Categories : Field-specific (academic)

The Center for the Study of the Middle East at Indiana University, Massey University in New Zealand, and the Middle East and Islamic Studies Aotearoa/New Zealand are delighted to invite you to the virtual zoom conference, “Shia Studies in Twenty-First Century,” to be held in 5/30-31/2022 (Eastern US Time) / 5/31-6/1/2022 (NZ time).This conference is intended to bring together scholars of Shi’ism across the world to share their research. It intends to create a scholarly network from Europe and North America to Oceania.
The themes of the conference are; Theology and Philosophy of Shia Islam, Shia Islamic Metaphysics, Shi’ism and Sufism, Modern Political Thought in Shia Islam, Shia Shariah: Private or Public?, Equality and Economics in Shia Islam, Equality in Shia Islam, Contemporary Shi’ism and Gender Equality, non-Twelver Shias, Shi’ism and the environment, Atheism Skepticism and Apostacy in Shia Islam, Rights in Shia Islam, Ultra-Shia, Shia Islam and Democracy, Shia Islam and Art, Shia Islam and Technology.
We would very much appreciate your contribution to the conference, as we understand your contributions already made to the field. Please send your 250 word abstract by Friday April 21st. We will announce speakers by the first of May. After the conference, we will select papers for publication by September. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at Shiaconference2022@gmail.com
We dearly hope you are able to participate in our zoom conference, thank you so much for the consideration and your outstanding work in Shia Studies.
Sincerely
-Mr. Alexander Shepard.

-Dr. Negar Partow.

-Dr. Carl Pearson.

https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/nonsunni-muslims-in-the-late-ottoman-empire-9780755644742/?utm_campaign=NL-CT_NIPPODs_SEPT_23&utm_content=Non-Sunni%20Muslims%20in%20the%20Late%20Ottoman%20Empir&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Adestra

‘Shii News Chats’ aims to profile academics across the world whose research focuses on Shiism and Shii communities across the world. These thereby highlight the diversity of the researchers but also the diversity of the faith and its practitioners.
The link to these can be found on the menu along the top of the site’s main page.
The first of these is with Mara Leichtman, Associate Professor of Anthropology at Michigan State University.

The IMES research seminar of 21 March with Morten Valbjorn and Jeroen Gunning’s talk “Where Have All the (Sunni) Islamist Gone? Bridging Studies of Sunni and Shia Islamism” has been cancelled. It will be recheduled for the Autumn.

The next seminar will be on Monday March 28 at 17:15 (UK time) and will feature two presentations by IMES PhD candidates Lucy Deacon and Carlos Mendez.

Here is the link to register for this and the next talk, and obtain the zoom meeting log-in information:
https://ed-ac-uk.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYlcuyvqjgvHdaSodYsuXt5D9W4T3lim0DW

Studying the Philosophy and Meaning of Ashura in Academia: Historical and Contemporary Issues
Thursday, March 17, 2022, 12:30pm to 2:00pm

Abstract:
Within academia, there has been much research done on Ashura and its centrality in Shi’a Islam. However much of the field has focused on particular communal or ritual manifestations with less emphasis on the rich philosophical and theological interpretations of Imam Hussain’s life and legacy found in diverse Muslim societies throughout time. To move the literature forward, this panel addresses the question: how can the philosophy of Ashura and the values underpinning Imam Hussain’s actions be more deeply understood and investigated in academia from various disciplinary approaches? How can we study the values, meanings, and philosophy of Ashura? What is the field of Islamic or regional studies lacking in this regard and what can we do as scholars and academics to help rectify these challenges in the state of the field?

Speakers:
Syed Akbar Hyder, Associate Professor of Asian Studies and Islamic Studies, University of Texas at Austin
Karen Ruffle, Associate Professor of History of Religions and the Study of Religion, University of Toronto
Nicholas Boylston, Assistant Professor of Theology and Religious Studies, Seattle University

Register here.