Categories : Academic items
Shii News – Academic Items
1.Online Resource – Explore the Collection of the Museum for Islamic Art – Pergamon Museum, Berlin
The Museum for Islamic Art is pleased to announce that the online database of the State Museums of Berlin, with the option to filter and explore objects specifically from our collection, is directly accessible through the Online Portal Islamic·Art.
Here you can explore detailed information on more than 12,500 objects from the collection – a resource that is continuously expanded and updated by our team.
In addition, the Online Portal Islamic·Art offers numerous stories, insights, and background information about the museum’s objects.
Start exploring here: https://islamic-art.smb.museum/?lang=en [Tip: scroll to the end of the website to find the Research module]
Please Note: Access to the online database through Sammlungen Online website is no longer possible.
Contact Information
Museum für Islamische Kunst (im Pergamonmuseum)
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz
Geschwister-Scholl-Straße 6
D-10117 Berlin
Contact Email
URL
https://islamic-art.smb.museum/?lang=en
2. Avicenna Study Group: Fifth Meeting 2025 (Bochum)
Fifth International Meeting of the Avicenna Study Group (ASG V), to be held 2–4 December 2025 at the new Avicenna Study Center (ASC), hosted by the Institute of Arabic and Islamic Studies at Ruhr University Bochum (RUB:AI) in Germany. This event is organised within the framework of the ERC project “Avicenna Live: The Immediate Context of Avicenna’s Intellectual Formation” (ALIVE).
The central theme of ASG V will be Avicenna’s al-Mubāḥaṯāt, a text whose significance for understanding Avicenna’s intellectual development and his interactions with his own disciples cannot be overstated. Through fifteen presentations, leading scholars will explore the critical value of al-Mubāḥaṯāt for our knowledge of Avicenna’s philosophy, aiming to illuminate new perspectives on the evolution of his thought and the dynamics of his scholarly exchanges.
The necessity of this endeavour is underscored by the diversity of scholarly opinion: while some colleagues regard al-Mubāḥaṯāt as merely reiterative of Avicenna’s main works, others consider its discussions a unique and indispensable source. This striking divergence highlights the urgent need for a comprehensive and nuanced examination of the text.
We are delighted to announce that the following distinguished scholars will present their latest research at our conference: Asad Q. Ahmed, Amilcar Aldama, Hamed Arezaei, M. Fariduddin Attar, Kübra Bahçi, Catarina Belo, Zhenyu Cai, Zachary Candy, Osama Eshera, Jari Kaukua, Haruo Kobayashi, István Lánczky, Ruizhi Ma, Stephen Ogden, and Meryem Sebti.
A special highlight of ASG V will be the launch of a new website dedicated to facilitating the study and collaborative translation of al-Mubāḥaṯāt. This platform will enable the global community of Avicenna scholars to engage with the text and contribute to its translation into English.
Contact: Kübra Bahçi, Andreas Lammer
(kuebra.bahci@rub.de , andreas.lammer@rub.de )
3. Nanyang Technological University, Singapore – Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor in Art History
- September 17, 2025
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1. Job Announcement: Lecturer in Arabic, Oberlin College
Oberlin College – an endowed lectureship in Arabic. This is a full-time position beginning in the fall semester of 2026, and carries the title of the Dorothy Koster Washburn ’67 Endowed Lectureship. It includes continuous renewals (upon review) and a path to promotion to Senior Lecturer.
Full job description, including required materials and application link, here: https://jobs.oberlin.edu/postings/16841.
The deadline is October 31st. Questions may be directed to Prof. Zeinab Abul-Magd (zabulmag@oberlin.edu).
2. Urumia 1915:
An American Mission in War-Torn Persia
By: William Ambrose Shedd
Mazda, 2025
https://www.mazdapublishers.com/book/urumia-1915
3. Published by Asemana Books
Takwīn wa Tashrīʿ (Creation and Legislation)
By Mirza Agha Khan-e Kermani
Edited by M. Rezaei Tazik
ISBN: 9781997503149
Numerous books and articles have examined the life, works, and ideas of Mirza Agha Khan Kermani (1853/54–1896)—one of the most capable Iran-centered intellectuals, a founding figure in the discourse of the Constitutional Revolution, and among the most influential critics of religion and government in nineteenth-century Iran.
His book Takwīn wa Tashrīʿ (Creation and Legislation) is now being published for the first time as part of the Critical Edition of the Works of Mirza Agha Khan Kermani (Volume IV).
Written during a period when Kermani was closely associated with the Bābī-Azalī community, the book makes reference to Shaykh Aḥmad Aḥsāʾī, the Shaykhī school, as well as to the “People of the Bayān” (ahl-i bayān). Since Kermani, in his Hašt Behešt (“Eight Paradises”), refers to Takwīn wa Tashrīʿ, and an incomplete copy of Hašt Behešt was sent to Professor Browne in 1891, it can be inferred that Takwīn wa Tashrīʿ was written in or before that year.
In this work, Kermani employs the concept of takwīn both in the sense of creation—the origination of existence—and in the sense of Darwinian evolution.
🔗 Read more here
📖 Order your copy here
Part of an Ongoing Critical Series
This volume is the Fourth installment in Asemana Books’ series of critical editions of Mirza Agha Khan’s works. Previous volumes include:
4. Submissions Open for 2026 Leigh Douglas Memorial Prize
About the Prize
The prize was established jointly by the Leigh Douglas Memorial Fund and BRISMES in memory of Dr Leigh Douglas who was killed in Beirut in 1986. It is awarded annually to the writer of the best PhD dissertation on a Middle Eastern topic in the Social Sciences or Humanities awarded by a British University in the previous year. The current value of the prize is £600 for the winner and £250 for the runner up.
Eligibility
Any student who has submitted their PhD dissertation on a Middle Eastern topic in the Social Sciences or Humanities to a British University between 1 October 2024 and 30 September 2025 is eligible to apply. If you are submitting your thesis after the deadline in 2025, you will be eligible for the following year’s prize.
We recommend that submissions for this prize are made after completion of your viva in order to benefit from feedback from the viva panel, but applicants can make a submission before the viva if they wish. Please note that you can only submit your PhD dissertation once for this prize.
How to Apply
Please send an electronic copy of your thesis and a letter of nomination from your supervisor to office@brismes.org.
Deadline for submissions: Midnight on 15 November 2025
More information: www.brismes.ac.uk/awards/ldmp
BRISMES Manager
Email: office@brismes.org
Website: www.brismes.ac.uk
5. Two Fresh Courses for this Fall – From Classical Prose to Modern Poetry
1. From Nima to Forough to Sohrab: How to Read a Modern Iranian Poet
The first course is an introduction to Modern Persian poetry, taught by Maryam Torabi, who is a highly experienced, and more importantly a great Persian teacher. The course will cover five main 20th century Iranian poets: Nima Yushij, Ahmad Shamlou, Fereydoun Moshiri, Sohrab Sepehri, Forough Farrokhzad, and is a perfect way for the students both to get a solid introduction to modern Persian poetry, and improve their Persian skills.
Link: https://ferdowsi.org/from-nima-to-forough-to-sohrab/
Dates: October 6 – October 17
The second course is an introduction to Early Classical Persian prose, taught by me, providing a comprehensive introduction to Classical Persian grammar, fundamental lexicon, phraseology, stylistics, phonology, paleography, as well as the main texts, covering a period from 10th to 12th centuries, and the relevant academic literature. The classes will be coupled with discussions of broader topics, such as the beginnings of New Persian literature, non-Arabic script Persian texts, historical orthography and earliest manuscripts:
Link: https://ferdowsi.org/an-introduction-to-classical-persian-prose/
Dates: October 6 – October 23
If you are interested or have questions, please feel free to reach out to me directly or apply through the website. I will be more than happy to answer any questions you have!
Best wishes,
Ruben S. Nikoghosyan
Ferdowsi School of Persian Literature
Yerevan, Armenia
Website: www.ferdowsi.org
6. Persian Manuscripts Association
Second International Conference (Saturday 20 September 2025 – 9am to 5pm UK time)
In-person (London): If you’re in London or nearby, we warmly welcome you to register for free and join us on-site for what promises to be an inspiring day of discussion and connection. Complimentary refreshments and lunch will be provided.
Register on Eventbrite.
Online Attendance: Can’t make it to London? No problem! Join us virtually and be part of the conversation from anywhere in the world.
Join via Zoom.
Listen to the Flute: Timurid Music and Its Transmissions Across the Persianate World
20 Sep 2025
Queen Mary Hall
(16-22 Great Russell Street, WC1B 3NN)
8:30-9:00
Registration
9:00-9:15
Welcome Remarks
9:15-10:00
Owen Wright – SOAS University of London
Timurid Music: An Introduction
10:00-10:45
Amir Hosein Pourjavady – UCI
The Music in the Gardens of Samarqand and Herat and the Dispersal of Their Legacy
10:45-11:00
Q&A
11:00-11:30
Coffee break
11:30-12:00
Marie Huber – Stanford University
Echoes of Herat: The Legacy of Timurid Musical Practice in Khorasan
12:00-12:30
Shiva Mihan – The British Museum
Imaging Sound: The Representation of Music in Timurid Manuscripts
12:30-1:00
Giovanni De Zorzi – University of Venice
Musicians at the Timurid Court
1:00-1:45
Lunch
1:45-2:15
William Hofmann – The Institute of Ismaili Studies
Only The Mystics of Unity Truly Understand: Translation and Equivalence in Persian Texts on Music from South Asia c. 1400–1660
2:15-2:45
Richard Williams – SOAS University of London
Mughals Between Maqam and Raga: Paida Beg’s Hindi Scholarship Under Shah Jahan
2:45-3:15
Coffee break
3:15-3:35
Behrouz Amini – Malek National Library and Museum
From Herat to Istanbul: Tracing Timurid Musical Heritage in the Manuscript Nuzhat al-Arwah
3:35-4:00
Arastoo Mihandoost – University of Tehran
Introducing a newly found Safavid Treatise on the Eight Dastgahs
4:00-4:30
Walter Feldman – NYC
Mevlevi and Iranian Musicians and “The Science of Music” in Ibrahim Cevri’s “Description of the Singers at the Court of the Sultan”
4:30-5:00
“Listen to the Flute” and Closing Remarks
7. Open-Access Teaching Module on the Black Death Now Available
The History for the 21st Century Project (H21, https://www.history21.com/) has just launched a new, open-access teaching module on the late medieval plague pandemic, commonly known as the Black Death. Authored by historian of medicine, Monica H. Green, an elected Fellow of the Medieval Academy of America, the module presents the first global narrative of the pandemic, from its origins in Central Asia up through its fullest impact in the mid-14th century.
