BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Program in Islamic Law - ECPv6.6.4.2//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:Program in Islamic Law X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://pil.law.harvard.edu X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Program in Islamic Law REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20260308T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20261101T060000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260210T123000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260210T133000 DTSTAMP:20260406T132734 CREATED:20260129T023746Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260210T233516Z UID:10001827-1770726600-1770730200@pil.law.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Islamic Law Speaker Series: Sohaira Siddiqui (Georgetown University)\, “Islamic Law on Trial: Contesting Colonial Power in British India\,” February 10\, 2026 @ 12:30pm DESCRIPTION:On Tuesday\, February 10\, 2026\, at 12:30-1:30PM US EST\, Dr. Sohaira Siddiqui will present her latest monograph\, Islamic Law on Trial: Contesting Colonial Power in British India\, which reexamines long-held assumptions about Islamic law under British rule. The book uncovers how colonial interventions disrupted existing legal traditions while revealing the strategies through which Muslim elites navigated\, negotiated\, and at times reshaped the new institutions imposed on them. \nRegister here.  URL:https://pil.law.harvard.edu/event/islamic-law-speakers-series-sohaira-siddiqui-georgetown-university-islamic-law-on-trial-contesting-colonial-power-in-british-india-february-10-2026-1230pm/ CATEGORIES:PIL events END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260212 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260213 DTSTAMP:20260406T132734 CREATED:20260115T230414Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260212T224819Z UID:10001821-1770854400-1770940799@pil.law.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Call for Panels: Middle East Medievalists at MESA 2026\, February 12\, 2026 @ 8:00pm DESCRIPTION:The call for papers for MESA 2026 (60th annual meeting\, Nov 21-24\, 2026\, at the Hilton Boston Park Plaza) is now out: https://mesana.org/annual-meeting/call-for-papers \nNote that the deadline for submissions is Feb 17 (2026) \nAs in previous MESA meetings\, Middle East Medievalists will sponsor panels in the MESA 2026 meeting. \nWe encourage all medievalists organizing panels to send us abstracts for both individual papers and the panel as a whole (as well as the names of the participants)\, by Thursday February 12th  8pm so that the board may consider them for sponsorship before the MESA deadline (Tuesday\, Feb 17th). \nEmail your materials and/or any questions to Jonathan Brack: Jonathan.brack@northwestern.edu. URL:https://pil.law.harvard.edu/event/call-for-panels-middle-east-medievalists-at-mesa-2026-february-12-2026-800pm/ CATEGORIES:Call for papers,Due dates,Opportunities END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260213 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260214 DTSTAMP:20260406T132734 CREATED:20260104T030423Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260213T233441Z UID:10001814-1770940800-1771027199@pil.law.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Call for Applications: 2026–2027 PIL Research Fellowship\, February 13\, 2026 DESCRIPTION:PIL Research Fellowship Application\, 2026–2027\nThe Program in Islamic Law at Harvard Law School is pleased to invite applications for the 2026-2027 PIL Research Fellowship (due: February 13\, 2026). This fellowship is designed to provide an intellectual home to promising young scholars in Islamic legal studies\, to advance their research\, and to contribute to the intellectual life of the Program and the greater Harvard community. The opportunity allows the selected fellow to pursue independent research on Islamic law and history that utilizes the extensive collections of the Harvard Libraries. The PIL Research Fellowship award is a full-time residential fellowship at Harvard Law School (for nine months\, during the academic year). \nSuccessful applicants will have completed an advanced degree (JD\, PhD\, or SJD) before the start of the fellowship\, and plan to pursue a scholarly research agenda in Islamic law that engages legal history\, law and society\, or comparative law approaches. Fellows will receive a stipend for the duration of the fellowship. \nTo apply for this fellowship\, please submit the following materials via the research fellowship online application form by February 13\, 2026: \n1. a curriculum vitae\n2. a research proposal consisting of \n\na single-paragraph abstract of your proposed research\na research statement\, not to exceed 1500 words (3 single-spaced pages)\, and\na bibliography of works you have consulted that describes the proposed work during the fellowship period.\n\nThe proposal should outline research in your area of expertise or interest related to contemporary or historical issues of Islamic law that can be accomplished during the fellowship term; projects are to utilize the Harvard collections to advance a novel contribution to scholarship through research in Islamic law\, with a legal history\, comparative law\, or law and society approach.\n3. an explanation of why Harvard/PIL is the required venue for your research (e.g.\, identification of specific Harvard/PIL resources that are necessary to pursue the research project)\n4. a writing sample of no more than 25 pages in length\, in English (which can be a recent publication or unpublished work; works-in-progress are especially welcome) \n5. 3 reference letters from recommenders who are to upload letters directly at the referee link.\nA panel of scholars at Harvard will review your application materials. The panel will consider your application in relation to numerous other proposals. Evaluation criteria will include: \n\nThe significance of the contribution that the project will make to knowledge in the field\nThe quality or the promise of quality of the work\nThe quality of the conception\, definition\, organization and description of the project\nThe likelihood that the applicant will complete the project\nThe appropriateness of the research for Harvard/PIL resources\n\nPlease ensure that your references have ample time to consider and comment on your proposal. Letters of reference are more highly regarded if they address the specific proposed activity and how well the candidate is suited to undertake it\, as opposed to letters that verify character\, limit comments to previous work\, or make only general observations on the topic. \nFollowing a process of committee review\, applicants will be notified of decisions on March 1st.\nDeadline: February 13\, 2026 \n  URL:https://pil.law.harvard.edu/event/call-for-applications-2026-2027-pil-research-fellowship-february-13-2026/ CATEGORIES:Due dates,Fellowships,Opportunities END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260217 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260218 DTSTAMP:20260406T132734 CREATED:20260115T230414Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260217T234819Z UID:10001822-1771286400-1771372799@pil.law.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Call for Papers: Middle East Studies Association Annual Meeting\, Boston\, MA\, February 17\, 2026 DESCRIPTION:MESA 2026 Call for Papers\nDeadline to submit is February 17\, 2026 (11:59 AM EST) \nThe 60th Annual Meeting of the Middle East Studies Association will be held in person in Boston\, MA\, on November 21-24\, 2026.\nMESA members are invited to propose papers and sessions for the 60th Annual Meeting of the Middle East Studies Association on November 21-24\, 2026\, related to MESA’s mission of scholarship and advocacy primarily concerning the region of the Middle East (including Southwest Asia\, the Arab world\, and North Africa) from the seventh century to today\, though not at the exclusion of earlier time periods. Other areas of Africa\, Asia\, Europe\, and the Americas—including diaspora communities—are also included as part of the study of the transnational dimensions of the societies of the Middle East in an interdisciplinary and comparative context. \nQuestions about the call for papers and the proposal submission process are always welcome.\nPlease email meeting@mesana.org. \nCategories of proposals for the 2026 MESA Annual Conference:\nThree categories of proposals may be submitted to the Program Committee for review through myMESA: \n\nPre-organized panels: Four to six papers on a common subject. Paper presentations are typically15-20 minutes long\, and based on a written paper with a title shared with fellow participants in advance. An overall panel description must be submitted by the organizer(s).\nPre-organized roundtables: Five to eight presentations on a common subject. Roundtable interventions are shorter\, typically 5-10 minutes\, and intended to start a discussion with greater audience participation and conversation among the roundtable participants. No pre-written paper is expected to be shared in advance and the roundtable room is not equipped with video presentation options. An overall roundtable description must be submitted by the organizer(s).\nIndividual paper abstracts: One abstract to be placed on a panel by the Program Committee if accepted. Selected individual abstracts will be combined with other similar proposals to create put-together panels.\n\nIn addition\, two limited categories of proposals may be submitted directly to the MESA Secretariat for initial review: \n\nSpecial sessions on urgent issues of relevance to numerous MESA members (this category is very limited)\nProfessional development workshops (limited)\n\nSee here for more information and instructions. \n  URL:https://pil.law.harvard.edu/event/call-for-papers-middle-east-studies-association-annual-meeting-boston-ma-february-17-2026/ CATEGORIES:Call for papers,Due dates,Opportunities END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260220 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260221 DTSTAMP:20260406T132734 CREATED:20260110T203405Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260220T233415Z UID:10001817-1771545600-1771631999@pil.law.