Categories : Field-specific (academic)

‘Deconstructing Memories of Ali in Sunni and Shi’i Islam’
Nebil Husayn, 22.11.21 2 pm EST
Islam’s fourth caliph, Ali, can be considered one of the most revered figures in Islamic history. His nearly universal portrayal in Muslim literature as a pious authority obscures a centuries-long process that entailed the rehabilitation of his character. For many years, some Muslims disliked Ali and considered him an illegitimate ruler. In his new book, Opposing the Imam, Nebil Husayn considers the diverse ways in which early Muslims remembered Ali and contextualizes the rise of both Sunnism and Shi’ism. This presentation discusses key findings from this recent publication.
For more info and to register:
https://shiism.wcfia.harvard.edu/event/deconstructing-memories-ali-sunni-and-shi%CA%BFi-islam

Registration is now open for “Fatimid Cosmopolitanism: History, Material Culture, Politics and Religion” (Dec 6-9, 2021), an online conference which aims to progress the field of Fatimid studies by examining their political, cultural, artistic, social, economic and intellectual interactions. We welcome researchers and scholars with an interest in these areas to join.
For further information and to register:

5e journée d’études sur le chiisme contemporain’
vendredi 19 novembre 2021 – 10:00 – 16:00
Journée organisée avec le soutien du Laboratoire d’études sur les monothéismes (LEM), et du Groupe Sociétés Religions Laïcités (GSRL).
Organisateurs : Constance Arminjon (EPHE – PSL, GSRL) et Rainer Brunner (CNRS, LEM).
Lieu : Maison des sciences de l’Homme – 54, boulevard Raspail, 75006 Paris, salle 20.
More information and to register:
https://www.ephe.psl.eu/agenda/5e-journee-d-etudes-sur-le-chiisme-contemporain

Hidden Empires and Muslim Sectarian Identities: The Emergence of Shi’a Sects in Early Islam (7th – 10th Centuries CE)
Mohammad Sagha, Humanities Teaching Fellow, University of Chicago
Date: Monday, November 15, 2021, 3:00pm to 4:30pm, EST
Location: Online Zoom Webinar
To Register:
https://harvard.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_elngLU1kRAaHwlgqf8nMMA

ONLINE Mathieu Terrier (CNRS, LEM) : « L’opposition au pouvoir dans le shi’isme imâmite à la période prémoderne : de la révolte armée au contre-pouvoir spirituel », IISMM, Paris, 9 novembre 2021, 18h30 – 20h CET
Ses recherches portent principalement sur les ouvrages de « vies et doctrines des sages » dans le monde arabo musulman, l’évolution des idé es théologiques et philosophiques en islam shî‘ite de l origine à l ’époque moderne et la formation de la « philosophie shî‘ite » entre le XIVe et le XVIIe siècle.
Information et inscription https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3e5Lagn9jhY

The department of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Edinburgh is delighted to invite you to an online conversation with Dr Lloyd Ridgeon on Thu, 18 November 2021, 17:00 – 18:00 GMT. We will discuss his new book, Hijab: Three Modern Iranian Seminarian Perspectives.
The event is free but you need to register via the link below:
https://hijabbooklaunch.eventbrite.co.uk
Dr Lloyd Ridgeon’s book addresses the differences of opinion among seminarians on the hijab in the Islamic Republic of Iran. It focuses on three representative thinkers: Murtaza Mutahhari who held veiling to be compulsory, Ahmad Qabil who argued for the desirability of the hijab, and Muhsin Kadivar who considers it neither necessary nor desirable.
Join Lloyd in conversation with Professor Nacim Pak Shiraz, Personal Chair of Cinema and Iran at the University of Edinburgh, to discuss the book and its themes.

‘The Qizilbāsh and their Shah: The Preservation of Royal Prerogative during the Early Reign of Shah Ṭahmāsp’
G. Aldous
JRAS, 2021

The ‘Alawī Religion: An Anthology
M. Bar-Asher, A. Kofsky
Brepols, 2021
The ‘Alawī religion, known for most of its history by the name Nuṣayriyya, emerged in Iraq over a millennium ago. An esoteric, syncretistic religion with a close affinity to Shī‘ī Islam, its origins are shrouded in obscurity. Over time, beliefs and rituals deriving from paganism, Zoroastrianism and Christianity were grafted to the radical Shī‘ī substrate, giving the religion its distinctive character. Throughout their history the ‘Alawites were a persecuted religious minority, but in the 1970s they came to power in Syria and retained absolute rule until recently. There is also a significant population in Hatai Province in southern Turkey.
Arising from the authors’ long-standing interest in the ‘Alawī religion, this anthology offers for the first time a selection from the distinctive literature of the mysterious religion. The book opens with a detailed introduction setting the background for the themes it will cover: the mystery of the divinity in the ‘Alawī faith; rituals and ceremonies; calendar and festivals; the doctrine of reincarnation; initiation into the divine mysteries and the esoteric circle; and finally, the identity and self-definition of the religion’s followers vis-à-vis Islam and other religions.

ONLINE Humboldt Research Award Lecture / Goettinger Orient-Symposium: “Towards a History of Libraries in Yemen” by Prof. Sabine Schmidtke, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ, 3 November 2021, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm CET
Zaydi Yemen is characterized by a religio-dynastic continuance that stretched over nearly a millenium until the abolition of the Zaydi imamate in 1962. During this periods, the production of books increased exponentially and new libraries were founded. The preserved material allows for a meticulous longue durée study of Yemen’s religio-cultural history through its libraries, the outlines of which will be sketched out in the lecture.
Information and registration: https://www.uni-goettingen.de/de/651367.html

The Clergy and the Modern Middle East
Shi’i Political Activism in Iran, Iraq and Lebanon
M Kalantari
Bloomsbury, 2021