Shii News – Academic Items

1.HYBRID Lecture “The Concept of Sympathy in Greek Heritage” by Dr Maria De Cillis, Institute for Ismaili Studies, Aga Khan Centre, London, 24 October 2024, 17:00 BST

The speaker will look at the Stoic and Neoplatonic notion of sympátheia. Within Islamic traditions, the notion was adapted, inter alia, in the intellectual systems of Abū Maʿshar (d. 886) and al-Kindī (d. 873); traditions “sympathy” was employed by Fatimid scholars such as Ḥamīd al-Dīn al-Kirmānī (d. c. 1021), who integrated it into the concept of “The Balance of Religion” (mīzān al-diyāna).

Information and registration: https://www.iis.ac.uk/events/the-concept-of-sympathy-in-greek-heritage/

 

2. Workshop “Friends, Enemies, Frenemies: Ambivalences of Jewish-Muslim Relations”, Heidelberg University of Jewish Studies, 26-28 January 2025

We invite contributions that cover a wide regional focus of Jewish-Muslim relations, including the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia, and the various diasporic settings, especially in Europe and North America. In which contexts did Jews portray Muslims as role models? When and how did Muslims learn from Jewish culture or attempt to emulate it? How did political conflicts shape the dynamics of learning  about the respective “other”?

Deadline for abstracts: 30 September 2024. Information: https://www.hfjs.eu/en/university/profile/events/friends-enemies-frenemies-ambivalences-of-jewish-muslim-relations-workshop-at-the-hfjs.html

 

3. Conference “Aesthetics of Solidarity by Arab American and Arab/SWANA Diaspora Artists in the US, 1948 – Present”, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 9-12 April 2025

This conference interrogates the way that Arab American and Arab/SWANA diaspora artists use their work to highlight contemporary injustices and show solidarity with those facing sociopolitical challenges. Specifically, we consider solidarity from an aesthetic perspective while redefining solidarity within a creative, transnational context.

Extended deadline for abstracts: 30 August 2024. Information: https://forms.gle/uCBie7ERuomhBwAH9

 

4. Book Manuscripts for New Book Series “Gender and Islam: Critical Approaches to History, Society and Culture” (Bloomsbury / IB Tauris)

The Series Editors Nadia Al-Bagdadi (Central European University), Randi Deguilhem (National Institute of Scientific Research) and Bettina Dennerlein (University of Zurich) encourage contributions from all relevant disciplinary backgrounds to stimulate new and cutting-edge debates on gender, sex and sexuality across historical, linguistic and geographic boundaries.

Information: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/series/gender-and-islam/ .

Contact: Gender_and_Islam@ceu.edu

 

5. 4th European Association for Asian Art and Archaeology (EAAA) Conference
Call for Papers
8–13 September 2025
University of Lisbon, Portugal
Deadline for submissions: 15 October 2024
Notification of acceptance: 31 January 2025
Further information: https://ea-aaa.eu/4th-conference-lisbon/
The Board of the European Association for Asian Art and Archaeology (EAAA) is pleased to announce a call for papers for the 4th EAAA Conference to be held at the School of Arts and Humanities – University of Lisbon (Portugal) between 8 and 13 September 2025. The 4th Conference is jointly organised by the European Association for Asian Art and Archaeology (EAAA), the UNIARQ – Centre for Archaeology (School of Arts and Humanities), the CH-ULisboa – Centre for History of the University of Lisbon, ARTIS-Institute of Art History and ACN-Asia Collections Network. The School of Arts and Humanities – University of Lisbon is the largest scientific school of Arts and Humanities in the country and has the only existing first cycle programme in Portugal dedicated to the study of Asia as a whole.

 

6. A short course on:

Islimi (Arabesque) Designs (inhouse)
11th September  – 13th November 2024

Wednesdays (10 sessions): 6pm – 8pm
Registration Deadline 25th August 2024
Venue: The Islamic College 133 High Road London NW102SW

Information at:

https://islamic-college.ac.uk/study/short-courses/islimi-arabesque-designs/

 

7. Virginia Military Institute – Assistant Professor of Middle East/North African History (tenure-track)
https://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=67388

Applications will be accepted until Close of Business, 1 October, 2024

 

 

 

 

8. Extended Deadline for Applications: 15.08.2024 (US style dates)

Exploratory Workshop                       

Diaspora as a (Re)Source

Interactions and Interdependencies between Arab Diaspora Communities in Latin America and their Communities/Countries of Origin

Convenors:                   Katrin Köster, Roberto Cruz Romero

Keynote Speaker:        Prof. Dr. Lily Pearl Ballofet (UC Santa Cruz)

Date:                             01.+02. November 2024

Format:                        Hybrid

Location:                     Research Centre Global Dynamics, Leipzig University (and Zoom)

Context

Latin American countries and especially the Arab diaspora communities in these countries are an important political, socioeconomic, and cultural resource for Arab communities in the Levant and the wider Middle East. In recent months, the world has been reminded of this by the numerous Latin American expressions of solidarity with Gaza. Similarly, during the past few years, Arab diaspora communities have rallied to support Syrian refugees and economically drained Lebanese communities. These acts of solidarity are not singular in nature, but are part and parcel of long-lasting and deep-rooted ties between Middle Eastern and Latin American communities.

The ties between these two world regions go back to the late nineteenth century, the era of worldwide labor migration to the Americas. Impoverished Arabs, predominantly Christians but also Druze, Alawis, and Sunni Muslims from the Levant, migrated to the Americas, especially drawn to Latin America. During the 1920s and 1930s, they were joined by a second wave of migrants dominated by intellectuals fleeing from oppression and censorship. Today, particularly Argentina and Brazil, as well as some smaller Latin American countries, are home to huge Levantine Arab communities who have great influence on political, socioeconomic, and cultural developments in both their “new” and “old” home countries.

