of the five-week trial period.

Click here to register and subscribe: https://buymeacoffee.com/krisztinaszilagyi

All manuscript images, transcriptions, translations and explanatory notes will appear on this website.

This programme is recommended for learners with at least an intermediate level of Arabic (Classical or Modern Standard). The stronger your Arabic, the quicker your progress will be!

Contact Information

Dr Krisztina Szilagyi

Contact Email

ks591@cam.ac.uk

URL

https://buymeacoffee.com/krisztinaszilagyi

1.The Gulf Research Center (GRC) is pleased to announce that we are accepting paper abstracts for the 16th annual Gulf Research Meeting (GRM), the annual academic conference highlighting critical issues of importance to the Gulf region and providing a basis for undertaking and engaging in academic and empirical research. GRM 2026 will take place in Cambridge (UK) from July 21-23, 2026.

1. GRM workshops cover a wide range of topics in the fields of politics, economics, environment, culture, energy, security, and the social sciences as they relate to the GCC states and the wider Gulf region.
   GRM 2026 Workshops:
   The Economic Architecture and Diplomacy of Climate Change in the Gulf: Financing the Transition
   Digital Media, Strategic Communication, and Soft Power in the Gulf: Public Diplomacy in a Transforming Region
   GCC-Sub-Saharan Africa Economic Relations: Energy, Mining, Infrastructure, and Food Security
   Overlapping Ambitions: State-Led Economic Diversification and Mounting Intra-GCC Competition
   Rational Agency and Uncertain Futures: AI’s Role in the Gulf Region
   Gulf–South Asia Relations in an Era of Deepening Interdependence
   Emerging Technologies and Defense Industrialization in the GCC: Navigating the Localization–Outsourcing Dilemma in the AI Era
   The GCC–EU Economic Bilateral Partnership: Strategic Opportunities and Economic Diplomacy
   Gulf Gas Strategies
   Mobilizing Diasporas and Gulf Private Investors for the Reconstruction and Development of Syria and Lebanon
   The GCC and Infrastructure Connectivity in the Changing Geopolitical and Geoeconomic Landscape
   Humanitarian Diplomacy and Mediation in the Gulf: Pathways to Regional Stability
   We welcome applications from both established academics/scholars as well as young and emerging researchers.
   For the descriptions of workshops and other information: https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgulfresearchmeeting.net%2F&data=05%7C02%7C%7C559a36a888c1491bef5508de319f257e%7C2e9f06b016694589878910a06934dc61%7C0%7C0%7C639002756754863676%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=G1m7db5EDgOTcxAnXz3s%2F%2F%2F3h5eUVSefd80q6pXpEis%3D&reserved=0.
   You are strongly invited to read the Participants Guidelines: https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgulfresearchmeeting.net%2Fw%2FGRM2026-ParticipantsGuidelines-Updated-2025-11-18.pdf&data=05%7C02%7C%7C559a36a888c1491bef5508de319f257e%7C2e9f06b016694589878910a06934dc61%7C0%7C0%7C639002756754893326%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=QAIJBDJYSoNEFvf%2B6zI7MEFtFtPpobbUkU2s6cr1aPY%3D&reserved=0
   The GRM 2026 poster can be downloaded here<https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgulfresearchmeeting.net%2Fw%2FGRM2026-CallPaperPoster.pdf&data=05%7C02%7C%7C559a36a888c1491bef5508de319f257e%7C2e9f06b016694589878910a06934dc61%7C0%7C0%7C639002756754911032%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=RinJGGr30K6A5DwiPn29Ea51vH0ai7j5KIma%2Bn%2BauG4%3D&reserved=0>.
   The deadline for applications is January 5, 2026.
   Applications should be submitted at:
   https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gulfresearchmeeting.net%2Fregister-paper-user&data=05%7C02%7C%7C559a36a888c1491bef5508de319f257e%7C2e9f06b016694589878910a06934dc61%7C0%7C0%7C639002756754927691%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=4bcB7nP0GX3Rwy4aVGaWg0w8WLq%2FiwcTSU%2Fezwe4YVU%3D&reserved=0
   For questions, please contact us at grm@grc.net<mailto:grm@grc.net>.
   We are looking forward to receiving your application and please send this announcement to colleagues in your network.
   Best regards,
   Gulf Research Center (GRC)

 

 

 

 

2. The Alwaleed Centre (University of Edinburgh) is hosting an online event on 11 December at 4pm reflecting on the devastating war in Sudan. All are welcome, and further details can be found below. To register for free CLICK HERE.

Sudan in Perspective: The Conflict, Its Drivers and the International Community

Thursday 11 December, 16.00-17.30 online via Zoom

Since April 2023, Sudan has been gripped by a devastating war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).  Both groups are backed by external actors whose competing interests have further intensified the humanitarian crisis on the ground. The RSF, which is armed and supplied by the United Arab Emirates, stands accused of genocide in Darfur. On the other hand, SAF, which has allied with the Islamist Movement in Sudan and receives support from several regional countries, has also been accused of committing atrocities and human rights violations. Despite the scale of atrocities, mainstream legacy media and the broader international community have largely remained bystanders, taking little meaningful action to name or sanction the warring parties and their supporters.

In this timely online conversation, will be joined by Hamid Khalafallah (University of Manchester), who will trace the genealogy of the current conflict in Sudan and shed light on the geopolitical entanglements that continue to fuel it, and Award-Nominated Journalist Mat Nashed, who will respond with reflections on covering Sudan. Chaired by Dr Mira Al Hussein (University of Edinburgh).

To register for free CLICK HERE.

 

 

 

 

3. From Closure to Sharing: Exploring Research Data on the

Heritage of Afghanistan and Neighbouring Territories

Second French–Italian Summer School

Paris, 15–19 June 2026

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

This summer school is primarily intended for PhD candidates and Master’s students in the

Humanities and Social Sciences working on Afghanistan or its neighbouring countries. The training will be led by domain specialists and/or digital humanities scholars.

Participants will be accommodated at the Maison des Chercheurs on Campus Condorcet

(Aubervilliers, metro line 12, Front Populaire, Paris). Accommodation, meals and local transport

during the summer school will be covered by the organisers.

Travel to Paris is the responsibility of the participants, who should seek support from their home

university or research lab. Financial aid may be granted under specific criteria.

Applications (in either English, French, or Italian) must be submitted by 31 December 2025 to:

ismeo@ismeo.eu , with cc to m.baldi@ismeo.eu  and claire.jeannet@inalco.fr .

For further information, contact the above.

 

 

 

 

4. Zahra Institute:

Final Speaker Series event of the year. Please mark your calendar for Wednesday, December 17, and join us for an insightful lecture by Janet Klein:

Topic: Violence and Security in Kurdistan in the Long Twentieth Century
Date: Wednesday, December 17
Time: 12:00 PM Central / 1:00 PM Eastern
Speaker: Janet Klein, University of Akron

👉 Register now by clicking here: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/v-G52vs9TXamSgZhX9Jw4w#

For more details about this and other upcoming programs, see the attached flyer and visit our website: www.zahrainstitute.org.

 

 

 

 

 

5. Library of Congress Junior Fellow Program 2026 application open

The Library has opened the application for the 10-week Junior Fellow Summer Program 2026. The South Asian Collection will host one project. The application closes January 2. This is a paid, on-site program at the Library in Washington, DC. Undergraduate and graduate students, and recent graduates are welcome to apply. Applicants must be US citizens. Below are the project descriptions. Please share with any students you think might be interested.

See Junior Fellow website for more details and the application.

For additional information, please contact Charlotte Giles (chgi@loc.gov) or message us through Ask-a-Librarian at ask.loc.gov/asia.

Enhancing Accessibility to an Ephemeral South Asia

Valuable pieces of ephemera trace shifts in ideas, issues of importance, and the diversity of views in society at the time of their distribution. For this Asian Division onsite project, the Junior Fellow will enhance the discoverability and accessibility of the South Asian Pamphlet Collection and United States Information Agency (USIA) Pamphlet Collection. The first collection is organized by 150 themed subcollections, dating from 1904 to 1993. The onsite fellow will have the opportunity to identify and research these rare materials. The fellow must have at least an advanced-intermediate level of reading and writing in a minimum of one of these South Asian languages – Hindi, Urdu, and/or Bengali – with a strong preference for two or more.

 

 

 

 

 

6. Journées d’études sur l’Asie centrale 

Centrale Asie : (Re)penser une région dans l’espace et dans le temps

Le GIS Moyen-Orient et mondes musulmans (MOMM), l’INALCO, l’Institut français d’études sur l’Asie centrale (IFEAC), le Centre de recherche sur le Monde iranien (CeRMI) (UMR 8041, CNRS / Sorbonne Nouvelle / Inalco / EPHE) et le Centre de Recherche Europes-Eurasie-CREE (EA 4513, Inalco) vous invitent aux Journées d’études sur l’Asie centrale intitulées “Centrale Asie : (Re)penser une région dans l’espace et dans le temps”.

Cet événement est organisé avec le soutien d’Eur’Orbem (UMR 8224, CNRS / Sorbonne Université), de l’Institut d’études de droit public (IEDP) (EA 2715, Université Paris-Saclay), de ZooStan (IRL 2023, CNRS / Université Al-Farabi) et de l’ANR Ceremoniac.”