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Call for Applications: Kamel Center Senior Postgraduate Fellowship\, Yale Law School\, February 20\, 2026 DESCRIPTION:Abdallah S. Kamel Center for the Study of Islamic Law and Civilization \nYale Law School Kamel Center Senior Postgraduate Fellowship \nThe Abdallah S. Kamel Center for the Study of Islamic Law and Civilization is a scholarly center at the Yale Law School that focuses on the intellectual and social history of Islam\, Islamic legal and political theory and law in contemporary Muslim societies. The Kamel Center coordinates a diverse program of activities that serve students and scholars at Yale. The Center’s activities include: convening an annual lecture series\, as well as regular research forums and workshops; offering research fellowships for fellows in residence at YLS; hosting distinguished scholars in the field of Islamic law and civilization as visitors in residence; and providing student fellowships in support of research\, travel and training related to Islamic law and civilization. Through its activities\, the Center contributes to the fields of Islamic Law and Islamic Studies both locally and internationally. \nThe Kamel Center at Yale Law School invites applications for the position of Senior Fellow. \nUnder the supervision of the Kamel Center faculty directors\, the Senior Fellow will be responsible for assisting with the programming and other activities of the Kamel Center; working with current and former visiting and post-graduate fellows; planning events\, including workshops and lectures\, and working with the many colleagues\, organizations\, and interested individuals with whom the Kamel Center collaborates. \nSpecific responsibilities of the Senior Fellow include the following: \n\nCoordinating the Kamel Center’s events\, including a lecture series\, workshops and other colloquia\, as well as other occasional speakers\, panels\, conferences and films as determined by the Kamel Center faculty directors;\nAdvising Yale students about opportunities in the field of Islamic Law and Islamic Studies\, including research projects\, and graduate and post-graduate opportunities;\nWorking together with the Kamel Center’s assigned administrative support staff;\nHelping to oversee public relations (web site\, social media\, press releases) for the Kamel Center;\nRepresenting the Kamel Center within the Law School and University;\nProviding some administrative oversight for Kamel Center operations;\nThe possibility of teaching or co-teaching at Yale Law School and Yale College\, by approval of the appropriate academic faculty; \nSupporting the Kamel Center’s  post-graduate fellowship program by maintaining relationships with fellows during their time at Yale; and\nCarrying out independent scholarship and other relevant research.\n\n  \nCandidates must have the following qualifications \n\nCompleted PhD with a distinguished academic record and deep scholarly engagement with Islamic Law and/or Islamic Studies  (a JD is not required but helpful\, depending on the candidate’s field of research);\nRelevant administrative and organizational experience; and\nRecord of scholarship in areas related to the Kamel Center’s work.\n\nThe Senior Fellow is expected to be in residence in the New Haven area and to begin his or her appointment by August 1\, 2026. The Senior Fellow will receive a salary (commensurate with experience) plus Yale University benefits. Initial appointment is for two years\, renewable for an appropriate term (up to five years) if renewal is agreed upon by the Senior Fellow and the Kamel Center. \nApplication materials should include the following: \n\ncover letter describing the candidate’s qualifications and including a statement of the applicant’s interests in Islamic Law and Civilization\, and particularly area of focus;\ncurriculum vitae;\ngraduate school and\, if applicable\, law school transcript;\nsample of recent scholarly writing; and\nthree letters of recommendation (to be submitted directly by the recommender).\n\nThe application materials and letters of recommendation should be sent to kamel.center@yale.edu no later than February 20\, 2026. URL:https://pil.law.harvard.edu/event/call-for-applications-kamel-center-senior-postgraduate-fellowship-yale-law-school-february-20-2026/ CATEGORIES:Due dates,Fellowships,Opportunities END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260220 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260221 DTSTAMP:20260406T132734 CREATED:20260115T230414Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260220T233415Z UID:10001823-1771545600-1771631999@pil.law.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Call for Papers: Comparative Law Work-in-Progress Workshop\, Princeton University\, February 20\, 2026 DESCRIPTION:Annual Comparative Law Work-in-Progress Workshop\, May 7-9\, 2026 \nCo-Organized and Co-Hosted by: \n\nKim Lane Scheppele (Princeton University)\nJacques deLisle (University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School)\nJacqueline Ross (University of Illinois College of Law)\nand Co-Sponsored by the American Society of Comparative Law\n\nWe invite all interested comparative law scholars to submit a paper for the next annual Comparative Law Work-in-Progress Workshop\, which will be hosted by Princeton University held in-person in Princeton\, May 7-9\, 2026. \nAuthors should submit papers through the following Google Form: https://forms.gle/UMrqFxHwGgS5dZX38 \nPapers must be submitted by February 20\, 2026. Authors will be informed of decisions by March 20\, 2026. \nThe annual workshop is a vibrant forum in which comparative law works in progress are discussed by colleagues in a serious and thorough manner that past participants have found valuable. A “work in progress” is scholarship that has reached a stage that is substantial enough for serious discussion and critique but has not yet appeared in print and (if it has been accepted for publication) can be substantially revised after the workshop.   Appropriate work includes law review articles\, book chapters\, and other similar genres. \nEach author may submit only one work for consideration\, and the work should be no more than 15\,000 words (including notes).   If the work is longer\, the author should indicate which 15\,000-word portion they would like to have read and discussed. \nThe objectives of the workshop are both to discuss the selected works in progress and also to provide an opportunity for comparative lawyers to gather to engage more broadly. We hope that this will foster more dialogue and an increased sense of community in the discipline. \nParticipants in the workshop will include paper authors\, designated commentators\, and scholars from the host institutions and elsewhere. The group will be small enough to gather around a single table and engage in robust discussion. Authors do not present their papers. The papers will be distributed well in advance. \nEach paper will be introduced and discussed by two commentators before opening the discussion to other workshop participants. At the end of the discussion\, the author will have an opportunity to respond and ask questions.  Authors are expected to offer comments on the other works presented at the workshop.  \nThere are no plans to publish a collection of the workshop papers. Paper authors may seek publication wherever they wish. \nThe workshop begins with an evening reception / dinner on Thursday May 7\, continues all day Friday and ends shortly after lunch on Saturday May 9.   Authors are expected to attend the entire workshop. \nThis year’s Workshop is supported by Princeton University and the American Society of Comparative Law.   The sponsors will cover the costs of accommodation and meals in Princeton and travel costs\, of up to $600 per person\, with limited flexibility to provide greater reimbursement for those travelling greater distances. URL:https://pil.law.harvard.edu/event/call-for-papers-comparative-law-work-in-progress-workshop-princeton-university-february-20-2026/ CATEGORIES:Call for papers,Due dates,Opportunities END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260223T191500 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260223T203000 DTSTAMP:20260406T132734 CREATED:20260205T234917Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260223T233406Z UID:10001834-1771874100-1771878600@pil.law.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Workshop: Middle East Beyond Borders—Giovanni DiRusso\, “The Textual Tradition of the Arabic Apocalypse of Peter: Variance and Adaptation in a Christian Arabic Apocalypse\,” February 23\, 2026 @ 7:15pm DESCRIPTION:Giovanni DiRusso (CSR)\, “The Textual Tradition of the Arabic Apocalypse of Peter: Variance and Adaptation in a Christian Arabic Apocalypse.” Oana Capatina (CSR) will respond. \nWe will be meeting from 7:15-8:30pm in the Finnegan Room (Barker 403) and dinner will be provided. See event flyer for more info and to RSVP. \nThe Middle East Beyond Borders (MEBB) workshop aims to foster an interdisciplinary community of scholars working on the past and present of the Middle East. It takes as its founding premise the idea that the “Middle East” as an object of inquiry must fundamentally engage notions of boundaries\, mobility\, and transformation. Our goal is to offer a platform for collaboration and discussion to all Middle East scholars at Harvard across a wide range of academic fields and disciplines. To date\, our community has welcomed scholars from NELC\, History\, Middle Eastern Studies\, Anthropology\, the Study of Religion\, Law\, Art and Architecture\, and more. During meetings\, we typically workshop a polished dissertation chapter or prospectuses from graduate students. URL:https://pil.law.harvard.edu/event/workshop-middle-east-beyond-borders-giovanni-dirusso-the-textual-tradition-of-the-arabic-apocalypse-of-peter-variance-and-adaptation-in-a-christian-arabic-apocalypse-febr/ CATEGORIES:conferences and workshops,Harvard Events END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260227 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260228 DTSTAMP:20260406T132734 CREATED:20260129T031912Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260227T235106Z UID:10001829-1772150400-1772236799@pil.law.