Categories : Field-specific (academic)

A Concise History of Sunnis and Shi’is

The 1400-year-old schism between Sunnis and Shi’is has rarely been as toxic as it is today, feeding wars and communal strife in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Pakistan, Afghanistan and many other countries, with tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran escalating. In this richly layered and engrossing account, John McHugo reveals how this great divide occurred.

The Hazaras and the Afghan State | Hurst Publishers

‘Niamatullah Ibrahimi’s richly-textured account of Hazaras’ relations with the Afghan state not only sheds light on the social and political complexities of a highly-vulnerable group; it also illuminates dimensions of the state building enterprise in Afghanistan in ways that highlight the challenges of internationally-supported state building more broadly. A pathbreaking book.’

From ‘Sort of Muslim’ to ‘Proud to be Alevi’: Young British Alevis and Identity

This presentation explains how the negative identity of second-generation Alevis in the UK has been transmitted intergenerationally, linked to their history of persecuted exclusion in Turkey and to the transnational settlement of Alevi migrants in the UK, and how this sense of marginalisation and invisibility in the receiving country can be addressed.

The Second Workshop – Edinburgh, 19-21 May, 2017

THE ROLE AND DEPICTION OF IRANIAN/PERSIANATE SUBALTERNS FROM THE 13TH CENTURY TO THE MODERN PERIOD A multi-year research project funded by the British Institute of Persian Studies (BIPS). The second of four workshops – on subalterns across the entire Persianate world in the Safavid and Afsharid periods (1501-1747) – was held at the University of Edinburgh, UK, on 19-21 May, 2017.

Before the Printed Word: Texts, Scribes and Transmission | The Institute of Ismaili Studies

Ismaili historiography has often lamented the destruction of renowned libraries developed under the Fatimids in Egypt (10th-12th centuries) and the Nizaris of Alamut times (11th-13th centuries). In many ways, this loss represented the eclipse of an important chapter in Muslim history that had witnessed the flourishing of learning and intellectual exchange across different societies.

Merits of the Bāṭiniyya : Al-Ghazālī’s Appropriation of Ismaʿili Cosmology | Journal of Islamic Studies | Oxford Academic

This paper discusses the question of an Ismaʿili influence within the cosmology of al-Ghazālī and argues that al-Ghazālī appropriated certain features of the Ismaʿili cosmology from the Persian Ismaʿili thought of Nāṣir-i Khusraw (d. ca. 481/1088).

Senses of Scripture, Treasures of Tradition

Biographical note Readership Table of contents About the Authors Introduction Miriam L. Hjälm Part 1: The Bible in Context Alexander Treiger From Theodore Abū Qurra to Abed Azrié: The Arabic Bible in Context Cornelia Horn Apocrypha on Jesus’ Life in the Early Islamic Milieu: From Syriac into Arabic Peter Tarras The Spirit Before the Letter: Theodore Abū Qurra’s Use of Biblical Quotations in the Context of Early Christian Arabic Apologetics David Sklare Ninth-Century Judeo-Arabic Texts of Biblical Questions and Answers Geoffrey K.

Shia as Internal Others: A Salafi Rejection of the ‘Rejecters’

Conflict and polemic between Sunni Muslims and Shiites have a long history. In the contemporary era, this polemic has been accentuated by the conflictual situation in the Middle East, and it is also colouring the minority Muslim situation.

The Unthought in Islam: The Shi`a and Shi`ism in the Western Diaspora

The Edinburgh workshop addressed Shii perceptions about being Shii in Scotland, the UK and elsewhere in the Western diaspora. The workshop was held in Edinburgh over 5-7 May, 2017 and included academic presentations and discussions by representatives of the faith community itself.

Medium of the Oppressed: Folk Music, Forced Migration, and Tactical Media – Karimi – 2017 – Communication, Culture & Critique – Wiley Online Library

Karimi, A. (2017), Medium of the Oppressed: Folk Music, Forced Migration, and Tactical Media. Communication, Culture & Critique. doi: 10.1111/cccr.12178