1.Global Conference on Women and Gender: “Gender, Politics and Everyday Life: Power, Resistance and Representation”, Christopher Newport University, 19-21 March 2020
This interdisciplinary conference brings together participants from all academic fields to engage in wide-ranging conversations on gender and politics around the world. We encourage an expansive understanding of political action and expression, inspired by Carol Hanisch’s essay, “The Personal is Political,” which sees all relationships of power as political and connects women’s experiences, self-expression, and values to their lives as political actors and subjects.Deadline for abstracts: 1 October 2019. Information: http://cnu.edu/gcwg/
2. Conference: “Hermeneutics of Quranic Norm Change”, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, 15-16 April 2020
The conference is structured around the three following themes that seem to be of particular relevance for today: 1) The nature of human being in the Quran 2) The individual and the community (within Islam) 3) Living together in ideologically pluralistic societies. We will not focus on specified precepts or the legal discourses behind them, but rather on how these topics have been negotiated in the fields of (pre-)classical and modern Tafsīr.
Deadline for abstracts: 15 September 2019. Information: https://www.dirs.phil.fau.de/files/2019/07/Call-for-papers_Conference-on-the-Hermeneutics-of-Quranic-Norm-Change.pdf
3. Junior Professorship (W1) for Islamic Studies / Turkology Studies, Department of Oriental Studies, University of Freiburg
The successful candidate has an outstanding dissertation and a research profile that combines approaches from Islamic Studies and the social sciences and focusses on 20th– and 21st-century Turkey. An additional focus on Turkic societies in Central Asia and/or the Caucasus is an asset.
Deadline for application: 4 October 2019. Information: http://www.uni-freiburg.de/administration/stellenboerse/00000643?set_language=en
4. Rosalynd Franklin Fellowship on Islamic Thought & Culture, Faculty of Theology & Religious Studies, University of Groningen.
This is a position for a female academic in the field of Islamic Thought & Culture. We are specifically interested in scholars whose expertise is on ethics, philosophy, Islamic debates on modernity & secularism.
Deadline for application: 29 August 2019. Information: https://www.rug.nl/about-us/work-with-us/job-opportunities/?details=00347-02S000730P
5. Assistant Professor of Ottoman History (Tenure-Track), Binghamton University, New York
Professorship in early modern Ottoman history (c. 1300-1800), beginning in Fall 2020. We seek applications from candidates whose research is grounded in Ottoman sources and archival materials, and especially encourage applications from scholars who take a trans-regional or transimperial perspective that incorporates the diverse religious groups, ethnicities, and regions that constitute the Ottoman world.
Deadline for applications: 15 October 2019. Information: https://binghamton.interviewexchange.com/jobofferdetails.jsp;jsessionid=2A5FF5656F20F0A3C7EB118B0DBE30D6?JOBID=113830
6. Articles on “Crisis and Conflict in the Muslim World: Localisation of Responses” for Special Issue of “Journal of Peacebuilding & Development”
Papers are particularly welcome on localisation across and between various responses to conflict including humanitarian action, conflict resolution, and long-term reconstruction in the Muslim world.
Deadline for abstracts: 10 September 2019.
Information: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/rjpd; Contact: jpd.production@gmail.com
7. The Great Lakes Adiban Society (GLAS) is the sponsor of two events at the upcoming International
Congress for Medieval Studies, to convene on May 7–10, 2020:
1. Seek Knowledge as Far as China: Teaching Literature from the Medieval
Middle East and Beyond (A Roundtable)
2. Love, Fear, Anger, Sorrow: Emotions and Diseases of the Soul in Islamicate
Literature
To submit a paper to either of these events, go to www.wmich.edu/
medievalcongress/submissions, where you can find and fill out the Participant
Information Form. Please send this, along with a one-page abstract of your
paper, to Cameron Cross at kchalipa@umich.edu . The due-date for all
submissions is September 15, 2019. We will inform you of our decision within a
week, and per ICMS guidelines, any papers not accepted will be passed on to
the Medieval Institute to be considered for inclusion in the General Sessions.
Please read below for the full descriptions of these panels; for more
information about our group, and to join our mailing list, visit
http://greatlakesadiban.github.io/.
1. Seek Knowledge as Far as China: Teaching Literature from the Medieval
Middle East and Beyond (A Roundtable)
As medievalists grapple with the urgency of diversifying our field, we find
ourselves shifting our teaching practices to accommodate new students, new
texts, and new fields of critical inquiry. This roundtable will bring together
scholars whose work engages with the medieval Middle East for a discussion of
the pedagogical pitfalls and opportunities provided by teaching a global
Middle Ages. How can medieval texts in Islamicate languages be brought into
conversation with other traditions? How can these texts help teachers confront
difficult but vital topics such as race, religion, and imperialism? We hope
these and other questions will stimulate productive conversation.
We are interested in both focused discussions of classroom practice and
broader reflections on teaching the Middle Ages beyond the boundaries of
Europe. As scholars of the medieval Islamicate world, we welcome approaches
grounded in inclusive pedagogy; comparative and global literatures; critical
race, feminist, and postcolonial theory; post-secular critique; translation
studies; canon-formation studies; and other methodologies that de-center a
hegemonic “Western” perspective on the past and promote a more global and
inclusive view of the premodern world. Particularly, we hope that participants
will explore ways in which these varied approaches can be productively brought
into play in the university classroom.
2. Love, Fear, Anger, Sorrow: Emotions and Diseases of the Soul in Islamicate
Literature
The study of emotions in the pre-modern Islamicate Middle East is beginning to
attract scholarly attention as an emerging field. Since, as in Medieval
Europe, the word ‘emotion’ has no direct correspondence to an Islamicate
concept, we invite scholars to examine how the term akhlāq (ethics, morals,
character traits) can be mapped onto/as a history of emotions. While developed
in medical and philosophical texts as ‘diseases of the soul’, emotions are
portrayed in various ways across a wide spectrum of literary traditions of the
Islamicate Middle East in Arabic, Persian, and Ottoman Turkish, and thus
provide ample ground for fruitful collaboration.
We especially welcome critical engagement with the concept of ‘emotion’ and
the Islamicate term ‘akhlāq’ so as to determine semantic overlap and
differences between the two categories. Furthermore, we encourage studies that
assess the feasibility of applying theoretical approaches to emotions
developed for Medieval Europe to the Islamicate world. Such studies can focus
on emotion in the Qurʾān, illnesses of the soul in philosophical texts, the
refinement of the self in advice literature, or on the portrayal of emotion in
narrative and lyric poems. We hope that a shared vocabulary will enable future
comparative projects between medievalists of various specializations.
1.Dr Cyrus Ala’i’s Historical Maps of Persia Collection at SOAS Library is now fully digitised and is available online:
https://digital.soas.ac.uk/mapsiran
For an overview, see: https://digital.soas.ac.uk/mapsiran/about/
2. The British Library: 01 August 2019
From Caucasia, not from Southeast Asia: Daghistani Qur’ans with spurious colophons
3. 3-year Postdoctoral Fellowship in Arabic literature, Ghent Univ. (Belgium)
The Novel Echoes project is a new ERC-funded research project at the UGent (Belgium), which researches the reception of the ancient novel in medieval secular literature. We are delighted to advertise a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Arabic medieval literature as part of the project.
The application deadline is 1st September 2019. Information regarding this post can be found on our website: https://www.novelsaints.ugent.be/vacancies-3 . Please do share with any interested parties. The information can also be shared on social media (facebook and twitter both @NovelSaints).
We are also delighted to announce that Ghent University shall be hosting ICAN VI, the International Conference on the Ancient Novel, in September 2021. You can follow updates on our social media @NovelSaints.
Many thanks,
Koen De Temmerman
—
Prof. dr. Koen De Temmerman
Ghent University | Dept. of Literary Studies | Blandijnberg 2 (office 110.032 – directions) | B-9000 Ghent | Belgium
4. Spring 2019 Islamic Manuscripts Workshop at UCLA:
An Introduction to Islamic Manuscript Culture
Videos and PDFs at: https://www.international.ucla.edu/cnes/islamic
5. Bita Daryabari Assistant or Associate Professor of Iranian Studies – Department of Near Eastern Studies
The Department of Near Eastern Studies at the University of California, Berkeley seeks applications for a position in Iranian Studies at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor, with an expected start date of July 1, 2020.
Applications are encouraged from scholars with rigorous training in the languages and cultures (textual and/or material) of Iran (broadly defined) and with a research specialization within the period from antiquity to the advent of Islam. Preference will be given to individuals whose research has strong philological and/or material cultural foundations.
Basic Qualifications:
PhD or equivalent international degree, or enrolled in a PhD or equivalent international degree-granting program at the time of application.
Preferred qualifications:
*Mastery of relevant primary source languages or material cultures in a field of Iranian Studies.
*Philological and/or material cultural methods as foundation of research. Research in any period period from antiquity to the advent of Islam.
When applying, applicants will be asked to provide contact information for referees. Applicants at the Assistant Professor level must then request letters through the application system. For the applicants at the Associate Professor level letters will be required for the finalists. Additional writing and teaching materials will be solicited for finalists. All letters will be treated as confidential per University of California policy and California state law. Please refer potential referees, including when letters are provided via a third party (i.e., dossier service or career center), to the UC Berkeley statement of confidentiality (https://apo.berkeley.edu/ucb-confidentiality-policy) prior to submitting their letters.
Applications must be received by December 15, 2019. Please direct inquiries to: nes@berkeley.edu.