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Call for Proposals: UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies Graduate Student Colloquium: The Visual Culture of Algeria Through Exchange\, Circulation\, and Global Networks\, February 27\, 2026 DESCRIPTION:UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies \nCall for Proposals for a Graduate Student Colloquium: The Visual Culture of Algeria Through Exchange\, Circulation\, and Global Networks \nWe invite papers addressing a wide range of visual-material practice\, periods\, and methodological approaches that examine questions of exchange\, circulation\, and networks. The colloquium is organized by Ava Hess (Art History)\, Yubai Shi (Art History)\, and Sarp Tanridag (Architecture and Urban Design). \nThis one-day hybrid colloquium will bring together early-career scholars working on the visual culture of Algeria from the Ottoman period to the present. It focuses on the movement of artists\, artworks\, materials\, and ideas across local\, regional\, and global networks\, situating Algerian visual culture as a site of innovation\, negotiation\, and exchange. Rather than treat the French invasion of Algiers in 1830 as a definitive point of rupture\, the colloquium invites contributions that emphasize continuities and transformations in artistic production over time\, cutting across conventional precolonial/colonial/postcolonial divisions. \nA central aim of the colloquium is to rethink dominant narratives of Algerian (and broader Maghribi) modernism. The growing interest in Algerian modern art and architecture often remains limited by national or colonial temporal frameworks. While colonial histories remain central to understanding nineteenth- and twentieth-century Algeria\, recent scholarship reminds us that colonialism alone cannot account for the complexity of North African cultural production. Here\, we will investigate the circulations and exchanges that have shaped artistic practice and visual culture across beylical\, colonial\, post-independence\, and contemporary periods\, while also attending to practices and media that have been marginalized in standard accounts of modernism.\n \nWe encourage papers that propose new ways of writing Algerian art history and visual culture—for example\, moving beyond rupture-based temporal models\, colonial or nationalist canons\, and conventional medium-bound studies. We are especially interested in work that treats circulation (of objects\, materials\, techniques\, or ideas) and networks (institutional or independent\, regional or transnational) as methodological tools for rethinking periodization\, media hierarchies\, and artistic agency. \nThe colloquium is committed to fostering dialogue among graduate students and early-career scholars based in Algeria\, the United States\, and other parts of the MENA region. The event will be held in a hybrid format (in person and via Zoom) to accommodate participants facing visa constraints\, travel funding limitations\, or other access needs. We invite papers addressing a wide range of visual-material practice\, periods\, and methodological approaches that examine questions of exchange\, circulation\, and networks. Possible topics include\, but are not limited to: \n\nTransregional circulation of artists\, artworks\, or materials\nNetworks of artistic education and training (e.g. academies\, workshops\, or organizations)\nThe impact of beylical\, colonial\, and national transitions on visual and material cultures\nAlternative histories of media\, such as painting\, print\, or photography\, and practices such as miniature painting\, calligraphy\, or architecture\nTrans-Saharan\, Maghrib–Mashreq\, Mediterranean\, or Global South exchanges\nAlgeria’s role in Third Worldist\, socialist\, or non-aligned cultural networks and solidarity movements\nNon-French orientalisms and alternative imperial or post-imperial visual regimes\nForms of “popular” art\nDiasporic artistic production\nLocal or alternative archival practices\n\nThe colloquium will take place in English \nSubmission details \nPlease submit an abstract in English of no more than 300 words\, a one-line biographical statement\, and a CV via the submission link by February 27\, 2026. Applicants will be notified within one week of the deadline.\n\nTravel support \nTo support in-person participation\, limited travel reimbursement is available for up to three (3) international presenters traveling from overseas and one (1) domestic presenter. Travel support is contingent on the presenter securing a visa in time to travel (where applicable) and on the availability of funds. Presenters who are unable to attend in person due to visa or travel constraints will be fully accommodated as remote participants via Zoom. To be considered for travel support\, please indicate your need in the submission form. URL:https://pil.law.harvard.edu/event/call-for-proposals-ucla-center-for-near-eastern-studies-graduate-student-colloquium-the-visual-culture-of-algeria-through-exchange-circulation-and-global-networks-february-27-2026/ CATEGORIES:Call for papers,conferences and workshops,Due dates,Opportunities END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260301 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260302 DTSTAMP:20260406T132734 CREATED:20260122T220617Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260301T234823Z UID:10001824-1772323200-1772409599@pil.law.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Call for Applications: Orient-Institut Beirut Residential Postdoctoral Fellowship\, March 1\, 2026 DESCRIPTION:Call for Applications: Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026-27 \nThe Orient-Institut Beirut (OIB) awards a number of fellowships-in-residence normally lasting 10 months and beginning on 1 September 2026 or shortly thereafter\, specifically designed for postdoctoral candidates engaged in outstanding research projects in the humanities and social sciences. We invite applications across disciplines\, time periods\, and geographic coverage outlined in our mission statement . Proposals are encouraged to articulate the contemporary stakes of the research project\, whether historiographical\, cultural\, religious or political dimensions. \nApplicants must hold a doctoral degree. It is essential for applicants to demonstrate how their projects will benefit from an extended stay in the region and contribute to the institute’s overall research environment. \nProficiency in written and oral English\, as well as all languages relevant to the research project\, is expected. Priority will be given to candidates with demonstrated oral proficiency in German. Fellows-in-residence are required to actively engage in the OIB’s research community\, by attending weekly colloquia\, and participating in relevant scholarly activities and events. attending weekly colloquia\, and participating in relevant scholarly activities and events. Fellows are required to present their work twice and write a research report for the OIB Annual Report and encouraged to publish a research precis in our OIB-Blog . \nFellowships include a monthly stipend of currently 1\,900 Euros and a one-time travel allowance of 600 Euros for those arriving from abroad. We also offer support for organizing an academic workshop that fits within the research profile of the OIB. Depending on availability\, the OIB may provide fellows-in-residence with office space. The OIB will not provide funding for preliminary research\, language courses\, or the composition and revision of book manuscripts. \nApplications must include: \n\nA brief cover letter indicating the preferred duration of the fellowship\nCurriculum vitae\nResearch proposal / project description (max. 2\,000 words)\nAt least one letter of recommendation\n\nThe application package should be submitted as a single PDF file (excluding letters of recommendation\, which should be submitted directly by the referee) to bewerbungen@orient-institut.org . Applicants may write in either English\, Arabic\, or German but need to demonstrate their proficiency in English so they can take part in OIB activities. The deadline for applications is 1 March 2026 . Interviews will be conducted via video call that month. URL:https://pil.law.harvard.edu/event/call-for-applications-orient-institut-beirut-residential-postdoctoral-fellowship-march-1-2026/ CATEGORIES:Due dates,Fellowships,Opportunities END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260301 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260302 DTSTAMP:20260406T132734 CREATED:20260227T003325Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260301T234823Z UID:10001840-1772323200-1772409599@pil.law.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Call for Nominations: American Society of Comparative Law Book Prize\, March 1\, 2026 DESCRIPTION:The ASCL Book Prize recognizes outstanding scholarly achievement in the field of comparative law. The prize celebrates rigorous\, original\, and impactful research of law across jurisdictions. The prize is awarded to the author or authors of an English-language (including by translation) monograph. Eligible works include those that examine legal issues through a comparative lens\, study foreign legal systems\, engage in the comparative study of legal history\, or address aspects of private international law. Edited volumes\, reference works\, or new editions of a previously published work are not eligible. To be eligible for consideration\, a nominated work must have a copyright date of 2025 or 2026.   \nThe winner of the ASCL Book Prize will be announced at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Comparative Law and memorialized on the ASCL website. The prize encompasses a $1\,000 award and a review of the book in the American Journal of Comparative Law. The winning author will be expected to assist in the selection of the book prize for the next cycle year. The Prize Committee may\, in its discretion\, also award an Honorable Mention. \nWe are now accepting nominations for the ASCL Book Prize. To submit a nomination\, please email Margaret Woo (m.woo@northeastern.edu) with the following information by March 1\, 2026: \n\nName of the nominator\nName of the nominee\nTitle of the nominated work\nPublisher\nPublication date\n\nUpon instruction by the Committee\, either a PDF file or hard copy of a nominated work must be received by each member of the Prizes Committee by April 1. Hard copies of nominated works will not be returned. URL:https://pil.law.harvard.edu/event/call-for-nominations-american-society-of-comparative-law-book-prize-march-1-2026/ CATEGORIES:Due dates,Opportunities END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260301 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260302 DTSTAMP:20260406T132734 CREATED:20260227T003325Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260301T234823Z UID:10001839-1772323200-1772409599@pil.law.