Shii News – Academic Items
1.Technologies of the Image: Art in 19th-Century Iran
August 26, 2017–January 7, 2018, University Research Gallery, Harvard Art Museums
This exhibition brings together four principal art forms—lacquer, lithography, photography, and painting and drawing on paper—to explore their separate and intertwined histories, contexts of production, and means of dissemination across sectors of society ranging from the courtly elite to the citizenry at large. The almost 80 works in the exhibition, most of which have never before been exhibited, include illustrated books, album folios, pen boxes, mirror cases, single-sheet painted and printed images, and photographs. Several of the objects are on loan from collections within Harvard University and from private and public collections in the United States and abroad. Many of the Qajar era’s most interesting and accomplished artists are represented in the exhibition, including Abu al-Hasan Ghaffari Saniʿ al-Mulk, Antoin Sevruguin, Mubarak Mirza b. Mahmud, Mirza ʿAli Quli Khaw’i, Muhammad Ismaʿil, Muhammad Riza al-Imami, and members of the Najaf ʿAli circle of lacquer artists.
The accompanying exhibition catalogue features essays by co-editors David J. Roxburgh and Mary McWilliams as well as by Farshid Emami and Mira Xenia Schwerda, Ph.D. candidates at Harvard University and collaborators on the project.
2. The /Journal of Arabian Studies/ and the Center for International and
Regional Studies are pleased to announce that the special issue on “Art
and Cultural Production in the GCC” is now online:
www.tandfonline.com/toc/rjab20/current
ARTICLES:
1. Introduction: Art and Cultural Production in the GCC by SUZI MIRGANI
2. Authenticating an Emirati Art World: Claims of Tabula Rasa and
Cultural Appropriation in the UAE by ELIZABETH DERDERIAN
3. Of “Gray Lists” and Whitewash: An Aesthetics of (Self-)Censorship
and Circumvention in the GCC Countries by NANCY DEMERDASH
4. Utopian Ideals, Unknowable Futures, and the Art Museum in the
Arabian Peninsula by KAREN EXELL
5. Contemporary Art and Global Identity in the Arabian Peninsula and
Azerbaijan by LESLEY GRAY
6. Reflections on Public Art in the Arabian Peninsula by NADIA MOUNAJJED
7. Contemporary Art and Migrant Identity “Construction” in the UAE and
Qatar by SARINA WAKEFIELD
REVIEWS:
1. KHALID AL-GHARABALLI, “Poor Image” exhibition at the Sultan
Gallery, reviewed by ABDULLAH AL-MUTAIRI
2. ANTHONY DOWNEY, (ed.), /Future Imperfect: Contemporary Art
Practices and Cultural Institutions in the Middle East/ (2016), reviewed
by KATARZYNA FALECKA
3. Architecture and Urbanism in the Gulf: A Conversation with Atlas
Bookstore’s Fatma Al Sehlawi by MATT HALL
4. NADIA MOUNAJJED, (ed.), /Visual Culture(s) in the Gulf: An
Anthology /(2016), reviewed by UZMA Z. RIZVI
This special issue is the result of a two-year research initiative
undertaken by the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS)
at Georgetown University in Qatar. Directed by Mehran
Kamrava, the project was developed and supported by the CIRS team: Zahra
Babar, Elizabeth Wanucha, Islam Hassan, Jackie Starbird, Misba Bhatti,
Mohammed Al Jaberi, Waleed Zahoor, and Haya Al-Noaimi, former CIRS
research analyst. This special issue would not have been possible
without the meticulous guidance of James Onley, Editor of the /Journal
of Arabian Studies/, and Laurence Goodchild, Managing Editor of Area
Studies at Taylor & Francis Group. A very special thanks goes to Fatemeh
Teimoorzadeh, Lindy Ayubi, and Jessica Jacobs who diligently worked on
the technical side of these articles.