The ways diaspora communities have influenced and continue to influence their Arab communities or countries of origin are varied and manifold. For instance, politicians try to rally diaspora communities to affect election outcomes at home or international politics pertaining to developments in the Middle East, while Arab intellectuals in the diaspora frequently make decisive contributions to discourses in the region. The economic solidarity of diaspora communities has often played a significant role in softening the hardship of economic crises for specific communities and villages, and mahǧar (diaspora) literature and diaspora film productions have profoundly influenced the Arab cultural scene. Furthermore, sociocultural practices like St. Mary’s shrines, Salsa music, and first and foremost Mate tea consumption enjoy immense popularity in Arab countries, especially the Levant.

Existing Research

The past few decades have seen increased scholarly interest in Middle Eastern migration studies in general and Arab diaspora communities in Latin America in particular. This interest was primarily kindled and stoked by the works by Akram Khater, Reem Bailony, Lily Pearly Ballofet, Roberto Khatlab, Stacy D. Fahrenthold, and John Tofik Karam as well as the Mashriq & Mahjar: Journal of Middle East and North African Migration Studies, which is edited by Fahrenthold and Khater and published by the Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies. Additionally, individual studies, for example by Ottmar Ette and Frederike Pannewick, have highlighted literary entanglements between the Americas and the Middle East. Most of the existing studies, however, pertain to one of these three areas of research: connections between diaspora communities and their home countries during the first decades of the migration movement (i.e., the late nineteenth and early twentieth century up the 1940s), the significance of diaspora literature for Arab language literature, and diaspora communities within the context of their “new” home countries. Significantly less has been published on the interactions and interdependencies between Arab diaspora communities in Latin America and their communities/countries of origin during later decades of the twentieth century and the early twenty-first century.

Workshop Design

This workshop sets out to explore these interactions and interdependencies on the personal, political, social, economic, and cultural level, with a focus on the time period from the 1940s to the 2020s. We are especially interested in investigating how these various kinds of entanglements have been influencing and shaping Middle Eastern communities and countries and how diaspora communities function as a catalyst or as (re)sources for political, socioeconomic, and cultural transformations in the Arab world.

Possible research topics and questions include but are not limited to:

• Latin American Arab diasporas as a resource in times of political and economic crises,
• Latin American Arab diasporas as advocates of Arab interests within international politics,
• Economic entanglements and trade connections between Latin America and the Middle East,
• Intellectual and cultural transfers between Latin America and the Middle East, and
• Cold War solidarities and Peronism’s influence on Nasserism

In the course of the workshop, we would also like to discuss the specifics of research on Arab diasporas in Latin America and their entanglements with their respective communities and countries of origin. In how far does this research relate to diaspora studies in general and in how far can it open up new avenues of investigation and/or contribute to existing research on a theoretical and methodological level?

This workshop is designed as an exploratory workshop and intends to bring together scholars who want to further research on Latin American–Middle Eastern entanglements. The workshop is also designed as a first step in a longer process and therefore primarily serves to set the stage for future empirical and theoretical research by shaping the research parameters and developing methodological approaches appropriate for investigating Latin American–Middle Eastern entanglements.

Application and Funding

If you are interested in participating in our workshop, please send a short abstract (250–350 words) and a short biography (max. 100 words) to Katrin.koester@uni-leipzig.de by 1 August 2024. Early career scholars are especially invited to apply.

Participants are expected to attend the entire workshop (either online or in person) and give a 20-minute presentation on a research topic related to the themes of the workshop. Presentations in English, Arabic, and Spanish are welcome, but we kindly ask you to provide an English abstract.

Limited funding is available for this workshop. We will organize accommodation at a nearby hotel for the participants for the duration of the workshop and will cover transportation costs as far as possible.

Please indicate in your application whether you want to participate online or in person and, in the latter case, from where you will be travelling to Leipzig. This will not have any effect on the selection process but will facilitate the workshop logistics.

Schedule and Further Plans

15.08.2024                   Deadline for applications

22.08.2024                   Notification of accepted applicants

11.10.2024                   Deadline for extended abstracts

01.+02.11.2024            Workshop

01.08.2025                   Deadline for finalized papers

10–12.09.2025           Second Meeting in the form of a panel at the 8th European Congress on Universal and Global History in Växjö, Sweden (attendance is self-funded by participants, online attendance is possible)

2026                            Publication of a special issue

 

 

 

9. UCLA Pourdavoud Center:

Video Library Announcement: Achaemenid Workshop 2 Day 3 Videos Now Available

We are pleased to share with you the recorded lectures from the third day of the Second Achaemenid Workshop, The Achaemenid Persian Empire and Imperial Transformations in the Ancient Near East, hosted at the University of Innsbruck and co-sponsored by the Pourdavoud Institute in Obergurgl, Austria on July 3–7, 2023.

All videos at:

https://pourdavoud.ucla.edu/videos/

 

10. Kurdish Language Instruction: Deadline Extended for Fall 2024
Fall 2024 Kurdish Language Instruction Program

Interested in learning Kurdish? As a key part of our humanistic approach to Kurdish studies, Zahra Institute is committed to offering Kurdish language instruction. We aim to tailor our offerings to student needs and interests while maintaining the highest academic standards.

Students can enroll in our Kurdish language offerings (Kurmanji and Sorani) as standalone courses or take them as electives in our MA and Certificate programs.

Application deadline is extended to August 15 and financial aid is still available. To apply, visit our webpage: https://www.zahrainstitute.org/KLIOverview.html

Posted in: Academic items