Shii News – Academic Items

1.Call for Papers – Iraqi Studies: Past, Present, and Future

28-29 February 2020

Columbia University

This two-day conference brings together a diverse group of established and emerging scholars working on the history of modern Iraq from the Ottoman period to the present to interrogate Iraqi studies; taking stock of its past, reflecting on the present, and looking towards its future. Studies of modern Iraq have grown qualitatively and quantitatively in recent years. There is now a critical mass of innovative scholars in the US, Europe, and the Middle East who work on Iraq and are exploring new lines of inquiry in a number of different directions. It is common to see Iraq-themed panels and round tables at international conferences. Given this volume of scholarly activity connected to modern Iraq, it is an opportune time to critically reflect on and examine Iraqi studies and its status as a burgeoning sub-field of Middle East Studies.

We aim to discuss research trends, to identify promising new questions and sources, to exchange experiences and insights, and to encourage networking across period-specializations and field boundaries. Each panel will comprise a discussant and several speakers. We will also hold a keynote panel of senior scholars who will critically reflect on the state of Iraqi studies. This panel will serve to guide and orient our discussions during the conference. Confirmed speakers for the Keynote Panel: Dr. Dina Khoury (George Washington University); Dr. Orit Bashkin (University of Chicago); Dr. Eric Davis (Rutgers University).

Among the questions we seek to explore are: How do we define Iraqi studies? What various methodological approaches inform our study of Iraq? Is Iraqi studies an inherently nationalist endeavor? How do different frameworks support or break with nationalist conventions? How has Iraq’s recent turbulent history affected how scholars access sources to study the country, its geography, its people, its history, its literature, etc.? How can we move past the sectarian and ethnic narratives of understanding the Iraqi past and present?

We welcome submissions that address any of the above questions. Other sub-themes may also include:

Iraq, Empires, and Imperialism – including the Ottoman, British, and American imperialisms. We welcome work which considers state-society relations as well as the place of Iraq in inter-imperial and international relations.
Relationship between Iraqi society and the environment – including urban studies, infrastructure, and natural resource extraction.
Explorations of Iraqi intellectual and cultural production – including how Iraqi intellectuals and other actors have produced theory which can be not only the subject of a historian’s study, but can serve as a framework to better understand such subjects.
Studies of ethnic and religious minorities – including and beyond histories of sectarianism and ethnic/sectarian conflict.
Innovative applications of new methods in gender studies to the context of Iraq and in particular works which suggest how such methodologies can be woven into work across sub-disciplines within the field of Iraqi studies.
Studies that address conflict, violence and war in Iraq’s history, as well as the production of memory, practices of commemoration, documentation, and archives.

Conference Details

If you would like to propose a paper for the conference, please submit a completed application form (including a 300 word abstract) via the Google Form by August 31st.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScHTNDqkedcMQ_NIL3K0x_HYHYeFp8L4f7YgQ1WVofTCM1DDQ/viewform

We seek proposals from junior faculty, post-doctoral fellows, graduate students, and emerging scholars.
The conference will have a keynote panel of speakers as well as a final roundtable
Meals will be provided for participants. We have limited funding to sponsor accommodation and travel expenses of participants, especially for those travelling from the Middle East. However, participants are encouraged to apply for funds from their home institutions, or to find alternative sources of funding where possible. Please indicate in the Google Form whether you have access to funding when you submit your abstracts.

Organisers:

Zeinab Azarbadegan (Columbia University)

Amnah Almukhtar (Columbia University)

Natasha Pesaran (Columbia University)

Sponsors:

Department of History

Center for International History

Center for the Study of Muslim Societies

Ottoman and Turkish Studies Seminar

Department of Art History and Archaeology

2. The Fourth European Convention on Turkic, Ottoman and Turkish Studies (Turkologentag 2020) will be held in Mainz from September 16–18, 2020.

The conference is organized by the Society for Turkic, Ottoman and Turkish Studies (GTOT) in co-operation with the Chair of Turcology of Johannes Gutenberg University.

We are inviting proposals for papers and panels in the domains of language, literature, history, culture, society, politics, and philology of the Turks and the Turkic peoples. Conference languages are English, German, and Turkish.

The deadline for the submission of paper and panel proposals is February 15, 2020.

Detailed information, including guidance on the submission of abstracts and panel proposals, is found on www.turkologentag-2020.de.

3. Colloque international : « Les établissements scolaires privés musulmans : une offre éducationelle comme les autres ? », Campus Saint Jean-D’Angély Nice, 7-8 novembre 2019

Dans la perspective de ce colloque, il s’agit d’établir un état des lieux de la situation des établissements scolaires privés musulmans à partir d’une approche croisée avec des chercheurs et des acteurs du terrain (familles, personnels enseignants, responsables académiques et associatifs…). Plusieurs axes composent les orientations pluridisciplinaires en proposant de questionner une intrication des multiples enjeux éducatifs, sociaux, religieux, et politiques pour envisager une approche comparative à l’échelle nationale et internationale.