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Call for Contributions: Middle East Medievalists Newsletter\, March 1\, 2026 DESCRIPTION:Call for Contributions: MEM Newsletter March 2026 \n\nIn order to represent the whole MEMbership as fully as possible\, we invite all MEMbers to contribute their news on a regular basis so as to facilitate and increase communication between colleagues and within fields. For the next newsletter issue\, which will be published on 15 March 2026\, please submit by 1 March 2026 any contribution you would like to share. \n\n\nContributions should respond to one or more of the relevant sections of the updated newsletter\, which are as follows: \n\n\nEvents (comprising upcoming conferences\, seminars\, summer schools\, and the like)\nPublications (monographs\, edited volumes\, themed issues\, editions\, translations\, and al-ʿUṣūr al-Wusṭā content)\nOnline research output (comprising e.g. blogs\, conference reports\, resources (databases\, digital tools)\, datasets\, and websites)\nProjects and funding (e.g. successful larger funding applications (ERC\, DFG\, ANR\, NEH\, and so forth); new project groups)\nDissertations (information on current and recently completed doctoral research\, submitted by doctoral candidates or their supervisors)\n\n\nMEM has set up a secure folder on Proton Drive to which you can directly upload your content\, formatted as Word\, PDF\, or JPG. In this folder you will find a general ReadMe as well as guidelines within the sub-folders devoted to each individual section. We encourage you to include pictures whenever possible\, such as new book covers or conference photos. The folder can be found here: https://drive.proton.me/urls/Y2GP5B9K88#gNDolIY5Gnce. \n\n\nIf you have any questions or comments at all\, please do not hesitate to get in touch with the Newsletter Editors\, Hannah-Lena Hagemann (Hamburg) and Noëmie Lucas (Beirut)\, at hannah-lena.hagemann@uni-hamburg.de and n.lucas@ifporient.org. URL:https://pil.law.harvard.edu/event/call-for-contributions-middle-east-medievalists-newsletter-march-1-2026/ CATEGORIES:Due dates,Opportunities END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260302 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260303 DTSTAMP:20260406T132734 CREATED:20260227T010346Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260302T232143Z UID:10001842-1772409600-1772495999@pil.law.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Presentation: Lutforahman Saeed—God’s Law\, Man’s Rule: Debating Women’s Right to Health from Sacred Texts to the Taliban\, March 2\, 2026 DESCRIPTION:God’s Law\, Man’s Rule: Debating Women’s Right to Health from Sacred Texts to the Taliban \nIn this virtual talk\, Lutforahman Saeed (Visiting Scholar and Islamic Law Lecturer\, Birgham Young University Law School\, Provo) will discuss women’s right to healthcare in Islamic law\, outlining its foundations in the Qur’an\, the Prophet’s Sunnah\, and the core objectives of Sharia\, and examining how these principles compare with the Taliban’s restrictive policies on women’s access to medical education and healthcare services. \nMonday\, March 2\, 2026\n11:00 AM PST / 2:00 PM EST\nREGISTER HERE \nIn Islam\, the focus on access to healthcare services is reflected in three out of five universal objectives of Islamic Sharia: the preservation of life (hifiz al-nafs)\, the preservation of intellect (hifiz al-ʿaql)\, and the preservation of progeny (hifz al-nasl). Furthermore\, the Quran’s direct orders and the Prophet’s Sunnah provide the foundation for every human being to enjoy healthcare services in an Islamic society. Despite growing attention to the women’s right to healthcare in Muslim-majority states\, the Taliban authorities\, under the name of Islamic Sharia\, have closed all public and private medical education institutions for women. Moreover\, they have issued several directives preventing male healthcare service providers from serving women patients. This study represents the first substantive scholarly inquiry into the contemporary discourse on women’s right to healthcare within the framework of Islamic jurisprudence\, juxtaposed with the Taliban’s distinctive and exclusivist interpretations of Islamic law. It examines women’s access to healthcare services both in Islam and under the Taliban’s de facto governance\, seeking to address the central research question: What is the status of women’s right to healthcare in the primary sources of Islamic law\, the Quran and the Prophet’s Sunnah\, and to what extent do Taliban policies on women’s healthcare correspond with or diverge from the views of mainstream classical and contemporary Muslim jurists\, particularly the Hanafi school’s doctrines? The study employs a qualitative\, multi-source methodology that integrates textual\, doctrinal\, and empirical analyses. \nLutforahman Saeed is a distinguished scholar in Islamic law and human rights. He formerly served as a faculty member at the Faculty of Islamic Studies (Sharia) at Kabul University (KU)\, where he taught for over 27 years. Dr. Saeed earned his B.A. in Islamic Studies from Kabul University in 1991\, followed by an LL.M. from the University of Washington School of Law in Seattle in 2010. He completed his Ph.D. with summa cum laude honors in Islamic Law and Human Rights from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU)\, Germany\, in December 2019. His doctoral dissertation received the STAEDTLER Foundation’s Award for Outstanding Dissertation in 2020. Dr. Saeed’s research mainly focuses on Islamic law\, Islamic studies\, and the intersection of custom and human rights\, with an emphasis on Afghanistan. His scholarly work includes several articles in national academic journals as well as his 2022 monograph\, Islam\, Custom\, and Human Rights in Afghanistan. He was also editor-in-chief of the Journal of Afghan Legal Studies from 2017 to 2022. His research currently focuses on women’s right to freedom of movement within Islamic law and under Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. His work advocates for a nuanced understanding of Islamic legal traditions and their contemporary implications\, especially in contexts marked by authoritarianism and ideological control. Through scholarly analysis and engagement with current legal discourse\, he aims to amplify critical perspectives on women’s rights in Afghanistan today. In addition to his academic endeavors\, Dr. Saeed has held several significant public and institutional roles. He served as a member and vice president of the Independent Commission for Overseeing the Implementation of the Constitution (ICOIC) for four years. Currently\, he is a visiting scholar at the International Center for Law and Religion Studies (ICLRS) at J. Reuben Clark Law School of Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo\, Utah\, where he teaches Islamic Law. \n  URL:https://pil.law.harvard.edu/event/presentation-lutforahman-saeed-gods-law-mans-rule-debating-womens-right-to-health-from-sacred-texts-to-the-taliban-march-2-2026/ CATEGORIES:lectures and talks END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260310T123000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260310T133000 DTSTAMP:20260406T132734 CREATED:20260129T023746Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260310T233723Z UID:10001828-1773145800-1773149400@pil.law.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Islamic Law Speakers Series: Ihsan Yilmaz (Deakin University)\, “Sharia as Informal Law: Lived Experiences of Young Muslims in Western Societies\,” March 10\, 2026 @ 12:30pm DESCRIPTION:On Tuesday\, March 10\, 2026\, at 12:30-1:30PM US EST\, Professor Yilmaz will be speaking on his book Sharia as Informal Law: Lived Experiences of Young Muslims in Western Societies. This book takes a comprehensive approach to investigate how Sharia influences and manifests in the everyday lives of young Muslims\, aiming to unravel the meaning and relevance of Sharia-driven laws and practices in English-speaking Western societies. By focusing on the grassroots level\, it provides a deeper understanding of the lived experiences of Muslims and their relationship with Sharia. \nRegister here. URL:https://pil.law.harvard.edu/event/islamic-law-speakers-series-ihsan-yilmaz-deakin-university-sharia-as-informal-law-lived-experiences-of-young-muslims-in-western-societies-march-10-2026-1230pm/ CATEGORIES:PIL events END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260319 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260322 DTSTAMP:20260406T132734 CREATED:20260110T210521Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260319T234902Z UID:10001820-1773878400-1774137599@pil.law.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Conference: Annual Meeting of the Medieval Academy of America\, Amherst\, MA\, March 19–21\, 2026 DESCRIPTION:Registration is now open for the 101st Annual Meeting of the Medieval Academy of America. The Meeting will take place on March 19–21\, 2026 on the campuses of the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Amherst College\, and will also include events at Mt. Holyoke College and Smith College. Hosted by the Five College Consortium\, the theme of the meeting is “Consortiums and Confluences.” The program will bring together scholars from a wide range of disciplinary backgrounds addressing the medieval world and critical topics in Medieval Studies. Our plenary lectures will be given by Elly Truitt (Associate Professor of History and Sociology of Science at the University of Pennsylvania)\, Peggy McCracken (President of the Medieval Academy of America and Professor of French\, Women’s Studies\, and Comparative Literature at the University of Michigan)\, and Jesús Rodríguez-Velasco (Augustus R. Street Professor of Spanish & Portuguese and Comparative Literature at Yale University). We are excited to welcome you to Amherst\, Massachusetts\, and its environs\, and look forward to meeting you\, learning from you\, and celebrating our shared commitment to Medieval Studies. \nClick here for more information and to register! URL:https://pil.law.harvard.edu/event/conference-annual-meeting-of-the-medieval-academy-of-america-amherst-ma-march-19-21-2026/ CATEGORIES:conferences and workshops END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260323T181500 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260323T193000 DTSTAMP:20260406T132734 CREATED:20260205T234918Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260320T091755Z UID:10001835-1774289700-1774294200@pil.law.