Dates et lieu de l’événement

Jeudi 11 et vendredi 12 décembre 2025 (09h00-18h00)

INALCO – Maison de la Recherche (2, rue de Lille – Paris 7e) – Auditorium Dumézil

Information et programme

Sur le site web du CeRMI : https://cermi.cnrs.fr/centrale-asie-repenser-une-region-dans-lespace-et-dans-le-temps/

Sur site web de l’Inalco : https://www.inalco.fr/evenements/centrale-asie-repenser-une-region-dans-lespace-et-dans-le-temps

 

 

7. UCLA: the Pourdavoud Institute

Legacies of Ancient Persia: New Episode Available

Episode 33 features Dr. Olga M. Davidson, a research fellow with the Institute for the Study of Muslim Societies and Civilizations at Boston University, who joins Lexie as she recounts her serendipitous steps towards specializing in Persian epic literature, particularly the Shahnameh, and its comparative significance alongside Greek classics, the rich cross-cultural connections that shape her research, the importance of the Shahnameh, and her ongoing projects, her views on the current state of Persian studies in academia and the potential for greater inclusion in high school curricula.

Olga M. Davidson earned her Ph.D. in 1983 from Princeton University in Near Eastern Studies. She started her teaching career with a series of yearly appointments as lecturer, and then in 1992 she became an Assistant Professor at Brandeis University; from 2000 to 2005, she continued there as an Associate Professor. Meanwhile, from 1986 to 1991, she was Faculty Dean of Currier House, Harvard College. During her years as professor at Brandeis, she organized the creation of a Concentration in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, and she served as the chair of that concentration from 1992 until 1997. A course she regularly taught at Brandeis was “The Woman’s Voice in the Muslim World.” In 2007-2008 she was Visiting Associate Professor, Modern Languages and Comparative Literature, at Boston University and, starting in 2009, she has been affiliated with the Institute for the Study of Muslim Societies and Civilizations at Boston University, as Research Fellow. Since 1999, she has been Chair of the Board, Ilex Foundation.

https://linktr.ee/legaciesofancientpersia

 

 

 

 

 

8. International and Interdisciplinary Conference “Philosophy and Poetry in Islamic Contexts”, University of Erlangen, 14-17 January 2026

The conference explores the diverse interrelations between philosophical thought and poetic expression in Islamic cultures, ranging from the reception of Greek philosophy to modern poetic forms and aesthetic discourses. The contributions address various historical periods, geographical regions, and literary traditions, with particular focus on philosophical theories of poetry, poetic forms of philosophical expression, and dialogues between poets and philosophers.

Deadline for registration: 7 January 2026. Information and program: https://tinyurl.com/f727and3

 

 

 

 

 

9. Appel à communication : Résistances et solidarités transnationales avec les artistes et intellectuel·les de Turquie (depuis 1980)” Inalco, 20 mars 2026

Axes et problématiques : Les réseaux de solidarité. – La censure et l’autocensure. – Les stratégies de resistance. – Les mythes du procès, de la prison et de l’exil. – La question du genre. – La dimension géographique. – Les approches comparatistes.

Date limite : 15 décembre 2025. Information : https://tinyurl.com/bd7sfeau

 

 

 

 

 

10. Mediterranean Seminar Workshop “Food and Foodways across the Mediterranean World”, University of Oregon, Eugene, 22-23 May 2026

Papers will deal with any aspect of the production, distribution, consumption or representation of food and foodways in the Mediterranean world from Antiquity to the present, whether literal or metaphorical, historical or imagined, as seen from disciplinary perspectives as diverse economic, social, cultural, or political history, literature, history of philosophy, history of science and medicine, art and art history, musicology, anthropology or any related humanities and social science disciplines.

Deadline for workshop proposals: 15 February 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/5hy45sr9

 

 

 

 

 

11. Conference “Counter-Islamophobia: History, Theory, and Praxis”, International Islamophobia Stu-dies Research Association, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 22-24 May 2026

Proposed themes: Interdisciplinary or comparative approaches to counter-Islamophobia praxis. – Empirical Case Studies and Best Practices of counter-Islamophobia. – Historical and archival work that traces structures, logics, or resistance to Islamophobia. – Theoretical interventions that reframe or expand the scope of Islamophobia Studies. – Regional studies, especially from the Global Majority.

Deadline for abstracts: 15 January 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/3ha7zt5p

 

 

 

 

12. CfP: Ottoman Slaveries and Typologies of Unfreedom, Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies (BCDSS), University of Bonn, 24-26 June 2026

The conference explores how different configurations of slavery and dependency shaped, enabled, or constrained the agency of enslaved individuals. Rather than viewing agency as the antithesis of domination, we aim to examine it as a relational and context-dependent capacity – one that emerged within, and was shaped by, the very structures of asymmetrical dependency that defined Ottoman slavery.

Deadline for abstracts: 30 December 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/nhesftxp

 

 

 

 

 

13. “Meeting of Graduate Students in Islamic Art, Architecture, or Archaeology” at the “21st Colloquium of the Ernst Herzfeld Society”, University of Frankfurt, 2 July 2026

The graduate meeting will consist of papers given by graduate students based on their current research. Any topic relating to Islamic Art and Architecture or Islamic Archaeology is welcome.

Deadline for abstracts: 15 December 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/ed78jypu

 

 

 

 

 

14. 12 Fellowships and Awards of the “W. F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research (AIAR)”, 2026-2027

AIAR supports an annual Fellows program that brings US, Israeli, Palestinian and other international scholars together in the shared pursuit of research excellence. Applications are open to students and scholars of the humanities and social sciences studying any aspect of cultural development in the southern Levant from deep prehistory to the Early Modern period.

Extended deadline for applications: 19 December 2025. Information: https://aiar.org/fellowships

 

 

 

 

 

15. Call for Articles for the “The Middle East & North Africa Journal on Violence and Extremism”

MENAVEX is a biannual, peer-reviewed academic journal dedicated to advancing critical research and dialogue on violence, extremism, and their global implications. It serves as a multidisciplinary platform where scholars, practitioners, and policymakers exchange innovative insights and evidence-based analyses

Deadline for articles: 15 December 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/ckfjty2e

 

 

 

 

16. New books:

 

“Gateway to the Mediterranean: An Environmental History of Late Ottoman Izmir” by Onur Inal, Cambridge University Press

Information and content: https://tinyurl.com/mpjswrza

 

Open Access Issue of “Anthropology of the Middle East”:

This is a special issue entitled, “Middle Eastern Migrants in East Asia: Navigation of Identity, Religion and Belonging.”

Content and online articles: https://tinyurl.com/3u2tew46

 

 

Launch of the TRANSLAPT Book Series: “Empires in Translation: Intersections of Arabic, Persian, and Turkish in the Eastern Mediterranean

This series is dedicated to exploring the vital roles of translation, language, and cultural exchange in shaping the history of the early modern Eastern Mediterranean. The series will highlight the complex dynamics of interaction among Arabic, Persian, and Turkish traditions. The first volume, a monograph by Philip Bockholt titled “Türkische Übersetzungen aus dem Arabischen und Persischen: Akteure, Adaption und Rezeption in der Frühen Neuzeit”, is scheduled for publication in spring 2026.

Information: https://www.degruyterbrill.com/serial/eit-b/html

 

1. CfP: The Bible in Middle Eastern Manuscript Traditions

University of Rome  Rome Tor Vergata, 22-24 April 2026

The workshop seeks to highlight the diverse scribal practices, transmission histories, and cultural interpretations that have shaped the reception of the Bible across the region.

Deadline for abstracts: 1 January 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/yt59eh64

 

 

 

 

 

2. Up to five Postdoctoral Researchers (f/m/d)

Full-time (TV-L E13) | three years

in Cluster of Excellence “Transforming Human Rights”, (1 April 2026)

The Cluster of Excellence “Transforming Human Rights”, based at

Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), addresses

fundamental questions about the potential and limits of human rights

in the context of several major worldwide transformation processes.

The Cluster’s Postdoc program is unique both in content and scope

providing an exceptional environment to unite outstanding talents and

to prepare them for human rights careers in academia and praxis. For

more information, see: https://www.humanrights.fau.eu/research-chren/exc-transforming-hr

Deadline for applications: 5 January 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/462wh5ns

 

 

 

 

 

3. Neues Buch: “Die Edelvögel der Fürsten von Hama – _Die Futuwwah-Jagd in Syrien, 12. bis 17. Jahrhundert” von Thomas Bauer, Ergon Verlag, 488 S.

Information und Einleitung: https://tinyurl.com/39e5bekc

 

 

 

 

 

4. New Book “The Damascus Events – The 1860 Massacre and the Destruction of the Old Ottoman World” by Eugene Rogan, Penguin, 416 pages

This remarkable book recreates one of the watershed moments in the history of the Middle East: the ferocious outbreaks of disorder across the Levant in 1860 which resulted in the massacre of thousands of Christians in Damascus. Eugene Rogan brilliantly recreates the lost world of the Middle East under Ottoman rule.

Information and Introduction: https://tinyurl.com/43tvx88y

 

 

 

 

 

5. New Book “Disability in the Arab World – Interdisciplinary Perspectives” Edited by Monika Baar & Amany Soliman, University Press, 290 pages

This interdisciplinary volume, with contributions from psychology, sociology, history, linguistics, and development studies, provides new insights into disability in the MENA region. While recognizing the significance of the medical approach, the authors seek to expand existing frameworks by including social, cultural and human rights perspec-tives.