The four-part module–entitled The Black Death: The Medieval Plague Pandemic through the Eyes of Ibn Battuta–uses the mid-14th-century Moroccan world traveler as the “guide” for a tour of the Mongol Empire and the pan-Mediterranean worlds that saw new outbreaks of plague in this period. Drawing on the latest work in the paleosciences (genetics and bioarchaeology, in this case), the module presents a new approach to infectious disease history: using documentary sources to tell what humans saw, and using scientific findings to show what people couldn’t see of the movements of the microscopic pathogen that causes plague, the bacterium Yersinia pestis.
The result is a wider geography and a longer chronology of the pandemic. Materials provided (all for free) include readings for the students that use excerpts from primary sources to create a new narrative of the pandemic; in-class exercises to engage the students in creating their own interpretations of events; instructional materials (including teaching guides and PowerPoint slides); and suggestions for assessment exercises.
The student reading materials can be accessed and downloaded here: https://www.history21.com/owit-module/the-black-death-the-medieval-plague-pandemic/. Registration (again, free) is required to access the instructional materials for this and all the other modules available in the H21 platform: https://www.history21.com/wp-login.php?action=register.
Contact Information
Monica H. Green, PhD
Independent Scholar
Contact Email
URL
https://www.history21.com/owit-module/the-black-death-the-medieval-plague-pande…
8. Job Posting in Arabic Linguistics – Assistant or Associate Professor, UT Austin
Arabic Linguistics – Assistant or Associate Professor
https://apply.interfolio.com/173668
Review of applications will begin October 29, 2025 and continue until the position is filled.
9. Research Assistant (3.5 Months) to Support the Coordination of a Publication on the Cultural Heritage of Religious, Ethnic and Linguistic Minorities in Syria, Iraq and Egypt, University of Sussex, Brighton
Requirements: Knowledge of Coptic community in Egypt. – _High proficiency in both English and Arabic languages. Undergraduate degree in social sciences or humanities. – _Academic writing experience.
Deadline for applications: 17 September 2025.
Information: https://www.cognitoforms.com/MEPCCC/ResearchAssistant
10. Assistant Professor (2 Years) in Political Science with Emphasis on the Middle East, American University in Cairo
Requirements: A PhD is required at the time of appointment. Candidates should demonstrate excellence in teaching and have an active research agenda. Candidates with experience in and familiarity with the North American higher educational system are preferred.
Deadline for applications: 1 January 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/yeyjpf4a
11. Junior Research Fellowship (2 Years), Crown Center for Middle East Studies, Brandeis University
The Crown Center for Middle East Studies is seeking outstanding scholars of the contemporary Middle East and North Africa for a residential fellowship to begin September 1, 2026. The fellowship is for two years contingent upon the successful completion of fellowship requirements in the first year. The fellowship is open to all disciplines in the Humanities and Social Sciences—particularly politics, economics, history, religion, sociology and anthropology. The fellowship’s goal is to allow untenured early career scholars the flexibility and means to advance a specific research project related to the contemporary Middle East and North Africa.
Deadline for applications: 31 October 2025. Information: https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/30422
12. Assistant Professor of International Studies, Kenyon College, Gambier, OH
We seek a social scientist with a degree in either sociology, political science, or anthropology, whose regional focus is on Sub-Saharan Africa or the Middle East and Northern Africa, with a demonstrated commitment to interdis-ciplinary research and teaching.
Deadline for applications: 15 October 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/yfhzepws
13. 5 Positions as Research Associate and Visiting Faculty in the “Women`s Studies in the Religion Program”, Harvard Divinity School
Proposals for book-length research projects utilizing both religion and gender as central categories of analysis and focusing on any religion are welcomed. Applicants must have received their PhD (or equivalent terminal degree) by 1 October 2025.
Deadline for applications: 15 October 2025. Information: https://wsrp.hds.harvard.edu/apply
14. Assistant Professor of World Literatures (Focus Comparative Literatures of the Middle East in Arabic, Persian, Turkish), Smith College, Northampton, MA
We seek a specialist in critical theory, with competency in translation studies and broad theoretical expertise in comparative world literatures as a field. In addition to being conversant in the most recent developments in both the field of comparative world literatures and translation studies, a successful candidate would specialize in a literature that expands the global reach of our program.
Deadline for applications: 1 October 2025. Information: https://apply.interfolio.com/173414
15. “Alixa Naff Migration Studies Prize” for Studies from Any Discipline on Studies on the Middle East and North African Migrations and Diasporas, Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Award of $ 1,000 for: 1. Established Scholars: Articles or books published between 1 June 2024 and 30 May 2025. – _2. Graduate Students: Papers authored between 1 June 2024 and 30 May 2025.
Deadline for applications: 26 September 2025.
Information: https://lebanesestudies.ncsu.edu/explore/awards/alixa-naff-prize/
16. Call for papers : ‘The pilgrimage to Mecca as a social experience’
Deadline for abstracts: 31 October 2025.
Information: https://journals.openedition.org/arabianhumanities/15236
- September 13, 2025
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1.Hybrid Event
The University of Edinburgh
The Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies (IMES) Research Seminar resumes on Monday, 15 September at 5:15 (UK time) in 40 George Square Lower, LG.11.
The sessions will be hybrid. For those who wish to join us online, please email Anthony.Gorman@ed.ac.uk, who will send you a link on the day of the seminar.
Our first speaker will be Prof Yasir Suleiman-Malley, CBE, University of Cambridge, who will speak on Arabic Literary Prizes and the Sociology of Literature.
Professor Yasir Suleiman-Malley is Emeritus Professor of Modern Arabic Studies at the University of Cambridge, formerly His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Professor of Contemporary Arabic Studies at the University of Cambridge and the Iraq Professor of Arabic Studies at the University of Edinburgh.
His research covers the cultural politics of the Middle East with special focus on identity, conflict, diaspora studies and modernisation in so far as these issues relate to language, modern Arabic literature, translation and memory. He also conducts research in Arabic grammatical theory and the Arabic intellectual tradition in the pre-modern period.
The presentation will be followed by a reception.
2. Ghand-e Parsi: Academy of Persian Language and Persianate Culture holds:
2025 Persian Autumn School
Dates: 20 September – 12 December 2025
Program Highlights: 14 Topics; 100% Online; Payment in 2 Installments
The courses :
- Advanced Persian through Persian Texts
- Advanced Persian through Mystical and Sufi Texts
- Advanced Persian through Sa’di’s Golestan
- Advanced Persian through Persian Novels
- Advanced Persian through Persian Films
- Advanced Persian through Persian Codicology Texts
- Digital Humanities and Persianate Studies Bootcamp
- Persian for Heritage Speakers
- Persian for Everyday Conversation
- Elementary Persian
- Intermediate Persian
- Intermediate Persian through Persian Short Stories
- Intermediate Persian through Persian Proverbs
- Intermediate Persian through News Websites in Simple Persian
More details about the courses available here: https://www.ghandeparsi.com/autumnschool
3. Arab World English Journal for Translation and Literary Studies welcomes submissions of papers for the October 2025 issue. The submission deadline is September 20, 2025. The issue publication date is October 2025. Please send your paper as an attachment to TLS@awej.org
- For more details, please click here
Here is the AWEJ for Translation & Literary Studies, Volume 9. Number 3. August 2025
4. CFP Seminar at ACLA (Montreal, 2026): Shared Imaginaries and Intellectual Entanglements Across Latin America/the Caribbean and the Middle East/North Africa
This seminar invites proposals that explore the cultural, literary, and intellectual entanglements between Latin America/the Caribbean and the Middle East/North Africa from a comparative perspective. Our aim is to foster dialogue between scholars working across geographies, languages, periods, and disciplines, and to highlight emerging intersections in Latin America/Caribbean–Middle East/North African studies. We seek to center transregional flows—of people, texts, ideas, aesthetics, and political imaginaries—that link these two complex, heterogeneous regions.
We welcome papers that engage with a wide range of themes, including but not limited to:
- Early Modern connections between the regions
- Migration, exile, and diaspora (e.g., Arab migration to Latin America and vice versa)
- Comparative literatures, poetics, and translation across Caribbean languages, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, Turkish, and Indigenous languages
- Anti-colonial thought and revolutionary imaginaries
- Postcolonial and decolonial approaches to comparative literature
- Orientalism, Occidentalism, and their critiques
- Religion, secularism, and cultural politics across regions
- The politics and aesthetics of memory, trauma, and representation
By inviting contributions from across periods and disciplines, we hope to foster conversation among the selected panelists, with the goal of shaping an intellectual community that looks beyond national and regional silos. We aim to reserve ample time for discussion between panelists.
To view the seminar and propose a paper, go to: https://www.acla.org/seminar/9e4475e8-26ea-4b9a-ab74-2edeca90c736
Ali Noori PhD
Faculty in History | Bard Early College Brooklyn
Adjunct Assistant Professor | Brooklyn College (CUNY)
Visiting Fellow | Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies, University of Pennsylvania
5. Call for Papers: International Symposium – ‘Islamic Studies Across Divides in an Era of Crisis and Global Injustice’ – Boğaziçi University, Istanbul, 24-25 January 2026
The British Association for Islamic Studies is proud to announce that it will be co-hosting a landmark international symposium at Boğaziçi University, Istanbul, on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 January 2026.
As part of BRAIS’s commitment to fostering global knowledge exchange and diversifying the academic landscape, we are pleased to offer this unique opportunity to engage in scholarly discourse amidst the backdrop of legalised genocide in Gaza, increasing inequality, and the structural silencing of academic research.
We invite scholars from around the world, and from all disciplines related to Islamic Studies, to join us in Istanbul to present their research. We invite proposals for individual papers, as well as whole panels, from senior and early-career scholars, as well as colleagues from beyond the academic world who have specialist expertise or unique insights to share.
The Symposium’s theme is “Islamic Studies Across Divides in an Era in Times of Crisis and Global Injustice”, offering a space for scholars to reflect on the role of Islamic Studies in these extraordinary times. As usual, our broad definition of Islamic Studies encompasses all topics and disciplinary approaches related to the study of Islam and Muslim societies.
For view the full Call for Papers, to submit a paper, and for information about delegate fees and bursaries, please visit the BRAIS website: www.brais.ac.uk/symposium/symposium-call-for-papers
If you have any questions about the International Symposium, they might be answered on our FAQ page here: https://www.brais.ac.uk/symposium/symposium-faqs
The Call for Papers deadline is 5pm GMT on Friday, 17 October 2025.
Finally, please note that in the spirit of inclusivity and transcending barriers to knowledge exchange, BRAIS will provide Fee Waivers to a number of scholars whose papers are accepted, based on structural financial disadvantage.
