Shii News – Academic Items
1. The Islamic Art Museumscape: The Jameel Gallery 20th Anniversary Conference – 17th July
The V&A’s Jameel Gallery for the Islamic Middle East turns 20 years old in 2026. In this conference, museum professionals and art historians from around the world discuss current trends and issues effecting the presentation of Islamic art in museums today.
It is free to register, but we need people to book a space so that we know how many teas and coffees to provide. The conference will also be livestreamed. Full information including the downloadable programme can be found at the links below.
In person attendance:
https://www.vam.ac.uk/event/ZvnaKWjOmZy/the-islamic-art-museumscape-july-2026
Online attendance:
https://www.vam.ac.uk/event/VBvAzWZ5A0y/the-islamic-art-museumscape-online-july-2026
2. The Islamic College
Our Summer Short Courses 2026 bring together expert scholars and professionals for engaging sessions exploring Islamic thought, psychological wellbeing and spiritual development. With flexible in-person and online learning options, these courses are designed to fit around your schedule while offering valuable knowledge, practical insight and opportunities for personal growth.
Explore the full course calendar below and reserve your place today.
https://islamic-college.ac.uk/study-with-us/short-courses/
3. ‘Why Polygamy Is Superior to Monogamy: Al-Mahdī al-Wazzānī’s Response to Islamic Modernism’
H Azam, JLR
4. ONLINE Webinar “Ibrāhīm al-Bājūrī’s Selective Inheritance of al-Suyūṭī’s Theological, Legal, and Mystical Thought” by Aaron Spevack (Brandeis University/Harvard), Part of the Webinar Series “The Heirs of Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūṭī (d. 1505 AD)”, OIB/Universities of Bamberg and Göttingen, 15 July 2026, 18:00 CET
Although 19th-century Egyptian scholars such as Ibrāhīm al-Bājūrī appear more ideologically defined than Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūṭī, al-Suyūṭī’s enduring authority reveals the resilience of intellectual plurality. This talk examines dialogues involving both scholars, highlighting the diversity of legal, theological, philosophical, and Sufi perspectives within Egypt’s scholarly tradition.
Zoom link: https://tinyurl.com/suyuti1. About the series: https://tinyurl.com/suyuti2
5. International Conference “Women’s Education, Careers, and Social Change in the Russian & Ottoman Empires & Beyond, 1860s – 1920s”, American University of Armenia (AUA), Yerevan, Armenia, 3-4 December 2026
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, women’s access to education and professional opportunities remained uneven across the Russian and Ottoman Empires. The conference examines women’s access to education, educational mobility, professional opportunities, and the social debates surrounding these processes by focusing on national and confessional minorities, including Armenian, Georgian, Jewish, Polish, and other groups.
Deadline for abstracts: 10 August 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/5n8kp6ac
6. Makadam History Workshop: “Urban Unrest, Dissent, and Violence in the Mediterranean (c.1700-1918)”, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, 14-15 April 2027
This workshop seeks to critically examine the multifaceted phenomenon of unrest across Mediterranean urban centers, with an acute focus on underlying causes, varied expressions, and the sociopolit-ical ramifications of urban dissent and violence, emphasizing interactions among marginalized groups, migrant communities, youth, and political elites within contested urban landscapes.
Deadline for abstracts: 15 October 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/3fwm86b4
7. Fourth Seminar on “Travellers in Ottoman Lands: Salonica, Rumeli and Beyond … Journeys across Cultures and Identities”, University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki, Greece, 21-24 April 2027
The speakers will explore many fascinating subjects relevant to travel to and from Thessaloniki (previ-ously Salonica) as well as other Ottoman Lands during the Ottoman period, including: • Artist-travellers and early photographers • Horticulturalists and botanists • Women travellers • Support networks: Consulates, dragomans and merchants • Travellers at classical and archaeo-logical sites • Architecture and landscapes • Ports, coasts and seascapes • Etc.
Deadline for abstracts: 15 November 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/47txcbnv
8. Conference “Reclaiming Identity and Memory: Creative Resistance, Indigeneity, and Cultural Production in the Middle East and Beyond”, Marquette University, Milwaukee, 15-17 October 2027
Communities across the Middle East and its diasporas, as well as in comparable global contexts, con-tinue to confront the legacies of colonialism, displacement, occupation, mass violence, and cultural erasure. This conference explores how identity, memory, indigeneity, and cultural production are re-claimed, negotiated, and transformed through scholarship, artistic practice, community engagement, and diverse forms of knowledge production.