Where to apply: https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/apply/JPF02227
1.Conference: “Regime-Critical Media and Arab Diaspora: Challenges and Opportunities Post-Arab Spring,” University of Copenhagen, 5-6 September 2019
The overall questions are: how do regime-critical media produced for the Middle Eastern or North-African audiences meet new challenges and opportunities? How do Middle Eastern and North-African diaspora groups mobilize politically and engage in transnational political activities? How does the audiences’ use of regime-critical media influences political action formation in diaspora?
Deadline for registration: 4 August 2019.
Information: https://ccrs.ku.dk/calendar/2019/regime-critical-media-and-arab-diaspora/
2. Workshop: “God’s Justice and Animal Welfare”, Department for Islamic-Religious Studies, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, 13-14 December 2019
The junior research group “Norm , Normativity and Norm Changes” is organising this workshop which aims to fathom the understanding of to what extent animals are recipients of justice. Hereby, interdisciplinary approaches are used to find answers to the research question. The workshop is open for interested researchers and students. Registration is required.
Information: https://www.dirs.phil.fau.eu/2019/07/24/gods-justice-and-animal-welfare
3. Spring Meeting of the Southeast Regional Middle East and Islamic Studies Society: “Islam and Law,” Emory University, Atlanta, 6-8 March 2020
We invite paper abstracts from any discipline in the humanities or social sciences that address any topic related to Islam and Law in the MENA region – for example: Islam’s role in the historical, cultural, or theological origins of law and law-making; Islam’s role in shaping law, legal institutions, and legal processes; etc.
Deadline for abstracts: 4 October 2019. Information: https://networks.h-net.org/node/25688/discussions/4334771/sermeiss-spring-2020-islam-and-law-workshop-cfp-future-special
4. Research Fellowship in the Governance Programme, Aga Khan University’s Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations, London
The Fellow will carry out research related to one the following areas: Political accountability of the executive in semi-presidential regimes; Fiqh and popular culture; etc. Requirements: PhD in the Humanities or Social Sciences; demonstrated research background in one of the above topics; etc.
Deadline for application: 15 September 2019. Information: https://www.aku.edu/vacancies/pages/job-detail.aspx?JobID=6225&Title=Call%20for%20Research%20Fellowship%20Applications
5. Scholarships for Foreign MA Students at the Goethe University Frankfurt
Goethe University is offering scholarships for Master’s programs such as: International Studies/Peace and Conflict Studies; Political Theory; Social and Cultural Anthropology/Ethnology. Applicants must hold an excellent Bachelor’s degree from a university outside of Germany. Awardees are provided with a monthly stipend of 1,000 EUR and other benefits to help them develop their career.
Information: www.uni-frankfurt.de/masterstip
6. Articles for “The Canadian Journal for Middle East Studies“
This Journal is published two times a year and is currently under the editorship of Prof. Gahad Hamed of the University Western Ontario. It contains academic research articles, book reviews and a bibliographical section. All academics and experts who research the Middle East, Islam, and its broader questions are invited to contribute to the Journal.
Deadline for submissions: 15 September 2019. Information: https://cjmes.scholasticahq.com/post/53-call-for-submissions-the-canadian-journal-for-middle-east-studies
7. The Crossroads Emerging Leaders Program
The Center for Middle Eastern Studies is partnering with other Harvard area studies centers and the Harvard Business School Club of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to help provide a career development opportunity for students living in Central Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and the United States.
The Program is a prestigious and a fully funded career development opportunity for students from across the world, who are the first member of their family—or the first generation within their family—to attend university and facing challenges of financial and social circumstances.
Qualifications include: students who are 18-24 years old, currently enrolled, facing challenging financial and social circumstances, fluent in English, first generation university students.
Please see the Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute website for a programme overview as well as discussion on eligibility, FAQs and the application link: https://mittalsouthasiainstitute.harvard.edu/crossroads/
8. Visiting Assistant Professor of Arabic
Washington and Lee University
The Department of German and Arabic at Washington and Lee University invites applications for a two-year visiting assistant professor of Arabic, beginning July 1, 2020. This position carries a 6-course teaching load distributed over Fall and Winter terms (12 weeks each), and the university’s signature 4-week Spring Term (maximum one course in Spring Term). Primary duties include teaching all levels of Arabic (first-, second-, and third-year), as well as advanced Arabic language courses that focus on media, conversation and composition, or topics in Arab literature, culture, and film. The candidate will also teach courses in English based on their discipline and the needs of the program.
In addition to teaching responsibilities, the successful candidate will assist in developing WLUArabic and contribute to the dynamic, interdisciplinary program in Middle East and South Asia (MESA) Studies. In keeping with the goals of the W&L Strategic Plan, we seek candidates who can effectively mentor underrepresented minority students.
Preferred candidates will hold a PhD or have ABD status in Arabic Language (TAFL or a related field (e.g., second language acquisition, comparative literature, Middle Eastern Studies)). M.A. holders will be considered. The successful candidate will have comprehensive mastery and fluency in Modern Standard Arabic and a dialect. Professional proficiency in English is required. The competitive applicant will have proven experience in Arabic language pedagogy using the integrated approach in a North American or liberal arts context.
The application deadline is September 30, 2019 and application review will begin October 1, 2019. Skype interviews will be conducted in mid-October, and finalists will be invited to campus in late October 2019.
Applicants should submit the following materials at https://apply.interfolio.com/65771.
Questions may be addressed to Professor Anthony Edwards, at EdwardsA@wlu.edu.
1.Irano-Judaica VII: Studies Relating to Jewish Contacts with Persian Culture Throughout the Ages. Ed. by Julia Rubanovich and Geoffrey Herman. Jerusalem: Ben Zvi Institute, 2019. 699 pp.
See here to order: https://www.ybz.org.il/?CategoryID=1382
2. The Reshaping of Persian Art: Art Histories of Islamic Iran and Central Asia
Iván Szántó and Yuka Kadoi (eds.)
Piliscsaba: The Avicenna Institute of Middle Eastern Studies
2019
Series: Acta et Studia XV
Paperback, 273 pages
ISBN: 978-615-5343-11-7
How to order:
Please directly contact the Institute for the time being.
Avicenna Institute of Middle Eastern Studies
Contact: Oroszi Gyöngyi
Tel.: + 36 (06) 26 375 329 / 414 / E-mail: oroszi@avicenna-kkki.hu
http://avicenna-kkki.hu/publications/how-to-order/?lang=en
3. The Foundation for Iranian Studies invites applications for its annual award of $1000 for the best Ph.D. dissertation in a field of Iranian Studies. Students completing their dissertations between July 1, 2018 and June 30, 2019 are eligible to apply for the 2019 award.
Dissertations must be nominated by the author’s advisor and be accompanied by the Dissertation Committee’s letter of acceptance. Both documents may be emailed provided they contain appropriate official insignias and signatures.
Applicants for the 2019 award should submit a digital copy of the dissertation, either mailed on disc to
Secretary
Foundation for Iranian Studies
Bethesda, MD 20814
USA
Or emailed to
fis@fis-iran.org, or
For further information about the award, selection criteria, and previous winners consult the Foundation for Iranian Studies Website at www.fis-iran.org , Programs, Dissertation Awards. Inquiries should be emailed to fis@fis-iran.org .
Deadline: August 15, 2019
4. Conference: “Eastern Questions: New Perspectives on British Orientalism”, London, 16-17 October 2019
This interdisciplinary event aims to explore new perspectives on the intersection between Orientalism and visual culture across the nineteenth century. It invites contributions that explore the visual material of the Orient in the contexts of transculturation, imaginative geographies, and cultural border crossing in both directions and invites proposals from scholars in all sub-fields of the arts, humanities and social sciences.
Deadline for abstracts: 31 July 2019.
Information: https://www.wattsgallery.org.uk/eastern-questions-new-perspectives-british-orientalism/?edit&language=en-gb
5. International Workshop: “Theological, Legal and Political Responses to Salafism”, Charles University, Prague, 15 November 2019
This workshop will focus upon wider religious, cultural and political strategies in facing the Salafi proselytising in EU, the Balkans, Maghreb, Indonesia and beyond. The aim is to map places of contention between global Salafism and local institutions and traditions, to identify actors that formulate responses and to explore concrete ways in which states, religious, educational and cultural institutions, civic and Islamic groups develop strategies to counter or deal with the Salafi ideological pressure and influence.
Deadline for abstracts: 10 September 2019. Information: https://kbv.ff.cuni.cz/cs/2019/07/18/theological-legal-and-political-responses-to-salafism-call-for-participation/
6. 41st Annual Conference of the Southwest Popular / American Culture Association (SWPACA): “Middle Eastern and North African Studies in the United States”, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 19-22 February 2020
We welcome and encourage proposals regarding any aspect of Middle Eastern and North African life in the U.S. Possible topics may include, but are not limited to the following: MENA representations in popular culture (television, film, comic books, video games, etc.); language and translation studies; queer theory and the MENA community; etc.
Deadline for abstracts: 31 October 2019.
7. “ACRPS Conference for Arab Graduate Students in Western Universities”, Doha, 28-30 March 2020
The conference will provide Arab doctoral students in the social sciences and humanities based at Western universities an open space to present papers rooted in their graduate studies. This conference will give the participants the chance to benefit from discussions with their peers and with established Arab academics. Grants for travel and accommodation are available.
Deadline for abstracts: 30 July 2019.