Information and table of content: https://lup.be/book/disability-in-the-arab-world/

 

 

 

 

 

6. Livre nouvelle : L’humanité de Muhammad – Une lecture chrétienne de la vie du Prophète” de Craig Considin,Éditions Fenetres

Information : https://tinyurl.com/59jptakf

 

 

 

 

 

7. Livre nouvelle : “De la charia au droit musulman” de Baudouin Dupret, Presses de SciencesPo, 170 pages

Ce livre montre la façon dont la jurisprudence, l’histoire et les sciences sociales peuvent se combiner pour contribuer efficacement à la compréhension du droit dans la société.

Information et sommaire : https://tinyurl.com/4dh2hsbj

 

 

 

 

 

8. “US Imperialism After the Cold War in the Middle East and Latin America”, Special Issue of the Journal “Middle East Critique”, Volume 34, 2025

Information and table of content at https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/ccri20/34/4

 

 

 

 

 

9. Join the Freer Research Center at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art on Tuesday, December 9, 12–12:40 pm EST for the online program Sneak Peek | Picture Perfect: Hamida Banu Begum’s Portraits of Power.

In an empire where visual representation meant power, Hamida Banu Begum (ca. 1527–1604) achieved something remarkable—her image appears in at least nine surviving Mughal court paintings from her lifetime. As wife of Emperor Humayun (r. 1530–56 with interruptions) and mother of his successor Akbar (r. 1556–1605), she played a prominent role in the political and cultural landscape of the subcontinent.
In this online talk, Professor Mika Natif examines Hamida Banu’s visual representations as records of her projected status and the empire’s political dynamics. Analyzing her portraits alongside primary sources reveals Hamida Banu’s role as co-sovereign—a Padishah begum—to her son Akbar. Yet, the paintings appear only in illustrated court chronicles and albums, restricting their viewing to limited and selected audiences. This raises questions about patronage and Hamida Banu’s cultural agency. The research for this talk comes from Natif’s current book project dedicated to the portraits and patronage of Hamida Banu.
This program is part of the monthly lunchtime series Sneak Peek, where staff members and outside scholars share personal perspectives and new research related to the collections of the National Museum of Asian Art.
Mika Natif is Associate Professor of Art History at The George Washington University, specializing in Islamic art and cultural exchanges between Muslim societies and Europe. Her research focuses on Islamic painting and illustrated manuscripts from Mughal India, Central Asia, and Iran. She authored Mughal Occidentalism (2018) and co-edited Eros and Sexuality in Islamic Art (2013). Her current work explores women’s portraiture, patronage, and artists in Mughal India, including a forthcoming monograph on Hamida Banu Begum, Emperor Akbar’s mother. Natif has held fellowships from MIT, Harvard, the Mellon Foundation, Princeton’s Institute for Advanced Study, and Dumbarton Oaks.

Contact Information

Lizzie Stein, Freer Research Center

National Museum of Asian Art

Contact Email

FreerResearchCenter@si.edu

URL

https://asia.si.edu/whats-on/events/search/event:193388058/

 

1. Call for Papers: Performing Islam

Special Issue: ‘Performing Islamophobia’

A Critical and Anthropological Study of Politics, Poetics and Representation in Europe

View the full call here>>

https://www.intellectbooks.com/performing-islam#call-for-papers

Over the past two decades, Islamophobia has evolved beyond discursive prejudice into a complex performative phenomenon, one enacted through politics, law, culture and everyday life. Performing Islamophobia: A Critical Study in Europe seeks to interrogate how anti-Muslim sentiment is not only expressed but also performed, reproduced and normalised through multiple channels of representation, from artistic and media forms to policy frameworks and bureaucratic practices.

This volume aims to bring together interdisciplinary, decolonial and critical perspectives to examine the ways in which Islamophobia operates as a set of performative acts, embodied, institutional and symbolic, that shape both public perception and lived experience. Contributors are invited to explore how Islamophobia manifests in visual and performing arts, film, television, journalism, digital media, literature, popular culture and state mechanisms, including law enforcement, education and immigration policy. The collection is equally concerned with the counter-performances that resist, subvert and expose such practices.

The volume draws inspiration from the works of scholars such as Judith Butler on performativity, Edward Said on Orientalism, Talal Asad on secularism and religious identity, Sara Ahmed on affect and the politics of emotion, and S. Sayyid, Nasar Meer, and Arjun Appadurai on race, identity, and globalisation. It also welcomes engagement with non-Western scholarship and cultural expressions that challenge Eurocentric epistemologies, offering comparative or transnational insights into the staging, scripting and spectacle of Islamophobia.

Contributors are encouraged to consider, among others, the following questions:

– How is Islamophobia enacted through visual, performative, and narrative forms in Europe?
– In what ways do state policies, legal discourses, and security regimes perform and legitimise exclusionary practices?
– How do artists, filmmakers, writers, and activists perform resistance and reclaim agency in spaces of representation?
– What does an anthropological reading of performativity reveal about the social and cultural reproduction of fear, suspicion and belonging?

By foregrounding the performative dimension of Islamophobia, this volume seeks to articulate, critique, and challenge the mechanisms through which bias becomes embodied and made visible, while amplifying the creative and intellectual interventions that seek to undo it.

Submission Guidelines:

Proposals: Please submit a title, a 150-200 word abstract, and a 150-word biographical note by 20 December 2025.

Full chapters: Accepted contributors will be invited to submit their full papers (6,000-8,000 words) by 30 May 2026.

Formatting: All submissions should follow the latest Harvard referencing style. Please send proposals and inquiries to the Editor, Kamal Salhi, performingislam@yahoo.com.

 

 

 

 

2. Upcoming presentation in the Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali Institute of Iranian Studies’ Persian Lithographic Printing Seminar

بررسی تاریخچه مطبعه مجلس از بزرگترین چاپخانه های دولتی ایران
“The Majlis Printing House”
(in Persian)
Homa Afrasiabi
Independent Scholar
Thursday, December 4, 2025, 12:00 p.m. EST  

Zoom Registration Link:
https://utoronto.zoom.us/meeting/register/LzX8QvxMR6y0yTkB7ESWqA

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Through Meinecke’s Lens: The Cairenes and Cairo in the 1970s

What did it mean to live among centuries-old monuments? In 1970s Cairo, historic buildings were part of daily life. People lived in them, worked in them, and built their communities around them. This quiet yet powerful reality is captured in this online exhibition which was originally presented as a photo exhibition in collaboration with the Museum for Islamic Art as part of the ’20th Colloquium of the Ernst Herzfeld Society for Studies in Islamic Art and Archaeology’, held for the first time in Cairo.

This photo exhibition highlights the daily life of Cairenes in Historic Cairo during the 1970s, showcasing one of the world’s richest cities filled with Islamic monuments. The forty images are drawn from the Meinecke archive at the Museum for Islamic Art in Berlin, a collection created by the art historian Michael Meinecke (1941–1995) and his wife, the art historian Viktoria Meinecke-Berg (1941–2005). This exhibition aims to reveal a layer of history often overlooked, fostering a deeper understanding of the relationship between Cairo, its people, and visiting scholars while reflecting on the archive’s value for these discussions.

The Photo Exhibition is curated by Dr.-Ing. Eman Shokry Hesham (Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz, Max-Planck Institute) and Issam Al-Hajjar (Museum für Islamische Kunst, Berlin)

Contact Information

Museum für Islamische Kunst (im Pergamonmuseum)
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz

Contact: https://islamic-art.smb.museum/kontakt/?lang=en

Contact Email

f.rizvi@smb.spk-berlin.de

URL

https://islamic-art.smb.museum/en/story/cairo-meinecke-photo

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Multaka 10th Anniversary: Learning from the Past, Envisioning the Future

Two-day event | 5–6 December 2025

Dates:

Fri, 05.12.2025 | 09:30 am – 5:45 pm
Sat, 06.12.2025 | 09:30 am – 2:00 pm

Event language: English

Multaka: Museums as Meeting Point was developed within the framework of the Syrian Heritage Archive Project and initiated in December 2015 by the Museum for Islamic Art – in cooperation with the Museum of the Ancient Near East, the Bode-Museum, and the German Historical Museum. Over the past ten years, the multi award-winning project Multaka has received national and international recognition and is regarded as an innovative source of inspiration both within and beyond the museum landscape.

On 5 and 6 December 2025, Multaka: Museums as Meeting Point will celebrate its 10th anniversary together with co-host Multaka Oxford!

The anniversary event Reflecting the Future, brings together the international Multaka network to explore innovative approaches to participatory museum practice, intercultural exchange, and dialogue-based learning.

Hosted at the Center for Cultural Education – Haus Bastian on the Museum Island, the event highlights a decade of intercultural dialogue, collaborative work, and engagement with historical-cultural collections within the award-winning initiative Multaka: Museums as Meeting Point.

Why participate?

The two-day program offers diverse opportunities for (early-career) researchers and universities interested in decolonial museology, methods and strategies of diverse audience engagement, and collaboration between museums and communities.

As a platform for professional networking, knowledge exchange, and cooperation between museums and universities, the event invites participants to reflect on shared visions and to shape future pathways for inclusive cultural education and transnational collaboration.

Contact Information

Participation is free of charge, but registration is required by Tuesday, 2 December 2025, or until all spots are filled.