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Workshop: Middle East Beyond Borders—Cem Turkoz\, “An Edifice of Super-Glosses: The Making of an Ottoman Tradition of Natural Philosophy\, 1650–1800\,” March 23\, 2026 @ 6:15pm DESCRIPTION:Cem Turkoz (NELC)\, “An Edifice of Super-Glosses: The Making of an Ottoman Tradition of Natural Philosophy\, 1650–1800.” Carina Dreyer (NELC) will respond. \nWe will be meeting from 6:15-7:30pm in the Finnegan Room (Barker 403) and dinner will be provided. See event flyer for more info and to RSVP. \nThe Middle East Beyond Borders (MEBB) workshop aims to foster an interdisciplinary community of scholars working on the past and present of the Middle East. It takes as its founding premise the idea that the “Middle East” as an object of inquiry must fundamentally engage notions of boundaries\, mobility\, and transformation. Our goal is to offer a platform for collaboration and discussion to all Middle East scholars at Harvard across a wide range of academic fields and disciplines. To date\, our community has welcomed scholars from NELC\, History\, Middle Eastern Studies\, Anthropology\, the Study of Religion\, Law\, Art and Architecture\, and more. During meetings\, we typically workshop a polished dissertation chapter or prospectuses from graduate students. URL:https://pil.law.harvard.edu/event/workshop-middle-east-beyond-borders-cem-turkoz-an-edifice-of-super-glosses-the-making-of-an-ottoman-tradition-of-natural-philosophy-1650-1800-march-23-2026-6/ CATEGORIES:conferences and workshops,Harvard Events END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260401 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260402 DTSTAMP:20260406T132734 CREATED:20260205T223505Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260401T234810Z UID:10001832-1775001600-1775087999@pil.law.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Call for Papers: Kathryn T. Preyer Scholars Program\, American Society for Legal History\, April 1\, 2026 DESCRIPTION:From the organizers: \nCriteria: Early-career scholars who wish to present a paper on any topic in legal\, institutional and/or constitutional history\, at the annual ASLH conference. \nAmount: $500 cash + $750 reimbursement \nDeadline: April 1\, 2026 \nNamed after the late Kathryn T. Preyer\, a distinguished historian of the law of early America known for her generosity to early career legal historians\, the program of Kathryn T. Preyer Scholars is designed to help legal historians at the beginning of their careers. At the annual meeting of the Society two early career legal historians designated Kathryn T. Preyer Scholars will present what would normally be their first papers to the Society. The generosity of Professor Preyer’s friends and family has enabled the Society to offer a small honorarium to the Preyer Scholars and to reimburse\, in some measure or entirely\, their costs of attending the meeting. The competition for Preyer Scholars is organized by the Society’s Kathryn T. Preyer Memorial Committee. \nSubmissions are welcome on any topic in legal\, institutional and/or constitutional history. Early career scholars\, including those pursuing graduate or law degrees\, those who have completed their terminal degree within the previous year\, and those independent scholars at a comparable stage\, are eligible to apply. At the annual meeting of the Society two early career legal historians designated Kathryn T. Preyer Scholars will present what would normally be their first papers to the Society. While papers simultaneously submitted to the ASLH Program committee are eligible\, Preyer Award winners must present their paper as part of the Preyer panel and will be removed from any other panel. For the 2026 conference in Banff only\, a Preyer Scholar may give their presentation virtually if they are unable to attend in person due to exceptional circumstances. \nSubmissions should consist of a single MS Word document consisting of a complete curriculum vitae\, contact information\, and a complete draft of the paper to be presented. Papers should not exceed 50 pages (12-point font\, double-spaced). In past competitions\, the Committee has given preference to draft articles and essays\, though the Committee will also consider shorter conference papers\, as one of the criteria for selection will be the suitability of the paper for reduction to a twenty-minute oral presentation. \nThe two Kathryn T. Preyer Scholars will receive a $500 cash award and reimbursement of expenses up to $750 for travel\, hotels\, and meals. Each will present the paper that s/he submitted to the competition at the Society’s annual meeting. The Society’s journal\, Law and History Review\, has published several past winners of the Preyer competition\, though it is under no obligation to do so. \nPlease send submissions by the deadline to preyeraward@aslh.net. URL:https://pil.law.harvard.edu/event/call-for-papers-kathryn-t-preyer-scholars-program-american-society-for-legal-history-april-1-2026/ CATEGORIES:Due dates,Opportunities,prizes and nominations END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260401 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260402 DTSTAMP:20260406T132734 CREATED:20260304T231930Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260401T234810Z UID:10001845-1775001600-1775087999@pil.law.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Fellowship: 2026 ARIT Fellowships for Research in Turkey\, American Research Institute in Turkey\, April 1\, 2026 DESCRIPTION:ARIT FELLOWSHIPS for 2026 \nThe American Research Institute in Turkey (ARIT) announces 2026 ARIT Fellowships for Research in Turkey. Awards are offered for research in ancient\, medieval\, or modern times\, in any field of the humanities and social sciences. Tenures range from one to three months. \nScholars and advanced graduate students engaged in research on ancient\, medieval\, or modern times in Turkey\, in any field of the humanities and social sciences\, are eligible to apply.  Student applicants must have fulfilled all requirements for the doctorate except the dissertation by June 2026.  Non-U.S. applicants who reside in the U.S. or Canada are expected to maintain an affiliation with an educational institution in the U.S. or Canada. \nApplications due April 1\, 2026 \nhttps://aritweb.org/fellowships/arit-research-fellowships/ URL:https://pil.law.harvard.edu/event/fellowship-2026-arit-fellowships-for-research-in-turkey-american-research-institute-in-turkey-april-1-2026/ CATEGORIES:Due dates,Fellowships,Opportunities END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260402 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260404 DTSTAMP:20260406T132734 CREATED:20260103T001945Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260402T234753Z UID:10001812-1775088000-1775260799@pil.law.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Workshop: Arabic TEI (Textual Encoding Initiative)\, April 2–3\, 2026 DESCRIPTION:Join us for a two-day Arabic digital humanities workshop to learn TEI (Textual Encoding Initiative) mark-up of Arabic-script texts for critical digital editions. Hugh Cayless (TEI treasurer\, senior programmer Duke University Libraries) and Adam Mestyan (Professor of Middle Eastern Studies\, NELC) will teach the sessions. The workshop will feature an evening talk by Sabine Schmidtke (IAS Princeton) about the history of critical editions of Arabic manuscripts. \nThe workshop will take place on April 2-3 (Thu-Fri) 2026 in the Gibb Room in Widener Library. Students will need to bring their own laptops but will receive a free one-year license for the Oxygen XML editing software. \nLunch will be provided. Space is limited and priority will be given to Harvard students. Please only register if you can commit to the full two-day program by filling out the form in the link. \nThis workshop is generously supported by the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations\, the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Islamic Studies Program\, the Center for Middle Eastern Studies\, and the Program in Islamic Law at Harvard Law School. \n  URL:https://pil.law.harvard.edu/event/workshop-arabic-tei-textual-encoding-initiative-april-2-3-2026/ CATEGORIES:conferences and workshops,Harvard Events END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260402T170000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260402T183000 DTSTAMP:20260406T132734 CREATED:20260319T203612Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260402T234753Z UID:10001847-1775149200-1775154600@pil.law.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Workshop: Manuscripts to Megabytes: Evolving Editorial Practices and Challenges in Arabic Manuscripts from the Premodern to the Digital Age with Sabine Schmidtke\, Institute for Advanced Study\, Princeton\, April 2\, 2026 DESCRIPTION:ALWALEED BIN TALAL\nRESEARCH METHODS WORKSHOP \nManuscripts to Megabytes: Evolving Editorial Practices and Challenges in Arabic Manuscripts from the Premodern to the Digital Age \nSABINE SCHMIDTKE\nInstitute for Advanced Study\, Princeton\nThursday\, April 2\, 2026 | 5:00pm\nCGIS Knafel 262\, 1737 Cambridge Street\, Cambridge\, MA\nThis lecture is free and open to the public \nCO-SPONSORS: Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations\, Center for Middle Eastern Studies\, Program in Islamic Law at Harvard Law School \nSee Flyer Here. \n  URL:https://pil.law.harvard.edu/event/workshop-manuscripts-to-megabytes-evolving-editorial-practices-and-challenges-in-arabic-manuscripts-from-the-premodern-to-the-digital-age-with-sabine-schmidtke-institute-for-advanced-study-princ/ CATEGORIES:events in Islamic legal studies,lectures and talks,PIL events END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260403 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260404 DTSTAMP:20260406T132734 CREATED:20260320T005047Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260403T234754Z UID:10001851-1775174400-1775260799@pil.law.