Information: https://www.dohainstitute.org/en/Lists/ACRPS-PDFDocumentLibrary/Arab-Graduate-Students-Conference-2020-Background-Paper-English.pdf; Contact: arabdoctorate.conf@dohainstitute.org
8. International Conference “Crossroads”: “European Cultural Diplomacy and Eastern Christianity in Syria and Palestine: A Connected History in Late Ottoman Times and the British Mandate”, Thessaloniki, 14-15 May 2020
The conference aims to define and analyse how cultural diplomacy was deployed by the European powers in interwar Palestine and Syria. It questions how these policies impacted the cultural identification of indigenous Christians in a comparison with their fellow Palestinian and Syrian compatriots. This conference will focus on attempts at ideological and political domination by multiple actors, each with a diversity of diplomatic and cultural ends.
Deadline for applications: 15 October 2019.
Information: https://networks.h-net.org/node/73374/announcements/4316854/european-cultural-diplomacy-and-eastern-christianity-late
9. Research Fellowship in the Study of the Islamic World, University of Oxford
The successful candidate will be engaged in research and publication in any area of the arts, humanities or social sciences which contributes to a more informed understanding of the Islamic world – its history, economics, politics, culture, civilisation and contemporary life.
Deadline for applications: 28 August 2019.
Information: https://www.oxcis.ac.uk/sites/www.oxcis.ac.uk/files/inline-files/190718_full_ad_research_fellow.pdf
10. Tenure-Track Position in Comparative Politics of the Middle East, Colorado College
The position requires expertise in the Middle East and North Africa, broadly defined. Crucial to the position is potential for, and commitment to, excellence in scholarship as well as in teaching at a liberal arts institution. If the successful candidate is to begin employment at the assistant professor level, all requirements for the Ph.D. should be complete by the starting date of 24 August 2020.
Deadline for applications: 15 September 2019. Information: https://chroniclevitae.com/jobs/0000491966-01
11. Graduate Student Article Prize of Women Historians of the Middle East
WHOME announces its annual prize for the best article about Middle Eastern history written by a female identifying graduate student (Masters or PhD). The award aims to bring attention to the innovative scholarship women are producing in the field. The nominee must not have been awarded a Doctorate prior to 1 January 2019.
Deadline for applications: 6 September 2019.
Information: https://networks.h-net.org/node/11419/discussions/4326542/whome-graduate-student-article-prize-call-applications-and
12. Training School: “Islamic Heritage in Europe”, Granada and Córdoba, 14-16 January 2020
Over the past decades, there has been a growing interest among scholars in analysing how the Islamic heritage in Europe has been perceived, described, preserved, erased, negotiated or transformed in different areas of Europe, from medieval to modern times. However, those debates seldom crossed the borders of regional approaches. The aim of this training school is to discuss those issues from different and complementary perspectives and to question the traditional regional narrative through a comparative examination of Islamic monuments in a wider Mediterranean perspective.
Information: https://networks.h-net.org/node/11419/discussions/4324889/open-call-applications-participate-training-school-islamic
13. Articles for Edited Book on “New Arab Atheism”
Atheism in the Arab world became known to a wider public in the last decades. Esp., New Atheism inspired by Atheism of Dawkins et al. is influential among Arab Atheists today. This volume intends to open up a new field of research. Editors Rüdiger Lohlker and Tamara Abu-Hamdeh (both Oriental Institute, University of Vienna, Austria).
Deadline for proposals: 15 September 2019. Contact tamara.abu-hamdeh@univie.ac.at
14. Introduction of UNIMED – The Mediterranean Universities Union
This is an association of 124 universities from 23 countries of the Mediterranean basin founded in 1991 (http://www.uni-med.net/en/about-us/).
UNIMED aims to develop university research and education in the Euro-Mediterranean area in order to contribute to scientific, cultural, social and economic cooperation. It manages many projects on different issues (http://www.uni-med.net/en/projects/) and established a second-level network focused on specific sectors known as SubNetworks such as research on migration and tourism (http://www.uni-med.net/en/subnetworks/).
UNIMED annually organises two important institutional events: the UNIMED WEEK IN BRUSSELS (http://www.uni-med.net/en/unimed-week-in-brussels-2019) and the GENERAL ASSEMBLY (http://www.uni-med.net/en/general-assembly-2019).
15. Words Laying Down the Law
Translating Arabic Legal Discourse
Time and Venue
7-8 October 2019: 7 October (16.00-19.30), 8 October (9.00-18.00)
Atrium Conference Room,
Aga Khan Centre,
10 Handyside Street,
London N1C 4DN
Keynote Speakers
Prof Myriam Salama-Carr, University of Manchester.
Prof Baudouin Dupret, Sciences Po Bordeaux.
Prof Roberta Aluffi, University of Turin.
Dr Neveen Al Saeed, Ain Shams University, Cairo.
Programme at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1D5l0bbUvsss6JiLzn7Q6KebygnQC4j5x/view
Booking
This event is free but booking is essential.
16. The Department of Art and Archaeology at Princeton University invites applications for a tenure-track position of Assistant Professor in the fields of Islamic art, architecture, or archaeology, with a specialization in any aspect of the discipline focused on a period prior to 1750.
Responsibilities will consist of broad undergraduate teaching in the history of Islamic art and architecture along with supervision of undergraduate theses and independent work, while graduate teaching and Ph.D supervision will be in the area of the candidate’s expertise. Applicants will be expected to interact broadly with other departments and programs in the university and beyond.
Apply online at https://puwebp.princeton.edu/AcadHire/ with a cover letter, CV, writing sample, research statement, teaching statement, and the names and contact information of three referees from whom letters of recommendation may be requested. PhD is expected by the start date. We seek to appoint a candidate who will contribute, through research, teaching, and service, to the excellence and diversity of our academic community. This position is subject to the University’s background check policy. Application deadline is September 16, 2019 (when initial discussion of the candidates will take place) or until the position is filled.
17. The Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS) is the University of Freiburg’s international research college. The Institute supports innovative research projects through individual fellowships.
The Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies announces the following
Individual Marie S. Curie FCFP fellowships for the academic year 2020/21
(Fellowships start: September 1, 2020)
– Junior fellowships (completed PhD plus one to six years of post-doctoral experience)
– Senior fellowships (completed PhD plus a minimum of six years of post-doctoral experience or a tenured professorship or equivalent permanent position)
The FCFP is intended for current or future leaders in their fields. About 25 FCFP fellowships are awarded through a highly competitive, strictly merit-based selection process. Applications are invited from academics of all nationalities and all disciplines. Note, however, that applicants may not have resided or have carried out their main activity in Germany for more than a total of 12 months during the 3-year period prior to the application deadline.
The completed FCFP application form together with the required documents has to be uploaded on the application website for External Senior Fellowships or Junior Fellowships and submitted by September 15, 2019.
Information on the application and selection process (required documents, guidelines on eligibility, evaluation criteria, timeline and stages of the selection process) is provided at www.frias.uni-freiburg.de/en/funding-programmes/cofund.
Grants are subject to the final approval of the FRIAS budget from 2020 onwards.
More information on FRIAS is available at: www.frias.uni-freiburg.de.
1.Association for Iranian Studies Awards
AIS seeks your nominations for its AIS administered Awards,
THE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
THE EHSAN YARSHATER BOOK AWARD
THE MEHRDAD MASHAYEKHI DISSERTATION AWARD
THE PARVIZ SHAHRIARI BOOK AWARD
We have just opened the following award for nominations:THE SAIDI-SIRJANI BOOK AWARD
https://associationforiranianstudies.org/awards/saidiSirjani/nominate
Please visit the AIS website https://associationforiranianstudies.org/awards
for links to nomination forms and descriptions of the awards. The awards will be given out at a ceremony at the 2020 Biennial Conference in Salamanca Spain.
2. International Conference: “Russia and the Mediterranean: Diplomacy, Strategies and International Responses”, The Maghreb Review & Maghreb Studies Association, Oxford, 9-10 September 2019
The conference will focus upon Russia’s current and historical role in the Mediterranean region and its impact upon international relations. Themes range from Russia’s emerging Mediterranean ambitions during the Napoleonic Wars to Russia’s recent involvement with Turkey and in Libya, Syria and Iran. The conference will be in English or French.
Deadline for abstracts: 30 July 2019.
Information: https://www.maghreb-studies-association.co.uk/msa/en/conferences.html
3. 20th Anniversary Conference of the Centre for the Study of Ethnicity and Citizenship: “Multiculturalism, Nationalism, Religions and Secularism”, University of Bristol, 8-10 November 2019
Conference papers can come from sociology, political theory, political science, anthropology and other social sciences as well as disciplines in the humanities such as history and philosophy. Papers can focus on a range of themes such as multiculturalism, national identity, superdiversity, interculturalism, conviviality and everyday multiculturalism, neo-nationalism and populism, ethno-religious identities, racism and Islamophobia, secular governance and accommodation of religious diversity.
Deadline for abstracts: 12 August 2019.
Information: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/ethnicity/news/2019/bristol-conference-november.html
4. International Conference: “Islamic Law and Theology in Context – The Treatise-Literature (rasāʾil) as Documentation of Socially Relevant Discussions in Pre-Modern Muslim Societies (13th – 19th Centuries)”, University of Osnabrück, 25-27 March 2020
We welcome papers on treatises and counter-treatises written in Islamic Law and Theology (fiqh, kalām, taṣawwuf etc.) which address the content of the treatise as well as the social, political and intellectual context of its author and the audience with a main interest in the Ottoman and Mamluk Empires.
