Monthly Archives: May 2019

The Eighth North American Syriac Symposium

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The Eighth North American Syriac Symposium will take place on June 16-19, 2019 at Brown University. Registration is open, and information about travel and lodging can be found on the conference website.

The program for the symposium has been updated. Readers of the IQSA Blog should give special attention to sessions 4C and 5B on Tuesday, June 18. Scheduled papers include:

Session 4C, “Encounters with Islam”

Laura Locke Estes (Saint Louis University), “Etiologies in Syriac Christian Accounts of the Origins of Islam”

Kelli Bryant Gibson (Abilene Christian University), “Interreligious Polemic in the Works of John of Dara”

Michael Payne (Brown University), “East Syrians and the Design Complex in 9th Century Iraq”

Joshua Mugler (Georgetown University and Hill Museum and Manuscript Library), “An Egyptian History of Syriac”

 

Session 5B, “The Translation Movement”

Nestor Kavvadas (University of Siegen), “Non-Arabs Standing Together? The Barmakid Viziers and Syriac and Greek Elites in the Age of the Translation Movement”

George A. Kiraz (Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton), and Beth Mardutho (The Syriac Institute, Piscataway, NJ), “Are we Overstating or Understating the Role of Syriac in the Abbasid Translation Movement?”

Kevin J. Ball (The Catholic University of America), “The East Syriac Heritage into Arabic: Ibn al-Tayyib’s Commentary on the Gospels”

 

Please direct any questions to nasyriacsymposium@gmail.com for more information.

 

© International Qur’anic Studies Association, 2019. All rights reserved.

Review of Qur’anic Research, Vol. 5 no. 5 (2019)

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In the latest installment of the Review of Qur’anic Research (Vol. 5, no.5), David Cook (Rice University) reviews Michel Cuypers (ed.) A Qurʾānic Apocalypse: A Reading of the Thirty-Three Last Sūrahs of the Qurʾān (Atlanta, GA: Lockwood Press, 2018). 

Cuypers

In his review, Cook writes “That the Qurʾān as a text has apocalyptic affinities has been the focus of scholarly research for the past century. Of late, due to the work of Fred Donner and others, defining the Qurʾānic apocalypse has come into vogue. Michel Cuypers’ ‘A Qurʾānic Apocalypse: A Reading of the Thirty-Three Last Sūrahs of the Qurʾān’ is a welcome addition to this genre. However, one should note that Cuypers’ work is quite different from other research and readings on the subject. While most scholars seek to place the Qurʾān within an apocalyptic framework, and then relate the text to outside events, or to extract history—such as it is—from the text, Cuypers seeks to read the entire text as if it were an apocalypse in terms of its rhetoric…”

Want to read more? For full access to the Review of Qur’anic Research (RQR), members can log in HERE. Not an IQSA member? Join today to enjoy RQR and additional member benefits!

© International Qur’anic Studies Association, 2019. All rights reserved.

 

Call for Papers: Sacred Troubling Topics–Hebrew Bible, New Testament, and Qur’an

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information-page-quran-318451CFP: This proposed collection has already reached the stage of publisher commitment and has many contribution commitments in hand. However Qur’anic Studies contributions are still being solicited.

Contact for questions, thoughts, proposals: Roberta Sabbath, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, roberta.sabbath@unlv.edu

Chapter Abstract and C.V. Due: June 15
Paper Due: September 1
Length: 8-10,000 words

Title: Sacred Troubling Topics: Hebrew Bible, New Testament, and Qur’an

Abstract:

The production of sacred texts stems from multiple histories, contexts, and receptions. The synergy amongst these three organic dimensions produces collective identities that seek meaning, validation, and vindication. The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, New Testament, and Qur’an, are case in point. For the first time, scholars not only excavate these works for their formative and continuing cultural impact on communities, identities, and belief systems. Here, scholars select some of the most troubling topics that global communities continue to negotiate. Cultural Studies, as developed in the twentieth century and now in the hands of twenty-first century authors, provides tools that identify, in texts and their reception, dynamic collective ideals, behaviors, and ethics.

Our scholars utilize a polymorphous range of analytic tools to examine cultural practices from ancient times to the present day grouped into six clusters: Gender and Sexuality, Body and Appearance, Women and Feminism, Death and Mourning, Life and Humour, and Crime and Disobedience.  Scholarly readings tear away centuries of traditions, exegesis, simplistic binaries, and institutional doctrine that have ossified these works into artefacts. The strategy reveals amazingly porous texts open, even inviting, to a multiplicity of interpretations. The analysis forces us to reconfigure our vision of these works as forever unchanging commentary, established clarity, and comforting certitude. The exegesis thrusts us into the position of judge and jury. The commentary proves that their sometimes veiled, even hidden, but eternally powerful rhetoric can both destroy and build, exclude and include, and serve as the ultimate justification for cruelty or compassion. These Abrahamic scriptures are the ultimate pharmakon that can both kill and cure.

 

© International Qur’anic Studies Association, 2019. All rights reserved.

Upcoming Summer School: Philology & Manuscripts from the Islamic World

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The Leiden University Centre for the Study of Islam and Society (LUCIS) will offer its third Summer school on philology and manuscripts from the muslim world from August 20–30, 2019. This summer school is for graduate (MA and PhD) students and researchers who have an interest in handwritten materials, editing, and the tradition of editing in the Muslim world. It offers theoretical lectures as well as hands-on practice with samples from the world-famous collections of the Leiden University Library.

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Over the course of two weeks, specialists from Leiden University and beyond will provide theoretical instruction on issues of editing, paleography, conservation and other material aspects of oriental manuscripts. They will also speak about philology, literacy and orality and the transmission of knowledge in the Islamic manuscript culture, presenting case-studies from various parts of the Muslim world. Participants can use this information to practice their skills in producing a sample critical edition of a manuscript of their choice, under the supervision of experts.

Since the first contributions of scholars such as Scaliger, Golius and Warner, the Leiden University Library has housed one of the most important collections of oriental manuscripts in Europe. It includes thousands of Arabic, Persian and Ottoman manuscripts, not only from the historic heartlands of Islam but also from Asia, al-Andalus and Africa. Each participant will have full access to this collection as well as other library services.

Practical information

  • Language of instruction: English. Non-native speakers are required to have a command of English equivalent to at least TOEFL 550.
  • Costs: €750,- (including access to the library). Participants are expected to provide for their own travel, visa (if applicable), accommodation and living expenses. LUCIS will provide invitation letters for participants who need to apply for a visa.
  • Reduced fee: Participants who are unable to secure financial support from their home institution may be eligible for reduced fees. Please contact LUCIS at lucis@hum.leidenuniv.nl for more information about the possibility of a reduced fee.

Application

Graduate (MA and PhD) students and researchers who have an interest in handwritten materials and text editing are encouraged to apply for participation in the summer school. Applications should include:

  • A letter of motivation specifying what research language(s) the applicant masters;
  • A curriculum vitae;
  • If you are a non-native speaker of English: a certificate testifying command of the English language (TOEFL 550 or equivalent).

The deadline for applications is Monday 17 June, 2019. Participants will be informed about their application by Friday 28 June, 2019.  Send your application to lucis@hum.leidenuniv.nl.

Text and image accessed and reproduced with the kind permission of Romy Koreman: https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/events/2019/08/lucis-summer-school-philology–manuscripts-from-the-muslim-world

© International Qur’anic Studies Association, 2019. All rights reserved.

Register NOW! IQSA San Diego Annual Meeting 2019

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Registration is NOW OPEN for the IQSA Annual Meeting held in conjunction with the SBL/AAR Annual Meetings in San Diego, California from November 22-25, 2019. You can save on the forthcoming registration fee by joining IQSA and registering for the Annual Meetings as an Affiliate Member HERE! Reserve your spot before rates increase on May 23rd! To become an IQSA member click HERE. We hope you’ll join us and meet us in San Diego!

Register for the Annual Meeting: Step by Step Instructions

ANNUAL MEETING FAQs

Q: What are the dates of IQSA’s Annual Meeting?
A: The IQSA Annual Meeting begins and ends November 22-25, 2019 one day before the regular SBL/AAR Meeting.

Q: How do I register for the Annual Meeting as an IQSA member?
A: Register as an AFFILIATE MEMBER on SBL’s Meetings and Events page. Scroll to the bottom of the page for the Affiliate link and choose “International Qur’anic Studies Association” in the drop-down menu.

 

Q: Do I have to be an IQSA member to register for the Annual Meeting?
A: YES – current IQSA membership is required and verified by staff upon registration. However, SBL/AAR membership is not required to attend the IQSA Annual Meeting. You can renew your IQSA membership HERE.

Q: I already registered for the Annual Meeting as an SBL/AAR member. Do I have to register again as an affiliate to attend IQSA events?
A: No – duplicate registration is not required to attend IQSA events if one has already registered as an SBL/AAR member.

Q: Where can I find a schedule of events for the Annual Meeting?
A: IQSA  and SBL/AAR’s Program Book will be distributed in print and online as the meeting date draws closer. Members can chose to access the Program Book via mobile app, online, or in print while completing the registration process.

Q: Where can I find information about Housing and Travel Accommodations?
A: Visit SBL’s Meetings and Events page and/or choose your hotel during your online registration.

Q: Does IQSA provide funding or reimbursement for its members to attend the meeting?
A: At this time, IQSA does not have the resources to provide financial assistance for housing and travel at the Annual Meeting. However, IQSA encourages its members to seek financial aid through institutional grants and other funding.

Q: I will be traveling internationally. How do I obtain a non-immigrant Visa Letter?
A: Check the required box during online registration (see below) and email contact@iqsaweb.org to arrange for a Visa Letter.

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The Annual Meeting includes panels for each of IQSA’s six program units:

Linguistic, Literary, and Thematic Perspectives on the Qur’anic Corpus
The Qur’an: Surah Studies
Qur’anic Studies: Methodology and Hermeneutics
The Qur’an: Manuscripts and Textual Criticism
The Qur’an and the Biblical Tradition
The Qur’an and Late Antiquity

IQSA will also run two additional panels this year:

The European Qur’an: The Islamic Holy Scripture in European Culture and Religion 1142–1850
The Societal Qur’an

 

© International Qur’anic Studies Association, 2019. All rights reserved.

New Book Project from Gorgias Press: Library of Arabic and Islamic Heritage

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LIAIH

Classical Islamic Texts Series

Call For Book Submissions

Gorgias Press and The King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies (KFCRIS) are delighted to announce the launch of an important new academic book project: the Library of Arabic and Islamic Heritage مكتبة التراث العربي والاسلامي. The project will make available to academics, independent scholars and research institutes a diverse range of classical Arabic texts that continue to play a central role in the rich and vast development of Islamic thought and culture.

The first series of publications to emerge from the Library of Arabic and Islamic Heritage will be ten Arabic-English translations housed in the new Classical Islamic Texts Series (CITS). The series will make available the single-volume translations of renowned classical Arabic works, showcasing texts that are of central importance to the fields of Qurʾānic studies, Islamic law, Ḥadīth, Theology, History, and Philosophy. Proposed texts can be important short treatises, a compilation of several thematically-related treatises or a key section from a larger compendium. Each proposal should be for a text that is or will be used as an important reference work.

Series Editorial Board

  • Michael Cook, Princeton University
  • Alba Fedeli, Universität Hamburg
  • Robert Gleave. University of Exeter
  • Linda Jones, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona
  • Marcus Milwright, University of Victoria
  • Christian Robin, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
  • Saud al-Sarhan, King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies
  • Isabel Toral-Niehoff, Freie Universität Berlin  

Submit a Proposal

Interested specialists are invited to send their submissions via email to the series manager, Adam Walker (adam@gorgiaspress.com). The following information should be included:

  • Description of the book, including: (1) title and author, (2) broad description of the text, (3) the manuscript(s)/edition(s) that will form the basis of the translation, (4) why the book is important, and (5) a timetable for the translation’s completion
  • Updated CV
  • Sample of previous translation work

The series is interested in important single-volume classical works that would serve as essential reading and reference texts for specialists in the field. The Arabic text will sit side-by-side with the English translation and be typeset in the Amīrī Font, a classical Arabic typeface in the Naskh style. The English text will be typeset in Gorgias Press’ bespoke font, Gorgias Garamond.

Project Support

  • Substantial grant for each translator
  • Subvention grant to reduce retail price of books
  • Free professional copyediting

Statements from Gorgias Press & KFCRIS

Dr Saud al-Sarhan, Secretary General of KFCRIS, said:

“We are very proud to be able to launch the Library of Islamic and Arabic Heritage in partnership with Gorgias Press. I see a great deal of potential in this project, which I hope can further help us in serving our role of providing a platform for researchers and academics to gain valuable insight on Islamic thought and culture.”

“Our partnership with Gorgias Press will help us grant access to a wide range of classical Arabic texts to academics and researchers across the world, further enriching scholarly discussions on the role of the classical Islamic world.”

Dr George Kiraz, Editor-in-Chief of Gorgias Press, said:

‘‘It gives us great pleasure to launch the Library of Islamic and Arabic Heritage in partnership with the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies. This is an exciting project and will help us to further our commitment to the field of Islamic studies and realise our core motto of ‘Publishing for the Sake of Knowledge’.

‘‘With the expertise and support of KFCRIS, these books will not only showcase a phenomenal range of texts, but also make them easily accessible to students and lecturers alike. I am certain that these books, once published, will enrich the field of Islamic studies. Now the hard work begins!’’

Text and image accessed and reproduced with kind permission of Gorgias Press: https://www.gorgiaspress.com/library-of-arabic-and-islamic-heritage

© International Qur’anic Studies Association, 2019. All rights reserved.