3. A Judeo-Persian epic, the Fath Nama (Book of Conquest)
While art historical research has focussed on the beauty and splendour of Persian miniature paintings, the study of Judeo-Persian manuscript art has lagged behind, receiving only more recently the attention and recognition it deserves. These paintings form part and parcel of manuscripts that have been copied in Judeo-Persian, that is a dialect or dialects of Persian heavily influenced by Hebrew and Aramaic and written in Hebrew script. The major obstacles to studying these significant hand-written books have been a lack of knowledge of the language, unfamiliarity with the Persian and Judeo-Persian literary traditions, and also with the history of Persian manuscript art in general.
Composed around 1474, Imrani’s epic Fath Nama (Book of Conquest) is a poetical paraphrase of narratives from the biblical books of Joshua, Ruth and Samuel, consisting of about 10.000 verses. Imrani endeavoured to uplift the biblical story to the level of the Persian epic, combining in his works Jewish and Islamic legendary and literary material.
4. Classical Islamic World Book Prize
2017 winners:
1st Place: Manolis Ulbricht
2nd Place: Mehmetcan Akpinar
3rd Place: Ahmad Sukkar
See: https://www.gorgiaspress.com/classical-islamic-world-book-prize
The deadline for submissions for the 2018 prize will be Monday 19th February 2018 (midnight). For more information about the CIW, the submission guidelines and criteria, and the judging process, please contact Gorgias Press’ Islamic Studies editor: adam@gorgiaspress.com.
5. University of Texas – Austin – Advanced Associate/full Professor
position in Ottoman History
http://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=55623
University of British Columbia – Assistant Professor, History of
South Asian Art, Architecture and Visual Culture
http://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=55598
6. 44th Saint Louis Conference on Manuscript Studies, 13–14 October 2017
Vatican Film Library, Saint Louis University
St. Louis, Missouri
Organized annually since 1974 by the Vatican Film Library, part of the Saint Louis University Libraries Department of Special Collections, this two-day conference features papers on a wide variety of topics in medieval and Renaissance manuscript studies — paleography, codicology, illumination, book production, texts and transmission, library history, and more.
See: http://lib.slu.edu/special-collections/programs/conference
7. The Department of Historical Studies at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville invites applications for a tenure-track position field in the History of Medicine or Science with a non-US focus. We emphasize innovation in our undergraduate courses by highlighting historical thinking skills including primary source analysis in history “labs,” applied historical methods, interdisciplinary courses, and opportunities to collaborate with professional schools. Teaching responsibilities in the 3/3 load include introductory survey courses in World History or Western Civilization, service courses for majors on historical research or careers in history, and upper-level, including graduate, courses in the candidate’s field of expertise and broader non-US teaching fields. The candidate is also encouraged to teach interdisciplinary courses with faculty in CAS as well as with our professional schools, such as Nursing, Pharmacy, and Engineering. Faculty who can foster collaborative interdisciplinary research and apply for external funding are highly desirable.
A PhD in History, or closely related discipline, is required at the time of employment beginning in August 2018. Persons who have not completed all degree requirements by August 2018 maybe considered for a one-year appointment at the rank of instructor. College-level teaching experience and grant-writing experience is preferred.
Interested applicants should email a single pdf of materials to historysearch@siue.edu, containing: a letter of application identifying their research and teaching expertise, a CV, a statement of teaching philosophy, a writing sample, and sample syllabi. Please send separately three letters of recommendation with your name as the subject to historysearch@siue.edu .
Review of completed applications will begin on October 15, 2017 and will continue until the position has been filled.
See: https://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=55627.
8. Symposium: “Arab Migration to Latin America: Migratory Dynamics and their Impact on Societies”, 56th International Congress of Americanists, University of Salamanca, Spain, 15-20 July 2018
Proposals are invited that include theoretical and methodological reflections, and / or case studies related to some of the following questions of analysis: causes and dynamics of the population movements from Arab countries towards Latin America; Arab diasporas in Latin America; transnational activism of Arab communities based in Latin America; elites of Arab origin and political participation in Latin American countries; Arab migration and its cultural influence in Latin America.