Deadline for abstracts extended until 31 July 2019. Information: https://www.islamische-theologie.uni-osnabrueck.de/fileadmin/documents/public/Plakate_Broschüren/Risala_Englisch__1_.pdf
5. Session on “Ottoman Cultural Mobilities: 19th Century Modes of Travel, Collecting and Dis-play” during European Association for Urban History Conference 2020, Antwerp, 2-5 September 2020
This session welcomes researches on Ottoman participation and responses to the international 19th century culture of travel, collecting and display. It particularly focuses on the mobility and circulation of people and objects around Ottoman and connected contexts; Ottoman encounters and exchanges en route; the journeys of intellectuals, collections and archives in the late Ottoman Empire.
Deadline for abstracts: 4 October 2019.
Information: https://www.uantwerpen.be/en/conferences/eauh2020/sessions/sessions-overview/session-type/specialist-sessions/; Session number: S-CUL-3.
6. Session on “Negotiating Monumentality: Monuments and the Politics of Public Space in Muslim Societies” during European Association for Urban History Conference 2020, Antwerp, 2-5 September 2020
We invite papers that probe particular cases (from the 19th until the 21st century) from Muslim societies in which the role of monuments/monumentality in triggering colonial/anti-colonial/post-colonial politicizations of urban space can be analyzed. Papers can focus on the original plans and designs of monuments and their positioning in public places, the political significance of style (e.g. classicism, modernism and neo-styles), iconography etc.
Deadline for abstracts: 4 October 2019. Information: https://www.uantwerpen.be/en/conferences/eauh2020/sessions/sessions-overview/session-type/specialist-sessions/; Session number: S-HER-1.
7. Associate Professor in History of Islam or Islamic Philosophy, University of Lisbon
Applicants should have a doctoral degree in Philosophy or History and should present evidence of significant work in either field of this search, knowledge of Arabic, and additionally of authorship of at least five (5) peer-reviewed articles, or book chapters in the last 5 years.
Deadline for applications in Portuguese or in English: 31 July 2019.
Information: https://bit.ly/2XXLFtU and helenaalves@letras.ulisboa.pt
8. Three Tenure-Track or Tenured Faculty Positions in Global Affairs/Philosophy, Politics and Economics in the MENA Region, Yale-NUS College
Scholars are invited who can teach international development or international/comparative political economy or quantitative methods, or who have regional expertise in the Middle East.
Review of applications will begin 1 August 2019 and continue until the position is filled. Information: https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/YaleNUS
9. Assistant Professor in Early Modern Islamicate History, University of Toronto
Applicants must have a Ph.D. in History or a closely related discipline by the time of appointment or shortly thereafter. All applicants must have a proven record of excellence in research and teaching about Islamicate worlds, broadly defined, in the period ca. 1500-1800CE/900-1200AH. Regional and thematic specialization is open, but we seek to hire a scholar interested in trans-regional phenomena.
Deadline for applications: 26 August 2019. Information: https://utoronto.taleo.net/careersection/10050/jobdetail.ftl?job=1902399&tz=GMT%2B02%3A00&tzname=Europe%2FBerlin
10. Instructor/Lecturer (Part-Time during Fall Semester 2019) on Muslim Spiritual Care, Harvard University
The successful candidate will teach a course entitled “Spiritual Care from a Muslim Perspective”, which will introduce students to practices of spiritual care in Muslim communities. Candidates should be practitioners and ideally have pastoral as well as previous teaching experience. An advanced degree in Theological/or Religious Studies is required. Candidates should demonstrate experience and excellence in teaching. Previous publications in the area of the appointment are desirable, though not required.
Information: https://professorpositions.com/instructorlecturer-on-muslim-spiritual-care,i4146.html
11. Lecturer in Contemporary Middle Eastern Politics, Princeton University
The Politics Department at Princeton University seeks well-qualified applicants for a part-time lecturer position that will involve teaching an undergraduate seminar in the area of Contemporary Middle Eastern politics in Spring 2020. Advanced degree required; Ph.D. and teaching experience preferred.
Deadline for applications: 1 August 2019.
Information: https://puwebp.princeton.edu/AcadHire/apply/application.xhtml?listingId=12221
12. Mediterranean Seminar Book Prize
The entries submitted should reflect the goals and mission of the Mediterranean Seminar, namely, to promote the Mediterranean region as a framework for scholarly inquiry and pedagogy. We are most interested in books that break new ground conceptually or methodologically, are comparative and/or interdisciplinary, that emphasize the intercultural/interregional/inter-religious contact, that are “of” rather than merely “in” the Mediterranean.
Deadline for applications: 1 January 2020.
Information: https://mailchi.mp/mediterraneanseminar/announcing-the-mediterranean-seminar-book-prizes-1-january-2020?e=82aeb6c61d
13. Call for Projects in the Priority Program “Transottomanica: Eastern European-Ottoman-Persian Mobility Dynamics” for 2020-2023
The program will focus on the “Transottoman” ties and communication practices which emerged as a consequence of mobility between these dominions between the 16th and the 19th centuries and which have not previously become visible in studies of individual regions or bilateral relations. Non-German nationals can apply, but need an affiliation with a university or research institution in Germany.
Deadline for applications: 31 December 2019.
Information: http://www.transottomanica.de/activities/calls/call-for-projects
14. Network Conference of “Academics in Solidarity”, Freie Universität Berlin, 21-23 November 2019
The conference will launch the transnational peer-mentoring program for at-risk and exiled researchers, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The conference will serve as a platform for exchange among key stakeholders representing support programs for more than 70 at-risk scholars, research funding organizations, expert community and AiS partner institutions in Germany, Lebanon and Jordan.
Information: ais@fu-berlin.de; https://www.fu-berlin.de/international/profile/ais
15. Research and Publications on “Power and Institutions in Medieval Islam and Christendom”
This is a cooperative effort led by a team that consists of medievalists specialising in Western, Byzantine and Islamic history tackling a vital historical question: Why did the Christendom government and society develop certain processes of institutionalisation that did not characterise the Islamic world, considering that the early medieval situation might have suggested otherwise?
Information: http://pimic-itn.eu/what/
1.Call for Papers – Iraqi Studies: Past, Present, and Future
28-29 February 2020
Columbia University
This two-day conference brings together a diverse group of established and emerging scholars working on the history of modern Iraq from the Ottoman period to the present to interrogate Iraqi studies; taking stock of its past, reflecting on the present, and looking towards its future. Studies of modern Iraq have grown qualitatively and quantitatively in recent years. There is now a critical mass of innovative scholars in the US, Europe, and the Middle East who work on Iraq and are exploring new lines of inquiry in a number of different directions. It is common to see Iraq-themed panels and round tables at international conferences. Given this volume of scholarly activity connected to modern Iraq, it is an opportune time to critically reflect on and examine Iraqi studies and its status as a burgeoning sub-field of Middle East Studies.
We aim to discuss research trends, to identify promising new questions and sources, to exchange experiences and insights, and to encourage networking across period-specializations and field boundaries. Each panel will comprise a discussant and several speakers. We will also hold a keynote panel of senior scholars who will critically reflect on the state of Iraqi studies. This panel will serve to guide and orient our discussions during the conference. Confirmed speakers for the Keynote Panel: Dr. Dina Khoury (George Washington University); Dr. Orit Bashkin (University of Chicago); Dr. Eric Davis (Rutgers University).
Among the questions we seek to explore are: How do we define Iraqi studies? What various methodological approaches inform our study of Iraq? Is Iraqi studies an inherently nationalist endeavor? How do different frameworks support or break with nationalist conventions? How has Iraq’s recent turbulent history affected how scholars access sources to study the country, its geography, its people, its history, its literature, etc.? How can we move past the sectarian and ethnic narratives of understanding the Iraqi past and present?
We welcome submissions that address any of the above questions. Other sub-themes may also include:
Conference Details
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScHTNDqkedcMQ_NIL3K0x_HYHYeFp8L4f7YgQ1WVofTCM1DDQ/viewform
Organisers:
Zeinab Azarbadegan (Columbia University)
Amnah Almukhtar (Columbia University)
Natasha Pesaran (Columbia University)
Sponsors:
Department of History
Center for International History
Center for the Study of Muslim Societies
Ottoman and Turkish Studies Seminar
Department of Art History and Archaeology
2. The Fourth European Convention on Turkic, Ottoman and Turkish Studies (Turkologentag 2020) will be held in Mainz from September 16–18, 2020.
The conference is organized by the Society for Turkic, Ottoman and Turkish Studies (GTOT) in co-operation with the Chair of Turcology of Johannes Gutenberg University.
We are inviting proposals for papers and panels in the domains of language, literature, history, culture, society, politics, and philology of the Turks and the Turkic peoples. Conference languages are English, German, and Turkish.
The deadline for the submission of paper and panel proposals is February 15, 2020.
Detailed information, including guidance on the submission of abstracts and panel proposals, is found on www.turkologentag-2020.de.
3. Colloque international : « Les établissements scolaires privés musulmans : une offre éducationelle comme les autres ? », Campus Saint Jean-D’Angély Nice, 7-8 novembre 2019
Dans la perspective de ce colloque, il s’agit d’établir un état des lieux de la situation des établissements scolaires privés musulmans à partir d’une approche croisée avec des chercheurs et des acteurs du terrain (familles, personnels enseignants, responsables académiques et associatifs…). Plusieurs axes composent les orientations pluridisciplinaires en proposant de questionner une intrication des multiples enjeux éducatifs, sociaux, religieux, et politiques pour envisager une approche comparative à l’échelle nationale et internationale.