Please do share this CfP through your networks and do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions: brais@ed.ac.uk
6. The Journal of Literary Multilingualism will publish a special issue on Multilingual Literature in Conflict Zones, co-edited by Adrian Wanner and Marianna Deganutti. You can find the full call for papers here: https://brill.com/view/journals/jlm/jlm-overview.xml?language=en&srsltid=AfmBOorZS2HJypLrljogaBuZWRrdqn42uMP0V-On7E-fkPNUwDLawj7d&contents=editorialContent-133826
Scholars of literary responses to conflicts are particularly well-suited to contribute. For example, how do authors’ attitudes toward their languages shift in the face of conflict? Other topics of interest include the literary consequences of political fragmentation or the linguistic choices made by authors who are directly involved in, or deeply affected by, war.
Submissions for book reviews, interviews, and creative writing are also encouraged. The deadline for abstracts is April 1, 2026, with full articles due on October 15, 2026.
- September 09, 2025
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Acdemic Items
1. The Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali Institute of Iranian Studies and Invisible East present a series of monthly online seminars about archives and documents.
Convened by Arezou Azad and Mohamad Tavakoli, the seminars are held monthly on Zoom.
Please join us next month to hear from Dilnoza Duturaeva on ‘Chinese Documents on the Qarakhanids’ Wednesday 17 September at 12PM EST / 5PM GMT. Pre-registration is essential.
https://utoronto.zoom.us/meeting/register/azuvuYKIRh-yNsSYNoA_5A#/registration
2. August 26 was the first anniversary of the death of Reza Ghotbi, the director of National Iranian Radio and Television in the years before the Islamic Revolution. Mr. Ghotbi’s performance has always been a subject of discussion, especially during the Revolution, and his silence in the following years further fueled this. On the first anniversary of Reza Ghotbi’s death in exile, I have reviewed his achievements through the words of his close colleagues at National Television:
https://youtu.be/79VtLuzzAqA
Regards,
Pejman Akbarzadeh
3. The upcoming course titled “Classical Persian through Historical Texts: Reading Juwaynī’s Tārīx-i Jahāngušāy is set to start on September 24.
The course, meeting on a weekly basis, for 2 hours, will be a comprehensive introduction to this extremely important Classical Persian text, as well as the grammar, lexicon, and stylistics of its language. The course is designed for Masters and PhD students with a focus on history or Classical Persian literature, and is open to everyone interested.
You are welcome to follow the link to learn more about the course and apply:
Classical Persian through Historical Texts: Reading Juwaynī’s Tārīx-i Jahāngušāy
Ruben Nikoghosyan
Ferdowsi School of Persian Literature
Yerevan, Armenia
Website: www.ferdowsi.org
4. ‘Lithographic Printing in Afghanistan’, Khalilullah Afzali – September 4, 2025, 12:00 PM EDT
Zoom Registration Link:
https://utoronto.zoom.us/meeting/register/FuAhytO2Ty26MGeZcoq_RA
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting
5. Studies in Iranian History and Culture
In Honor of Elton L. Daniel
M Ashtiany, et al., eds.,
Brill, 2025
https://brill.com/display/title/72704
6. The Islamic College: MA-Equivalent Exegesis & Quranic Sciences (Online)
Deadline for Registration: 30th September 2025
Starting date: 3rd November 2025
7. The first lecture in the Virtual Islamic Art History Seminar Series for Fall 2025 will take place on Tuesday, September 9, 2025 at 11:00 Detroit/New York · 16:00 London · 18:00 Istanbul.
Samira Fathi (Michigan State University) will present “Literary Culture and Urban Revival in Early Qajar Isfahan.”
To attend, please register in advance here:
https://wellesley.zoom.us/meeting/register/8rdxc9xjSqigsRyZZEly9g
Upon registration, you’ll receive the link to access the lecture.
Although not every talk is recorded, we have recordings of several recent talks on the VIAHSS Vimeo page.
Our full Fall 2025 Schedule is available below and on our website. With the exception of our first talk, most of our talks this semester will take place on Tuesdays at 12:00 Eastern Standard/Daylight Time.
8. The Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA)is pleased to invite undergraduate and graduate students to participate in its Poster Competitionat the Eighteenth Annual Conference being held November 1 – 3, 2025 in Washington, D.C.
Presenting a poster is an excellent opportunity for young scholars to showcase their work in a visual format that promotes discussion, enables interaction with seasoned academics, and receive feedback about their projects.
Information for applicants:
- Undergraduate applicants must be juniors or seniors in the 2025-26 academic year.
- Graduate applicants must be enrolled at a higher education institution for the 2025-26 academic year.
- Interested students must submit an application via the online submission portal and include a 300-word abstract of original unpublished data.
- Topics must be related to the Middle East and/or Africa.
- Successful applicants will be required to register for the Conference.
- Scoring is based on how well the presenter demonstrates understanding of their subject matter as well as by the clarity of their presentation.
- More submission details and guidelines for final poster projects will be made available to confirmed participants.
- Applications are evaluated and accepted on a rolling basis until October 1, 2025.
For further information, please visit our Call for Posters page or contact info@asmeascholars.org.
Contact Information
Emily Lucas
Membership and Operations Director
Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA)
ph: 202.429.8860
Contact Email
URL
https://www.asmeascholars.org/call-for-posters-2024
9. Conference Announcement
Title: Sea-border and Airspace Formation in the Middle East and North Africa, 1880s-1950s
Dates: 16-17 October 2025
Location: Room RS. 38, University of Neuchâtel, Espace Tilo-Frey 1, 2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland
The University of Neuchâtel is pleased to announce the international conference, “Sea-border and Airspace Formation in the Middle East and North Africa, 1880s-1950s”, to be held this autumn.
The conference critically examines the complex interplay of state- and empire-making, technological advancements, and shifting mobilities in delineating sea-borders and airspaces across the Middle East and North Africa. It probes the historical processes that reshaped regional sovereignty and imperial control during the late Ottoman and European mandatory periods, offering new perspectives on the formation of aerial and maritime territoriality.
See Full Conference Program Attached.
Attendance is free and open to the public. No registration is required.
Keynote Address
Title: “Reforming the British Empire: Space, Place and Mobilties of People, Capital and Ideas in the Global Restructuring of the British Empire”
Speaker: Alan Lester (University of Sussex)
Moderator: Sara de Athouguia Filipe (University of Neuchâtel and nccr – on the move)
The keynote address will take place on Thursday, 16 October, at 4:15 p.m. in Room R.O.12, Espace Tilo-Frey 1. For those unable to attend in person, the keynote will be livestreamed on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/live/KxpSEhtQuOc.
Contact Information
For more information, please contact:
- Jordi Tejel: jordi.tejel@unine.ch
- David Motzafi-Haller: david.motzafi@unine.ch
10. ONLINE Webinar: ‘Fulayj: A Sasanian Persian Fort on the Batinah in Oman’
with Eve MacDonald
British Institute of Persian Studies (BIPS), 24 September, 2025, 5:00 pm UK Time
Fulayj fort was discovered in an area of exceptional landscape preservation on the mid-Batinah Plain of Oman 12km inland from the Indian Ocean coast and 30km south of the major early Islamic port and regional capital of Sohar. A preliminary investigation carried out in 2015 and 2016 during the Persian and its Neighbours Project demonstrated that fort was built by a well-organised external military force in the 5th century CE and that it shares an identical ceramic assemblage to Jazirat al-Ghanam, a Sasanian period military watch station overlooking the Straits of Hormuz discovered in 1971. This paper will discuss the results of the final (2023) season at Fulayj, partially funded by a BIPS research grant, and will discuss the fort in its broader context and connection to a larger Sasanian defensive system on the Batinah in Oman
Information and registration:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_x2uw_EuzTeKzHHIYMe9TyA#/registration
11. The British Academy In-person event: Assyria in the 7th century BC
| 4-6 November 2025; 6PM |
Delivered by the most outstanding academics in the UK and beyond, the British Academy’s flagship Lecture programme showcases the very best scholarship in the humanities and social sciences. This event is part of the Schweich Lectures on Biblical Archaeology series.
About the speaker:
Professor Karen Radner holds the Alexander von Humboldt Chair of the Ancient History of the Near and Middle East at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU Munich). A member of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and of the German Archaeological Institute, she was awarded the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize in 2022. Her research focuses on the Assyrian Empire.
Chairs: Professor Mark Weeden (UCL), Professor Mark Altaweel (UCL), Professor Andrew George FBA (SOAS)
Exploring Assyria’s fortunes in the 7th century BC will take us on a white-knuckle ride. Only six decades separate the heady days of unprecedented power after the conquest of Egypt in 673 BC from the total loss of religious and political control caused by the destruction of the Ashur temple in 614 BC and the fall of Nineveh in 612 BC. In three lectures focusing on the history, archaeology and texts of the period, we will put ourselves in the place of an inhabitant of the city of Assur who lived through these eventful years.
Free, booking required, tickets to be released prior to the event
This lecture series will take place over the course of three evenings from 4-6 November 2025. The series will include a reception for attendees, details to follow.
If you have any questions about this event, please email events@thebritishacademy.ac.uk.
12. The Department of Middle East Studies at the University of Michigan invites applications for the James A. Bellamy Professorship, with an anticipated start date of August 25, 2026. We seek a tenure-track professor or associate professor with a substantial publication record in the fields of early Arabic language or literature, textual traditions and Islamic culture. The successful candidate will hold a Ph.D. and is expected to teach a range of courses in Arabic and Islamic studies, from introductory undergraduate lecture courses through graduate seminars; to supervise doctoral dissertations; and to participate actively in the programs of the department as well as in area studies initiatives within a larger university community that encourages interdisciplinary efforts.
All application materials should be submitted online through Interfolio. Materials should include a cover letter, current curriculum vitae, statement of teaching philosophy and experience, statement of current and future research plans, teaching evaluations and other evidence of teaching excellence. Additionally, you may provide the names of up to three references.
For any questions, please contact the executive assistant, Department of Middle East Studies, at mes-admin@umich.edu. The deadline for submission is October 31, 2025.
13. Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Edinburgh
Research Seminars, 1st semester (2025/26) (HYBRID)
All talks begin at 5:15 (UK time) and will be held at 40 George Square Lower, LG.11 (unless otherwise noted), and followed by a reception.
The sessions will be hybrid. For those that wish to join us online, please email Anthony.Gorman@ed.ac.uk, who will send you out a link on the day of the seminar.