Deadline for abstracts: 10 September 2019. Information: https://etprimus.sciencesconf.org/

4. Muslim Studies Program 13th Annual Conference: “Islam, Environmental Science, and Conservation”, Michigan State University, 16-17 April 2020

This conference aims to foster understanding of the nexus between Islam, environmental science, and con-servation. Topics of interest for submission include, but are not restricted to, the nexus of Islam and the fol-lowing: environmental sustainability; gender and the environment; sustainable development; ecology; envi-ronmental conservation; natural resource management; climate change; etc.

Deadline for abstracts: 15 August 2019. Information: https://muslimstudies.isp.msu.edu/about/conference/

5. Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship in Islamic Rational Theology / Philosophy (kalām / falsafa), Aix-en-Provence

Required skills: specialisation in Arabic philosophy/philology/rational theology (PhD level); speaking, writing and oral comprehension of French and English; linguistic skills in Arabic (reading, editing ancient texts); experience in drafting and publishing scientific articles; knowledge of new technologies: research blog on the platform Hypothèses, knowledge of the word-processor Classical Text Editor.

Deadline for applications: 31 August 2019.

Information: http://iremam.cnrs.fr/IMG/pdf/anr-gaia_2019-post-doc_fr-en.pdf

6. Humanities Research Fellowships for the Study of the Arab World, NYU Abu Dhabi

While open to scholars working in all areas of the Humanities, the program aims in particular to build a center of outstanding research capacity in areas of the Humanities that are relevant for the study of the Arabic world, its rich intellectual, religious, and scientific history, its cultural and artistic heritage as expressed in traditional and new media, and its interaction with other cultures in the past and present.

Deadline for applications: 1 October 2019.

Information: https://nyuad.nyu.edu/en/research/centers-labs-and-projects/humanities-research-fellowship-program.html

7. Assistant Professor (Four-Year Position) in Sociology, American University Cairo

Requirements: A PhD in sociology or a related discipline with the ability to teach and publish within the discipline of sociology. Commitment to teaching and engagement of students, as well as service to the university, particularly the sociology program and the department, are necessary, as well as an active research agenda.

Priority will be given to applications that are submitted by 1 November 2019.

Information: https://careers.insidehighered.com/job/1587207/sociology-fall-2020/

8. Assistant Professor (Tenure-Track) in Islamic Studies, Macalester College, Saint Paul (Minnesota)

A PhD is required by time of appointment (Fall 2020). The successful candidate will be expected to teach a broad range of courses in classical and modern Islam and in the study of religion more broadly. The field of specialty within Islamic Studies is open. We will also consider the candidate’s ability to contribute to other on-campus programs.

Deadline for abstracts: 1 October 2019. Information: https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/13798

9. Scholarships for Historical Researchers on Western Asia and the Islamic World (2020-2021), Princeton

Members in the School are appointed for either one term (first term 21 September to 18 December, second term 11 January to 9 April) or for two terms, amounting to a full academic year. Eligibility requirements include a substantial record of publication and a PhD awarded by no later than 31 December 2018.

Deadline for applications: 15 October 2019. Information: https://www.hs.ias.edu/mem_announcement

10. 4 bourses de Master 2 et une allocation doctorale pour l’année universeritaire 2019-20, La Fondation de l’Islam de France

Au regard de ces grandes orientations, la Fondation soutiendra les chercheurs dont les travaux permettent de mieux cerner les problématiques déclinées selon quatre axes relevant de l’islamologie fondamentale et appliquée. Une excellente maîtrise des langues arabe, turque ou / et persane sera jugée indispensable au soutien par la FIF de toute candidature.

Deadline for applications: 17 July 2019. Information: https://iismm.hypotheses.org/42213

11. Summer School of Iranian Studies and Persian Language

University of Tehran: 16 to 28 August 2019

All the classes will be held outside classrooms in museums, palaces, and historical and cultural settings. Lectures will be held in English by the University of Tehran’s professors. in the end, Participants will be awarded a certificate of attendance, certified by the University of Tehran, together with a memento.

Visa

To apply for a student visa, please visit the following link and fill out the required form. You need to pay an advance of €100. The remainder will be charged in cash in Tehran:

www.event.cins.ir/register/form/5

For questions and inquiries please contact: ialit@ut.ac.ir (Sadegh Hojjati: Executive Secretary)

Office of International Relations,

Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Tehran
Phone Number: +982166477453, +982166978881
Fax:+982166978881

E-mail:ialit@ut.ac.ir
Address: Enqelab Ave.,P.O.Box:14155-6158, Tehran, Iran

Posted in: Academic items