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Workshop: The BADR Project (7th-21st c.): A TEI-XML Analysis of Premodern Islamic Texts and Beyond with Adrien de Jarmy\, April 3\, 2026 DESCRIPTION:The BADR Project\n(7th-21st c.): A TEI-XML Analysis of Premodern Islamic Texts and Beyond \nAdrien de Jarmy\, University of Strasbourg\nZoom: https://bit.ly/JarmyTEI\nThis lecture is free and open to the public \nCO-SPONSORS: Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations\, Center for Middle Eastern Studies\, Program in Islamic Law at Harvard Law School \nFriday\, April 3\, 2026 | 12:00pm \nSee flyer here. \n  URL:https://pil.law.harvard.edu/event/workshop-the-badr-project-7th-21st-c-a-tei-xml-analysis-of-premodern-islamic-texts-and-beyond-with-adrien-de-jarmy-april-3-2026/ CATEGORIES:Due dates,Opportunities,PIL events END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260406T181500 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260406T193000 DTSTAMP:20260406T132734 CREATED:20260205T234918Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260406T171803Z UID:10001836-1775499300-1775503800@pil.law.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Workshop: Middle East Beyond Borders—Amadu Kunateh\, “Footnote to Ghazali: Philosophy Without Falsafa in West African Intellectual Archive\,” April 6\, 2026 @ 6:15pm DESCRIPTION:Amadu Kunateh (CSR)\, “Footnote to Ghazali: Philosophy Without Falsafa in West African Intellectual Archive.” Nicholas Judt (CSR) will respond. \nWe will be meeting from 6:15-7:30pm in the Finnegan Room (Barker 403) and dinner will be provided. See event flyer for more info and to RSVP. \nThe Middle East Beyond Borders (MEBB) workshop aims to foster an interdisciplinary community of scholars working on the past and present of the Middle East. It takes as its founding premise the idea that the “Middle East” as an object of inquiry must fundamentally engage notions of boundaries\, mobility\, and transformation. Our goal is to offer a platform for collaboration and discussion to all Middle East scholars at Harvard across a wide range of academic fields and disciplines. To date\, our community has welcomed scholars from NELC\, History\, Middle Eastern Studies\, Anthropology\, the Study of Religion\, Law\, Art and Architecture\, and more. During meetings\, we typically workshop a polished dissertation chapter or prospectuses from graduate students. URL:https://pil.law.harvard.edu/event/workshop-middle-east-beyond-borders-amadu-kunateh-footnote-to-ghazali-philosophy-without-falsafa-in-west-african-intellectual-archive-april-6-2026-615pm/ CATEGORIES:conferences and workshops,Harvard Events END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260407T123000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260407T133000 DTSTAMP:20260406T132734 CREATED:20260129T031913Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260406T171803Z UID:10001830-1775565000-1775568600@pil.law.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Islamic Law Speaker Series: Sherman Jackson (University of Southern California)\, “The Islamic Secular\,” April 7\, 2026 @ 12:30pm DESCRIPTION:On Tuesday\, April 7\, 2026\, at 12:30-1:30PM US EST\, Professor Sherman Jackson will be speaking on his book\, The Islamic Secular. The basic point of the secular in the modern West is to “liberate” certain pursuits—the state\, the economy\, science—from the authority of religion. This is also assumed to be the goal and meaning of “secular” in Islam. Sherman Jackson argues\, however\, that that assumption is wrong. In Islam the “secular” was neither outside “religion” nor a rival to it. “Religion\,” in Islam was not identical to Islam’s “sacred law\,” or “shari’ah.” Nor did classical Muslim jurists see shari’ah as the all-encompassing\, exclusive means of determining what is “Islamic.” In fact\, while\, as religion\, Islam’s jurisdiction was unlimited\, shari’ah’s jurisdiction\, as a sacred law\, was limited. \nRegister here. URL:https://pil.law.harvard.edu/event/islamic-law-speaker-series-sherman-jackson-university-of-southern-california-the-islamic-secular-april-7-2026-1230pm/ CATEGORIES:PIL events END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260416 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260417 DTSTAMP:20260406T132734 CREATED:20260319T203612Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260406T171803Z UID:10001848-1776297600-1776383999@pil.law.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Fellowship: MESA 2026–2027 Global Academy\, April 16\, 2026 DESCRIPTION:The Global Academy Fellowship Applications\nfor the 2026-2027 academic year\nis now open! \nThe MESA Global Academy offers scholars of the Middle East from the MENA region who are currently displaced and/or whose careers have been disrupted in their home countries due to war\, institutional collapse\, or repression the chance to join the strongest network of Middle East Studies scholars in North America\, with professional development opportunities and a modest grant. \nProfessional development opportunities include curated speaking engagements at partner universities across the United States\, Canada and Europe\, publication opportunities with leading journals in the field\, mentoring\, and workshops such as grant and proposal writing workshops. Fellows also benefit from being part of a supportive intellectual community during a time of professional transition. \nEligibility criteria for the fellowships are: 1) holding a PhD or equivalent in a field in the social sciences or humanities (graduate students will not be considered); 2) the primary institutional affiliation was in the MENA region prior to displacement; and 3) a publication record indicating scholarly productivity (in English\, French\, a native MENA language\, or principal research language of the field). \nPlease reach out to Ceren Abi\, Program Manager\, at ceren@mesana.org with any questions about the Global Academy or the application process. Please share this call far and wide. \nApply here. URL:https://pil.law.harvard.edu/event/fellowship-mesa-2026-2027-global-academy-april-16-2026/ CATEGORIES:Due dates,Fellowships,Opportunities END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260416T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260416T133000 DTSTAMP:20260406T132734 CREATED:20260302T025244Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260406T171803Z UID:10001844-1776340800-1776346200@pil.law.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Roundtable: Knowledge in the Islamic Court\, Program in Islamic Law\, Harvard Law School\, April 16\, 2026 DESCRIPTION:What counts as proof in an Islamic court? How does a judge rule between competing claims to truth? How does technological advancement impact notions of evidence? How can our understanding of Islamic law writ large change if we center its rules of adjudication? And what constitutes an “Islamic” court or judge in the first place? The participants of this roundtable seek to address these questions through five respective case studies and propose that attention to evidence\, proof\, and procedure will help us better understand both the adjudicative process and juristic intent of Islamic legal rules. Focusing primarily on the modern and contemporary world\, the five contributions center varying conceptions of proof amidst rapid social and technological changes in Islamic judicial contexts. \nConveners: Nurul Hoda Mohd. Razif (University of Bergen) and Ari Schriber (University of Erfurt) \nContributors: Aya Bejermi (University of Bordeaux)\, Léon Buskens (Leiden University)\, Dominik Krell (University of Oxford)\, Irene Schneider (Göttingen University)\, Mashal Saif (Clemson University) \nJoin us on zoom\, April 16\, 2026 @ 12:00pm EST. Registration required. URL:https://pil.law.harvard.edu/event/roundtable-knowledge-in-the-islamic-court-program-in-islamic-law-harvard-law-school-april-16-2026/ CATEGORIES:lectures and talks,PIL events END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260420T181500 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260420T193000 DTSTAMP:20260406T132734 CREATED:20260205T234918Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260406T171803Z UID:10001837-1776708900-1776713400@pil.law.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Workshop: Middle East Beyond Borders—Djelemory Diabate\, “Closing the Sufi Age: Authority\, Finality\, and Political Theology in Umar al-Futi Tal’s Kitab Rimah\,” April 20\, 2026 @ 6:15pm DESCRIPTION:Djelemory Diabate (CSR)\, “Closing the Sufi Age: Authority\, Finality\, and Political Theology in Umar al-Futi Tal’s Kitab Rimah.” Amadu Kunateh (CSR) will respond. \nWe will be meeting from 6:15-7:30pm in the Finnegan Room (Barker 403) and dinner will be provided. See event flyer for more info and to RSVP. \nThe Middle East Beyond Borders (MEBB) workshop aims to foster an interdisciplinary community of scholars working on the past and present of the Middle East. It takes as its founding premise the idea that the “Middle East” as an object of inquiry must fundamentally engage notions of boundaries\, mobility\, and transformation. Our goal is to offer a platform for collaboration and discussion to all Middle East scholars at Harvard across a wide range of academic fields and disciplines. To date\, our community has welcomed scholars from NELC\, History\, Middle Eastern Studies\, Anthropology\, the Study of Religion\, Law\, Art and Architecture\, and more. During meetings\, we typically workshop a polished dissertation chapter or prospectuses from graduate students. URL:https://pil.law.harvard.edu/event/workshop-middle-east-beyond-borders-djelemory-diabate-closing-the-sufi-age-authority-finality-and-political-theology-in-umar-al-futi-tals-kitab-rimah-april-20-2/ CATEGORIES:conferences and workshops,Harvard Events END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260424 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260427 DTSTAMP:20260406T132734 CREATED:20260126T003704Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260406T171803Z UID:10001825-1776988800-1777247999@pil.law.