Mon 15 Sept (Week 1) [40GS, LG.11]
Prof Yasir Suleiman-Malley, University of Cambridge
Arabic Literary Prizes and the Sociology of Literature
Mon 29 Sept (Week 3) [40GS, LG.11]
Dr Andreas Görke (IMES) University of Edinburgh
The beginnings of Qur’anic exegesis or, Can we know how the companions of the Prophet understood the Qur’an?
Mon 13 Oct (Week 5) [40GS, LG.11]
Dr Anthony Gorman (IMES) University of Edinburgh
Teaching the Middle East at Edinburgh before IMES
Mon 27 Oct (Week 7) [40GS, LG.11]
Profs Houri Berberian (UC Irvine) and Talinn Grigor (UC Davis)
The Armenian Woman, Minoritarian Agency, and the Making of Iranian Modernity 1860-1979.
Mon 3 Nov (Week 8) [40 GS, LG.08]
Prof Nacim Pak-Shiraz (IMES)
Staging Masculinity: Hegemony, and Patriarchy in 1990s Iranian Popular Cinema
Mon 10 Nov (Week 9) [40GS, LG.11]
Prof. Mohd Radhi Ibrahim, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) (Visiting Scholar)
The Integration of Knowledge: An Islamic Worldview
14. Colloque “Diversité(s) en islam. Fondements et implications d’une pluralité complexe”, Institut Français d’Islamologie & Université de Strasbourg, 8-9 septembre 2025
Information et programme : https://tinyurl.com/5cyz6uw7
15. Partha Mitter: The Virtual Cosmopolitan in the Global Colonial Order @ Calouste Gulbenkian Museum (11 September 2025, 15:00 GMT, Lisbon, Portugal)
Thursday 11 September, starting at 15:00 (Lisbon Time / GMT) at the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum
in conjunction with the 4th EAAA Conference.
This event will showcase
the Museum’s exquisite Asian art collection, followed by a lecture by
Partha Mitter. It will be livestreamed on the following site, so make
sure not to miss this opportunity:
https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgulbenkian.pt%2Fmuseu%2Fen%2Fagenda%2Fpartha-mitter%2F&data=05%7C02%7C%7C757df6f584154e024d2108dded20eb1f%7C2e9f06b016694589878910a06934dc61%7C0%7C0%7C638927447853597277%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=ljE9HeTJCBMW7G5RQeTHIQYd25YHda1FJcnq2shjb8Y%3D&reserved=0
16. ONLINE Lecture “Queering Islamic Art: Expressions of Gender Diversity and Critique of Sexual Normativity in Contemporary Art of the Middle East” by Charlotte Bank (Institut für Kunstgeschichte, LMU München), Virtual Islamic Art History Seminar Series, 21 October 2025, 18:00 CET
Information and registration: https://viahss.org/upcoming-talks/
17. POSTS:
Two Teaching Faculty Positions in Instructional Arabic (Open Rank), Georgetown University in Qatar
The successful candidates will hold an M.A. or Ph.D. in language instruction, linguistics, or applied linguistics. Suc-cessful candidates will demonstrate excellence in teaching Arabic at all levels, including experience working with heritage language learners. They will also have a record of effective instruction in skill-based courses (e.g., Business Arabic, Academic Writing) and in leading co-curricular and experiential learning activities that support Arabic lan-guage development.
Deadline for applications: 1 October 2025. Information: https://apply.interfolio.com/172435
Associate Professor or Professor for Palestinian Literature and Culture, University of Toronto
The Department is seeking a scholar of modern and contemporary Palestinian cultural production with a specia-lization in one or more of the following fields: literature, media and visual studies, cinema studies, theatre and perfor-mance studies, and/or the fine arts. We welcome applications from interdisciplinary scholars who will integrate Palestinian studies within the fields of Arabic Studies and the Modern Middle East.
Deadline for applications: 6 October 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/bdhtphds
Assistant Professor of Modern & Contemporary Art History (Focus on Middle Eastern Studies), Rhodes College, Memphis, TN
The successful candidate’s research must carry significance within the field of Art History while resonating across other disciplines. Applications are especially welcome from individuals able to contribute to at least one of the College’s many interdisciplinary programs, including Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies.
Deadline for applications: 7 November 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/4j723ujt
18. Call for Articles on “A Sea of Mixedness: Mobility and Mixing Shaping Red Sea Cities and Urban Life (1800s-2000s)” for a Special Issue of “Northeast African Studies”
The editors are especially interested in historically or anthropologically grounded case studies on understudied cities, groups and individuals, including but not limited to Armenians, Greeks and South Asians and their mixed descen-dants in North-East Africa, Egypt’s Afro-Arabs, the Port-Tawfiq Anglo-Maltese officers, the Muwalladeen in Yemen and formerly enslaved people who stayed in the Red Sea region.
Deadline for abstracts: 30 October 2025. Information: https://zenodo.org/records/16992319
- September 06, 2025
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1. Hybrid – ‘Negotiating Asian Modernity: Educational Reform, Hyderabad, and Japan, 1868–1926.’ 19.9.25
Dear colleagues,
A glitch was found in the link to the registration form for online participation in the version of this announcement that was circulated earlier. Please use and share this corrected version.
My apologies for the additional traffic.
Best regards,
Kazuo Morimoto
* * * *
The Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, University of Tokyo (Tobunken), together with the Japan Regional Office of the Association for the Study of Persianate Societies, is pleased to co-host a lecture by Professor Mimi Hanaoka (University of Richmond) entitled “Negotiating Asian Modernity: Educational Reform, Hyderabad, and Japan, 1868–1926.”
The lecture is open to the public. Please note that advance registration is required for online participation. The co-organizers look forward to your participation.
Lecture Title:
Negotiating Asian Modernity: Educational Reform, Hyderabad, and Japan, 1868-1926.
Speaker:
Professor Mimi Hanaoka (Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Special Assistant to the Provost at the University of Richmond).
Chair:
Professor Kazuo Morimoto (Professor in Islamic and Iranian History, Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, University of Tokyo).
Date and Time:
19 September (Fri) 2025, at 18:00-19:30 (JST).
Venue:
Room 303, Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, Hongo Campus, University of Tokyo (東京大学東洋文化研究所3階、大会議室303), and online via Zoom.
Abstract:
This project explores two sites geographically located on the peripheries of European empires and revolving like an increasingly tighter double-helix around them: the Muslim-ruled princely state of Hyderabad in British colonial India and early modern Japan during the years 1868-1926. As the global world order transitioned from an era of empire to nation over the 19th century, whether and how a nation might be modern without being western became a vexed question. I argue that Masood envisioned a particular type of Muslim imperial nationalism and Muslim modernism that was possible during the politically liminal period in India during the 1920s and 1930s but which became incompatible with political and social realities after Partition in 1947.
Anchoring the narrative in the biography and peregrinations of Syed Ross Masood and his official report on Japan’s educational system, Negotiating Asian Modernity explores how the Indian Muslim educator Syed Ross Masood looked to Japan as a model of imperial Asian modernity. Masood served as a bureaucrat for the Muslim ruler of the Indian princely state of Hyderabad for whom he wrote a report, titled Japan and its Educational System (1923), about Japan’s educational system and how and why it should serve as a model for Hyderabad’s educational system.
Speaker’s Bio:
Mimi Hanaoka is the author of Authority and Identity in Medieval Islamic Historiography: Persian Histories from the Peripheries (Cambridge University Press, 2016), which explains themes and literary strategies that “centered” texts from “peripheral” regions in medieval Persia. She has published numerous articles on Islam, identity, and trans-regional linkages, and her work has appeared in such journals as History of Education Quarterly, Mizan, Journal of Persianate Studies, and Iranian Studies. Outside of the academy, her work has been published in various outlets with mass reach and appeal, including Grantland, Guernica, Los Angeles Times, GlobalPost, and National Geographic’s Glimpse. For more information, visit https://religiousstudies.richmond.edu/faculty/mhanaoka/ .
How to Participate:
Pre-registration is required for online participation. Please fill in the form at https://forms.gle/s17Gbe88hwo6ii1i6 by 18 September, at 24:00 JST.
In-person attendance does not require advance registration.
Contact Person: Kazuo Morimoto (morikazu@ioc.u-tokyo.ac.jp)
This event is co-organized by the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, University of Tokyo (organized by the Regular Research Project W-1: Approaches to the “Persianate World” as a Tobunken Seminar) and the Japan Regional Office of the Association for the Study of Persianate Societies (as a Gilas Lecture).
2. Bloomsbury: We are delighted to announce the Bloomsbury Academic Writing Fellowship will run for a third successive year in partnership with Writers & Artists.
If you identify as Black, Asian or Ethnically Diverse (BAED), are based in the UK, and have an idea you would like to develop into an academic book but are unsure where to start, this Fellowship is for you. We’ve expanded the criteria this year to include key thematic topics from across the Humanities and Social Sciences.
The recipient of this Fellowship will receive £1000 of financial support, £250 worth of books from Bloomsbury Academic, editorial support and mentorship for one year, plus event and networking opportunities.
Applications can be submitted between 1st September 2025 and 1st October 2025.
We are delighted to announce the Bloomsbury Academic Writing Fellowship will run for a third successive year in partnership with Writers & Artists.
If you identify as Black, Asian or Ethnically Diverse (BAED), are based in the UK, and have an idea you would like to develop into an academic book but are unsure where to start, this Fellowship is for you. We’ve expanded the criteria this year to include key thematic topics from across the Humanities and Social Sciences.
The recipient of this Fellowship will receive £1000 of financial support, £250 worth of books from Bloomsbury Academic, editorial support and mentorship for one year, plus event and networking opportunities.
Applications can be submitted between 1st September 2025 and 1st October 2025.
3. Workshop Programme and Registration: Beyond Eurocentrism and Arabocentrism, 12–13 September 2025, University of Aberdeen, UK
Please see, via the link below, the full programme of the workshop for your consideration.
You may register for all sessions through the link provided below. For those who are near Aberdeen University, we would be delighted to welcome you in person.
https://www.abdn.ac.uk/dhpa/news/24636/
- September 02, 2025
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1.New Open Access Issue of Journal of Digital Islamicate Research
https://brill.com/view/journals/jdir/3/1/jdir.3.issue-1.xml
2. 2025 Fall Speaker Series Begins on 3 September
Zahra Institute’s Fall 2025 Speaker Series begins on 3 September. This year’s lineup will cover topics such as Kurdish music, madrasa culture, security, and contemporary art. All speaker events are free and open to the public on Zoom.
For more information on our upcoming events, please visit our website: www.zahrainstitute.org/ .