Deadline for abstracts: 20 October 2017. Information: https://networks.h-net.org/node/8382/discussions/317804/cfp-conference-arab-migration-latin-america-migratory-dynamics-and; http://ica2018.es/home/
9. Jobs:
Sheikh Zayid Chair of Islamic and Arabic Studies, American University of Beirut
Candidates are required to have made distinguished contributions in one or more fields of Islamic Studies. Priority will be given to specialists in Islamic jurisprudence, Prophetic tradition, speculative theology (kalam), Qur’anic studies, and Islam and Muslims in the modern and contemporary world.
Deadline for application: 15 November 2017. Information: http://www.aub.edu.lb/fas/pages/academic-employment.aspx
Alfred H. Howell Endowed Chair, One-year Visiting Professorship 2018-2019, Department of History and Archaeology, American University of Beirut
The applicant will be a recognized senior academic specializing in Modern Middle Eastern History and/or Islamic History. This position is also open for senior archaeologists.
Deadline for application: 30 November 2017. Information: http://www.aub.edu.lb/fas/pages/academic-employment.aspx
Assistant Professor (tenure-track) in Archaeology, Department of History and Archaeology, American University of Beirut
The applicant will be a junior scholar specializing in a field(s), ideally with a Middle East emphasis, not currently covered by the department, including: the prehistory of the Ancient Near East/Eastern Mediterranean, Egyptology, Islamic archaeology, environmental archaeology, ethno-archaeology, heritage studies, and numismatics. Applicants who have experience in teaching archaeological methodology and theory are particularly welcome.
Deadline for application: 30 November 2017. Information: http://www.aub.edu.lb/fas/pages/academic-employment.aspx
Lecturer/Assistant Teaching Professor in Arabic, Pennsylvania State University
Deadline for application: 1 December 2017. Information: http://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=55621
Assistant Professor in Ottoman History, New York University
Applicants’ research may focus on any period or aspect of Ottoman history, but we are particularly interested in candidates specializing in the pre-1800 period. Applicants must have the Ph.D. in hand by the time of appointment and be prepared to teach at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and to supervise doctoral dissertation research.
Deadline for application: 31 October 2017. Information: http://careers.historians.org/jobs/10318561/assistant-professor-ottoman-history-departments-of-history-and-of-middle-eastern-and-islamic-studies
Assistant Professor of Middle East Studies (Focus on Iran), Johns Hopkins University
Candidates who combine their work on Iran with an interest in international security, international law, conflict management, international development, foreign policy, or domestic politics are particularly encouraged to apply.
Review of applications started on 1 October 2017. Information: SAISMESProfSearch@jhu.edu
Three Research Internship Positions (2017-2018), Centre for Mediterranean, Middle East and Islamic Studies (CEMMIS), Athens, Greece
The interns will be supervised by senior associates and will be dealing with the study and analysis of ongoing events. Applicants have to be either postgraduate students or hold a postgraduate degree.
Deadline for application: 15 October 2017. Information: http://www.cemmis.edu.gr/index.php/en/publications/item/533-research-internship-positions-2017-2018
10. Grants from the “Endangered Archives Programme” of the British Library.
The archival material (including rare printed books, newspapers and periodicals, audio and audio-visual materials, photographs and manuscripts) should relate to a ‘pre-modern’ period of a society’s history (any period before industrialisation). It should be acutely threatened by a natural or man-made disaster and needs immediate action to safeguard it.
Deadline for preliminary grant applications: 17 November 2017. Information: http://eap.bl.uk/
11. Visiting Scholar Grants, Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies, Raleigh
Grants provide funding for researchers working on early Arab diaspora and migration to work at the Khayrallah Center for a period of 1 to 2 weeks. Researchers will have access to resources available at the Khayrallah Center’s archive.
Deadline for grants in Spring 2018: 1 January 2018. Information: http://mailchi.mp/mediterraneanseminar/apply-visiting-scholar-grants-khayrallah-center-for-lebanese-diaspora-studies-raleigh?e=82aeb6c61d
12. Summer Institute Workshop: “Political Economy of the Middle East”, George Mason University, June 2018
The workshop is both to provide graduate level engagement and instruction as well as to connect doctoral students and independent researchers with mid-career and senior scholars working in the field of critical political economy.
Deadline for abstracts: 12 October 2017. Information: http://www.politicaleconomyproject.org/pesi-2018.html
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- October 02, 2017
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