Please register early to secure your place on the following website: Reflecting the Future

Contact Email

isl@smb.museum

URL

https://www.smb.museum/museen-einrichtungen/museumsinsel-berlin/veranstaltungen…

 

 

 

 

 

5. The final lecture of the Virtual Islamic Art History Seminar Series for Fall 2025 will take place on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, at 12:00 New York / 17:00 London / 20:00 Istanbul.

Amanda Caterina Leong (Courtauld Institute of Art) will present “Recovering the Many Faces of Female Javanmardi in the Illustrated Manuscripts of the Premodern Persianate World (945–1800).”

To attend, please register in advance here:
https://wellesley.zoom.us/meeting/register/EzuPAit6QACKL3Ls9h6uhw
Upon registration, you’ll receive the link to access the lecture.

As always, you can find a full schedule of upcoming talks and register for our list-serv on our website at viahss.org. Although not every talk is recorded, we also have recordings of several recent talks available on the VIAHSS Vimeo page at vimeo.com/viahss. Lastly, you can follow us on Instagram at @theviahss to stay up to date on upcoming events! The schedule for spring 2026 will be released in late December/early January.

Contact Information

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

Contact Email

winterr6@msu.edu

URL

https://viahss.org/

 

 

 

 

 

6. Arab Studies Journalvolume 33, no. 1–2 (Fall 2025) is now available from Tadween Publishing.

ARTICLES

Writing Africa for Africans: Du Bois, Egyptian Africanists, and the Encyclopedia Africana Project Between Dreams and Disruptions

May Kosba

Crime and Dystopia in Three Egyptian Novels: Dissecting Cityscapes and the Body as a Terrain for Political Critique

Dalia Said Mostafa

Tobacco Cultivation in the West Bank Between Economic Survival and Settler-Colonial Constraints

Kholoud Al-Ajarma, D. A. Jaber, and Jawida Mansour

Palestinian Farmers’ Resilience Against the Settler Colonial-Capitalist Production of Vulnerability in the Jordan Valley

Fairouz Salem

ESSAYS: “Seismic Shifts” in the Middle East

Introduction: “Seismic Shifts” in the Middle East? Reflections From MESA Global Academy Scholars

Diana B. Greenwald

Authoritarianism Reinvented: Post-Assad Syria and the Strategic Reorientation of the Arab East

Dina Hadad

Ruling in the Grey Zones: Hybrid Warfare and the Remaking of Political Order in the Middle East

Nadia Al-Sakkaf

REVIEWS

The Political Ecology of Violence: Peasants and Pastoralists in the Last Ottoman Century

By Zozan Pehlivan

Reviewed by Deren Ertas

The Untold Story of the Golan Heights: Occupation, Colonization, and Jawlani Resistance

Edited by Muna Dajani, Munir Fakher Eldin, and Michael Mason

Reviewed by Gary Fields

Egypt’s Beer: Stella, Identity, and the Modern State

By Omar D. Foda

Reviewed by Kaleb Herman Adney

The Arab Nahda as Popular Entertainment: Mass Culture and Modernity in the Middle East

Edited by Hala Auji, Raphael Cormack, and Alaaeldin Mahmoud

Reviewed by Adéla Provazníková

A Landscape of War: Ecologies of Resistance and Survival in South Lebanon

By Munira Khayyat

Reviewed by Susann Kassem

Arab Studies Journal is a peer-reviewed, independent, multidisciplinary journal of Middle Eastern and North African Studies. It is published twice a year by the Arab Studies Institute (ASI) and is affiliated with the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies at Georgetown University.

Contact Email

coeditors@arabstudiesjournal.org

URL

http://www.arabstudiesjournal.org/

 

 

 

 

 

7. Jobs:

University of Massachusetts Amherst – Assistant Professor in the History of the Modern Middle East
https://networks.h-net.org/jobs/69505/university-massachusetts-amherst-assistant-professor-history-modern-middle-east

 

New York University Abu Dhabi – NYUAD Humanities Research Fellowship for the Study of the Arab World – Postdoctoral Fellowship
https://networks.h-net.org/jobs/69504/new-york-university-abu-dhabi-nyuad-humanities-research-fellowship-study-arab-world

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. Séminaire “L’Afghanistan à travers les âges” – 3e séance mercredi 3 décembre 18h-19h30
nous avons le plaisir de vous convier à la troisième séance du séminaire “L’Afghanistan à travers les âges”, qui se tiendra mercredi 3 décembre 2025, 18h-19h30, en salle 3.01 à l’INaLCO(65 rue des Grands Moulins, Paris XIII, 3^eétage).

Nous sommes heureux d’accueillir Mme. Ella Kempf, Inalco-Cermi, pour une conférence intitulée : Des montagnes, des plantes et des hommes : Agriculture et savoirs botaniques dans la vallée de Bamiyân du Moyen-âge à nos jours.

Résumé:

Après une introduction d’Arezou Azad consacrée aux Cahiers de Bâmiyân et à leur contribution à l’étude de la vie paysanne de l’Afghanistan médiéval, cette communication présentera les premières données archéobotaniques de la vallée de Bâmiyân ainsi que les perspectives d’un projet de recherche sur le patrimoine naturel et archéologique afghan.La première partie portera sur les résultats préliminaires de l’étude carpologique du site médiéval de Shahr-e Gholgholah, Cette analyse révèle une grande diversité d’espèces économiques et sauvages, témoignant de l’agriculture et de l’exploitation des ressources végétales au XIIIe siècle. La deuxième partie abordera la mission de fouilles conduite en novembre 2025 à Shahr-e Zohak, et la collecte de nouveaux échantillons destinés à approfondir notre compréhension du paysage culturel et naturel de la région. Enfin, la description de la végétation et des cultures actuelles de la vallée de Bâmiyân permettra d’observer l’évolution des interactions entre les populations locales et leur environnement au cours du temps, tout en interrogeant le rôle de l’altitude dans les choix agricoles.

Orientations bibliographiques:

• Baker P.H.B. et Allchin F.R. 1991. Shahr-i Zohak and the history of Bamiyan valley Afghanistan. Archaeopress. 234 p.
• Bendezu-Sarmiento J. 2022. Archaeological Survey and First Preliminary Results of the Site of Shahr-i Gholghola (Afghanistan), in C. Baumer, M. Novák, et S. Rutishauser (dir.), Cultures in contact: Central Asia as focus of trade, cultural exchange and knowledge transmission, Wiesbaden, Allemagne, Harrassowitz Verlag.
• Freitag H. 1971b. Studies on the natural vegetation of Afghanistan. In: Davis P.H. et al.: Plant Life of South West Asia, Edinburgh.
• Taskhir A. 1947. Insect fauna of Afghanistan: The Entomological Society of India. Reprinted from the Indian Journal of Entomology, Bangalore City.
• Younos C. 1970. La végétation de Bamiyan à Band-e Amir. in Paysages du centre de l’Afghanistan. Paysages naturels, paysages culturels. Hindou-Kouch, Lacs de Band-e Amir, Vallée de Bâmiyân. CEREDAF, Paris. 224 p.

Vous trouverez l’intégralité du programme 2025-2026 du séminaire mensuel de recherche “L’Afghanistan à travers les âges” en ligne sur le site du CeRMI: L’Afghanistan à travers les âges – Centre de recherche sur le monde iranien

Bien cordialement,

Arezou Azad et Matteo De Chiara

 

 

 

 

 

9. The Latin America and Caribbean Islamic Studies Newsletter
Vol. 5, no. 4 | Fall 2025

https://www.lacisa.org/newsletter

 

 

 

 

 

10. Upcoming BRISMES Event | Leigh Douglas Memorial Prize Showcase & Careers Conversatio

Leigh Douglas Memorial Prize Showcase & Careers Conversation

Monday, 8 December 2025, 3-4:30pm (GMT)

BRISMES invites you to celebrate this year’s recipients of the Leigh Douglas Memorial Prize, awarded annually to the writer of the best PhD dissertation submitted at a British university on a Middle Eastern topic in the Social Sciences or Humanities. Prize winners and runners-up will present highlights from their research and share their academic plans moving forward. Senior scholars in attendance will offer comments and career guidance, creating a space that both honours excellence and supports early-career development. This event is open to anyone interested in Middle East research, especially final-year PhD students and early-career academics looking to learn more about the prize and future pathways in academia.

Speakers:

• Dr Sara Abdel Ghany (2025 Joint Winner)
• Dr Eirik Kvindesland (2025 Joint Runner Up)
• Dr Kristine L. Sheets (2025 Joint Runner Up)

Chairs and discussants:

• Dr Sabiha Allouche (BRISMES Outreach and Pedagogy Committee)
• Dr Wassim Naboulsi (BRISMES Outreach and Pedagogy Committee)
• Prof Nicola Pratt (BRISMES President)

More information and registration:

https://www.brismes.ac.uk/events/outreach-and-pedagogy/leigh-douglas-prize-showcase-and-careers-conversation

 

 

 

 

 

11. ONLINE Webinar: ‘Beyond the Botanical with Persian collections at Kew Gardens’ Library and Archives’

British Institute of Persian Studies (BIPS), 10 December,  2025,  5:00 pm UK Time

This talk explores Persian materials in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, focusing on the unexpected cultural and social histories preserved within a botanical archive. While the exhibition Persia Reimagined: From Herbarium to Heritage (30 September 2025 – 22 January 2026) is rooted in plant expeditions and specimens, it highlights how collectors recorded much more than flora.