September Events
What’s So Kurdish about Kurdish Music? Perspectives from Ethnomusicology
Jon Bullock, Assistant Professor, Department of Music, University of Notre Dame
Wednesday, 3 September: 12pm Central / 1pm Eastern
Register today: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/6Fk09ckFTpuliBhlAXnqxg
Malik Kurd: On Kurdish Sovereignty
Mucahit Bilici, Professor, Department of Sociology, John Jay College and CUNY Graduate Center
Wednesday, 17 September: 12pm Central / 1pm Eastern
Register today: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/2k53etS4RROqfpe7WwFQqg
3. UC Irvine’s Dr. Samuel M. Jordan Center for Persian Studies new home for Encyclopædia Iranica
University of California Irvine and the Encyclopædia Iranica Foundation have established a long-term collaborative agreement for the publication of the Encyclopædia Iranica that designates the renowned Dr. Samuel M. Jordan Center for Persian Studies as the new home for the Encyclopædia. Professor Touraj Daryaee, Maseeh Chair in Persian Studies & Culture and the Director of the Center, has been appointed as the new Editor-in-Chief
Encyclopædia Iranica is a leading resource dedicated to the promotion and study of Iranian civilization. Founded by Professor Ehsan Yarshater in 1990 at the Center for Iranian Studies at Columbia University, the Encyclopædia is a multi-volume, multi-disciplinary work designed to provide a detailed and accurate picture of an important world civilization over a span of several thousand years. The Encyclopædia will be available both in print and in a new updated online format, which will be free and open to the public and scholars.
UC Irvine was chosen as the site for Encyclopædia Iranica through a rigorous international competition. Vice Chancellor for Research Pramod P. Khargonekar states, “Housing this internationally recognized collection on our campus strengthens our research enterprise by providing scholars and students with direct access to curated knowledge, fostering new research and cross-disciplinary collaboration in understanding the Jordan Center’s work.”
Encyclopædia Iranica is supported by the Encyclopædia Iranica Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting the study of Iranian civilization, particularly through the Encyclopædia. Dr. Ramine Rouhani, Chair of the Encyclopaedia Iranica Foundation, notes, “We are confident that UCI’s exceptional academic reputation and its extensive experience in Iranian studies, particularly as evidenced by the Jordan Center’s robust research, educational and cultural programs, will be instrumental in furthering the vital mission of the Encyclopædia Iranica.”
Encyclopædia Iranica is an international undertaking that draws on the most authoritative scholarship worldwide to ensure the quality and reliability of its articles. To date, more than 1,300 scholars from around the globe have contributed articles in various languages, including English, Russian, Persian, Turkish and Chinese. In Volume I alone, articles were contributed by 285 authors. Prior to relocating to UC Irvine, seventeen volumes of the Encyclopædia Iranica covering letters A to K have been published in print format and more than 9,000 articles have been published digitally.
4. ‘Islamic Normative Legal Theory: Framework and Applications’
Journal of Law and Religion
Habib Ahmad
5. Tenure Track Assistant Professor in IR/IC
Lafayette College
The Department of Government and Law and the International Affairs Program at Lafayette College invite applications for a shared tenure-track position in International Relations and/or Comparative Politics at the rank of Assistant Professor commencing July 1, 2026. Preference will be given to candidates with a regional focus in South Asia or the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
Deadline | Review of applications to begin on 22 September
More information
6. Research Group Leader in Comparative Area Studies
Charles University
The Faculty of Arts, Charles University (Prague, Czech Republic) is seeking a research group leader in comparative area studies. As part of the project funded by Horizon Europe(ERA Chair in Multidisciplinary Area Studies, ERA-AREAS), this post holder will be responsible for coordinating a newly created Center for Multidisciplinary Area Studies (CenMAS). The applicants are expected to focus on one of three regional specializations: Middle Eastern studies, Asian studies, East European studies.
Deadline | 30 September 2025
More information
7. Researcher in Comparative Area Studies
Charles University
The Faculty of Arts, Charles University (Prague, Czech Republic) is seeking a postdoctoral researcher in comparative area studies. As part of the project funded by Horizon Europe (ERA Chair in Multidisciplinary Area Studies, ERA-AREAS), this post holder will participate in the newly created Center for Multidisciplinary Area Studies (CenMAS). The applicant will work closely with the ERA Chair holder, Prof Mariana Llanos, and the research group leader.
Deadline | 30 September 2025
More information
8. The Centre for Arab Studies at the University of Houston is accepting students
The Centre for Arab Studies at the University of Houston is accepting students at both the MA and PhD levels who are interested in colonialism and anti-colonialism, revolutions, popular and democratic movements, labor, popular culture, gender and sexuality, political economy, and literary criticism. Scholars from the Arab world with experience researching Arabic-language archival sources and field work are enthusiastically welcome. Financial support for research and academic development is offered in a strong, supportive community of dedicated faculty and students.
Students find mentorship from and engagement with a variety of distinguished leaders in the field of Arab Studies whose interests are wide-ranging and diverse. For any interested students who have any questions about applying to pursue your Masters or PhD with UH, please email Dr. Patrick Higgins phiggins@central.uh.edu or Dr. Hanan Hammad at hhhammad@central.uh.edu.
9. Hybrid: The Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, University of Tokyo (Tobunken), together with the Japan Regional Office of the Association for the Study of Persianate Societies, is pleased to co-host a lecture by Professor Mimi Hanaoka (University of Richmond) entitled “Negotiating Asian Modernity: Educational Reform, Hyderabad, and Japan, 1868–1926.” 19.9.25
The lecture is open to the public. Please note that advance registration is required for online participation. The co-organizers look forward to your participation.
Lecture Title:
Negotiating Asian Modernity: Educational Reform, Hyderabad, and Japan, 1868-1926.
Speaker:
Professor Mimi Hanaoka (Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Special Assistant to the Provost at the University of Richmond).
Chair:
Professor Kazuo Morimoto (Professor in Islamic and Iranian History, Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, University of Tokyo).
Date and Time:
19 September (Fri) 2025, at 18:00-19:30 (JST).
Venue:
Room 303, Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, Hongo Campus, University of Tokyo (東京大学東洋文化研究所3階、大会議室303), and online via Zoom.
Abstract:
This project explores two sites geographically located on the peripheries of European empires and revolving like an increasingly tighter double-helix around them: the Muslim-ruled princely state of Hyderabad in British colonial India and early modern Japan during the years 1868-1926. As the global world order transitioned from an era of empire to nation over the 19th century, whether and how a nation might be modern without being western became a vexed question. I argue that Masood envisioned a particular type of Muslim imperial nationalism and Muslim modernism that was possible during the politically liminal period in India during the 1920s and 1930s but which became incompatible with political and social realities after Partition in 1947.
Anchoring the narrative in the biography and peregrinations of Syed Ross Masood and his official report on Japan’s educational system, Negotiating Asian Modernity explores how the Indian Muslim educator Syed Ross Masood looked to Japan as a model of imperial Asian modernity. Masood served as a bureaucrat for the Muslim ruler of the Indian princely state of Hyderabad for whom he wrote a report, titled Japan and its Educational System (1923), about Japan’s educational system and how and why it should serve as a model for Hyderabad’s educational system.
Speaker’s Bio:
Mimi Hanaoka is the author of Authority and Identity in Medieval Islamic Historiography: Persian Histories from the Peripheries (Cambridge University Press, 2016), which explains themes and literary strategies that “centered” texts from “peripheral” regions in medieval Persia. She has published numerous articles on Islam, identity, and trans-regional linkages, and her work has appeared in such journals as History of Education Quarterly, Mizan, Journal of Persianate Studies, and Iranian Studies. Outside of the academy, her work has been published in various outlets with mass reach and appeal, including Grantland, Guernica, Los Angeles Times, GlobalPost, and National Geographic’s Glimpse. For more information, visit https://religiousstudies.richmond.edu/faculty/mhanaoka/ .
How to Participate:
Pre-registration is required for online participation. Please fill in the form https://forms.gle/s17Gbe88hwo6ii1i6 by 18 September, at 24:00 JST.
In-person attendance does not require advance registration.
Contact Person: Kazuo Morimoto (morikazu@ioc.u-tokyo.ac.jp)
This event is co-organized by the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, University of Tokyo (organized by the Regular Research Project W-1: Approaches to the “Persianate World” as a Tobunken Seminar) and the Japan Regional Office of the Association for the Study of Persianate Societies (as a Gilas Lecture).
10. Workshop for PhD Candidates: “Researching, Writing and Publishing on Gender, Culture and Society: Upskilling Early Career Researchers in Türkiye”, British Institute at Ankara (BIAA), 23-24 October 2025 and 23-24 March 2026
This project aims to support final year PhD candidates and researchers who completed their PhD within the last five years from universities across Türkiye working in interdisciplinary gender studies. Participants will gain insight into writing for publication and applying for grants with editors of leading international journals and publishers of academic monographs. Participants will also be assigned a mentor who will support them to write an article suitable for publication
Deadline for applications: 13 September 2025. Information: genderwritingworkshops@gmail.com
11. Research Assistant (4 Years) for Project “(De)Colonizing Sharia?”, Max-Weber-College, University of Erfurt
The position is part of the Project “Tracing Transformation, Change and Continuity in Islamic Law in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in the 19th and 20th Centuries (DeColSharia)”. Qualification: M.A. in Arabic/Islamic Studies or a comparable discipline. – _Research specialization in modern Islamic law and/or in the fields of law/politics/ (post)colonialism. – _Very good knowledge of Arabic, English, if possible, Persian/Turkish/Ottoman Turkish, if possi-ble, German.
Deadline for applications: 29 September 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/5xwxkecw
12. University Assistant Postdoctoral in the Field of Islam in Contemporary Society, Department of Islamic-Theological Studies, University of Vienna
Qualification: Excellent German language skills (at least C1 level). – _Completed doctoral/PhD studies in Islamic-Theological Studies or a comparable discipline. – _Research in the field of Islamic theology with a focus on its relevance for European societies. – _Theological and interdisciplinary engagement with questions of religious plurality and interreligious dialogue.
Deadline for applications: 8 September 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/5e8m6mhj
13. Assistant Professor in Modern Arabic Literature (Specializing in Modern Arabic Poetry), University of Haifa
Candidates holding a PhD, with post-doctoral studies, academic teaching experience, and a strong publication record are invited to apply.
Deadline for applications: 10 October 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/3efevkua
14. Undergraduate Research Workshop, MESA’s Committee on Undergraduate Middle East Studies (CUMES), Washington DC, 22-25 November 2025
Students pursuing a bachelor’s program or recent graduates who have not yet begun a graduate degree are eligible. All fields and disciplines are welcome. The workshop consists of a private small panel presentation with feedback, professional development sessions, and a public poster session. If selected, students are eligible for travel grants and discounted registration.