Deadline for abstracts: 10 September 2019. Information: https://etprimus.sciencesconf.org/
4. Muslim Studies Program 13th Annual Conference: “Islam, Environmental Science, and Conservation”, Michigan State University, 16-17 April 2020
This conference aims to foster understanding of the nexus between Islam, environmental science, and con-servation. Topics of interest for submission include, but are not restricted to, the nexus of Islam and the fol-lowing: environmental sustainability; gender and the environment; sustainable development; ecology; envi-ronmental conservation; natural resource management; climate change; etc.
Deadline for abstracts: 15 August 2019. Information: https://muslimstudies.isp.msu.edu/about/conference/
5. Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship in Islamic Rational Theology / Philosophy (kalām / falsafa), Aix-en-Provence
Required skills: specialisation in Arabic philosophy/philology/rational theology (PhD level); speaking, writing and oral comprehension of French and English; linguistic skills in Arabic (reading, editing ancient texts); experience in drafting and publishing scientific articles; knowledge of new technologies: research blog on the platform Hypothèses, knowledge of the word-processor Classical Text Editor.
Deadline for applications: 31 August 2019.
Information: http://iremam.cnrs.fr/IMG/pdf/anr-gaia_2019-post-doc_fr-en.pdf
6. Humanities Research Fellowships for the Study of the Arab World, NYU Abu Dhabi
While open to scholars working in all areas of the Humanities, the program aims in particular to build a center of outstanding research capacity in areas of the Humanities that are relevant for the study of the Arabic world, its rich intellectual, religious, and scientific history, its cultural and artistic heritage as expressed in traditional and new media, and its interaction with other cultures in the past and present.
Deadline for applications: 1 October 2019.
Information: https://nyuad.nyu.edu/en/research/centers-labs-and-projects/humanities-research-fellowship-program.html
7. Assistant Professor (Four-Year Position) in Sociology, American University Cairo
Requirements: A PhD in sociology or a related discipline with the ability to teach and publish within the discipline of sociology. Commitment to teaching and engagement of students, as well as service to the university, particularly the sociology program and the department, are necessary, as well as an active research agenda.
Priority will be given to applications that are submitted by 1 November 2019.
Information: https://careers.insidehighered.com/job/1587207/sociology-fall-2020/
8. Assistant Professor (Tenure-Track) in Islamic Studies, Macalester College, Saint Paul (Minnesota)
A PhD is required by time of appointment (Fall 2020). The successful candidate will be expected to teach a broad range of courses in classical and modern Islam and in the study of religion more broadly. The field of specialty within Islamic Studies is open. We will also consider the candidate’s ability to contribute to other on-campus programs.
Deadline for abstracts: 1 October 2019. Information: https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/13798
9. Scholarships for Historical Researchers on Western Asia and the Islamic World (2020-2021), Princeton
Members in the School are appointed for either one term (first term 21 September to 18 December, second term 11 January to 9 April) or for two terms, amounting to a full academic year. Eligibility requirements include a substantial record of publication and a PhD awarded by no later than 31 December 2018.
Deadline for applications: 15 October 2019. Information: https://www.hs.ias.edu/mem_announcement
10. 4 bourses de Master 2 et une allocation doctorale pour l’année universeritaire 2019-20, La Fondation de l’Islam de France
Au regard de ces grandes orientations, la Fondation soutiendra les chercheurs dont les travaux permettent de mieux cerner les problématiques déclinées selon quatre axes relevant de l’islamologie fondamentale et appliquée. Une excellente maîtrise des langues arabe, turque ou / et persane sera jugée indispensable au soutien par la FIF de toute candidature.
Deadline for applications: 17 July 2019. Information: https://iismm.hypotheses.org/42213
11. Summer School of Iranian Studies and Persian Language
University of Tehran: 16 to 28 August 2019
All the classes will be held outside classrooms in museums, palaces, and historical and cultural settings. Lectures will be held in English by the University of Tehran’s professors. in the end, Participants will be awarded a certificate of attendance, certified by the University of Tehran, together with a memento.
Visa
To apply for a student visa, please visit the following link and fill out the required form. You need to pay an advance of €100. The remainder will be charged in cash in Tehran:
www.event.cins.ir/register/form/5
For questions and inquiries please contact: ialit@ut.ac.ir (Sadegh Hojjati: Executive Secretary)
Office of International Relations,
Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Tehran
Phone Number: +982166477453, +982166978881
Fax:+982166978881
E-mail:ialit@ut.ac.ir
Address: Enqelab Ave.,P.O.Box:14155-6158, Tehran, Iran
1.Omani manuscripts
The Omani ministry of Heritage and Culture has announced it is sharing more than 4,000 manuscripts electronically to researchers on its website. The manuscripts are distributed in four fields, focusing mostly on the humanities, Hadith, Quran, jurisprudence, history, literature, as well as astronomy, medicine and marine science.
2. 125 More Arabic Scientific Manuscripts in the Qatar Digital Library
The second phase of the British Library/Qatar Foundation Partnership digitisation project has now come to a successful close.
For further information:
3. Journal of the Ottoman and Turkish Studies Association, (JOTSA vol.6.1, Part I) on Ceremonies, Festivals, and Rituals in the Ottoman World.
Ozgen Felek and Sinem Erdoğan İşkorkutan, “Introduction: Ceremonies, Festivals, and Rituals in the Ottoman World” (pp. 9-19)
Jane Hathaway, “The Ottoman Chief Harem Eunuch in Ceremonies and Festivals” (pp. 21-37)
Ayşe Baltacıoğlu-Brammer, “Those Heretics Gathering Secretly …”: Qizilbash Rituals and Practices in the Ottoman Empire according to Early Modern Sources” (pp. 39-60)
Nikolaos Vryzidis, “Textiles and Ceremonial of the Greek Orthodox Church under the Ottomans: New Evidence on Hil’ats, Kaftans, Covers, and Hangings” (pp. 61-80)
Darin Stephanov, “Salvos and Sovereignty: Comparative Notes on Ceremonial Gunfire in the Late Ottoman and Russian Empires” (pp. 81-102)
Hakan T. Karateke, “The Peculiar Status of the Crimean Khans in Ottoman Protocol” (pp. 103-120)
Sinem Erdoğan İşkorkutan, “Between Representation and Reality: A Critical Evaluation of Narratives of the 1720 Festival and Unknown Archival Sources” (pp. 121-140)
Ozgen Felek, “Displaying Manhood and Masculinity at the Imperial Circumcision Festivity of 1582” (pp. 141-170)
See: https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2979/jottturstuass.6.issue-1
4. University of Exeter
The Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies is seeking applicants for its Visiting Al-Qasimi Professor in Islamic Studies for the academic year 2020-2021.
Details are here:
https://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/BTO210/visiting-al-qasimi-professor-in-islamic-studies
1.An Ocean of Paper Database Search Guide
An Ocean of Paper seeks to stimulate new research in the social history of the Sultanate by collecting, cataloging, and publishing the thousands of deeds (called waraqas) produced by Omanis in South Arabia and East Africa during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. These deeds, which exist in private and public collections in Oman and East Africa, recount transactions in money, property, and commodities between Omanis from different parts of the country who engaged in activities around the Indian Ocean. Individually, they tell stories of the lives, fortunes, and trajectories of Omani migrants; together, they constitute some of the richest written records we have on any community in the region, and promise to completely reshape the foundations of Omani social and economic history in the Indian Ocean.
Ocean of Paper is a part of Indian Ocean in World History educational resources project of Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center.
See: http://www.indianoceanhistory.org/oceanofpaper/
2. 3rd Annual Conference of the International Working Group on “State, Society and Dynamics of Political Change in MENA”: “Values and Institutions: What has Changed in post 2011 North Africa?”, Tangier, 25-26 October 2019
This symposium aims to contribute to a preliminary assessment of the political transformations that resulted from the first wave of the Arab uprisings of 2011 from the perspective of the supposed mutual influence between democratic institutions and the democratic value system. Social scientists interested in taking part in this debate are invited to submit their abstracts.
Deadline for abstracts: 7 July 2019. Information: https://www.kas.de/web/marokko/veranstaltungen/detail/-/content/call-for-papers-3
3. 15th International Congress of Ottoman Social and Economic History (ICOSEH), University of Zagreb, 13-17 July 2020
The Executive Committee of ICOSEH and the Organizing Committee invite the submission of abstracts of individual papers as well as pre-organized panels/sessions and workshops. Papers are expected to address various aspects of the economic and social history of the Ottoman Empire. We encourage panels and workshops on any aspects of the Ottomans and the Mediterranean and the Ottomans and Central Europe.
Deadline for abstracts: 15 December 2019. Information: https://networks.h-net.org/node/11419/discussions/4222924/icoseh-zagreb-2020-cfp
4. Rosalind Franklin Tenure Track Professorship for Female Scholar in the Research Field of “Islamic Thought and Culture”, University of Groningen
The positon will contribute to one or more of our common themes of inquiry, such as cultural heritage, intellectual history, history of religion, ethics and philosophy, and the contemporary governance of religion. Qualification: PhD degree in Theology/Religious Studies or another field appropriate to the position; etc.
Deadline for applications: 29 August 2019. Information: https://www.rug.nl/about-us/work-with-us/job-opportunities/?details=00347-02S000730P
5. Assistant Professor (Tenure-Track) in Middle East / North Africa History, Appalachian State University, North Carolina
Minimum Qualifications: ability to teach courses in area of specialization and global history required. Ph.D. in history or a related field, teaching experience, and evidence of scholarly potential expected. Candidates who are ABD will be considered, but the position requires completion of all doctoral requirements by August 2020.