Their diaries, labels, photographs, and sketches captured the foods they ate, the buildings they stayed in, the landscapes they admired, and the people they encountered. These traces reveal overlooked dimensions of daily life in early 20th-century Iran, preserved—almost incidentally—within a scientific archive.
By drawing attention to these hidden layers, the talk invites a reconsideration of what botanical collections can tell us, beyond science. It also reflects on the process of curating an exhibition from these materials, including the development of outreach activities and community workshops designed to bring Kew’s Persian collections into dialogue with contemporary audiences.
This is an online event. Register in advance to take part.

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_m8KyDi_OR3WY_N2TJLBdyA#/registration

 

 

 

 

 

12. Applications Open: VIVAMENTE GRANT IN THE HISTORY OF IDEAS 2026

The Centre for the Study of Medicine and the Body in the Renaissance (CSMBR) invites applications for the 2026 VivaMente Grant, The Garden of Ideas.

VivaMente: The Garden of Ideas

Deadline: 28 February 2026

Grant amount: up to €5,000

The scheme supports outstanding proposals in the history of ideas and intellectual history, from antiquity to the contemporary period, across philosophy, science, medicine and technology.

VivaMente provides substantial financial and logistical support for a two-day event in Pisa. Each funded proposal receives up to €5,000 together with complimentary use of the Domus Comeliana. Eligible formats include conferences, workshops, seminars, exhibitions and public engagement events. Multidisciplinary approaches are welcome, provided the core focus remains on the history of ideas.

VivaMente is competitive and offers an important platform for both senior and early-career scholars.

Full details are available at:
https://csmbr.fondazionecomel.org/grants-and-awards/vivamente-grant/

Applicants are welcome to contact the Centre (info@csmbr.fondazionecomel.org) with any questions.

Fabrizio Bigotti 

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

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

Tel.: +39.02.006.20.51 – Mobile: +39.333.13.12.203

Email: fb@csmbr.fondazionecomel.org 

 

 

 

 

 

13. An oath-letter (sawgand-nāma) for the Rum Saljuq sultan and his son. Diplomatics and politics in mid-thirteenth-century Anatolia through the Qiṣṣa-yi Salāṭīn

David Durand-Guédy
Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies
Published Online on 21 November 2025

 

 

 

 

 

14. Associate Professorship (or Professorship) and Tutorial Fellowship in Modern Middle Eastern History 1830-1970
University of Oxford

Trinity College and the Faculty of History at the University of Oxford are seeking to appoint an outstanding historian with teaching and research interests in the modern history of the Middle East and North Africa (c.1830 to c.1970) as a Tutorial Fellow and Associate Professor of History. This post is available from 1st October 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter.

Deadline | 7 January 2026

More information

 

 

 

 

 

15. Colonial, Postcolonial and Decolonial Paper Prize for Early Career Scholars 2025

Prize | CPD Working Group, BISA

The prize is aimed at supporting CPD’s early-career members in the development of peer-reviewed work, while at the same time carving out space in International Studies to engage with the question of empire and coloniality as fundamental to the discipline.  The winning paper will be chosen by a panel nominated by the conveners of the Colonial, Postcolonial, and Decolonial Working Group and the editors of Review of International Studies (RIS), a BISA journal.

Deadline | 31 December 2025

More information

 

 

 

 

 

16. Call for Papers | Reconstruction
Journal | Oxford Middle East Review (OMER)

The editors welcome submissions for the tenth anniversary issue of OMER, a peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary journal. This issue invites contributors to think broadly about the forms that reconstruction can take, be it physical, political, environmental, or cultural. How are futures imagined after crisis? What new solidarities, aesthetics, or institutions materialize when old structures collapse? How do processes of reconstruction engage with memory, and justice? And what happens when reconstruction itself becomes a site of contestation, shaped by global capital, humanitarian intervention, and ideology?

Deadline | 4 January 2025

More information

 

 

 

 

 

17. Education and Scholarships (Coordinator)
Caabu and Amjad & Suha Bseisu Foundation

Applications are invited for this shared role working three days a week for the Council for Arab-British Understanding (Caabu) and two days a week for the Bseisu Foundation.

Deadline | 7 December 2025

More information

 

 

 

 

18. Conference “Exploring the Sacred: People, Place and Power in the Islamic Indian Ocean”, National University of Singapore, 4-5 December 2025

The historical and contemporary papers explore the sacred by grounding it in the archives, texts, material culture, and ethnographies of the Islamic Indian Ocean. Papers focus on local or transregional processes and themes.

Information, program and abstracts: https://tinyurl.com/4p8kupaf

 

 

 

 

 

19. HYBRID “Seventh Annual Islamic Philosophy Conference”, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 5-7 December 2025

We invite academic studies of scholars, methods, institutions, texts, and topics typically considered within the domain of philosophy, as well as those that treat kalam-theology, Islamic legal philosophy (usul al-fiqh), or other intellectual trends that at times may be seen as distinct from philosophy.

Information and registration: https://asipt.org/conferences/

 

1.Early Career Rescue Fellowship

Academic freedom is under pressure today. This requires rescue havens of free research. The Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS), the Tübingen College of Fellows (CoF), and the Zukunftskolleg Konstanz (ZuKo) invite early career researchers, whose work is restricted due to political pressure in the USA, to apply for the Baden-Württemberg Early Career Rescue Fellowships 2026-2028 (Ref. No. 2025/229)

Deadline for applications: 9 January 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/3j7bh626

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Two Humanities Research Fellowships (10 Months) for the Study of the Arab World, NYU Abu Dhabi

We welcome applications from recent PhD graduates (PhD in hand between September 2021 and September 2026) working in all areas of the Humanities related to the study of the Arab world, its rich literature and history, its cultural and artistic heritage, and its manifold connections with other cultures and regions.

Deadline for applications: 5 January 2025. Information: https://apply.interfolio.com/160447

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. 20 ANAMED Fellowships (2026-2027) for Studies on Anatolian Civilizations, Koç University, Istanbul

Koç University invites applications from scholars specializing in archaeology, art history, history, cultural heritage, and related disciplines of Anatolia from the Neolithic to the Ottoman period. Research grants will be awarded to approximately 10 PhD students, 10 postdoctoral and senior researchers to spend one academic year.

Deadline for applications: 15 December 2025. Information: https://anamed.ku.edu.tr/en/fellowships/

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Full Time Lecturer in Arabic, Swarthmore College, Pennsylvania

Candidates should possess an M.A. in Arabic language and culture. Applicants with a more advanced degree in a field related to Arabic language, literature and culture will also be considered. Successful candidates are expected to demonstrate a proven record of excellence in teaching Arabic as a foreign language. We especially welcome candidates with experience teaching Levantine Arabic and who can offer courses on media, popular culture, or Arabic in the digital age.

Deadline for applications: 15 January 2026. Information: https://apply.interfolio.com/177559

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Appel à candidatures “Prix de thèse Islam, Moyen-Orient et mondes musulmans 2026”, CNRS & IISMM

Sont éligibles des travaux soutenus en français ou en France entre le 1er janvier 2024 et le 31 décembre 2025, dans toutes les disciplines des lettres et sciences humaines et sociales. L’organisation de ces prix de thèse entend distinguer des travaux de recherche portant sur l’Islam, le Moyen-Orient et les mondes musul-mans, caractérisés par leur excellence et leur caractère particulièrement innovant.

Date limite : 16 janvier 2026. Information : https://iismm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. New Books:

Social Anthropology in the Arab World – The Fragmented History of a Contested Discipline, Edited by Abdullah Alajmi, Daniele Cantini, Irene Maffi and Imed Melliti, Berghan New York/Oxford, 384 pages

Information: https://www.berghahnbooks.com/title/AlajmiSocial

 

Corruption in the Ottoman Polity – Empirical Insights, Conceptual Reflections, Edited by Boğaç A. Ergene and Cengiz Kırlı, Edinburg University Press, 352 pages

Information: https://tinyurl.com/mr34dbb7

 

 

 

 

 

7. CfP : Arab Media and Society

Call for Papers, Issue 40 – Media & Geopolitics in the Arab World

The deadline to send submissions for peer review is December 1, 2025.
The Arab world today stands at the intersection of shifting global alliances, prolonged conflicts, and the rise of new powers competing for influence across the Middle East. Media plays a pivotal role in this environment, not only as a mirror reflecting events but also as an active participant shaping narratives, identities, and public opinion. The coverage of wars and conflicts, the construction of national and regional soft power, and the increasingly blurred lines between journalism, strategic communication, and digital activism underscore the centrality of media in contemporary geopolitics.
Traditional and new media platforms are being mobilized in different ways: to wage information wars, to brand nations in global markets, to influence foreign policy debates, and to create alternative narratives that challenge dominant Western perspectives. At the same time, transformations in media ownership, the rise of AI-driven technologies, and the expanding role of transnational digital platforms are reshaping how politics is communicated and contested across the region.
For its 40th issue, Arab Media & Society invites scholars, researchers, and practitioners to submit contributions that critically interrogate the nexus between media and geopolitics in the Arab world. We welcome theoretically informed and empirically grounded research that sheds light on how media institutions, journalists, communicators, and audiences engage with, resist, or reproduce geopolitical agendas.
Key Themes
Submissions may explore, but are not limited to, the following areas:

1. War, Conflict, and Crisis Coverage

• Media framing of ongoing conflicts in Palestine, Yemen, Libya, Sudan, and Syria.
• The politics of visibility and invisibility in reporting war casualties, refugees, and humanitarian crises.
• The use of disinformation, propaganda, and psychological operations in digital and broadcast media.
• AI and algorithmic mediation of war coverage: from drone footage to automated verification.

2. Soft Power and Nation Branding

• Competition among Arab states in projecting global soft power through media, cultural industries, and sports.
• The use of mega-events (World Cup, Expo, film festivals) as tools of geopolitical communication.
• Strategic employment of influencers, YouTubers, and content creators in diplomacy and branding.
• The role of Arabic-language global networks (Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya, Sky News Arabia) in shaping international perceptions.

3. Shifting Media Ownership and Power Structures

• Privatization and consolidation of Arab media industries.
• The role of sovereign wealth funds, multinational corporations, and foreign investment in Arab media.
• Cross-border media influence and the geopolitics of satellite television.
• Global technology platforms (Meta, X, TikTok, YouTube) as new geopolitical actors in Arab media ecosystems.

4. New Forms of Communicating Politics

• Digital activism and the reconfiguration of political participation in the Arab world.
• Online censorship, surveillance, and digital authoritarianism.
• Diaspora and exiled media’s role in reshaping Arab geopolitics.
• The aesthetics of resistance: memes, short videos, and digital humor as political communication.

5. Emerging and Cross-Cutting Themes

• Climate change, environmental diplomacy, and media representations in the Arab region.
• Migration, borders, and the geopolitics of Arab media coverage.
• Gender and geopolitics: women journalists, feminized narratives of conflict, and representation of gendered violence.
• AI, cyber warfare, and the weaponization of digital communication.
• Religious media, sectarian narratives, and their geopolitical implications.
• The Arab-Israeli conflict in contemporary media ecologies and its global resonances.

The above list is a non-exhaustive set for suggested areas of research. We welcome contributions that explore other dimensions related to media and conflict in the Arab region.
Submission Guidelines:
All submissions must be in Microsoft Word format (.doc or .docx), adhere to the Chicago Manual of Style, and have a maximum length of 10,000 words (including footnotes and citations).
Please include the author’s name (as it should be published), their affiliation, and a brief abstract of no more than 150 words.

Deadline for Full Papers:

December 1, 2025 for peer-reviewed submissions and December 15, 2025 for all other submissions.
Please email all submissions to: editor@arabmediasociety.com For further information regarding our publishing policies, kindly visit: www.arabmediasociety.com/publishing-policies/
Contact Information:
For any inquiries regarding the call for papers, please contact: editor@arabmediasociety.com.
Thank you for your interest and support of Arab Media & Society.

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. Book Launch & Celebration — Fereshteh Molavi’s “Stories from Tehran” (Nov 29, Toronto)

Join us for an unforgettable evening celebrating Fereshteh Molavi and her new collection Stories from Tehran, published by Asemana Books — in collaboration with Zagros Foundation & 2:45 Literature Circle, co-sponsored by Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali Institute of Iranian Studies, and supported by Noghreh publishing house, Moj Orchestra and Insufin Insurance.

Featuring speakers: Mahdiyeh Ezzatikarami, Mahdi Ganjavi, Diana Manole, Mohsen Maleki, Sasan Qahreman, Niaz Salimi & Marta Simidchieva

With a special note from: Houra Yavari

Plus: the premiere of a short film by 2:45 Literature Circle, inspired by Molavi’s stories

Music: Musical performance by Moj Orchestra, conductor Saman Mohammadnabi

Bilingual: English & Persian

Saturday, Nov 29

6:00–8:00 PM

North York Memorial Community Hall, 5110 Yonge St, Toronto

To read more about this book:

https://asemanabooks.ca/stories-from-tehran/

Asemana Books

 

1.THE TEXTILE MUSEUM JOURNAL SYMPOSIUM

Please join us for The Textile Museum Journal Symposium, a special program celebrating the centennial year of The Textile Museum on December 6, 2025. This free virtual program features interviews conducted with four authors who contributed to this year’s The Textile Museum Journal, which focused on new research illuminating aspects of The Textile Museum Collection.

For description of the program and to register, please visit: https://museum.gwu.edu/textile-museum-journal-symposium

 

 

 

 

 

2. The Digital Lab for Islamic Visual Culture & Collections is pleased to announce an online training introducing the Islamic art, architecture, and history of al-Andalus, taking place  1- 4 December 2025.

This short online series will introduce participants to the diversity of the art and architecture of al-Andalus (Islamic Iberia) from the eighth through fifteenth centuries. These sessions will cover broad historical context as well as the defining art and architecture of the key dynasties of the region, including the Cordoban Umayyad caliphate.

• Schedule: Each 1.5-hour session will be held between 12pm – 1:30pm – US / 5pm – 6:30pm UK/ 8pm – 9:30pm Istanbul
• Format: Live online on Zoom
• Topic: art, architecture, and history of al-Andalus
• Places are limited

Instructor: Dr. Sarah Slingluff, Postdoctoral Associate, Medieval Islamic Art, Art History and Archaeology University of Maryland & Lead Educator, Digital Lab for Islamic Visual Culture & Collections

Contact Information

Dr. Glaire Anderson

Senior Lecturer in Islamic Art, School of History of Art, University of Edinburgh

Founding Director, Digital Lab for Islamic Visual Culture & Collections

Contact Email

info@digitallabivcc.com

URL

https://digitallabivcc.com/intro-to-al-andalus/

 

 

 

 

 

3. The programme for the 2025 annual meeting of MESA (Middle East Studies Association of North America) commencing Saturday, 22 November,

can be found at:

https://mesana.org/annual-meeting/program

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Le CeRMI a le plaisir de vous convier à la prochaine séance du séminaire “Sociétés, politiques et cultures du Monde iranien”, qui se tiendra jeudi 27 novembre 2025, 17h-19h, en salle 5.21 à l’INaLCO (65 rue des Grands Moulins, Paris XIII, 5^eétage).

Nous sommes heureux d’accueillir notre collègue M. Julien Thorez, géographe, Chargé de recherche au CNRS (CeRMI) et Directeur de CartOrient, pour une conférence intitulée : De la maison à la to’yhona. Une géographie des cérémonies rituelles en Asie centrale.

 Résumé:

Fondée sur des enquêtes et des relevés de terrain réalisées dans le cadre du projet ANR Ceremoniac « Fabriquer les inégalités ou construire le lien social. L’économie cérémonielle en Asie centrale soviétique et post-soviétique (1960 – 2020), cette intervention propose une approche géographique des cérémonies qui ponctuent le cycle de vie en Asie centrale. D’une part, elle souhaite montrer combien la préparation et la célébration de ces rites de passage, et en particulier des mariages, marquent le paysage, s’inscrivent dans l’espace et façonnent le territoire. D’autre part, elle développe une analyse des ancrages géographiques de l’économie rituelle qui révèle que les lieux du mariage se sont multipliés, spécialisés et disséminés au cours des dernières décennies. Elle montre que s’est opéré un déplacement de la préparation et de la célébration des to’y des espaces domestiques vers des espaces privés spécialisés et des espaces publics, c’est-à-dire de la maison vers la ville, dans un contexte de commercialisation et de spécialisation de l’économie rituelle.

Orientations bibliographiques:

– Abashin, S. N. 1999a Vopreki « zdravomu smysli » ? K voprosy o racional’nosti / irracional’nosti ritual’nyh rashodov v Srednej Azii, Vestnik Evrazii (1-2), pp. 87-107.

– Azimova, N. 2020 Ritual’naja èkonomika na primere svadebnyh obrjadov. Namangan, 2018 god, Obščestvo, gender i sem’ja v Central’noj Azii 4, pp. 87-106.

– Borisova, E. & S. Torno 2024 Images of Care: Marriage, family making, and the reproduction of the social order in Tajikistan, Journal of Eurasian Studies pp. 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1177/18793665241256969

– Cleuziou, J. 2024 Mariées à tout prix. Parcours de femmes, échanges rituels et démariages au Tadjikistan (Nanterre, Société d’ethnologie).

– Di Méo, G. 2001b Le sens géographique des fêtes, Annales de géographie 110(622), pp. 624-646.

– Ilkhamov, A. 2013 Labour Migration and the Ritual Economy of Uzbek Extended, Family Zeitschrift für Ethnologie 138(2), pp. 259-284.

– Khamrakulov, B. 2017 Wedding traditions and customs of Samarkand People (Tachkent, Yangi asr avlodi).

– Lobacheva, N.P. 1975 Formirovanie novoj obrjadnosti Uzbekov (Moscou, Nauka).

– Merchant Henson, T. 2005 Tradition et construction identitaire dans la musique de mariage des femmes ouzbèkes : à propos du kelin salom, Cahiers d’ethnomusicologie 18, pp. 39-50.

https://journals.openedition.org/ethnomusicologie/244?lang=fr

– Pétric, B.-M. 2002 Pouvoir, don et réseaux en Ouzbékistan post-soviétique (Paris, PUF).

– Reeves, M. 2012 Black work, green money: Remittances, ritual and domestic economies in southern Kyrgyzstan, Slavic Review 71(1), pp. 108-134.

