Shii News – DEADLINE EXTENDED: 2026 Shiʿi Studies Symposium: CfP: Ritual in Shiʿi Islam

The University of Chicago Shiʿi Studies Symposium Call for Papers: Ritual in Shiʿi Islam
Abstract Submission Deadline EXTENDED: March 8, 2026
Response Date: March 15, 2026
Symposium Date: May 15-16, 2026
The Shi‘i Studies Group at the University of Chicago is excited to announce an open Call for Papers for our Symposium to be held May 15-16 2026, under the theme of “Ritual in Shiʿi Islam.”
About the Symposium: The University of Chicago Shiʿi Studies Symposium is an endeavor of the Shiʿi Studies Group, established in 2010, to provide an interdisciplinary, non-area-specific forum for the discussion of research on Shiʿism by faculty and graduate students at the University and beyond. The annual symposium aims to strengthen the field of Shiʿi Studies by bringing together a group of both senior and early-career scholars to present research and to cultivate an environment for intellectual discussion and collaboration. At each symposium, we aim to address a focused set of questions with cross-cutting relevance to scholars working on various periods and from various disciplinary perspectives.
Call for Papers: We are now accepting abstracts from graduate students, postdocs, faculty, and independent scholars. We welcome papers employing a wide range of interdisciplinary and methodological approaches, spanning the earliest periods of Shiʿism up through the contemporary moment. Previous symposia have considered walāya and devotion to the family of the Prophet, the formation of centers of learning, Shiʿism and governance, and the dynamics of sectarianism. Building on these conversations, this year’s gathering turns to the practices through which institutional, communal, and theological commitments are formalized, enacted, and often contested.
Subject areas may address, but are not limited to:
The calcification and re-invigoration of Islamic law
The integration of the occult, talismans, and magic into devotional life
The development of shrine spaces to accommodate and shape visitors’ ritual practices
The regulation of grief, piety, and embodied discipline
Ritual failure, excess, and contestation in Shiʿi practice
Keynote Speaker: Rob Gleave is Professor of Arabic Studies in the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter. His research focuses on Islamic legal theory and practice, particularly legal hermeneutics, and the history of Shi’ite legal thought and institutions. He has directed a number of international research projects over the past 20 years exploring these issues. His current research projects include The Foundations of Modern Shi’ism: The End of Akhbarism and the Beginnings of Usulism” as the British Academy/Wolfson Professor (2023-2027) and SDIL: Schooling and Deschooling Islamic Law: Histories of the Madhhabs (2024-2026).
Featured Speakers: Scott Lucas is and Associate Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Arizona. His research explores the creative process by which Sunni and Zaydi scholars composed works in the genres of law, hadith, and Qur’anic commentary during the classical period of Islamic civilization. He recently published Selections from the Comprehensive Exposition of the Interpretation of the Verses of the Qur’an. He currently is working on multiple book and article projects related to Zaydi law and theology in Yemen.
Aun Hasan Ali is an Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Colorado-Boulder. His research focuses on the intellectual history of Twelver Shi’ism, particularly law and legal theory. His first book, The School of Hillah and the Formation of Twelver Shi’i Islamic Tradition, builds upon recent scholarship in the fields of Religious Studies and Anthropology to argue that Twelver Shi’ism is better understood as a discursive tradition.
Submissions: Presenters will be asked to deliver papers of approximately 20 minutes, followed by moderated discussion between panelists and the audience. Abstracts of around 300 words along with a CV should be submitted by March 8, 2026. Send abstracts to uchicagoshiistudies@gmail.com, with the subject line: “2026 UChicago Shiʿi Studies Symposium Application.”
Please circulate widely! For questions and concerns, including accessibility and funding, please write to uchicagoshiistudies@gmail.com. Additional information and updates will be published on our [voices.uchicago.edu/shiistudies]website.

Posted in: Field-specific (academic)