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Conference: Humanities of AI—Intelligence and Imitation: Mind\, Mechanism\, Mimesis\, Johns Hopkins University\, April 24-26\, 2026 DESCRIPTION:Intelligence and Imitation: Mind\, Mechanism\, Mimesis \nInaugural Humanities of AI Workshop \nJohns Hopkins University\, April 24-26\, 2026 \nAs a creative aspiration\, the Greek notion of mimesis (“imitation”) manifested not only in artistic works imitating reality and philosophical speculations but also in scientific theories and mechanical artifacts. Plato and Aristotle’s nous as a non-bodily principle of intelligibility underwriting cosmic order and thought; Hobbes and LaMettrie’s machine like mind and world; the Jaquet-Droz family’s musical automata; Wolfgang von Kempelen’s chess-playing Turk; Norbert Wiener’s cybernetic analogy between human\, animal\, and machine; Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori’s observation of the revulsion to imperfect verisimilitude (Bukimi no Tani: “uncanny valley”); and Soviet semiotician Yuri Lotman’s culture as collective mind\, exemplify the broad relevance of “imitations” to science\, literature\, and culture. \nDevelopments in artificial intelligence (AI) participate in the legacy of mimesis but also complicate and challenge it. In the course of AI’s research history\, AIs have variously been claimed to represent\, simulate\, assist\, improve upon\, provide a surrogate for\, or replace the functioning of human minds. Concepts such as “optimization\,” “satisficing\,” and “superintelligence” run orthogonal to the classical concept of mimesis. \nAt the same time\, developments in science and society have deeply challenged both mimesis and mindedness as concepts and ideals. Darwinian and embodied cognitive approaches challenge the primacy of abstract reasoning over embodiment; and reflections on human labor’s relation to material (re-)production\, social stratification\, and human experience from Marx\, Wallerstein\, Pasquinelli and others call into question the social “value-added” of material imitations as well asthe veracity of accounts of “intelligent” labor’s nature and origins. Deep divisions in the societal uptake of AI – exemplified in anti-AI activism\, dueling governance regimes\, and popular criticalslang like “AI slop” – exemplify and give opportunity to inform these theoretical challenges.Orientation to these developments requires approaches that scholars in the humanities may beuniquely positioned to provide. We hereby announce a three-day workshop on “Intelligence and Imitation: Mind\, Mechanism\, Mimesis” for presentation and discussion of new humanities research engaging with this theme. \nOur aim is to foster a collective critical engagement with AIs in their history\, socioeconomic context\, architecture\, and other dimensions of significance with the assistance of resources from literature\, philosophy\, history\, or other humanities fields. We invite contributions from both early-career (including graduate students) and established academic researchers\, whose work-in-progress projects straddle disciplinary boundaries to illuminate aspects of the diverse mind-machine relations exemplified in AI’s history\, current reality\, and imagined futures. \nIn addition to presented papers\, some time at the conference will be devoted to reflection on “humanities of AI” as a research domain\, including its current state and possible futures\, disciplinary articulation\, conditions of success\, relations with natural and social sciences\, and potential impact on sociotechnical systems involving AI. \nFeatured Speakers  \nYulia Frumer\, Bo Jung and Soon Young Kim Professor of East Asian Science\, Johns Hopkins University; Author of “Cognition and emotion in Japanese humanoid robots\,” History & Technology (2018) and Making Time: Astronomical Time Measurement in Tokugawa Japan (Univ. of Chicago Press\, 2018) \nN. Katherine Hayles\, Distinguished Research Professor at the University of California\, Los Angeles\, and the James B. Duke Professor Emerita from Duke University; Author of Bacteria to AI: Human Futures with Our Nonhuman Symbionts (Univ. of Chicago Press\, 2025)\, Unthought: The Power of the Cognitive Nonconscious (Univ. of Chicago Press\, 2017) and How We Think: Digital Media and Contemporary Technogenesis (Univ. of Chicago Press\, 2015) \nMatthew L. Jones\, Smith Family Professor of History\, Princeton University; Author (with Chris Wiggins) of How Data Happened: A History from the Age of Reason to the Age of Algorithms (Norton\, 2023) \nMatthew Kirschenbaum\, Commonwealth Professor of AI and English\, University of Virginia; Author of Bitstreams: The Future of Digital Literary Heritage (Univ. of Pennsylvania Press\, 2021) \nPatrick McCray\, Professor of History\, University of California\, Santa Barbara\, Kluge Chair in Technology and Society (2025) at the Library of Congress (2025); Author of README: A Bookish History of Computing from Electronic Brains to Everything Machines (MIT Press\, 2025) \nAlexander Williams Tolbert\, Assistant Professor of Data and Decision Sciences\, Emory University; Author of “Why Causal Inference is Necessary for Algorithmic Fairness\,” Synthese (2025) and “Causal Agnosticism about Race: Variable Selection Problems in Causal Inference\,” Philosophy of Science (2024). \nSupporting Institutions \nAlexander Grass Humanities Institute\, Johns Hopkins \nUniversity\n(https://krieger.jhu.edu/humanities-institute/) \nCenter for Equitable AI & Machine Learning Systems (CEAMLS)\, Morgan State \nUniversity\n(https://www.morgan.edu/ceamls) \nOrganizing Committee \nJiantong Liao (Chair) \nPhD Student\, German Program\, Department of Modern Languages and Literatures \njliao20@jh.edu \nKsenia Tatarchenko (Faculty Sponsor) \nFaculty\, Medicine\, Science & Humanities Program\, Johns Hopkins University \nktatarc1@jh.edu \nPhillip Honenberger (Faculty Sponsor) \nAI Ethicist & Researcher\, Center for Equitable AI & ML Systems (CEAMLS)\, Morgan State \nUniversity \njaywilliam.honenberger@morgan.edu URL:https://pil.law.harvard.edu/event/conference-humanities-of-ai-intelligence-and-imitation-mind-mechanism-mimesis-johns-hopkins-university-april-24-26-2026/ CATEGORIES:conferences and workshops END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260424 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260428 DTSTAMP:20260406T132734 CREATED:20260127T000412Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260406T171803Z UID:10001826-1776988800-1777334399@pil.law.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Conference: American Society for Premodern Asia Annual Meeting\, Los Angeles\, CA\, April 24–27\, 2026 DESCRIPTION:From the organizers: \nThe 236th Meeting of the American Society for Premodern Asia will be held Friday\, April 24\, 2026 through Monday\, April 27\, 2026\, in Los Angeles\, CA USA.  \nHotel and Reservations: A block of conference-rate accommodations has been reserved at the Omni Los Angeles Hotel at California Plaza\, 251 South Olive Street\, Los Angeles\, CA 90012 USA. \nThe conference rate per night for rooms is $249-$309. Occupancy tax is 16.22%. Hotel’s check-in time is 4:00 pm; check-out time is 12:00 noon. \nYou must make reservations directly with the hotel well in advance of the meeting\, no later than Monday\, April 6\, 2026. After the cutoff date\, any uncommitted rooms in the block we have reserved will be released for general sale\, and additional reservation requests will be accepted if rooms are available and without the conference discount. The conference rate also applies 3 days prior and 3 days after the conference\, based upon availability. \nReservations may be made by phoning the hotel at 1-800-THE-OMNI (general Omni number) or (213) 356-4070 (Direct). You need to identify yourself as a member of the AOS/ASPA and mention “American Oriental Society/American Society for Premodern Asia 2026 Conference” and the date the room block begins\, which is April 22\, 2026. It is also possible to reserve by visiting our customized Group Web Page. \nThe Society’s contract with the Omni Los Angeles Hotel at California Plaza for securing conference rates requires that a minimum number of rooms per night be reserved and occupied by members for the duration of the meeting. Thus\, your stay at the Omni Los Angeles Hotel at California Plaza assures that the ASPA will not be assessed extremely high fees for meeting and banquet space rental. We truly need your cooperation in this matter. \nDirections\, Parking\, and Transportation: \nTravel\, Directions\, etc. \nAll sessions will be held at the Omni Los Angeles Hotel at California Plaza. The Annual Subscription Banquet and Presidential Address will take place on Sunday evening\, April 26\, also at the hotel. The Program\, which will be accessible online in late January 2026\, will provide information on other special activities and events to take place during the meeting. \n\nPAYMENT OF 2026 MEMBERSHIP DUES AND MEETING PRE-REGISTRATION FEES \nOnline Dues and Meeting Pre-Registration Payment: \nPay 2026 dues online at: \nAOS/ASPA Membership Dues \nNOTE: In October\, AOS/ASPA members will receive email notice that they should pay 2026 membership dues by the 31 December 2025 deadline. Members may renew membership at any time by viewing their Profile page and finding on the right side: \n“Your Membership is not yet due for renewal. If you want to renew early\, click here” \nPre-register at: \nREGISTER HERE FOR THE 2026 ANNUAL MEETING \nNote: If you prefer to submit dues or registration payment by check or credit card and send payment by post\, you may use this 2026 Dues Registration Form URL:https://pil.law.harvard.edu/event/conference-american-society-for-premodern-asia-annual-meeting-los-angeles-ca-april-24-27-2026/ CATEGORIES:conferences and workshops END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260501 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260502 DTSTAMP:20260406T132734 CREATED:20260227T003326Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260406T171803Z UID:10001841-1777593600-1777679999@pil.law.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Language School: Persian Language Summer School\, Armenian School of Languages and Cultures\, Yerevan\, Armenia\, May 1\, 2026 DESCRIPTION:From the organizers: \nThe Armenian School of Languages and Cultures – ASPIRANTUM is organizing a Persian language summer school in Yerevan\, Armenia. The program starts on June 21\, June 28\, or July 5\, and you can stay up to 10 weeks until August 28\, 2026. Shorter options of 6\, 7\, 8\, or 9 weeks are also available. We offer beginner\, elementary\, and intermediate (up to upper-intermediate) level Persian language classes\, ensuring that students of different backgrounds can progress effectively. To get more information and apply\, please refer to the details below. \nSee the photos of our programs on ASPIRANTUM’s Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aspirantumcom/ \nSee the videos about our programs and video testimonials on ASPIRANTUM’s YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@aspirantum \nThe testimonials of ASPIRANTUM Persian language summer and winter school alumni are available here: https://aspirantum.com/testimonials \n2026 Persian language summer school will help the participants master skills in written and oral modern Persian\, read and interpret Persian texts from different periods\, and rapidly deepen their knowledge in colloquial Persian. \n10 weeks – 200 contact hours (1 hour = 60 minutes)\n9 weeks – 180 contact hours\n8 weeks – 160 contact hours\n7 weeks – 140 contact hours\n6 weeks – 120 contact hours \nThe ten-week Persian language summer school offers 200 hours of intensive Persian language classes for 50 days (from Monday to Friday each week). Every day\, the participants will receive Persian language instruction for 4 hours and after-class lectures\, and extra training. \nDeadline:\nThe deadline to apply to the 2026 Persian language summer school is May 1\, 2026. \nTo apply\, please fill in the application form here. \n  \n  URL:https://pil.law.harvard.edu/event/language-school-persian-language-summer-school-armenian-school-of-languages-and-cultures-yerevan-armenia-may-1-2026/ CATEGORIES:Due dates,Opportunities END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260501 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260503 DTSTAMP:20260406T132734 CREATED:20260201T002129Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260406T171803Z UID:10001831-1777593600-1777766399@pil.law.