– Ruffier, A. 2007 Samarcande – Identités et espaces festifs en Ouzbékistan (Montreuil, Aux lieux d’être).

– Sadigov, T. 2020 Household overspending on marriage: the scale of the problem and governement reactions around the world International, Journal of Sociology and Social Policy 40(11-12), pp. 1509-1532.

– Trevisani, T. 2016 Modern weddings in Uzbekistan: ritual hange from ‘above’ and from ‘below’, Central Asian Survey35(1), pp. 61-75.

– Turdalieva, Ch. & R. Provis 2017 Dynamics of Reciprocity and Networks of the Kyrgyz through Bishkek Toi Making, Central Asian Affairs (2), pp. 197-216.

– Werner, C. 1997 Marriage, Markets, and Merchants: Changes in Wedding Feasts and Household Consumption Patterns in Rural Kazakhstan, Culture & Agriculture 9(1-2), pp. 6-13.

Vous retrouverez prochainement l’intégralité du programme 2025-2026 du séminaire mensuel de recherche “Sociétés, politiques et cultures du Monde iranien” en ligne sur le site du CeRMI: https://cermi.cnrs.fr/seminaires-de-recherche/societes-politiques-et-cultures-du-monde-iranien-2025-2026/

Dans l’attente du plaisir de vous retrouver à l’occasion de ces séances, qui se déroulent en présentiel sur le site de l’INaLCO (65 rue des Grands Moulins, Paris XIII).

Bien cordialement,

Les organisateurs –

Simon Berger et Justine Landau

Contact: justine.landau@sorbonne-nouvelle.fr

 

 

 

 

 

5. Language, History, and Legacy: The New Issue of AUB’s Al-Abhath

https://executive-bulletin.com/education/language-history-and-legacy-the-new-issue-of-aubs-al-abhath

 

 

 

 

 

6. The history of Jewish communities in the Persian speaking world from the 19th century until today

Job ID: IFI114DOC225

https://www.oeaw.ac.at/jobs?jh=pp87whtumr1xj5anw9ibr7bz48un944

 The Austrian Academy of Sciences – ÖAW, the largest, non-university research center for foundational reseach is searching for a candidate for the position of  a Prae-doc (Diss) (70%).

Your Tasks

The position is allocated within the framework of the ERC Project Persian Jews – History, Community, Memory. The research explores the history of Jewish communities in the Persian speaking world from the 19th century until today and is based on anthropological and historical methods and research questions, emphasizing original sources in Persian, Hebrew, and Judeo-Persian. It analyses the status of Jewish communities in the environment in which they lived, the circumstances of leaving and settling in new places and how the memory of the past is created in these processes. While the project emphasizes cultural and socio-economic dynamics, a strong focus is on the development and dissemination of religious thought among Persian speaking Jews and their interaction with other Jewish and non-Jewish communities. Besides the praedoc position, the project team includes two post-doctoral researchers in addition to the PI. As a whole, the research team is committed to a fruitful interdisciplinary dialogue and seeks cooperation with the regions involved in order to promote plurilateral research perspectives.

The doctoral position is assigned to research on religious and literary aspects of 19th to early 20th-century Judeo-Persian communities. This includes the production and dissemination of texts, religious education and mysticism, as well as the exchange of these ideas in specific locales throughout the 19th to the 20th century (for example between Bukhara, Tehran and Jerusalem). The focus is envisaged in terms of historical and religious studies.

The successful candidate will pursue a PhD dissertation at the University of Vienna (cooperation / enrollment at another university possible upon agreement), while being integrated in the Institute of Iranian Studies.

Within the larger research project, the position offers the opportunity to link focused research on Persian Jewish communities to larger questions in the humanities, to develop research in continuous inter-disciplinary exchange and to thereby develop a broader outlook on the area of study. Opportunities for mentoring and training in career-relevant skills are available.

Your tasks:

•      Pursuing a PhD dissertation project within the ERC project PersCom
•      Presence in Vienna and engagement in the project as an active team member
•      Active participation in the project’s activities in the domains of research and knowledge transfer
•      International presentations and publication of project results
•      Active participation in the activities of the Institute for Iranian Studies

Your Profile

•      Completed MA in a humanities field relevant to the study of Jewish history in modern Iran or Central Asia
•      Excellent written and verbal communication skills the languages relevant to your research (Persian, Hebrew)
•      Good written and verbal communication skills in English, ability to publish academic articles in English
•      Knowledge of Judeo-Persian and religious traditions among Iranian and / or Central Asian Jewish communities
•      Openness to interdisciplinary collaboration and dialogue
•      Initiative and ability to work in a team

Our Offer

The position is awarded on a basis for 36 months (1 year + extension for 2 years) for an annual gross salary of € 39.208,80 paid out conditional on proof of enrolment at the university. PhD supervision arrangements depend on the chosen focus.

Please apply online including a (1) cover letter, (2) academic CV and (3) outline of planned dissertation project of research interest later than January 16, 2026. Any queries may be directed to Dr. Ariane Sadjed: ariane.sadjed@oeaw.ac.at

Use this link to apply: JETZT BEWERBEN Klicken Sie auf diesen Link, um sich für die Stelle zu bewerben.

The Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) pursues a non-discriminatory employment policy and places great importance on equal opportunities and diversity. In particular, individuals from underrepresented groups are expressly encouraged to apply.

Contact

Main Contact: Dr. Ariane Sadjed  ariane.sadjed@oeaw.ac.at
Institute for Iranian Studies, A-1020 Vienna, Austria

Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften | Austrian Academy of Sciences

https://www.oeaw.ac.at/

 

 

 

 

 

7. The University of Edinburgh

Caliphal Finances Research Fellow

Apply Before: 09/12/2025, 23:59

Caliphal Finances Research Fellow – University of Edinburgh Careers

 

 

 

 

8. UCLA:

Pourdavoud Lecture Series

Greek-Persian Encounters c. 550 – c. 330 BCE: Looking Beyond Stereotypes

Antigoni Zournatzi

Wednesday, December 3, 2025 at 4:00 pm Pacific Time

Royce Hall 306 and Via Zoom

 

 

 

 

 

9. Fifth Meeting of the Avicenna Study Group now also an online event! (2–4 December 2025)

Due to many inquires we have received from international colleagues who are unable to travel to Bochum and to attend the upcoming Fifth International Meeting of the Avicenna Study Group at the “Avicenna Study Center” (2–4 December 2025) in person, we have decided to make the event also available online via Zoom. In order to “zoom in”, please use the following link and credentials:

Link: https://ruhr-uni-bochum.zoom-x.de/j/66612022942?pwd=3a2ddwbNacDIBYsDKVe0bKOAEKcjFs.1

Meeting-ID: 666 1202 2942
Password: 938409

 

 

 

 

10. Ferdowsi School of Persian Literature:

Three freshly announced courses on my website:

Introduction to Pahlavi: Online Winter School of Zoroastrian Middle Persian, January 5 – January 22, 2026.

Advanced Middle Persian: Pahlavi Texts in Pahlavi Script (Weekly), January 24 – March 14, 2026.

The Shahname: Introduction to the Iranian Epic (Weekly), January 9 – February 27, 2026. During this edition we will be reading the chapter on thepādešāhi-ye Eskandar.

In addition, here is a recently published small list of “8 Must-Know Digital Projects in Iranian and Central Asian Studies” for you! You might find it useful.

Yours sincerely,

Ruben S. Nikoghosyan

Ferdowsi School of Persian Literature

Yerevan, Armenia

Website: www.ferdowsi.org

 

 

 

 

11. Edinburgh University Press:

Introducing Women Interpreting Islamic Law
Series Editors: Masooda Bano, Mirjam Künkler & Khaled Abou El Fadle
A home for new scholarship on women’s Islamic-juristic authority from the prophet’s era until today
Many influential women (ʿalimāt, muftiyāt, qadiyāt, mujtahidāt) in Islam’s past and present exercise(d) juristic authority, by issuing fatwas, informing Islamic legal court judgments, writing judicial treatises, and contributing to highly expert juristic scholarship. Women Interpreting Islamic Law features the best of new scholarship on women who built their religious authority  through writing, interpreting or commenting on Islamic legal and juristic texts.
Find out more about Women Interpreting Islamic Law ( https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fddlnk.net%2Fc%2FAQjSfRCVwqMHGPmorJQFIITb7qkBKKiRjEHR6gTZP2H0nzB4RMojfHdR1uOcCZyZuZaUoFO-8IzTjw&data=05%7C02%7C%7Cf931a6838e014c82a83e08de28d442b8%7C2e9f06b016694589878910a06934dc61%7C0%7C0%7C638993089276238269%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=oTpkJ1ZuRh8oOquOCkWupKOS7B6stcbuZmhGVGM4%2FEg%3D&reserved=0 )

 

 

 

 

 

12. Homeira Qaderi webinar with “Universal Language” screenwriters

12/1 12pm Eastern

The last Yale Iran Colloquium Persian-language webinar of 2025 will be a conversation between our wonderful writer in residence Homeira Qaderi and three of the main participants in the writing of Matthew Rankin’s 2024 film Universal Language/Avaz-e buqalamun. I think most of this list would enjoy the film, set in a version of Winnipeg where everyone speaks Persian and the atmosphere is thick with Iranian New Wave allusions.