Review of applications will begin on 16 September 2019 and continue until the position is filled. Information: https://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=58651
6. Assistant Professor (Tenure-Track Position) in Law and Politics in Global or Middle East Context, Whitman College, Washington
Candidates should have experience in fieldwork, archival, historical institutional, political theoretical, and/or legal textual approaches. They might offer courses in international law; international politics; decolonization; human rights; theories of empire; comparative constitutionalism; indigenous politics; and/or area-specific courses on Asia and Africa.
Deadline for applications: 15 August 2019.
Information: https://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=58653
7. PhD Dissertation Award 2019 of the “Association for Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies (AGAPS)”
Dissertations from across the disciplines and a variety of perspectives are invited. They must primarily focus on the Arabian Peninsula, but can be inclusive of the transnational flows of people, material and ideas across the Gulf, Red Sea, and Indian Ocean. PhD dissertations (in English) accepted for the degree of PhD between 1 July 2018 and 30 June 2019 are eligible.
Deadline for submissions: 31 August 2019. Information: https://agaps.org/agapsmesa/mesa-awards/
8. Graduate Paper Prize 2019 of the “Association for Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies (AGAPS)”
The research papers must have been written between 1 July 2018 and 30 June 2019 and primarily focus on the Arabian Peninsula but can be inclusive of the transnational flow of people, goods and ideas across the Gulf, Red Sea and Indian Ocean. Papers should include an engagement with literature, a clear methodology, and make an original contribution to scholarship in the field.
Deadline for submissions: 31 August 2019. Information: https://agaps.org/agapsmesa/mesa-awards/
9. École d’été : “Sources et méthodes pour l’étude du phénomène missionnaire au Moyen-Orient (fin XIXe-nos jours)”, EFR Rome, 3-7 juin 2019
Écrire l’histoire des missions orientales à partir des archives romaines. Centralisation, classification, conservation?
Programme : http://iremam.cnrs.fr/IMG/pdf/prog-ed-062019-d.pdf
10. Articles on “Sufism and Peace Studies“ for the “Research Journal of Philosophy and Practice“
Research scholars, authors are welcome for submitting their valuable research work related to Sufi practice, philosophy and teaching of Sufi saints.
Deadline for articles: 30 September 2019.
11. CfP: Sharḥ, tafsīr, and ḥāshiya. A workshop on the form, function and context of pre-modern commentary-writing in Arabic
University of Zurich, 15-16 June 2020
The pre-modern Arabic literary landscape is full of commentaries meta-commentaries and auto commentaries of various shapes and sizes, such that commentary-writing indisputably stood as one of the main forms of scholarly textual output over the centuries Some features of this tradition have received their fair share of attention; others remain yet to be explored. While the importance of, for example, Quranic or philosophical commentary as a source for Muslim intellectual history has been recognised in the last decades, commentaries in other fields are often mentioned only for the purpose of proving the popularity of the commentated text. The questions of why commentaries were composed in the first place, in what institutional settings, according to what conventions and with what techniques remain under-explored. This workshop will focus on two principal aspects of the study of commentary and commentating practices: (1.) the techniques of commentary-writing; and (2.) its audience and reception. In the first area, we are interested in the interaction and connections between text and commentary. This could be summarised with the simple question, “how does commentary work?”. In the second, we encourage papers that give consideration to readers and likely readerships of commentaries, either by studying the para-texts of commentaries (e.g. marginalia etc.) or sociologically, by looking at groups of readers, and owners of manuscripts. This could be summarised with the question, “how was commentary used?”.
We invite papers dealing with commentaries written in Arabic any time before roughly the 15th century, belonging to any genre (philosophy, theology, literature, medicine, sciences, etc.).
Possible questions to be dealt with may include (but are not limited to):
Please send a 400-word abstract to james.weaver@uzh.ch and forster@zedat.fu-berlin.de not later than August 31, 2019.
The selected participants will be notified by October 30, 2019.
Speakers’ costs for travel and accommodation will be covered.
Conveners:
Dr James Weaver, University of Zurich
Prof Dr Regula Forster, Freie Universität Berlin/University of Zurich
12. Call for papers for the session “Ethnic Diversity and Spatial Segregation; Cities in Motion in the World of Islam” at the European Association for Urban History Conference, Antwerp, 2-5 Sept. 2020: https://www.uantwerpen.be/en/conferences/eauh2020/papers/. The call will be open until 4 October 2019.
13. In the period 2009-14 a relational prosopographical database MP3 was constructed at Ghent University for the study of late medieval Syro-Egyptian political elites, institutions and practices, in the context of a specific collaborative research project on ‘Mamluk’ state formation. In the period 2015-16 new funding was obtained to create from MP3’s Filemaker 12 database a more widely accessible, connected and multifunctional research infrastructure and to expand its textual component and analytical potential. This project is currently known as the MPP project, and it now is conceptualised as a pilot project for the Islamic History Open Data Platform(IHODP) that we are developing.
IHODP will be an Open Source & Open Access Data Platform for ’Medieval’ Arabic Humanities Research. It is being constructed from, and integrates, several interconnected open data projects, including MPP and the Arabic historiography project MMS-II. IHODP will be a flexible, sustainable, user-friendly and multi-purpose solution and allowing for the creation of multiple independent and/or integrated data projects with freely definable multiple user roles, default back up and export facilities, and opportunities to work with various metadata ontologies, annotation tools, and Arabic text corpora.
After extensive testing we are ready to launch a beta-version of the Islamic History Open Data Platform (IHODP) in which MPP runs as a first project. Two other related and interconnected projects, Corpus: Texts from Late Medieval Egypt and Syria (Corpus) and Bibliography of 15th Century Arabic Historiography (BAH), are soon going to be launched on IHODP too. You can find a detailed explanation with demo’s of IHODP and MPP on our MMS-website.
Kind regards,
Maya Termonia
Jo Van Steenbergen
14. Annual meeting at Leeds, UK (1-4 July), the International Medieval Congress, “Europe’s largest forum for sharing ideas in medieval studies”.
With at least 65 papers relevant for Arabic and Islamic Studies (accessible via https://www.imc.leeds.ac.uk/imc2019/programme/ > paper keyword > Islamic and Arabic Studies) the IMC has a lot to offer to Middle East Medievalists.
For the 2020 meeting (6-9 July) the special thematic strand will be ‘Borders’, a term that is meant to designate a wide variety of phenomena, from physical boundaries and material borders to dynamic social and spatial relationships. The IMC welcomes session and paper proposals related to this special thematic strand, or to any other aspect of the study of the period 300-1500 CE.
Individual paper proposal deadline: 31 August 2019; session proposal deadline: 30 September 2019.
For further information, and online proposal guidelines, please visit the IMC website at www.imc.leeds.ac.uk
1.Lawforms Workshop 2019: “Manuals, Stylebooks, and Formularies for Persianate Legal Documents”, Exeter, 8-10 July 2019
This is a project team-centred event, but we have space for a few more people; if you can read Persian, and would like to read manuals for fun, do get in touch!
Information: https://lawforms.hypotheses.org/499
2. 26th International Congress of the German Middle East Studies Association (DAVO) combined with the Conference of the Section for Islam Studies of the Deutsche Morgenländische Gesellschaft (DMG), Hamburg, 3-5 October 2019
The deadline for abstracts of papers and panels has been extended until 30 June 2019. Please send your abstracts to the Secretary General of the Congress, amke.dietert@googlemail.com. Further information: https://www.aai.uni-hamburg.de/en/voror/veranstaltungen/2019-davokongress.html
3. Doctoral Workshop in Late- and Post-Ottoman Studies: “Values and Status Negotiation: Media in the Middle East and North Africa”, University of Basel, 18-19 October 2019
In this workshop, students will engage with understandings of the media in the Middle East from the perspective of the role media plays in society, and the position it commands in relation to power. We seek applicants whose work sets out to discover how these are understood, rationalized, exercised, negotiated and found appropriate and useful within different social milieux.
Deadline for applications: 2 August 2019. Information: https://nahoststudien.philhist.unibas.ch/fileadmin/user_upload/nahoststudien/CfA_MUBIT_2019_Media_in_the_Middle_East_and_North_Africa.pdf
4. 24th Conference of the Comité International des Études Pré-Ottomanes et Ottomanes, Thessaloniki, 23-27 June 2020
The aim is to provide a platform of a high scholarly level, which will promote the knowledge and sustain the memory of Ottoman history. The organizers encourage panels and individual papers that fall under the following topics: the Ottoman Empire in the Age of Revolutions; Sources: New interpretations and approaches; etc.
Deadline for abstracts: 31 October 2019. Information:https://www.univie.ac.at/ciepo/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/CIEPO24_1st_Circular.pdf
5. Fourth European Convention on Turkic, Ottoman and Turkish Studies (“Turkologentag”), Mainz, 16-18 September 2020
We are inviting proposals for papers in the domains of language, literature, history, culture, society, politics, and philology of the Turks and the Turkic peoples. Conference languages are English, German, and Turkish.
Deadline for abstracts: 15 April 2020. Information: http://www.turkologentag-2020.de/Call_for_Papers.html
6. Associate Professorship (Full-Time, Tenure-Track) in Middle Eastern Studies, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
We are looking for candidates with expertise in a range of Middle East related fields, preferably: Politics in the contemporary Middle East; Cultural & literary aspects of the Middle East; The Arab world in relation to Israel, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and/or the Gulf region.
