Shii News – Academic Items
1. CfP: The Bible in Middle Eastern Manuscript Traditions
University of Rome Rome Tor Vergata, 22-24 April 2026
The workshop seeks to highlight the diverse scribal practices, transmission histories, and cultural interpretations that have shaped the reception of the Bible across the region.
Deadline for abstracts: 1 January 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/yt59eh64
2. Up to five Postdoctoral Researchers (f/m/d)
Full-time (TV-L E13) | three years
in Cluster of Excellence “Transforming Human Rights”, (1 April 2026)
The Cluster of Excellence “Transforming Human Rights”, based at
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), addresses
fundamental questions about the potential and limits of human rights
in the context of several major worldwide transformation processes.
The Cluster’s Postdoc program is unique both in content and scope
providing an exceptional environment to unite outstanding talents and
to prepare them for human rights careers in academia and praxis. For
more information, see: https://www.humanrights.fau.eu/research-chren/exc-transforming-hr
Deadline for applications: 5 January 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/462wh5ns
3. Neues Buch: “Die Edelvögel der Fürsten von Hama – _Die Futuwwah-Jagd in Syrien, 12. bis 17. Jahrhundert” von Thomas Bauer, Ergon Verlag, 488 S.
Information und Einleitung: https://tinyurl.com/39e5bekc
4. New Book “The Damascus Events – The 1860 Massacre and the Destruction of the Old Ottoman World” by Eugene Rogan, Penguin, 416 pages
This remarkable book recreates one of the watershed moments in the history of the Middle East: the ferocious outbreaks of disorder across the Levant in 1860 which resulted in the massacre of thousands of Christians in Damascus. Eugene Rogan brilliantly recreates the lost world of the Middle East under Ottoman rule.
Information and Introduction: https://tinyurl.com/43tvx88y
5. New Book “Disability in the Arab World – Interdisciplinary Perspectives” Edited by Monika Baar & Amany Soliman, University Press, 290 pages
This interdisciplinary volume, with contributions from psychology, sociology, history, linguistics, and development studies, provides new insights into disability in the MENA region. While recognizing the significance of the medical approach, the authors seek to expand existing frameworks by including social, cultural and human rights perspec-tives.
Information and table of content: https://lup.be/book/disability-in-the-arab-world/
6. Livre nouvelle : L’humanité de Muhammad – Une lecture chrétienne de la vie du Prophète” de Craig Considin,Éditions Fenetres
Information : https://tinyurl.com/59jptakf
7. Livre nouvelle : “De la charia au droit musulman” de Baudouin Dupret, Presses de SciencesPo, 170 pages
Ce livre montre la façon dont la jurisprudence, l’histoire et les sciences sociales peuvent se combiner pour contribuer efficacement à la compréhension du droit dans la société.
Information et sommaire : https://tinyurl.com/4dh2hsbj
8. “US Imperialism After the Cold War in the Middle East and Latin America”, Special Issue of the Journal “Middle East Critique”, Volume 34, 2025
Information and table of content at https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/ccri20/34/4
9. Join the Freer Research Center at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art on Tuesday, December 9, 12–12:40 pm EST for the online program Sneak Peek | Picture Perfect: Hamida Banu Begum’s Portraits of Power.
In an empire where visual representation meant power, Hamida Banu Begum (ca. 1527–1604) achieved something remarkable—her image appears in at least nine surviving Mughal court paintings from her lifetime. As wife of Emperor Humayun (r. 1530–56 with interruptions) and mother of his successor Akbar (r. 1556–1605), she played a prominent role in the political and cultural landscape of the subcontinent.
In this online talk, Professor Mika Natif examines Hamida Banu’s visual representations as records of her projected status and the empire’s political dynamics. Analyzing her portraits alongside primary sources reveals Hamida Banu’s role as co-sovereign—a Padishah begum—to her son Akbar. Yet, the paintings appear only in illustrated court chronicles and albums, restricting their viewing to limited and selected audiences. This raises questions about patronage and Hamida Banu’s cultural agency. The research for this talk comes from Natif’s current book project dedicated to the portraits and patronage of Hamida Banu.
This program is part of the monthly lunchtime series Sneak Peek, where staff members and outside scholars share personal perspectives and new research related to the collections of the National Museum of Asian Art.
Mika Natif is Associate Professor of Art History at The George Washington University, specializing in Islamic art and cultural exchanges between Muslim societies and Europe. Her research focuses on Islamic painting and illustrated manuscripts from Mughal India, Central Asia, and Iran. She authored Mughal Occidentalism (2018) and co-edited Eros and Sexuality in Islamic Art (2013). Her current work explores women’s portraiture, patronage, and artists in Mughal India, including a forthcoming monograph on Hamida Banu Begum, Emperor Akbar’s mother. Natif has held fellowships from MIT, Harvard, the Mellon Foundation, Princeton’s Institute for Advanced Study, and Dumbarton Oaks.
Contact Information
Lizzie Stein, Freer Research Center
National Museum of Asian Art
Contact Email
URL
https://asia.si.edu/whats-on/events/search/event:193388058/
Posted in: Academic items
- December 02, 2025
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