Illuminated Verses: Poetries of the Islamic World

For the past year, City Lore and Poets House, two non-profit cultural groups in New York, have been working to put together a series of programs called Illuminated Verses: Poetries of the Islamic World.  We, along with our cultural partner the Asia Society, are pleased to extend an invitation to you and your constituents to attend these programs, performances, and interpretive panels taking place this spring from April 21st to May 7th.  Illuminated Verses speaks to the variety of poetic forms and styles in the Islamic world, while at the same time demonstrating the central role of poetry in cultures where Islam is practiced.  We explore improvised poetic forms and performances of ancient and venerated work from poets such as Rumi and Hafez, along with contemporary literary poetry in settings ranging from Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Pakistan, North and West Africa. We explore the central role of poetry in the lives of Muslim men and women who memorize poems, buy and sell poetry on cassettes, sing the work of venerated poets, and utilize poems in social and political negotiations.  Scholars and poets Reza Aslan, Mohammed Bennis, Persis Karim, Khaled Mattawa, and Amir Vahab are among the participants. As cultures clash over religion in our world, Illuminated Verses: Poetries of the Islamic World invites us to see one another anew.

Please click on this link
(http://www.citylore.org/events/illuminated_2011/verses.htm ) for further information on forthcoming events; a copy of the postcard for the May 7th forum is also attached.  In addition, if you are interested, we would be pleased to provide both digital and print materials that you might forward to your members.  We warmly encourage you to pass this information on to your peers and constituents at your discretion, and sincerely look forward to seeing you at these vibrant celebrations of cultural expression!


Sincerely,
Catherine Fletcher

Sofja Kovalevskaja Award for Doctoral Research

Dear Sir or Madam,


With the Sofja Kovalevskaja Award, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation is offering promising young researchers from all over the world attractive career prospects in Germany. Junior research talents of all disciplines from abroad are given the opportunity to establish working groups of their own at German research institutions. The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation is delighted to be able to contribute to the further internationalisation of Germany as a research location with this distinguished award for top level academics.

The Sofja Kovalevskaja Award recognises outstanding talent and creative research approaches with exceptional conditions: With an award amount of up to 1.65 million EUR each winner receives valuable starting capital to spend five years pursuing an innovative research project at a research institute of his or her choice - untroubled by administrative constraints. In addition, the establishment of their own junior research team enables the award winners to lay an important foundation for a promising academic career at a very early stage. Eight awards are expected to be granted. The programme is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

Outstandingly qualified junior academics of all disciplines from abroad who completed their doctorate less than six years ago are eligible to apply for the Sofja Kovalevskaja Award. It is also possible to submit applications immediately after finishing one's doctoral studies. The programme is also open to German researchers provided that they have been working abroad for more than five years. Applications must be submitted by 1 September 2011.

We should be grateful if you could support us in looking for suitable international research talents by disseminating this announcement at your institution. Attached you will find a brief description of the Sofja
Kovalevskaja Award that you are free to forward or display at your institution. Also, we should very much appreciate if you could request further colleagues to draw the attention of suitably talented junior researchers to this academic award.

Details of the application procedure for the Sofja Kovalevskaja Award can be found on our website at: www.humboldt-foundation.de/skp_en. For individual questions, you are also welcome to contact info@avh.de.

Thank you very much in advance for your support.

Sincerely yours

Dr. Enno Aufderheide
Secretary General,
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation

Islamic Studies Program - Essay Awards

Salman Alani Award For Best Graduate Essay on Topics in Classical Arabic

In recognition of his many contributions to the study of Classical Arabic Grammar and Phonology, as well as his over forty-seven years of service to Indiana University, the Islamic Studies Program is proud to announce the 2011 Salman Alani Award competition for best graduate essay on topics in Classical Arabic

MA and PhD students in any department are eligible for the $500 award. Essays must be carefully researched, formatted, written, and must focus on Classical Arabic-Islamic texts, with priority given to analyses of Classical Arabic works on grammar and phonology. To be eligible, the essay must be at least 5000 words. Students must be currently enrolled at Indiana University at the time the paper is written and at the time the award is granted. Students may only submit one essay per competition and must include an accompanying letter of endorsement from an IU faculty member who can attest to the paper’s strength of research and potential contribution to the study of Classical Arabic-Islamic texts.

Submission Deadline May 16^th, 2011

The Salman Alani Award winner will be announced by June 15^th, 2011 and will be officially awarded at the Islamic Studies Program Fall Reception in September, 2011.

Devin Deweese Award For Best Graduate Essay on Islam in Central Asia

In recognition of his many years of service and contributions to the study of Islam in Central Asia, the Islamic Studies Program is proud to announce a new award in the name of Dr. Devin Deweese for best graduate essay on the Study of Islam in Central Asia. MA and PhD students in any department are eligible for the $500 award. Essays must be carefully researched, formatted, and written. To be eligible, the essay must be at least 6000 words. Students must be currently enrolled at Indiana University at the time the paper is written and at the time the award is granted. Students may only submit one essay per year and submitters must have an accompanying letter of endorsement from an IU faculty member who can attest to the paper’s strength of research and potential contribution to the field of Islamic Studies in Central Asia.

Submission Deadline May 16th, 2011

The Devin Deweese Award winner will be announced by June 15th, 2011 and will be officially awarded at the Islamic Studies Program Fall Reception in September, 2011.

STARTALK 2011 Teacher Training for Arabic and Turkish

M4HUMAN Fellowship

In cooperation with the European Commission, the Gerda Henkel Foundation launches a new fellowship program.  The funding initiative M4HUMAN (Mobility for experienced researchers in historical humanities including Islamic Studies) gives outstanding researchers the opportunity to spend a longer period of time at a foreign research institution of their choice.

The call for proposals is open to researchers from all over the world.  Main areas of research are the disciplines promoted by the Gerda Henkel Foundation - History, Prehistory and Early History, Archaeology, Art History, Historic Islamic Studies, Legal History as well as the special program "Islam, the modern nation state and transnational movements."  The deadline for application is 30 June 2011.

For more detailed information on the fellowship and application process please visit www.gerda-henkel-stiftung.de/eng

Gerda Henkel Stiftung
Malkastenstrasse 15
40211 Dusseldorf
info@gerda-henkel-stiftung.de

Ninth Annual Danner Memorial Lecture & NELC Spring Reception

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Intersections 2011: April 7, 14, 21

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