Deadline for applications: 27 June 2019. Information: https://www.rug.nl/about-us/work-with-us/job-opportunities/?details=00347-02S00073ZP
7. Senior Research Fellow, MENA Peace and Security Program, Emirates Diplomatic Academy, Abu Dhabi
The EDA is recruiting a Senior Research Fellow, with particular expertise in humanitarian aid and development in the MENA region as well as interest and/or experience in stabilisation and post conflict reconstruction. PhD is required.
Deadline for applications: 31 July 2019. For information: victor.gervais@eda.ac.ae
8. Faculty Positions in the Human Rights Graduate Program, Doha Institute
Successful candidates will have a doctorate in Law or Political Science and will be able to teach one or more of the following subjects: Introduction to Human Rights, Public International Law, Human Rights and Islamic Law, Human Rights in the Arab World, Critical Approaches to Human Rights, and Comparative Constitutional Law, and must have the ability to teach in Arabic. The appointment is scheduled for August 2020.
Review of applications will continue until the position is filled.
Information: https://www.dohainstitute.edu.qa/EN/Careers/Pages/Apply.aspx?JobId=DIAC_2019_047
9. Richard Gillespie Mediterranean Prize of the Journal “Mediterranean Politics” for the Best Research Article on the Contemporary Social and Political Dynamics of the Mediterranean Region
We welcome contributions on politics and international relations as well as economics, human geography, sociology, anthropology and other relevant disciplines in the humanities and social sciences.
Deadline for submissions: 31 December 2019. Information: https://think.taylorandfrancis.com/journal-prize-richard-gillespie-mediterranean-prize/
10. Grants for Research in Byzantine, Ottoman, Atatürk and Republican-Era Studies, Istanbul Research Institute
Deadline for applications: 11 August 2019. Information: https://en.iae.org.tr/Content/Grants/128
11. Summer School on “Politics, Islam and Government in Iran”, Regional Studies Committee of Iranian Political Science Association (IPSA), Tehran, 27 July – 7 August 2019
The school is planning to explore Islam, politics and government in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The focus of the courses is to portray and analyze the political power structure as well as the influence of religion on the Islamic Republic ideology.
Deadline for registration: 7 July 2019.
Information: http://www.ipsa.ir/content/2/%D9%85%D8%AD%D8%AA%D9%88%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D8%AB%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%AA/13763/Summer-school
12. Summer Course: “Islamicate Digital Humanities for Scholars in Manuscript Studies”, University of Hamburg, 14-18 August 2019
This course is for graduate students and researchers who work with manuscript materials in Arabic script and want to learn how to apply digital technology in their research. It includes both theoretical and practical sessions on digital encoding and editing of manuscript texts, data annotation, search and visualization.
Deadline for applications: 24 June 2019.
Information: https://www.cobhuni.uni-hamburg.de/en/news-and-events/summerschool19.html
13. Third Annual Graduate Student Book Review Colloquium on Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, 11 October 2019
The Colloquium invites advanced graduate students in the social sciences and humanities to submit reviews on noteworthy books published between 2017-2019 in the field of Islamic and Middle Eastern studies.
Deadline for submissions: 1 July 2019.
14. Articles for the First Issue of the Journal “Modern Islamic Studies” on “Islam and/or Tradition? Traditional Islam and Islamic Traditions in the Eastern Europe”
Taken in a broad geographical sense, we are seeking for the papers addressing history and modernity of Muslims in the area from Balkans and Crimea on the South, Baltia on the North and Caucausus on the East, where indigenous Muslim popullation and traditions are represented.
Deadline for full papers: 15 November 2019. Information: https://journals.oa.edu.ua/Islamic/
15. Articles for “Zeitschrift für Recht & Islam / Journal of Law & Islam”
The peer reviewed Journal covers theoretical legal debate as well as the practical application of both secular and Islamic laws. It considers the historical development as well as the interaction of “secular” and Islamic laws in different contexts, and covers key phenomena affecting academic discourse, legislation and legal practice in the relevant states. Languages: German, English or French.
Information: http://zri.gair.de/index.php/en/; contact zri@gair.de
16. Articles on “The State of Islam amidst the Growth of the European Far-Right” for Special Issue of “Islamic Perspective Journal”
Papers are invited on: The state of Islam and Muslims in particular European countries; Critiques of anti-Muslim and anti-Islam ideologies; Critiques of specific anti-immigrant and anti-Islam thinkers as well as far-right political parties and nationalist movements; The effects of such far-right movements on Muslim women, children, and family life and on Muslims in the public sphere, civil society, and in government positions; etc.
Deadline for abstracts: 1 August 2019. Contact Dustin J. Byrd, Ph.D. (dbyrd@olivetcollege.edu)
17. Articles for Journal “Contemporary Arab Affairs (CAA)”
The editors of this peer-reviewed journal published by the Centre for Arab Unity Studies and University of California Press, invite authors to submit original multidisciplinary articles on the Arab World (5,000-7,000 words) to the editor at caa@caus.org.lb.
Deadline for manuscripts: 31 December 2019. Information: http://caa.ucpress.edu/content/submit
18. Contributions to Edited Volume on “Islam and Humour”
Contributions are invited on humour in the lives of Muslims around the world; how Muslim comics use jokes to counteract oppression; how Muslim comics use humour as a tool for social integration into new communities; the role of humour in contemporary mass media in Muslim countries; etc.
Deadline for abstracts: 1 August 2019. Information: Bernard Schweizer (Bernard.Schweizer@liu.edu)
19. Online Resource: “Embedding Conquest: Naturalising Muslim Rule in the Early Islamic Empire (600-1000)”, Leiden University
This blog of a research project focuses on how the Islamic conquests were consolidated in the diverse regions they reached. It is aimed at scholars and students and the interested public.
See https://emco.hcommons.org/2019/05/30/the-governors-orders-part-one/ and links to many other themes.
20. CFP: “Violence” Fall 2019 Mediterranean Seminar Workshop (4 & 5 October: Toronto)
Workshop paper proposals and round-table participants are being sought for the Mediterranean Seminar’s two-day Spring 2019 meeting on the subject of “Violence,” to be held at the University of Toronto on 4 & 5 October 2019.
The meeting is jointly sponsored by the the Malta Study Center at the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library and the Department of History, the Centre for Medieval Studies, the Centre for Jewish Studies, the Institute for Islamic Studies, the Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations, the Department of Religious Studies, the Department of Spanish and Portuguese and the Department of Art History at the University of Toronto.
As the principal site of contact and confrontation between Muslims, Christians, and Jews in the premodern world, the Mediterranean presents an ideal geography within which to explore various dimensions of interfaith violence: ideologies and practices of war, conquest and colonialism; conflict between confessional communities within Muslim and Christian states; piracy; slavery; the trauma resulting from such violence; and the memorialization of violence. The Mediterranean also lends itself to the comparative exploration of violence within Muslim, Christian, and Jewish communities as a culturally specific form of social discourse, as expressed, for instance, in class conflict and social rebellion, feuds and vendettas, the violence related to gendered notions of honor and shame, and punishment and execution. Since modern (mis)understandings of premodern crusades and jihads, relations between ruling majorities and religious minorities, and the role of violence in gender relations continue to contribute to prejudice and violence throughout the world, the study of violence in the premodern Mediterranean is all too relevant.
Papers and round-table participants from history, art history, religious studies, literary and cultural studies, anthropology or any relevant Humanities and Social Sciences discipline are welcome.
Our Mediterranean is construed geographically as including southern Europe, the Near and Middle East and North Africa and into the Black Sea and Central Asia, and the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.
All North American-based scholars (or foreign scholars who will be in the US at this time) working on relevant material are encouraged to apply. Scholars from further abroad may apply but we cannot pay full travel costs. ABD PhD students, junior and non-tenure track faculty are particularly welcome to apply.
For the workshop (to be held on Friday, 4 October), we invite abstracts of in-progress (unpublished) drafts of articles or book/dissertation chapters on any aspect of interfaith or intrafaith violence in the premodern Mediterranean and on literary and artistic representations of such violence. Papers with a comparative approach are particularly welcome.
The workshop will also feature a keynote presentation, “”‘Blood of God! Bowels of God!’: Violence and the Order of Malta”,” by Dr. Emanuel Buttigieg (University of Malta).
The second day, Saturday, 5 October, will feature three round-table conversations, focusing on the following questions:
1. What was the relationship between the practice of violence and its representations (textual, visual, or other) ? Did the rhetoric of violence correspond to its practice ?
2. How has violence shaped Mediterranean art, or popular or material culture, and in what sense can it be seen as legitimate or illegitimate through various medium and modes of expression?
3. How has gender in the Mediterranean defined and been defined by violence?
A separate call for non-presenting workshop and symposium attendees will go out in mid-August.
The deadline for workshop and round-table proposals is 15 July 2019.
Please submit an abstract (250-500 words) and two-page CV by this date to mailbox@mediterraneanseminar.org (subject line: Fall 2019 Proposal).
You may apply for both a workshop presentation and round-table discussion.
For further information, please consult www.mediterraneanseminar.org, or inquire at mailbox@mediterraneanseminar.org
21. Naskhi-divani: a little-recognized sultanate script
The art of the book in sultanate India, particularly of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, is notable for its eclecticism. Because of the sultanates’ evolving political terrain, the search for a coherent narrative of manuscript patronage and production is a challenge. In comparison to painting, one relatively overlooked feature of sultanate books is calligraphy. Here, we examine a script found in sultanate manuscripts that scholars have started to call naskhī-dīvānī.