Deadline for proposals: 15 September 2025.
Information: https://mesana.org/annual-meeting/undergraduate-workshop
15. Winter School: “Commensality and Cultural Heritage in the Middle East and Its Diasporas”, University of Groningen, 20-24 January 2026
This interdisciplinary program invites MA, PhD students Postdocs and from the humanities, social sciences, and public health, and professionals in cultural heritage and food studies to engage with cutting-edge research and community perspectives – _through seminars, discussions, and hands-on culinary activities.
Deadline for applications: 1 December 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/ybryyd7x
16. New Book Series “Trans-cultural Spaces: Intellectual and Social History in the Pre-industrial Islamicate World (ca. 1350-1850 CE)”, Edited by Georg Leube, Georg Olms Verlag & Nomos Publishing Group
The publications in this series are dedicated to the intellectual and social history of the pre-industrial Islamic period (ca. 1350-1850 CE). The series promotes the understanding of concepts, disciplines, texts, or phenomena across cultural spheres, regions, and linguistic boundaries within the culturally and religiously diverse Islamicate realm.
Information: https://tinyurl.com/y6k3skaa
17. New Book Series “Reimagining Social Sciences and Humanities in and from the Middle East”, Springer
Central themes include epistemological reform, curriculum innovation, the Islamisation of knowledge, academic free-dom, migration, and the evolving role of higher education. The series addresses public perceptions and the practical value of social sciences and humanities education, encouraging interdisciplinary dialogue and comparative research that juxtaposes developments across countries to deepen regional and global understanding.
Information: https://link.springer.com/series/60386
18. Twilight of the Saints
The History and Politics of Salafism in Contemporary Egypt
Stéphane Lacroix. Translated by Jeremy Sorkin
Columbia University Press
The book examines the history of Salafism in Egypt from its 1920s emergence in Cairo’s scholarly circles through the present day, shedding new light on the movement’s shifting relationship to politics. Drawing on extensive field-work and interviews, the author illustrates how Salafism redefined what it means to be Muslim for Egyptians and offers an in-depth, authoritative understanding of the relationship of Salafism, politics, and authoritarianism in Egypt.
Information: https://cup.columbia.edu/book/twilight-of-the-saints/9780231215213/
19. The Twelfth Conference of the School of Mamluk Studies will be held at the University of Pennsylvania (aka “Penn”) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 23-25, 2026.
https://mamluk.uchicago.edu/sms-conference.html
The conference will be conducted in two parts: a themed day on “The Mamluks and the Crusades” (July 23) and two days of panels with open themes (July 24-25). The conference will be preceded by a three-day intensive course on “The Crusades and Islamic History” (July 20-22). See below for more information about this course.
The first day, July 23, will be themed and dedicated to the history of experiences of the crusading movement within the Mamluk sultanate (1250-1517), before and after the fall of Acre in 1291. The rise of the Mamluk sultanate brought with it a palpable shift in the dynamic between the remaining Crusader states and the Muslim polities of the Middle East and north Africa that has yet to be fully explored. We welcome studies of Mamluk-Frankish conflict and cooperation, whether in the realms of military history, diplomacy, commerce, social history, or cultural exchange. The themed day is also open to relevant studies of literature, material culture, non-Muslim communities, historiography, and philological or codicological concerns. A maximum of 12 paper proposals will be selected for this themed day. Should a greater number of proposals be received, the authors of those that are not selected for the conference may be offered the possibility to publish their contribution in the proceedings. The time allotted to each paper will be twenty minutes, plus ten minutes for discussion.
The following two days of the conference (July 24 and 25) will be structured in panels, which may focus on any aspect of the social, economic, intellectual, political, and artistic life of the Mamluk period. The panels will be organized into presentations of three to four papers of twenty minutes each. Panel proposals must be made by a representative, who will be responsible for its organization. Please note that in case of cancellation of two papers out of the three (or three out of the four) composing the panel, the panel will have to be withdrawn from the program. The time allotted to each paper will be twenty minutes. Discussion will take place at the end of each panel.
Language: The official language of the conference will be English.
Location:The conference will take place in the Orrery Pavilion in the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books, and Manuscripts, Van Pelt Library 6th Floor, University of Pennsylvania.
Fees: The conference registration fee will be $60 for participants and attendees. Graduate students will be offered a discounted fee of $45, subject to availability. An optional farewell dinner will take place on the last day (Saturday, July 25) at a cost to be determined. Payment of the fees (registration and farewell dinner) must be received by April 15, 2026. Any enquiries should be sent to sms2026philadelphia@gmail.com
To register for the conference and pay the $60 registration fee, either as a participant or non-participant attendee, please visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/school-of-mamluk-studies-2026-conference-philadelphia-tickets-1567051907439
Paper proposals for the themed day must be submitted electronically (see link below) by October 31, 2025. Paper proposals must provide the name and a one-page CV of the speaker, a provisional title, and an abstract of a maximum of 300 words.
To submit a paper proposal, complete the form athttp://mamluk.uchicago.edu/sms2026paperproposal.html.
Panel proposals must be submitted by November 30, 2025. A panel may include 3 or 4 papers. The proposal should provide the following information for each paper in the panel: the name and one-page CV of the author, a provisional paper title, and an abstract (maximum of 1500 characters, or about 300 words). Panel proposals must also identify the panel’s chair (who may be one of the panelists). The organizer of a panel should have all information about the panel members and their papers before beginning the proposal submission.
To submit a panel proposal, complete the form athttp://mamluk.uchicago.edu/sms2026panelproposal.html.
Acceptance: Paper and panel proposals will be peer-reviewed. A first circular will be sent by February 2026 to those whose proposals have been accepted, and to those who have expressed interest in attending the conference as non-presenters.
Publication: Selected papers from the themed day will be published in a special issue ofMamlūk Studies Review.
Accommodations:Participants must make their own travel arrangements and secure their own accommodations. The intensive course and the conference will be held in Van Pelt Library in the center of Penn’s campus.
A list of nearby hotels will be provided shortly, and, if possible, blocks of rooms will be reserved at a special rate in some cases.
Those who would like to express their intention to attend the conference as non-presenters should complete the registration form.
INTENSIVE COURSE: The Crusades and Islamic History (July 20-22, 2026)
This three-day intensive course will focus on reading medieval primary sources for the social, economic and religious history of Egypt and Greater Syria, including Palestine during the period of the Crusades, roughly 1050-1500. It is intended for advanced graduate students and other qualified participants and will be offered by Prof. Paul M. Cobb (University of Pennsylvania) in collaboration with Prof. Ann Zimo (University of New Hampshire) and Prof. Reuven Amitai (Hebrew University of Jerusalem). The course will include close reading and historical analysis of published Arabic literary sources (chronicles and the like), Frankish sources in translation, and modern secondary literature. The overall goal is to provide students with in-depth understanding of the conventions and genres of historical writing on the Crusades and what we gain (and lose) by understanding the Crusades in their Middle Eastern context.
The number of participants will be limited to a maximum of 12.
Applications for the intensive course should include a CV, a statement of purpose (up to 750 words), and a letter of recommendation by someone familiar with your work. These should be sent to sms2026philadelphia@gmail.com by the end of January 2026. Those who are selected for the course will be notified by the end of February 2026, at which time a syllabus and information about the method of payment for the course fees will be provided.
The course fee is $250, which also includes the registration fee for the subsequent conference (July 23-25). The fees must be paid by April 15, 2026. Registration and participation will not be confirmed until payment is received. Participants must make their own travel arrangements; the local organizer will provide suggestions for accommodation.
20. The ZDMG calls for the submission of new and innovative articles in Islamic Studies of various thematic foci to be published in the issues 176.2 (2026) und 177.1 (2027). We particularly welcome articles with a historical orientation grounded in philological analysis. Contributions should focus on pre-modern Muslim societies (up to approximately 1800 CE) and address topics such as history, religion, culture, law, literature, or social structures.
Deadline for submission: 15 October 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/bdhmd2td
- August 30, 2025
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1.New Open Access Issue of Journal of Digital Islamicate Research
https://brill.com/view/journals/jdir/3/1/jdir.3.issue-1.xml
2. Zahra Institute – 2025 Fall Speaker Series Begins on 3 September
Zahra Institute’s Fall 2025 Speaker Series begins on 3 September. This year’s lineup will cover topics such as Kurdish music, madrasa culture, security, and contemporary art. All speaker events are free and open to the public on Zoom.
For more information on our upcoming events, please visit our website: www.zahrainstitute.org/ .
September Events
What’s So Kurdish about Kurdish Music? Perspectives from Ethnomusicology
Jon Bullock, Assistant Professor, Department of Music, University of Notre Dame
Wednesday, 3 September: 12pm Central / 1pm Eastern
Register today: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/6Fk09ckFTpuliBhlAXnqxg
Malik Kurd: On Kurdish Sovereignty
Mucahit Bilici, Professor, Department of Sociology, John Jay College and CUNY Graduate Center
Wednesday, 17 September: 12pm Central / 1pm Eastern
Register today: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/2k53etS4RROqfpe7WwFQqg
3. UC Irvine’s Dr. Samuel M. Jordan Center for Persian Studies new home for Encyclopædia Iranica
University of California Irvine and the Encyclopædia Iranica Foundation have established a long-term collaborative agreement for the publication of the Encyclopædia Iranica that designates the renowned Dr. Samuel M. Jordan Center for Persian Studies as the new home for the Encyclopædia. Professor Touraj Daryaee, Maseeh Chair in Persian Studies & Culture and the Director of the Center, has been appointed as the new Editor-in-Chief.
Encyclopædia Iranica is a leading resource dedicated to the promotion and study of Iranian civilization. Founded by Professor Ehsan Yarshater in 1990 at the Center for Iranian Studies at Columbia University, the Encyclopædia is a multi-volume, multi-disciplinary work designed to provide a detailed and accurate picture of an important world civilization over a span of several thousand years. The Encyclopædia will be available both in print and in a new updated online format, which will be free and open to the public and scholars.
UC Irvine was chosen as the site for Encyclopædia Iranica through a rigorous international competition. Vice Chancellor for Research Pramod P. Khargonekar states, “Housing this internationally recognized collection on our campus strengthens our research enterprise by providing scholars and students with direct access to curated knowledge, fostering new research and cross-disciplinary collaboration in understanding the Jordan Center’s work.”
Encyclopædia Iranica is supported by the Encyclopædia Iranica Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting the study of Iranian civilization, particularly through the Encyclopædia. Dr. Ramine Rouhani, Chair of the Encyclopaedia Iranica Foundation, notes, “We are confident that UCI’s exceptional academic reputation and its extensive experience in Iranian studies, particularly as evidenced by the Jordan Center’s robust research, educational and cultural programs, will be instrumental in furthering the vital mission of the Encyclopædia Iranica.”