Deadline for abstracts: 1 February 2027. Information: https://tinyurl.com/2p9ppbjr
9. Doctoral Researcher (3.5 Years) in Turkish/Ottoman Studies, Cluster of Excellence “Under-standing Written Artefacts”, University of Hamburg
Qualification: MA in Ottoman Studies, Turkish. – Fluency in both English and Turkish, written and spo-ken. – Strong interest in the materiality of written artefacts and in cooperating beyond disciplinary boundaries. – Experience in working with primary sources in Turkish or Ottoman Turkish and familiarity with methodological approaches from history and/or cultural studies. – Excellent written and oral com-munication skills.
Deadline for applications: 31 July 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/2548vzup
10. Doctoral Researcher (3.5 Years) in Arabic Studies, Cluster of Excellence “Understanding Written Artefacts”, University of Hamburg
Qualification: MA in Arabic Studies. – Fluency in English and Arabic, both written and spoken. – Strong interest in the materiality of written artefacts and in cooperating beyond disciplinary boundaries. – Com-mand of a second West Asian language, such as Turkish or Persian. –Experience of studying or working in West Asia/North Africa (especially in libraries or research institutions). – Profound knowledge of Arabic book culture in the Ottoman period.
Deadline for applications: 17 July 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/mr3mpn9v
11. Postdoctoral Fellow (6 Months) in Islamic Bioethics, Research Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics (CILE), Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Doha
Qualification: Ph.D. in Islamic Studies, Bioethics, Applied Ethics, or a related field, obtained within the last five years (or a successful dissertation defense scheduled before the start of the fellowship). – 0-3 years of relevant research experience as a postdoc. – Focused research interest in the intersection of the Islamic moral tradition and contemporary biomedical developments. – Full professional proficiency in either English or Arabic. Proficiency in both languages is a significant advantage.
Deadline for applications: 23 July 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/54net8n8
12. Participate: “Arabic Literary & Cultural Studies Network (ALCSN)”
ALCSN is a free, monthly academic newsletter published in English. It circulates calls for papers, con-ferences, publications, fellowships, and other opportunities related to Arabic literary and cultural stud-ies, with the aim of supporting communication among scholars in the field.
The latest issue is available at: http://tiny.cc/ALCSN4. Previous issue: http://tiny.cc/ALCSN3. To sub-scribe: http://tiny.cc/ALCSN.
13. Participate: “Reading Europe with Muslim Eyes”, Network at the Institute of Islamic Studies at the University of Toronto
The vision of this burgeoning scholarly network lies in developing a curatorial space in which the history of anti-Islamic discourse in the premodern period (circa 1100-1700) is compiled, explored, analyzed, and interrogated through the use of a multitude of primary sources, scholarly orientations and intellec-tual registers.
Deadline for participation: 25 July 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/54rwkx62
14. ONLINE Modern Heritage Observatory (MoHO): “Statement on the Protection of the Cultural Heritage of South Lebanon”, 6 June 2026
The MoHO calls for urgent and coordinated action to safeguard the cultural heritage of South Lebanon in light of the increasing risks facing it. MoHO is a network of cultural heritage actors founded in 2011. It aims to advocate for the preservation of modern cultural heritage, with emphasis on architecture, photography, music, and film. Participating members in alphabetical order: Arab Center for Architecture (ACA), AUB University Libraries, Bibliothèque Orientale (USJ), Orient-Institut Beirut, etc.
View: https://iismm.hypotheses.org/154337
15. Contributors for “The Digital Orientalist” in the Academic Year 2026-2027
We seek individuals who work at the intersection of digital humanities and area studies. Our current coverage includes the following areas: Middle Eastern Studies – Persian, Turkic, and Biblical Studies – etc. While we welcome expertise in various regional specialisations, all applications must demon-strate a clear connection to digital humanities methods, tools, or theoretical frameworks.
Deadline for applications: 19 July 2026. Information: https://tinyurl.com/mrxjx2jm
Posted in: Academic items
- July 11, 2026
- 0 Comment