1.Position in Islamic Studies
Harvard University’s Faculty of Divinity seeks to make a full-time, tenure track appointment in Islamic Studies. We are particularly interested in a candidate with scholarly expertise either in: Islam in the Americas, Islam in Southeast Asia, or Quranic Studies. The candidate should be competent in the appropriate research languages and conversant with the broader, global history of Islamic religion and culture.
This is a tenure track position. The successful candidate will work closely with students in the Divinity School’s masters programs and the doctoral program in the Study of Religion. It is likely they will also teach undergraduates in the Comparative Study of Religion and graduate students in related departments of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. It is expected that this scholar will be in conversation with those in other programs and schools at Harvard critical to Islamic Studies. Openness to our growing program in ministry studies in Islam will be an advantage.
Applicants should also be able to contribute to the Divinity School’s degree programs, including its multi-religious Master of Divinity program, and be familiar with forms of analysis that address race, gender, and social location. The doctoral degree must be held by June 30, 2020.
Applications should be made online at: http://academicpositions.harvard.edu . A CV, cover letter, writing sample, and the names of three references whom the School may wish to contact will be required of all candidates. Review of applications will begin in September 2019 and continue until the position is filled. Selected candidates may be invited to initial interviews at the American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA, this coming November.
Letters of nomination are also welcome and should be sent to: Islamic Studies Search Committee, c/o Faculty Search Office, Harvard Divinity School, 45 Francis Avenue, Divinity Hall 417, Cambridge, MA, 02138, or to islamicsearch@hds.harvard.edu . Applicants should address any questions regarding the position itself or the online application system to the Office of Academic Affairs at islamicsearch@hds.harvard.edu .
2. Viola ALLEGRANZI, Aux sources de la poésie ghaznavide. Les inscriptions persanes de Ghazni (Afghanistan, XI-XIIe siècles, 2 vols., Paris: Presses de la Sorbonne Nouvelle, 2019. (ISBN: 978-2-87854-981-2)
Here in the link to PSN webpage with more information on the book (in French and in English): http://psn.univ-paris3.fr/ouvrage/aux-sources-de-la-poesie-ghaznavide-les-inscriptions-persanes-de-ghazni-afghanistan-xi-xiie-siecles#
3. CfP: CIWAS (The Centre for Islamic and West Asian Studies) Third Annual Conference
‘Urban Islam: Muslim Minorities, Identity and Tradition in West Asian, South Asian, and African Cities’
19 February, 2020
Royal Holloway,
University of London
Deadine for abstracts: 4 October, 2019.
Full details at:
http://ciwas.net/upcoming-events-2/
4. Mosques: The 100 Most Iconic Islamic Houses of Worship
Bernard O’Kane is Professor of Islamic Art and Architecture at the American University in Cairo, where he has been teaching since 1980.
He has also been a visiting professor at Harvard University and the University of California at Berkeley. He is the author of Timurid Architecture in Khurasan (1987), Studies in Persian Art and Architecture (1995), Early Persian Painting: Kalila and Dimna Manuscripts of the Late Fourteenth Century (2003), The World of Islamic Art (2007), The Appearance of Persian on Islamic Art (2009), The Illustrated Guide to the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo (2012) and The Mosques of Egypt (2016).
https://www.assouline.com/products/mosque-ultimate
5. Materials and Technologies in the Age of Transition: The Byzantine, Sasanian and Islamic Near East
Wolfson College, University of Oxford, 10–11 July 2019
Organisers: Moujan Matin (moujan.matin@wolfson.ox.ac.uk) and Alain George (alain.george@orinst.ox.ac.uk)
For registration please visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/materials-and-technologies-in-the-age-of-transition-the-byz…
Between the late seventh century and the so-called Golden Age of Islam in the ninth to tenth centuries, the patronage of Islamic courts promoted the establishment of learned circles, observatories and semi-public libraries, the conduct of scientific research, and a translation movement from Greek and Sanskrit into Arabic. Various aspects of the transmission of knowledge in this period and the development of more abstract sciences of mathematics and astronomy, as well as medicine, have been discussed in the scholarly literature. However, very little is known about the development of materials technologies in this period, such as metalwork, ceramics, glass, manuscripts, textiles and cosmetics, that originated in the experimentation and hands-on knowledge of miners, smiths, scribes, potters and other craftsmen. Scientific analyses of archaeological materials in recent decades have produced a large body of scientific data on methods of production and technological links. Despite their crucial importance, these archaeological scientific projects tend to focus on only one type of material – e.g. metalwork, or pottery – and hence fail to provide a broader historical perspective on the development and spread of technologies and the cross-technology interactions. This symposium will provide a rare occasion to bring together historians and researchers engaged in scientific study of different materials, and to help transform their respective outlooks on the Byzantine-Islamic transition in different artistic media. This one-and-a-half-day symposium will be divided into six sessions:
6. 12th Annual Lawrence J. Schoenberg Symposium on Manuscript Studies in the Digital Age
November 21-23, 2019
Hooking Up
In partnership with the Rare Book Department of the Free Library of Philadelphia, the Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies (SIMS) at the University of Pennsylvania Libraries is pleased to announce the 12th Annual Lawrence J. Schoenberg Symposium on Manuscript Studies in the Digital Age, Hooking Up.
The concept of linked open data is the holy grail of the digital humanities. Yet the problem of how to link information across platforms has existed since civilization began. As knowledge and learning expanded in pre-modern society, the problems associated with collecting, combining, and disseminating information inspired new approaches to and technologies for the material text. In the internet age, we continue to grapple with the same problems and issues. While technologies have changed, the questions remain the same.
This year’s symposium explores the connections between historic and current approaches to data linkage in regard to manuscripts and manuscript research. Hooking Up addresses the topic from a variety of angles and considers how the manuscript book operates as a vehicle for information retrieval and dissemination from the technology of the page and the textual apparatus of a book, to the library, and finally, the internet. We will also consider such questions as how medieval practices of memory shaped information retrieval and gathering, how did the technology of the manuscripts book—in all its many forms—facilitate or hinder information processing, how can medieval solutions inform modern technologies, and how do modern technologies illuminate medieval practices? The program will also feature sessions highlighting projects that are advancing linked data technologies for manuscript researchers, including the T-AP Digging Into Data Challenge project Mapping Manuscript Migrations.
The program will begin Thursday evening, November 21, 5:00 pm, at the Rare Book Department of the Free Library of Philadelphia, Parkway Central Library, with a keynote address by Professor Mary Carruthers, New York University, and All Souls College, Oxford University. The symposium will continue November 22nd-23rd at the Kislak Center of Special Collections, Rare Books, and Manuscripts at the University of Pennsylvania.
Other speakers include:
For more information, go to http://www.library.upenn.edu/about/exhibits-events/ljs-symposium12. Registration opens in September 2019.
7. CFP: “Acts of Excommunication” in the Late Antique and Early Islamicate Middle East. March 12-13, 2020, Leiden University
As part of the ERC-funded project, “Embedding Conquest, Naturalising Muslim Rule (600-1000)”, at Leiden University, this conference aims to bring together both senior and junior scholars to present research which illuminates the dynamics implicit in the act of excommunication and associated practices: ostracism, anathema, and other forms of religio-social exclusion, among the major religious communities of the Islamicate world, 600-1200 CE: including various Christian and Jewish denominations, Sunni, Shiʿi, ‘Khārijī’ and other groups within Islam; Zoroastrians and other relevant groups.
The workshop will focus on “acts of excommunication”, meaning that its primary focus will be specific cases, whether real or imagined, which display the dynamics and implications of excommunicatory practices. The discussion of specifc (pseudo-) documents is particularly encouraged. While participants will be asked to focus on specific cases, they should show how these examples illuminate the larger frameworks within which their cases occurred.
Topics to be covered might include the following:
Aims of the workshop
Scholars of Judaism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism and Islam often study excommunication in separate silos, developing separate vocabularies and models. However, during the early Islamic period, these communities shared space and ideas. When compared, various contexts (theology, ritual, eschatology, social mores) indicate isomorphisms which suggest that different religious communities were as connected as they were divided.
Excommunication is a tool of coercion, and as such, it deserves to be studied in comparative context which might highlight the operation of intersecting power dynamics in society.
This workshop aims to move beyond the idea that acts of excommunication were purely the result of theological issues. Instead, this workshop aims to explore acts of excommunication as social and political as well as religious practice, with important implications for activities in local communities, but also for interactions with wider society and with governing authorities within the early Islamic empire.
While the theological, doctrinal and legal backdrop are important, an act of excommunication does not simply flow from the conceptual force of a doctrinal transgression, but rather the act is situated within a set of overlapping fields which may include economic, institutional, familial, political, ethnic, linguistic and generational aspects. These fields, in turn, contributed to how an act of excommunication came to be interpreted and positioned within evolving systems of law, theology and doctrine.
Format and logistics
The workshop will take place Thurs 12-Fri 13 March , 2020, Leiden University
The output of this workshop will be an open-access special issue on the topic of excommunication in and around the early Islamicate empire, to be published in Al-ʿUsur al-Wusta: The Journal of Middle East Medievalists ( http://islamichistorycommons.org/mem/al-usur-al-wusta/).
Contributions to this workshop will be understood to be works in progress, with final versions to be submitted for the special issue.
Please send an abstracts of around 300 words to e.p.hayes@hum.leidenuniv.nl by October 1st, 2019.
Pre-circulation of papers will not be necessary, but final versions of papers for publication will be requested by September 2020.
If you are unable to attend the workshop, but would be interested in submitting to the special issue, please indicate this.
Subsidies will be available for travel and accommodation.
https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/research/research-projects/humanities/embedding-conquest#tab-1