Encyclopædia Iranica is an international undertaking that draws on the most authoritative scholarship worldwide to ensure the quality and reliability of its articles. To date, more than 1,300 scholars from around the globe have contributed articles in various languages, including English, Russian, Persian, Turkish and Chinese. In Volume I alone, articles were contributed by 285 authors. Prior to relocating to UC Irvine, seventeen volumes of the Encyclopædia Iranica covering letters A to K have been published in print format and more than 9,000 articles have been published digitally.
- August 26, 2025
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1. The 2025 Imam Abdallah Ibn-Alawi Al-Haddad – 7 Book Collection
https://fonsvitae.com/product/fons-vitae-al-haddad-collectors-book-set/
2. Twelfth Conference of the School of Mamluk Studies Conference
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
USA
July 23-25, 2026
Call for Papers
We are pleased to announce that the Twelfth Conference of the School of Mamluk Studies will be held at the University of Pennsylvania (aka “Penn”) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 23-25, 2026.
The conference will be conducted in two parts: a themed day on “The Mamluks and the Crusades” (July 23) and two days of panels with open themes (July 24-25). The conference will be preceded by a three-day intensive course on “The Crusades and Islamic History” (July 20-22). See below for more information about this course.
The first day, July 23, will be themed and dedicated to the history of experiences of the crusading movement within the Mamluk sultanate (1250-1517), before and after the fall of Acre in 1291. The rise of the Mamluk sultanate brought with it a palpable shift in the dynamic between the remaining Crusader states and the Muslim polities of the Middle East and north Africa that has yet to be fully explored. We welcome studies of Mamluk-Frankish conflict and cooperation, whether in the realms of military history, diplomacy, commerce, social history, or cultural exchange. The themed day is also open to relevant studies of literature, material culture, non-Muslim communities, historiography, and philological or codicological concerns. A maximum of 12 paper proposals will be selected for this themed day. Should a greater number of proposals be received, the authors of those that are not selected for the conference may be offered the possibility to publish their contribution in the proceedings. The time allotted to each paper will be twenty minutes, plus ten minutes for discussion.
The following two days of the conference (July 24 and 25) will be structured in panels, which may focus on any aspect of the social, economic, intellectual, political, and artistic life of the Mamluk period. The panels will be organized into presentations of three to four papers of twenty minutes each. Panel proposals must be made by a representative, who will be responsible for its organization. Please note that in case of cancellation of two papers out of the three (or three out of the four) composing the panel, the panel will have to be withdrawn from the program. The time allotted to each paper will be twenty minutes. Discussion will take place at the end of each panel.
Language: The official language of the conference will be English.
Location: The conference will take place in the Orrery Pavilion in the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books, and Manuscripts, Van Pelt Library 6th Floor, University of Pennsylvania.
Fees: The conference registration fee will be $60 for participants and attendees. Graduate students will be offered a discounted fee of $45, subject to availability. An optional farewell dinner will take place on the last day (Saturday, July 25) at a cost to be determined. Payment of the fees (registration and farewell dinner) must be received by April 15, 2026. Any enquiries should be sent to sms2026philadelphia@gmail.com
To register for the conference and pay the $60 registration fee, either as a participant or non-participant attendee, please visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/school-of-mamluk-studies-2026-conference-philadelphia-tickets-1567051907439?aff=oddtdtcreator
Proposals: Paper proposals for the themed day must be submitted electronically through the School of Mamluk Studies webpage (http://mamluk.uchicago.edu/school-of-mamluk-studies.html) by October 31, 2025. Panel proposals must be submitted in the same manner by November 30, 2025. The paper proposals should provide the name and a one-page CV of the speaker, a provisional title, and an abstract of a maximum of 1,500 characters (about 300 words) per paper. Panel proposals must be submitted as such, including the relevant information for each component paper as well as the name of the panel’s chair (the chair can be one of the panelists).
Acceptance: Paper and panel proposals will be peer-reviewed. A first circular will be sent by February 2026 to those whose proposals have been accepted, and to those who have expressed interest in attending the conference as non-presenters.
Publication: selected papers from the themed day will be published in a special issue of Mamlūk Studies Review.
Accommodations: Participants must make their own travel arrangements and secure their own accommodations. The intensive course and the conference will be held in Van Pelt Library in the center of Penn’s campus.
A list of nearby hotels will be provided shortly, and, if possible, blocks of rooms will be reserved at a special rate in some cases.
INTENSIVE COURSE: The Crusades and Islamic History (July 20-22, 2026)
This three-day intensive course will focus on reading medieval primary sources for the social, economic and religious history of Egypt and Greater Syria, including Palestine during the period of the Crusades, roughly 1050-1500. It is intended for advanced graduate students and other qualified participants and will be offered by Prof. Paul M. Cobb (University of Pennsylvania) in collaboration with Prof. Ann Zimo (University of New Hampshire) and Prof. Reuven Amitai (Hebrew University of Jerusalem). The course will include close reading and historical analysis of published Arabic literary sources (chronicles and the like), Frankish sources in translation, and modern secondary literature. The overall goal is to provide students with in-depth understanding of the conventions and genres of historical writing on the Crusades and what we gain (and lose) by understanding the Crusades in their Middle Eastern context.
The number of participants will be limited to a maximum of 12.
Applications for the intensive course should include a CV, a statement of purpose (up to 750 words), and a letter of recommendation by someone familiar with your work. These should be sent to sms2026philadelphia@gmail.com by the end of January 2026. Those who are selected for the course will be notified by the end of February 2026, at which time information about the method of payment for the course fees and a syllabus will be provided.
The course fee is $250, which also includes the registration fee for the subsequent conference (July 23-25). The fees must be paid by April 15, 2026. Registration and participation will not be confirmed until payment is received. Participants must make their own travel arrangements; the local organizer will provide suggestions for accommodation.
To pay the course fee, please visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/school-of-mamluk-studies-2026-conference-philadelphia-tickets-1567051907439?aff=oddtdtcreator
We look forward to meeting you in Philadelphia.
Paul M. Cobb, University of Pennsylvania (local organizer)
Frédéric Bauden, Université de Liège
Antonella Ghersetti, Ca’ Foscari University, Venice
Marlis Saleh, University of Chicago
3. James Lyman Merrick: The Life and Times of an American Missionary Maverick Recalled from Persia
Hooman Estelami
Mazda, 2025
https://www.mazdapublishers.com/book/james-lyman-merrick
4. Stories from Tehran
Fereshteh Molavi
Expanded Edition
Afterword by Mahdi Ganjavi
ISBN: 978-1-997503-08-8
https://asemanabooks.ca/stories-from-tehran/
5. Conference “Exploring the Sacred: People, Place and Power in the Islamic Indian Ocean”, National University of Singapore, 4-5 December 2025
We invite historical and contemporary papers that explore the sacred by grounding it in the archives, texts, material culture, and ethnographies of the Islamic Indian Ocean. Papers may focus on local or transregional processes and themes but should attempt to relate one scale to the other.
Deadline for abstracts: 12 September 2025. Information: https://ari.nus.edu.sg/events/exploring-the-sacred/
6. Research Conference on “AI Methodologies and Applications in Middle Eastern/Islamic World Studies”, Global Studies Centre, Gulf University for Science and Technology, Kuwait, 4-5 February 2026
Themes: 1. Opportunities/Challenges/Ethics in incorporating AI in the methodology of the Social Sciences and Humanities disciplines. – _2. Specific Social Sciences or Humanities research projects or applications with significant use of AI or other digital technologies in Middle Eastern and Islamic World Studies. – _3. AI applications in religious law, textual commentary and prophetic traditions. – _4. AI applications in the cultural heritage of the Middle East and Islamic World.
Deadline for abstracts: 1 October 2025. Information: https://www.gust.edu.kw/gsc
7. Visiting Fellowships (8 Months) in the History of Islam in South Asia (13th – _18th Century), Oxford Center for Islam Studies
Applications are invited for up to two Visiting Fellowships associated with the Centre’s Atlas project on Muslim social and intellectual history of South Asia. The successful candidates will normally be at a post-doctoral level. Each Visi-ting Fellowship is tenable for eight months from January 2026. It carries a stipend of £8,000 and single residential accommodation.
Deadline for applications: 1 October 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/ms583uae
8. PhD Scholarships in Global Digital Humanities (Focus Arabic, Persian Language Areas), School of Modern Languages, University of St Andrews
This award supports innovative doctoral research that either employs or critically examines digital methodologies within the context of Modern Languages. This is your opportunity to gain advanced technical and analytical skills while contributing original research to the evolving landscape of digital scholarship in the humanities.
Deadline for applications: 1 September 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/bdhcedm4
- August 23, 2025
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1.Cats in the Cabinet: Tracing Feline Presence in the Berlin State Museums
The Museum for Islamic Art in Berlin has launched an online exhibition exploring the presence of cats in art across centuries and cultures. For thousands of years, cats have captivated human imagination – admired for their cleanliness, respected for their independence, loved as companions, and often surrounded by myth and magic.
The human fascination with cats remains unbroken – especially in the digital age. As of 2025, cats rank among the world’s most popular pets. Depending on the source, between 370 and 600 million cats live in households across the globe. In Germany alone, an estimated 15.2 million domestic cats purr their way through everyday life – roughly one for every five people. That makes Germany the cat capital of the European Union.
From sacred symbols to playful companions, cats have inspired artists from ancient settlements to the digital age. Featuring manuscripts, ceramics, stamps, and more from the Berlin State Museums, the exhibition explores how these adaptable animals have shaped—and been shaped by—human history, faith, and creativity in three themed galleries.
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
URL
https://islamic-art.smb.museum/en/story/catshibition
2. Inperson: Book Launch: The Production and Consumption of Non-Muslim Islams
On 20 August 5-7 PM, BRAIS will launch the edited volume The Production and Consumption of Non-Muslim Islams (Edinburgh University Press). Aaron Hughes, Garbi Schmidt, and Jonas Otterbeck will each present their contribution to the book, followed by debate and a reception many of the other contributors will also be present.
The book launch will be held at the Aga Khan University in London (10 Handyside St). More information in the link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/book-launch-the-production-and-consumption-of-non-muslim-islams-tickets-1553241811069?aff=oddtdtcreator
3. New Version of the Daiber Collection Manuscript Database Released
The Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia at The University of Tokyo is pleased to announce the release of the beta version (public test version) of the new Daiber Collection database, which provides access to approximately 520 Arabic-script manuscripts held by the institute. Nearly two decades have passed since the launch of the original database, and a comprehensive update is now underway to enable more advanced use.
This upgrade is being carried out in collaboration with the Uehiro Project for the Asian Research Library (U-PARL) and the Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, both within The University of Tokyo.
On June 30, 2025, we released the first phase of the beta version of the new database, and we warmly invite all users to participate in its testing. This initial release features manuscripts No. 1 through No. 50 from Collection I of the Daiber Collection (which consists of two parts). Additional updates will be made on a regular basis.
Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, The University of Tokyo
[Related Links]
- Beta Version of the Database: https://daiber.u-parl.lib.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/
- Project Overview: https://daiber.u-parl.lib.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/about/
- How to Use the Database: https://daiber.u-parl.lib.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/guide/
Call for Cooperation in “Cultivating” the Beta Database
The beta version of the database is an open-ended archive that will grow through the active contributions of a diverse range of stakeholders. We warmly welcome feedback on metadata corrections and general impressions of the beta database. Please share your thoughts using the following form: https://u-parl.lib.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ja/contact . Kindly use “Regarding the Daiber Collection” as the subject line.
Team Daiber (Interdepartmental Team for Daiber Database, The University of Tokyo)
Contact Information
Kazuo Morimoto
Contact Email
- August 19, 2025
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1.The New York Public Library is pleased to offer the Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies Fellowshipto support advanced research on Library’s holdings of materials from the Arab world, Turkey, Iran, South Asia, Central Asia, and their diasporas in the United States.
Fellowships are open to Ph.D. candidates, post-doctoral scholars, and independent researchers with projects that would significantly benefit from research drawing on collections accessible at The New York Public Library. Projects requiring access to original materials including manuscripts, archives, books, photographs, prints, maps, newspapers, and journals will be given preference, but all worthy projects will be considered. Applicants studying the humanities as well as those working in the visual, auditory/performing, and literary arts are welcome to apply.
The Fellowship Program will support one fellow annually for three months with a stipend of $25,000. The annual fellow will have full access to the Library’s collections and staff, as well as a dedicated place to work in the Vartan Gregorian Center for Research in the Humanities at NYPL’s flagship building in Midtown Manhattan.
Deadline for application is August 25, 2025 and recipients will be announced in November, 2025.
To apply please complete the electronic form in the NYPL Fellowship Portal and upload an updated C.V., a project proposal of no more than five pages, and two professional letters of recommendation.
For assistance with the application process, email fellowships@nypl.org. Library staff cannot provide feedback on individual applications or project proposals (see below). Applicants are encouraged to contact the Curator for Middle Eastern Studies, Dr. Hiba Abid (hibaabid@nypl.org) with any questions regarding collections or additional holdings.
Read the full Call for Applications here.
Eligibility:
United States citizens, permanent residents, and international applicants with the legal right to work in the U.S. are eligible to apply. The Library is also exploring how to support international scholars with visa requirements and such applicants are welcome to apply to this fellowship.
Key Dates:
- Application deadline: August 25, 2025
- Recommendation letters due: September 8, 2025
- Applicant notification: November 2025
- Award period: January 2, 2026 – June 30, 2026
Project Proposal:
Successful project proposals will include a thorough explanation of how in-person access to collections accessible at The New York Public Library is essential to the progress and completion of the research project. Proposals should also include:
- Abstract of the project’s major themes, questions, and arguments
- Significance of the project
- Specific Library collections and holdings to be consulted during the fellowship
- Project plan, including a timeline of your work with the Library’s collections during the fellowship term and a description of the proposed methodological approach
- Expected project outcomes
- Suggested topic for public presentation
- Desired dates of residence
Contact Information
Jacqueline York
Fellowship Coordinator, Vartan Gregorian Center for Research in the Humanities
Contact Email
URL
https://www.nypl.org/about/fellowships/middle-eastern-islamic-studies
2. Conference on Arab Diasporic Literary & Cultural Studies (Amman: 22-23/11/2025)
https://linguistlist.org/issues/36/2373/
Submission Deadline: 06-Sep-2025
3. CfA: Online Summer School on Prophet Muhammad
In. collaboration with the University of Exeter and Habib University, we have organized our 5th online summer school “Method and Theory in Islamic Studies: Problematizing Objectivity.”
Inekas 5th Summer School (Online) | 2025
“Method and Theory in Islamic Studies: Problematizing Objectivity”
👥 In collaboration with the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter @exeteriais and Habib University @habibuniversity .
👤12 presentations in 3 days
🗓️ August 29th, 30th, 31st
From 11:00 to 17:30 UTC (7:00 to 13:30 EDT; 14:30 to 21:00 IRST)
📄 Explore how cutting-edge debates on method and theory are reshaping the study of Islam—join leading scholars in problematizing objectivity.
✅ A glimpse into recent scholarship on:
Disciplinary Identity
Decoloniality
Objectivity
🔷 Deadline for Registration: August 28th
🔷 Deadline for Early-Bird Registration: August 18th
See the programme booklet here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/12OwXThpKMS17AG1Lt8a2coIzbwA7UAwG/view?usp=drivesdk
🔗 For more information and registration:
https://inekas.org/en/2025ss/
4. Webinar: UCLA – CNES Upcoming Events
Teaching World Histories Through the Arts:
Art in Places of Worship in the Middle East and Southeast Asi
Free Virtual K-12 Teacher Institute
Saturday, September 13, 2025
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM PST
Online
Co-organized by the UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies and the UCLA Center for Southeast Asian Studies
https://www.international.ucla.edu/cnes/event/17302
5. CfP: 22TH INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS OF THE MIDDLE AGES:
DISABILITY AND INCLUSION IN THE MEDIEVAL CITY:
A COMPARATIVE VIEW BETWEEN EUROPE AND THE ISLAMIC WORLD
27-28 November 2025
In the Middle Ages, the lives of people with disabilities presented unique challenges. This Meeting wants to expose how these people were perceived and treated in medieval society, as well as the forms of integration from a comparative perspective between European and Islamic world cities.
Deadline for abstracts: 13 October 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/ycnmr94p
6. Workshops for the “16th Annual Gulf Research Meeting”, Gulf Research Centre Cambridge, 21-23 July 2026
GRC welcomes proposals on the following topics: Multilateralism and Strategic Autonomy in GCC Foreign Policy. – _Gulf Mediation and Conflict Resolution. – _The EU-GCC Partnership: Strategic Opportunities and Gaps. – _GCC-Sub-Sahara Africa Economic Relation: Energy, Mining, Infrastructure, and Food Security. – _Evolving Threat Perceptions and Strategic Doctrines in the Gulf. – _The Role of Defense Industrialization. – _Women and Political Development in the Gulf. – _Etc.
Deadline for abstracts: 29 September 2025.
Information: https://grc.net/w/GRM2026Call-WorkshopProposals_2.pdf
7. Post-doc Assistant (4 Years) for Research on Religious and Media Practices of Contemporary Muslims, Department of Religious Studies, University of Erfurt
Qualification: Above-average doctorate in Religious Studies, Islamic Studies, or a related field. – _Academic visibility through publications, guest lectures, organization of workshops. – _Proficiency in ethnographic methods, particularly participant observation and media ethnography methods, or the willingness to quickly acquire these skills. – _Experience with qualitative online research. – _Knowledge of German and English at C1 level.
Deadline for applications: 25 September 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/4832x34k
8. Full Professor of Arabic Studies, University of Vienna
Candidates should represent the field of Arabic Studies with a focus on linguistics in both research and teaching, demonstrating breadth and depth in the discipline. They should have an outstanding international reputation and a strong research profile, particularly in the study of spoken varieties of Arabic, encompassing both dialectological and general linguistic (particularly contact linguistics, areal linguistics, social linguistics, historical linguistics) approaches.
Deadline for applications: 17 September 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/2f4mtwzp
9. Full Professor of Islamic Religious Education, University of Vienna
Qualification: Doctoral degree/PhD. – _Outstanding research achievements, excellent publication and funding record, international reputation. – _Proven leadership qualities. – _Experience in designing and managing large research projects. – _Enthusiasm for excellent teaching and supervision at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral level.
Deadline for applications: 17 September 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/3u7yx3wp
10. Tenure-Track Professorship in Intercultural Philosophy of Religion (Focus Islam), University of Vienna
The position promotes the innovative project of intercultural philosophy of religion based on systematic discourses of justification and a solid knowledge of non-Christian philosophies of religion in research and teaching. Core issues include the philosophical clarification of the concept of religion and current questions concerning the relationship between religion and politics, especially with regard to human rights and democracy.
Deadline for applications: 17 September 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/y2tt5apn
11. Assistant Professor (Tenure-track) of Francophone and Neocolonial Studies (Focus MENA), Lake Forest College, Chicago
Qualification: Ph.D. in French and Francophone Studies, or a related field, with expertise in postcolonial, de-colonial, or neocolonial studies. – _Ability to teach language, literature, and culture courses at all levels. – _Proficiency in Arabic.
Deadline for applications: 20 October 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/4w6vh7um
12. Visiting Assistant Professor of Arabic (3 Years), Middlebury College, VT
Superior language proficiency in both Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and English is required, as is native or native-like proficiency in one Arabic dialect. The area of specialization for the position is open, but preference will be given to candidates whose specializations complement (rather than overlap with) the specializations of the Arabic department’s faculty.
Deadline for applications: 1 November 2025. Information: https://apply.interfolio.com/171611
13. Assistant Professor (Tenure Track) on High Medieval European History (Focus on the Connection with Byzantium, North Africa, Middle East), Princeton University
For candidates who do not yet have a Ph.D., the recommendation of the principal advisor must include precise information on the present status of the dissertation and the likelihood of completion by summer 2026.
Deadline for applications: 1 October 2025. Information: https://tinyurl.com/mtby2dr9
14. Internship Program at the Euro-Mediterranean-Arab Association (EMA), Berlin
Are you a university student or recent graduate with a passion for economics, political science, marketing, events, or communications? Do you want to gain hands-on experience in a dynamic non-profit organization that fosters international cooperation, with a special focus on the MENA region? We are looking for motivated interns to join our Berlin office for a 3-month voluntary internship.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Information: https://tinyurl.com/4ks9c2ej
15. New Website of the “Travellers in Ottoman Lands Project”
This project is a series of seminars and publications that explore the experiences of travellers to, from and within the lands that formerly formed part of the Ottoman Empire, and the impact of their journeys. TIOL aims to initiate and encourage research and learning with particular reference to the history of travel in territories that were once part of the Ottoman Empire.
Information: https://travellersinottomanlands.com/
- August 16, 2025
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment