Categories : Field-specific (academic)

Institute of Ismaili Studies

Farhad Daftary Doctoral Scholarship 2026

Applications are now open for the Farhad Daftary Doctoral Scholarship. The programme supports doctoral research aligned with IIS priorities in Islamic and Shiʿi studies.  The deadline for applications is 31 March 2026.
Read the full announcement 

Call for Papers: Fatimid Sicily – History, Memory, and Legacy

Proposed papers can address any aspect of Fatimid rule in Sicily, the functioning of state and bureaucracy, trade networks, diplomacy and war, symbols and language of Fatimid power, literature, religion, and, in particular, the Ismaʿili Shiʿism and Ismaʿili followers of the Fatimids in connection with Sicily. Particular attention will be paid to the nature of Fatimid rule in Sicily:

Full details at https://www.iis.ac.uk/news/2026/march/fatimid-sicily-call-for-papers/

Submission of abstracts
Abstracts: 200-300 words in English; Brief Bio: 100-200 words
Deadline for the submissions: 15 April 2026
Notification of acceptance will be sent by 25 April 2026
Abstracts should be submitted using the form below. For other inquiries, please do not hesitate to contact us via email: SicilyConference@iis.ac.uk

Conference proceedings will be published in the Shi‘i Heritage Series (SHS) of The Institute of Ismaili Studies.

Conference information
Dates: 19-20 October 2026

Location: The Aga Khan Centre, 10 Handyside Street, London N1C 4DN, United Kingdom and online.

Institute of Ismaili Studies
Elemental: Ismaili Perspectives on Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Ether
26-27 March 2026 | Aga Khan Centre & Online
This conference brings together scholars from across disciplines to explore how the elements have been understood in Ismaili traditions. Through philosophical, literary and artistic perspectives, the conference will examine the relationship between religious cosmology, cultural expression and contemporary environmental challenges. The full conference programme will be available shortly.
Register here to attend

The University of Chicago Shiʿi Studies Symposium Call for Papers: Ritual in Shiʿi Islam
Abstract Submission Deadline EXTENDED: March 8, 2026
Response Date: March 15, 2026
Symposium Date: May 15-16, 2026
The Shi‘i Studies Group at the University of Chicago is excited to announce an open Call for Papers for our Symposium to be held May 15-16 2026, under the theme of “Ritual in Shiʿi Islam.”
About the Symposium: The University of Chicago Shiʿi Studies Symposium is an endeavor of the Shiʿi Studies Group, established in 2010, to provide an interdisciplinary, non-area-specific forum for the discussion of research on Shiʿism by faculty and graduate students at the University and beyond. The annual symposium aims to strengthen the field of Shiʿi Studies by bringing together a group of both senior and early-career scholars to present research and to cultivate an environment for intellectual discussion and collaboration. At each symposium, we aim to address a focused set of questions with cross-cutting relevance to scholars working on various periods and from various disciplinary perspectives.
Call for Papers: We are now accepting abstracts from graduate students, postdocs, faculty, and independent scholars. We welcome papers employing a wide range of interdisciplinary and methodological approaches, spanning the earliest periods of Shiʿism up through the contemporary moment. Previous symposia have considered walāya and devotion to the family of the Prophet, the formation of centers of learning, Shiʿism and governance, and the dynamics of sectarianism. Building on these conversations, this year’s gathering turns to the practices through which institutional, communal, and theological commitments are formalized, enacted, and often contested.
Subject areas may address, but are not limited to:
The calcification and re-invigoration of Islamic law
The integration of the occult, talismans, and magic into devotional life
The development of shrine spaces to accommodate and shape visitors’ ritual practices
The regulation of grief, piety, and embodied discipline
Ritual failure, excess, and contestation in Shiʿi practice
Keynote Speaker: Rob Gleave is Professor of Arabic Studies in the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter. His research focuses on Islamic legal theory and practice, particularly legal hermeneutics, and the history of Shi’ite legal thought and institutions. He has directed a number of international research projects over the past 20 years exploring these issues. His current research projects include The Foundations of Modern Shi’ism: The End of Akhbarism and the Beginnings of Usulism” as the British Academy/Wolfson Professor (2023-2027) and SDIL: Schooling and Deschooling Islamic Law: Histories of the Madhhabs (2024-2026).
Featured Speakers: Scott Lucas is and Associate Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Arizona. His research explores the creative process by which Sunni and Zaydi scholars composed works in the genres of law, hadith, and Qur’anic commentary during the classical period of Islamic civilization. He recently published Selections from the Comprehensive Exposition of the Interpretation of the Verses of the Qur’an. He currently is working on multiple book and article projects related to Zaydi law and theology in Yemen.
Aun Hasan Ali is an Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Colorado-Boulder. His research focuses on the intellectual history of Twelver Shi’ism, particularly law and legal theory. His first book, The School of Hillah and the Formation of Twelver Shi’i Islamic Tradition, builds upon recent scholarship in the fields of Religious Studies and Anthropology to argue that Twelver Shi’ism is better understood as a discursive tradition.
Submissions: Presenters will be asked to deliver papers of approximately 20 minutes, followed by moderated discussion between panelists and the audience. Abstracts of around 300 words along with a CV should be submitted by March 8, 2026. Send abstracts to uchicagoshiistudies@gmail.com, with the subject line: “2026 UChicago Shiʿi Studies Symposium Application.”
Please circulate widely! For questions and concerns, including accessibility and funding, please write to uchicagoshiistudies@gmail.com. Additional information and updates will be published on our [voices.uchicago.edu/shiistudies]website.

Abstract Deadline: 15 April 2026

ONLINE Webinar “From Hidden Rooms to City Streets: Shia Rituals, Student Activism, and Public Space in Italy” by Minoo Mirshahvalad (University of Copenhagen), NYU-Roma Tre Permanent Global Seminar, 4 March 2026, 18:00 CET

This paper examines how Shia Muslims – particularly Iranian students – navigated and reshaped Italian urban spaces between the early 2010s and 2018. It explores how a marginal religious minority negotiates its right to urban presence through evolving practices of visibility, how students act as cultural mediators, and how Italian urban spaces both limit conventional forms of public religiosity, but also open space for creative and locally adapted modes of ritual expression.
Information and registration: https://tinyurl.com/4hc974ka

Open ERC postdoc position on the anthropology of Ansarallah/Houthis in Yemen. We are looking for someone passionate about Yemen and the interplay between religious authority, institutions, and everyday lifeworlds under Ansar Allah (Houthis).

Details and application:
https://www.oeaw.ac.at/jobs?jh=ul2vchzotpqsbw7khmbxjxjvga0po8c
Short project overview:
https://www.oeaw.ac.at/isa/forschung/forschungsgebiete-des-isa/naher-osten/ideology-in-context

https://oeawnr.onlyfy.jobs/job/vyzifyx8
https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/408980

Closing date: 31 March, 2026

The Life and Legacy of Ja’far al-Sadiq | At the Nexus of Islam