Rankin’s co-screenwriters Ila Firouzabadi and Pirouz Nemati (who also co-stars with Rankin) and script consultant Armin Firouzabadi deserve much of the credit for its intensely specific Persian-Canadian fantasia. (They’re each also brilliant artists: Ila sculpts, Pirouz directs, Armin just came out with a lovely album.) And who better than Qaderi, a major Afghan novelist, to discuss diasporic Persian poetics with Nemati and the siblings Firouzabadi?

The session will be on Monday Dec. 1 at noon Eastern US time, and will be conducted in Persian. If you’re interested, sign up for the webinar here. If you’re near New Haven, we have a screening of the film that same Thursday Dec. 4 at 7pm (full details here), and otherwise, at least in the US, the film can also be rented online.

 

 

 

13.  CUP: 40% off the latest Middle East studies titles for MESA2025

https://www.cambridge.org/gb/universitypress/conferences/middle-east-studies-association-annual-meeting?j=8788768&sfmc_sub=1015515047&l=848264_HTML&u=235374938&mid=1423905&jb=0&utm_source=SFMC&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Middle+East+Studies+Association+Annual+Meeting&utm_campaign=AFL_IOC_EX105947_BK%3bJL%3b_AREA%3bMESA2025&WT.mc_id=AFL_IOC_EX105947_BK%3bJL%3b_AREA%3bMESA2025

 

 

 

 

 

14. ONLINE Seminar “How Mediterranean French Became a Language of Contact between East and West”, German Historical Institutes in Paris and Rome, 25 November 2025, 17:00 – 18:00 CET

In the second half of the thirteenth century a linguistic shift started to unfold where vernacular languages began to flourish. The seminar will discuss how Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean became a site of intellectual, spiritual and linguistic contact, and what theoretical models were set in place to make this contact possible.

Information and registration: https://tinyurl.com/3tryebpw

 

 

 

 

 

15. HYBRID Book Launch: “Islamic Law in Saudi Arabia” by Dominik Krell, Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, University of Oxford, 1 December 2025, 12:30 – 14:00 CET

The book offers an in-depth exploration of the Saudi judiciary in the twenty-first century. Drawing on Saudi legal literature and court judgments, as well as interviews with leading members of the judiciary, the book addresses two central questions: first, what is the Saudi jurists’ understanding of an Islamic judiciary? And second, how is this understanding reflected in the Saudi legal system, its laws, institutions, and court practices?

Information and registration:

https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/content/event/book-launch-islamic-law-saudi-arabia-dominik-krell

 

 

 

 

 

16. ONLINE Panel Session “Totally Glocally: Defending Academic Freedom – Developments and Challenges in the US and EU”, Forum for International Cultural Relations, Stuttgart, 3 December 2025, 18:00 – 19:15 CET

What risks arise for democratic societies when academic freedom is restricted and liberal scientific trends at universities are repressed? How can universities and research institutions become more resilient in order to secure their independence from funding bodies, whether state or private sector? How might illiberal practices affecting higher education institutions and academics themselves be described in more detail?

Information and registration: https://tinyurl.com/27eh98c8

 

 

 

 

 

17. ONLINE Book Talk “Islamic Theology and the Problem of Evil” by Dr. Safaruk Chowdhury, American University in Cairo Press, 9 December 2025, 18:00 CET

This book explores four different problems of evil: human disability, animal suffering, evolutionary natural selection, and Hell. Each study argues in favor of a particular kind of explanation or justification (theodicy) for the respective evil. Safaruk Chowdhury unpacks the notion of evil and its conceptualization within the mainstream Sunni theological tradition, and the various ways in which theologians and philosophers within that tradition have advanced different types of theodicies.

Information and registration: https://tinyurl.com/mzf2uxaf

 

 

 

 

 

18. Workshop “From Manga to Manifesto: Youth Culture, Protest, and the Global Circulations of ONE PIECE”, University of Hamburg, 26-27 March 2026

We invite contributions that investigate the transnational lives of symbols, the appropriation of Japanese visual culture in African and Middle Eastern contexts, and the ways in which global media imaginaries shape local expressions of political agency. How does ONE PIECE’s narrative of freedom, friendship, and resistance against corrupt authority resonate with the lived experiences of young activists in postcolonial societies?

Deadline for abstracts: 1 December 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/ynm6zjwf

 

 

 

 

 

19. Two Postdoctoral Researcher Positions in South Asian Studies and Conflict Studies (Focus on the MENA Region), Alliance of Civilizations Institute, Ibn Haldun University, Istanbul

Qualifications: PhD degree completed within the last five years. – For South Asian Studies: proficiency in English and at least one regional language. – For Conflict Studies: proficiency in both Arabic and English. Completed an MA or PhD degree in conflict studies (or in related discipline with a thesis on conflicts in the MENA region), have knowledge of conflicts, preferably in the MENA region.

Deadline for applications: 5 December 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/y45mvmfu

 

 

 

 

 

20. Postdoctoral Fellowship (Academic Year 2026-27) in Turkish Studies, Columbia University, New York City

The fellowship competition is open to candidates who have received their Ph.D. degree in the humanities or social sciences after 1 May 2023, and have written a dissertation on a topic related to Turkish Studies.

Deadline for applications: 15 December 2025. Information: https://apply.interfolio.com/176852

 

 

 

 

 

21. Call for Articles for “Maydan: Journal of Arab, Semitic and Islamic Worlds”

The journal is aimed at PhD candidates, recent graduates, and Master’s students. It revolves around a broad conception of the Arab, Semitic and Islamic worlds, whi includes the SWANA region (Southwest Asia and North Africa), the Sahel, the Caucasus, as well as Central and South-East Asia. Maydan also welcomes submissions regarding the connections between these geographical areas and Europe, the Americas and the rest of the world. In the same vein, it appreciates contributions exploring the presence and the experiences of Arab, Semitic and Islamic worlds outside regions traditionally seen as “Arab” or “Islamic”, whi highlight the differences within these worlds. With this view, Maydan welcomes contributions focused on the connections between these areas and other communities and political, economic, social, and cultural dynamics affecting our globalized world.

Deadline for abstracts: 17 December 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/u7dsmv3y

 

1. Dr. Christine Kämpfer – Rewriting Romance: Khvājū Kirmānī’s Humāy-u Humāyūn as a Post-Mongol Epic [Nov. 22]

Please join us for a zoom lecture as part of UBC’s Alireza Ahmadian Lecture Series on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 11am PST (2pm EST; 8pm CET) for a lecture by Dr. Christine Kämpfer (University of Bamberg) on “Rewriting Romance: Khvājū Kirmānī’s Humāy-u Humāyūn as a Post-Mongol Epic.”

Humāy u Humāyūn recounts the love story of the Syrian prince Humāy, who falls for the Chinese princess Humāyūn and embarks on an adventurous quest to find her. The epic was composed in 1331 by Khvājū Kirmānī at the court of the last Ilkhanid ruler in Baghdad. With this work, Khvājū continues the Persian romance tradition established by his predecessors Gurgānī and Niẓāmī, yet he faced the challenge of renewing the genre for an audience increasingly attuned to Sufi thought. This talk explores how Khvājū both preserves and transforms the literary heritage, transmitting tradition while simultaneously innovating it.

Christine Kämpfer is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Iranian Studies at the University of Bamberg (Germany), where she earned her PhD in 2022. Her research focuses primarily on premodern Persian epic poetry and questions of literary transmission. She also works on German travel writing about Qajar Persia and has published in both areas.

Register for the event here: https://ubc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_sikjW4EBS-S1w963zpJi_Q#/registration

 

 

 

 

 

2. Online: CLAMS presents THE BACTRIANS, THE KHARAJITS AND THE BARMAKIDS, Friday November 21st at 12 noon EST

https://gc-cuny-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/U899ul4hTMWjtxEqAzXH_Q

 

3. 3 December 1:00 PM EST AMECYS Childhood, Lit & Memory Across MENA Roundtable

The roundtable focuses on the works of scholars writing for children and young adults, particularly those aged 8-12. It will explore how childhood memories and experiences are evoked, narrated, and imagined through children’s literature. The discussion will reveal the power of this literature to shape histories, identities, and collective memory. The discussion will engage with the intersections of narrative, art, translation, and memory to reconsider representations of childhood, opening new pathways for understanding history, loss, and imagination. It features works by Ariella Aïsha Azoulay (Golden Threads) and Sabiha Al Khemir (Fables Across Time: Kalila and Dimna), and will be moderated by Yael Warshel.

Event Details:

• Date:Wednesday, December 3
• Time:11:00 am MST | 12:00 pm CST | 1:00 pm EST
• Location: https://arizona.zoom.us/j/7613654977
• RSVP to: amecystudies@gmail.com

 To inclusively engage our community in programming, AMECYS will open Zoom tools for translation and transcription to assist those whose abilities are stronger in languages other than spoken English. Additionally, and as feasible, our board members may be available to offer informal simultaneous spoken translation between English and Arabic, French, Turkish, and Hebrew. If you believe you will require the latter form of translation assistance, kindly let us know ahead of time. When you RSVP, simply specify for which language and whether you will require it throughout the roundtable or solely during the Q and A.

Please reach out to the AMECYS’ Program Committee at amecystudies@gmail.com if you have any questions, ideas for talks, and/or recent work you would like to present.