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Conference: 40th Annual Middle East History and Theory Conference (MEHAT)\, University of Chicago\, May 1–2\, 2026 DESCRIPTION:The 40th Annual Middle East History and Theory Conference (MEHAT) at The University of Chicago will take place on May 1-2\, 2026.\n \nAbout the Conference. Since its inception four decades ago\, the annual Middle East History and Theory Conference at the University of Chicago has earned a reputation as one of the premier academic gatherings in the field. Capitalizing on its setting at a university with a strong tradition in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies\, MEHAT has established itself as a major forum for emerging scholars across disciplines to share their research with peers\, receive constructive feedback\, and foster fruitful academic relationships. Participants come from North America\, Europe\, and the Middle East\, and have traditionally included researchers at every stage of their careers.\n \nThis year’s overarching theme: “Playing with the Scales: The Local\, Regional\, and Global in Middle Eastern Studies.” Drawing inspiration from economic historian Jan de Vries’s 2019 article “Playing with Scales: The Global and the Micro\, the Nano and the Nano”\, we invite you to problematize the scales of the phenomena\, contexts\, and developments our discipline and research shed light on. How do micro-scale engagements with Middle Eastern agents help us to understand global developments\, like the transformation of law and statehood and the emergence of capitalism? What role do regional configurations\, whether defined in terms of shared ecological\, economic or political contexts\, trade\, religious or intellectual networks\, play in shaping the interaction of individual\, local\, and global scales? How can our work account for these varied layers? The conference theme will also allow us to reflect this critical moment for our discipline amidst challenges that put humanistically informed area studies research at risk.\n  \nKeynote Speaker. The keynote speaker of this year’s conference is Professor Chris Gratien. Chris Gratien is an associate professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of History at the University of Virginia\, where he offers courses on global environmental history and the modern Middle East. His first book\, The Unsettled Plain: An Environmental History of the Late Ottoman Frontier (Stanford University Press\, 2022)\, was awarded the Nikki Keddie Book Award by the Middle East Studies Association. He is also co-creator of the Ottoman History Podcast\, which has featured over 500 interviews with scholars of the Ottoman Empire and beyond since 2011.\n \nPlease circulate widely! For questions and accessibility concerns\, please write to mehat2026@gmail.com. Additional information will be published on our website. For reference\, you can have a look at last year’s conference program here. URL:https://pil.law.harvard.edu/event/conference-40th-annual-middle-east-history-and-theory-conference-mehat-university-of-chicago-may-1-2-2026/ CATEGORIES:conferences and workshops END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260504 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260505 DTSTAMP:20260406T132734 CREATED:20260319T203612Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260406T171804Z UID:10001849-1777852800-1777939199@pil.law.harvard.edu SUMMARY:Summer School: Philology and Manuscripts from the Muslim World\, Leiden University\, May 4\, 2026 DESCRIPTION:From the organizers: \nDate: 17 August – 28 August 2026\nCosts: €600\nLevel: The course is meant for graduate students (MA and PhD) and researchers.\nLanguage: English. Non-native speakers are required to have a command of English equivalent to at least TOEFL 550.\nScholarships: There are two scholarships to cover the tuition for students who don’t have access to funding from their home institutions or otherwise. To be considered for this scholarship\, please provide an official letter from your institution stating that they cannot provide the tuition fee. \nWe are happy to announce the 8th Leiden Summer school on Manuscripts from the Muslim World! Its two weeks of lectures and hands-on practice with examples (of the student’s choice) in Leiden’s rich collection of Oriental manuscripts will be held from August 17 to 28\, 2026. The Summer school is meant for graduate students (MA and PHD)\, post-doc’s and researchers. The new programme will be published here shortly. \nThe deadline for application is May 4\, 2026. Please submit your application to the program assistant Lotte van Dam\, l.a.van.dam@umail.leidenuniv.nl . She can also provide more information\, e.g. on the possibility of a scholarship. \nIntroduction\nThis 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. \nOver the course of two weeks\, specialists from Leiden University and beyond will provide 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. \nSince 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. \nApplication\nGraduate (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: \n\nA letter of motivation specifying what research language(s) the applicant masters;\nA curriculum vitae;\nIf you are a non-native speaker of English: a certificate testifying command of the English language (TOEFL 550 or equivalent).\n\nApplications can be submitted to: l.van.dam@hum.leidenuniv.nl \nThe deadline for applications is the 4th of May. \nFor questions please email: l.van.dam@hum.leidenuniv.nl \nAbout the instructors\nThis year’s programme offers a wonderful line-up of lecturers covering topics from codicological concerns of Arabic manuscripts to South-Asian manuscript collections in postcolonial and digital perspectives and Hebrew manuscript traditions. \nProf. dr Gabrielle van den Berg is the indefatigable leader of research projects on the relationship between Persian literature and politics. She has published extensively on manuscript traditions related to the Shahnama\, and she appreciates Persian poetry as an insider. She teaches cultural history of Central Asia and Iran at Leiden University. \nDr Jelle Bruning can decipher the most difficult handwriting on papyri and ancient documents. He uses his talent to teach at Leiden University and for research on the (early) social history of the Middle east\, with a focus on Egypt. \nDr Dorrit van Dalen’s academic work is based on manuscripts from West and Central Africa. She has also written on the study of oriental languages in the Dutch Republic (17th century) and created the Mouse & Manuscript website. \nDr Angela Isoldi has just completed (august 2025\, Radboud University\, Nijmegen) her dissertation on water management in Mamluk Cairo. She has studied dozens of waqf documents and passes her knowledge of them onwards\, with much insight in the field of manuscript studies. \nNicolien Karskens is a staff member of the Special Collections department of Leiden University Libraries\, who enjoys sharing her expert understanding of the endless but intricate possibilities of exploiting them. \nProf. dr Christian Lange holds the chair of Arabic and Islamic Studies at Utrecht University. His interest in intellectual and cultural history has led to wonderful work for instance on ideas of the hereafter\, of justice or of the senses in Islam. \nDr Verena Meyer teaches Islam in South and Southeast Asia at Leiden University. This summer she obtained a prestigious grant for her research into the ritual value of Islamic manuscripts in Indonesia today and the influence of digitisation on the formation of heritage. \nNarges Pourmohammadian is a student at the University of Göttingen (Germany). Inspired by her participation in this Summerschool in 2023\, she applied for and obtained a Juynboll Fellowship in Leiden in 2024\, which enabled her to do original research on a literary tradition related to the Shahnamah. \nDr Kate Pukhovaia is the Curator of Oriental Manuscripts & Printed Works at Leiden University Libraries. She is also a specialist on state-building under Ottoman rule\, notably in Yemen. At Utrecht University she is assistant professor of Ottoman Studies. \nDr Marijn van Putten is a leading scholar on the history of the readings of the earliest Qur’ans. He teaches at Leiden University and is head of the research programme The Canonisation of the Quranic Traditions. \nGodelieva van der Randen divides her time between Leiden University Libraries and the National Library in The Hague to restore books\, codices\, prints and other materials. She had the opportunity to take care of one of the most famous Arabic codices in Leiden. \nProf dr Emile Schrijver holds the chair for History of the Jewish Book at Amsterdam University.  He is also the general director of the Jewish Cultural Quarter (musea and synagogue) in Amsterdam\, and as such a careful contributor to a sensitive public debate. \nDr Hans Theunissen inspires students of Turkish history and culture at Leiden University.  He is a fascinating teller of stories relating late Ottoman architecture or decoration to social development in the region. URL:https://pil.law.harvard.edu/event/summer-school-philology-and-manuscripts-from-the-muslim-world-leiden-university-may-4-2026/ CATEGORIES:Due dates,Opportunities END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR