CALL FOR PAPERS

“Mediterranean Topographies: Comparative and Interdisciplinary Approaches to Mediterranean Studies"

 University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

8-9 April 2011

The deepest and broadest histories of interaction are those that have taken place across oceans, and one of the most important and well recorded of these has been the Mediterranean. In the modern period, the study of this region has tended to be fragmented, based on the national, ethnic, religious, linguistic, or continental affiliations which have divided these peoples over time. In recent years, however, scholarly attention has turned to examining how the connections, exchanges, and contacts made possible by the sea — through trade, travel, conquest, and the like — might in fact constitute a collective and diverse Mediterranean identity. Centered on a body of water which facilitates exchange and, in this way, unites, this conception of the Mediterranean represents an alternative model to the divided, and divisive, ones named above — a model that is transnational and cross-cultural.

This symposium stresses an interdisciplinary and comparative approach to the study of the Mediterranean as a region of interconnected histories and identities. We seek to bring together work in the humanities, arts, and social sciences, to reflect on the contacts and relations which have transcended geographic, linguistic, religious, ethnic, and national divisions, and created a Mediterranean “culture” with relevance for today’s — and tomorrow’s — world.

We invite abstracts ranging from 200-250 words that relate to or expand on the topics suggested below. We encourage submissions in all related disciplines such as Literature, Art History, History, Anthropology, Sociology, Architecture and Urbanism, Theatre, Gender and Women’s Studies, Queer Studies, African Studies, and Religious Studies. Along with your abstract please suggest the category or categories to which you feel your submission is best suited. Please provide your institutional affiliation and mailing address, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address. The abstract/proposal must indicate if a/v equipment is needed.

The symposium includes a roundtable discussion with the faculty: Andrew Shryok, Anthropology; Artemis Leontis, Modern Greek Studies; Dario Gaggio, European History; Frieda Ekotto, Comparative Literature; Kader Konuk, Comparative Literature; Karla Malette, Romance Languages and Literatures; Megan Holmes, Art History; Nadine Naber American Culture, Women Studies.

• Topics include, but are not limited to:
• Comparative artistic and literary approaches to, and representations of, the Mediterranean 
• Interdisciplinary theoretical frameworks: historical, anthropological, and literary studies 
• Comparative thalassologies (islands, sea and oceanic studies)
• Comparative definitions of the Mediterranean
• Movement of labor, products, people, ideas
• Identity and representation in and across the sea 
• Political/economic relations between the North and the South and the East and the West

Each panel will have a faculty respondent. Participants selected from outside the University of Michigan will receive a partial contribution to their travel costs.

The presentation should be in English, fifteen minutes in length (i.e., seven to eight pages double-spaced) and may address a topic from any period(s) or discipline(s). Please submit your abstract by e-mail attachment no later than Monday February 7, 2011 to the Meditopos symposium co-chairs, Amr Kamal and Maria Hadjipolycarpou at atkamal@umich.edu hadjipol@umich.edu

The First Annual Islamic Studies Conference at UCSB: A Graduate Student Gathering

المؤتمر السنوي الأوّل في الدراسات الإسلامية في جامعة كاليفورنيا، سانتا باربرا: ملتقى طلاب الدراسات العليا
 
When: April 9-10, 2011

Where: The University of California, Santa Barbara

Keynote Speaker: R. Stephen Humphreys (Department of History, UCSB)

In his three-volume work, The Venture of Islam, Marshall Hodgson established a vital foundation for the academic study of Islam, and most scholars who specialize in Islamic Studies have been influenced by his work either implicitly or explicitly.

This conference aims to emphasize influential scholars who have been involved in shaping our shared field of Islamic Studies. Therefore we think that it will be instructive to require participants to include a discussion of The Venture of Islam and its relevance (or lack thereof) to their papers. That is, how does Hodgson’s work influence the study of a given topic?

We invite paper proposals that treat any number of topics, such as: law, Sufism, music, history, violence, theory & methodology, conversion, geography, theology, exegesis and gender. Particularly welcome are papers that, through the lens of a given research topic, focus on the importance of particular key figures in the field of Islamic Studies, including but not limited to Hodgson, explaining why their impact is noteworthy.

Please note that participating in the conference does not require one to be a Hodgson specialist, and the centrality of his work to each presentation may vary. Rather, participants should simply be able to demonstrate familiarity with the influences that The Venture of Islam might have on their research.

To apply, please submit the below information to: ucsbislamicstudiesconference@gmail.com

• Working paper title
• Abstract (maximum 500 words)
• CV (maximum two pages)
• Brief biographical sketch (maximum 200 words)

Also consider reviewing Kecia Ali’s guidelines for writing successful conference paper proposals.

Proposals are due by February 1st and decisions will be made by February 15th.

Meals will be provided on both days, including a sponsored dinner at a local restaurant on Saturday. For more information about financial assistance, travel, accommodations, etc., please visit the UCSB Islamic Studies Conference website.

Please direct any conference-related questions to the aforementioned email address. We hope that the conference will be a place of collegiality and constructive critique and that it will serve as a valuable networking opportunity. We look forward to receiving your proposals.

INSTITUTE OF TURKISH STUDIES: 2011-2012 GRANTS PROGRAM

The Institute of Turkish Studies (ITS) is pleased to announce its 2010-2011 grant competition in the field of Turkish Studies. The following grant opportunities are available only for United States citizens (or those who have acquired permanent resident status in the US) who are currently affiliated with a university in the U.S. The institutional grants are available only for educational institutions located in the United States.

• Sabbatical Research Grants for faculty members conducting research in the field of Turkish Studies during the course of their sabbaticals. This new category award will be awarded to one or two scholars each year in the field of Turkish Studies in the amount of $25,000 per recipient.
• Dissertation Writing Grants for graduate students in the social sciences or the humanities who have completed all the requirements for the Ph.D. except their dissertation by June 1, 2010. These grants are for advanced students who have finished the research stage of their dissertation. Stipends range from $5,000 to $10,000.
• Summer Language Study Grants for graduate students in the social sciences or humanities for summer travel to Turkey for language study in preparation for graduate research at an established Ottoman or Turkish language facility. Normally, the recipients of these grants are expected to spend a minimum of two months in Turkey. Stipends generally range from $2,000 to $3,000.
• Post-doctoral Summer Travel Grants to scholars in the social sciences and humanities for travel to Turkey to carry out research projects. Normally, the recipients of these grants are expected to spend a minimum of four weeks in Turkey. Maximum award is round-trip airfare to Turkey.
• Grants for Undergraduate Study for students who wish to participate in study abroad programs in Turkey. These awards will be made to institutions, which will be responsible for their distribution to qualified applicants. ITS welcomes applications from institutions seeking to either expand or develop overseas programs in Turkey. Maximum award is $10,000.
• Matching Seed-Money Grants for New Positions in Turkish Studies for institutions. ITS offers matching seed money grants to universities for the establishment of new positions in any discipline in the field of Turkish Studies. Universities are expected to make commitment to establish a tenure-track position for this position. Maximum award is .50 FTE of a junior faculty appointment.
• Matching Seed-Money Grants for New Positions in Turkish Language Instruction for institutions. ITS offers matching grants to universities to hire instructors to teach Turkish language. Universities are expected to match these grants for three years. Maximum award is $20,000 per year for three years.
• Matching Lecture, Conference, and Workshop Grants for university-sponsored lecture series, conferences, and workshops in Turkish Studies to be held in the U.S. Maximum award is 50% of the funds required to cover the costs of these events.
• Grants for the Publication of Scholarly Books and Journals to cover part of the publication costs of scholarly books and journals in the field of Turkish Studies to be published in the U.S.
• Teaching Aids Grants for the development of instructional materials in the field of Turkish Studies, such as language teaching materials, maps, slides, etc.
• Grants of Library Acquisitions to institutions in the US for the purchase of books related to Turkish Studies (maximum award $2,500 per institution).

Deadline for all applications is March 12, 2011.
For information visit: http://www.turkishstudies.org/ or contact
The Institute of Turkish Studies
Intercultural Center, Georgetown University
Washington, D.C., 20057-1033
Phone: (202) 687-0295
Fax: (202) 687-3780
E-Mail: director@turkishstudies.org

 

Call for Papers

Life, Death, and Liberation
 A conference of comparative philosophy
9th Annual Philosophy Student Conference at the University of New Mexico
Keynote speaker: Professor Stephen Phillips (Philosophy, Asian Studies, U. of Texas at Austin)
Date: April 15-16, 2011
 
Submission deadline: January 10, 2011
 (Notifications will be received by January 31)

Paper submissions: We welcome topics from the broadest range of philosophical and interdisciplinary traditions. Preference will be given to essays addressing the subtle and often problematic relations among living, dying, and liberation, as these have been explored in the last two-and-a-half centuries of Western philosophy—especially German Idealism, phenomenology, Marxism, and psychoanalytic philosophy—and in both ancient and contemporary Eastern philosophy. Treatments of points of contention within and across schools, traditions, and cultures, in theory and/or in practice, are of interest. We encourage critical perspectives, including those involving the attempt to define and distinguish concepts: “liberation,” “transformation,” “freedom,” “bondage,” “repression,” “knowledge,” “subject,” etc. We are also seeking original and creative applications of Asian, Indian, European, and American transformative philosophy. Submissions from both graduate and undergraduate students will be considered.

Format: Please prepare papers for blind review. Email complete papers (no longer than 3,500 words), preceded by an abstract, to UNMphilconf2011@gmail.com in Word or PDF format; include in the body of your email 1) title of paper, 2) author’s name, 3) university or institutional affiliation, 4) word count, and 5) contact details. Please refrain from providing any self-identifying information in either the paper or the abstract.

Possible themes:

• Ways to Liberation: “Spiritual” vs. “material”?
• Ego and Anātman: The liberative aims, methods, and effects of śila prajñā and psychoanalysis
• From Hegel and Nietzsche to Žižek: Western critiques of Eastern traditions
• Groundlessness, Śūnyatā, and Ethics: The notion of responsibility in existentialism and Buddhism
• Karma, Causality, and Rebirth: The mechanics of enlightenment
• Spectrality and Death in Derrida
• Knowing Liberation: śruti, sṃṛti, reason, and experience
• Yoga, Unity, Unions?: The (ir)reconcilability of individual and social transformation
• Non-dualism East and West: Spinoza, Hegel, Deleuze, Advaita, Madhyamaka, Yogācāra
• Phenomenology as Transformative Philosophy: Hegel, Husserl, and Heidegger 
• Liberation from Life or Liberation in Life?: The problem of escapism Eastern Philosophies in the West, Western Philosophies in the East Philosophy and Soteriology: Truth vs. liberation?

Mathal/Mashal: Journal of Islamic and Judaic Multidisciplinary Studies

Call for Papers

Mathal/Mashal: Journal of Islamic and Judaic Multidisciplinary Studies is a peer-reviewed, open access journal dedicated to scholarly discussion of topics present in the Islamic and Jewish traditions, cultures, and practices especially in the area where thematic and doctrinal aspects are common.

Submissions are now accepted for the forth-coming issues. For more information, please visit: http://www.mathal.org/

Call for Reviewers

Scholars with expertise in all disciplines dealing with Islamic and/or Judaic studies are encouraged to register. If you wish to receive notification about the availability of books in your area of expertise, please let us know, too.

Call for Papers

What’s Queer about Queer Theory?



Transverse, the Comparative Literature graduate student journal at the University of Toronto is very pleased to announce a call for submissions for our Spring/Summer 2011 issue, “What’s Queer about Queer Theory?” We are interested in original academic articles, poetry, artwork and fiction.

Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick (1950-2009) was one of the great theorists of queer theory. Her books, especially, Between Men and Epistemology of the Closet, brought sexuality to the forefront of literary studies; however, the question that we are left with today is: what is queer about queer theory? Queer theory has become commonplace, mainstream and even part of the theoretical canon and status quo in most fields of literary and cultural study. To read Sedgwick today is to read literary theory that no longer seems radical or transgressive, and yet, the reader most certainly recognizes the abrasive and shocking nature of what Sedgwick said. In this regard, Transverse proposes the following question: what’s queer about queer theory? We welcome papers that work to re-read and re-situate queer theory and more open studies on gender and sexuality. We also welcome poetry, artwork and fiction that pertain to this theme of openness. Michael D. Snediker’s recent book Queer Optimism can be seen as an example of a queering of queer theory in that Snediker carefully reads and re-reads the major figures in the school, asking about the place of optimism – a very queer notion – in literary theory. Of particular interest is queer theory in a literary context, given that it is riddled with notions of shame, the death drive and melancholy. Can queer theory move to consider optimism as Snediker proposes? Or, how does queer theory engage with postcolonial studies without simply outing primitive, subaltern, indigenous, colonial subjects (who in many instances transform into objects of study)? Indeed, the combination of queer theory with other theories has proven to provide interesting, meta-critical insights on the theories in question; however, how useful are these models for “giving life” to new modes of queer theory? What is the place of queer theory in phenomenology (or, structuralism, or hermeneutics, etc.)? Is there a “queer time and place” that is not being considered and if so, what does it look like? How queer is time and place? What is the role of queer theory in questions of translation and adaptation? Thus, the ultimate question here seems to be one in which the negotiation of the radical-ness of queer theory alongside the problem of being commonplace needs to be considered. If queer theory is no longer radical, what is it? Has queer theory become passé, cliché, and boring?

For our submission guidelines, please visit the Transverse Journal official site, and follow the link on our "Call for Papers" page, here. Please send academic articles of approximately 5000 words, poems, artwork and fiction, along with professional biographies, to transversejournal@gmail.com by April 1st, 2011.

Transverse is an online journal that publishes two full-length issues per year. The journal is entirely run by the students at the Centre for Comparative Literature at the University of Toronto. The TransverseEditorial Board would like to thank our sponsors, the Centre for Comparative Literature at the University of Toronto and the 2010 University of Toronto Comparative Literature graduate student Conference Committee.

Upcoming Wells Library Graduate Workshops

Check out the following upcoming workshops designed to help faculty and graduate students learn new skills, discover available services, and find the best resources to aid in their research:

• Library 101 for Graduate Students
• Library Resources on the Web: What's New? What Should I Use?
• Advanced Googling: Finding Scholarly Information on the Web
• Teaching the Research Process: Timing, Outcomes, and Results
• And many more!

To see the complete workshop schedule and sign up, go to http://www.libraries.iub.edu/workshops and click on the red Faculty & Graduate Student Workshops icon. Additional workshops may be added in the coming days/weeks; watch for additional email announcements, monitor the website, and check out our online calendar of events for the most current schedule.

 

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please send a message to libwkshp@indiana.edu.