The Call for Papers for the 2025 IQSA Annual Meeting is now open!
The International Qur’anic Studies Association is delighted to hold its Annual Meeting in person from November 13-16, 2025, hosted by Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. This conference is in-person only.There is no online option.
For your proposal to be accepted and to attend the conference you must be an active IQSA member. You can join IQSA here. If you are a graduate student, contingent faculty, or are from the global south and are unable to pay, please contact us (contactus@iqsaweb.org).
We look forward to receiving your proposals!
Reflecting on 2024: A Year of Growth and Achievement for IQSA
As we bid farewell to 2024, the International Qur’anic Studies Association (IQSA) celebrates a year of dynamic progress and global engagement. From conferences and publications to new initiatives and partnerships, our community continues to thrive as a hub for Qur’anic scholarship.
Annual Meeting in London: A Global Gathering of Scholars
In 2024, IQSA’s Annual Meeting took place in London, hosted by the prestigiousInstitute of Ismaili Studies from July 15–18. Over 150 scholars and participants convened at the Aga Khan Centre, a beacon of education, cultural exchange, and insights into Muslim civilizations, located in London’s vibrant King’s Cross.
Highlights of the event included a warm Welcome Address by Professor Zayn Kassam (Director, Institute of Ismaili Studies) and a thought-provoking Keynote delivered by Professor Ahmad al-Jallad (Sofia Chair in Arabic Studies, Ohio State University). Beyond the traditional panels and sessions, attendees enjoyed receptions, mentoring luncheons, the annual business meeting, and guided tours of the Aga Khan Centre, further enriching the experience. The gathering underscored IQSA’s commitment to fostering intellectual exchange and mentorship within the field of Qur’anic studies.
IQSA at the AAR/SBL Annual Meeting
IQSA also maintained its presence at the AAR/SBL Annual Meeting in San Diego, California, hosting a series of sessions from November 23–24. These sessions ranged from “Engaging the Qur’an and Tafsir” to a panel discussion on Tehseen Thaver’s Beyond Sectarianism. As we look ahead, we have exciting new plans for 2025. The Call for Papers opens this January—stay tuned for details!
Publications and Open Access Milestones
The ninth volume of the Journal of the International Qur’anic Studies Association (JIQSA) was successfully published under the expert editorial leadership of Sean W. Anthony (JIQSA), Shari Lowin (Review of Qur’anic Research), and Saqib Hussain (Associate Editor). Additionally, De Gruyter made all articles from JIQSA Volume 8 publicly accessible, with select articles from Volume 9 also available as open access. For information on subscriptions and submissions, visit our journal homepage at De Gruyter.
Celebrating Excellence: Andrew Rippin Best Paper Prize
We were delighted to award the seventh annual Andrew Rippin Best Paper Prize—honoring early-career scholars presenting at IQSA’s Annual Meeting—to Paul Neuenkirchen for his paper, “Fear/Remembrance of God, Prayer, and Constancy as Ways of Fighting Demons Between the Qurʾān and Late Antique Ascetic Writings.” This award not only includes a cash prize but also the opportunity for an expanded, peer-reviewed version of the paper to be published in JIQSA. The 2024–2025 Call for Submissions will open in the coming weeks, so keep an eye out!
Exciting Website Transition
IQSA is thrilled to announce the near-completion of its transition to a new and improved website and membership platform! Members can now join or renew their memberships through our new website. Please note that accounts on the previous platform cannot be transferred, so we encourage all members to set up new accounts. Bookmark beta.iqsaweb.org as the old platform will soon be retired.
Stay Connected
Stay up-to-date with IQSA’s latest developments through our blog, Facebook, Twitter, and ourGoogle Discussion Group. For any questions, please feel free to email us at contactus@iqsaweb.org.
As we close the year, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to all members, partners, and participants for making 2024 a remarkable year for IQSA. Your contributions fuel our mission to advance the study of the Qur’an and its interpretive traditions.
Here’s to an even brighter 2025!
De Gruyter Partner Publications
London Meeting Group Photo
London Meeting Participants
London Meeting Keynote
London Meeting Presentation
London Meeting Group Photo
IQSA London Bags
SBL IQSA Session
SBL 2024 Participants
Call for Papers: IQSA in San Diego 2024
The International Qur’anic Studies Association has opened its call for papers for its Annual Meeting to be held in San Diego, California from November 22-25, 2024 in conjunction with the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature. Paper proposals should be submitted through the SBL’s online submission system by March 20, 2024.
For the 2024 meeting in San Diego, IQSA will accept papers addressing any aspect of the Qur’anic text. These may explore particular themes in a given surah or aspects of the Qur’an’s conversation with the religious traditions of Late Antiquity, or even discuss methodological concerns when studying the text or highlighting features of physical manuscripts. All topics are welcome.
Please note that all proposals must include:
Author name and affiliation
Paper title
400 word paper abstract (written in English)
Eligibility for proposal submissions is contingent upon the following:
Active IQSA membership is required at the time of proposal submission for the IQSA Program, and the membership status of all applicants will be checked prior to acceptance
Participants must maintain current IQSA Membership through their participation in the Annual Meeting
Please also note that:
To ensure equity and diversity amongst participants, participants should submit only one paper presentation per IQSA Annual Meeting
Participants will be required to register for the conference by submitting payment through SBL’s online system(users are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the “Super Saver” rates which end mid-May)
Questions? Email contactus@iqsaweb.org. We look forward to seeing you in San Diego!
Read about the keynote address, ʾAṣdāʾu kalāmi l-ḥiǧār fī luġati l-ʾaqlāmi wa-l-ʾasfār: The Quran in light of 1500 years of pre-Islamic Arabian epigraphy, at this link.
Limited travel grants will be available, with preference given to paper presenters and panelists. To apply, please check the corresponding box on the registration form. Find discounted accommodations here.
Deadline Extended: Andrew Rippin Best Paper Prize 2023-24
The deadline for this year’s Andrew Rippin Best Paper Prize has been extended until February 7, 2024.
In honor of Andrew Rippin, the International Qur’anic Studies Association (IQSA) will award a prize to the best paper delivered at IQSA’s 2023 meeting in San Antonio by a graduate student or early career scholar (Ph.D. awarded 2018 or later). The prize winner will receive $250. In addition, the award committee will provide him/her with detailed feedback and guidance enabling him/her to expand the paper into a scholarly article that qualifies for publication in the Journal of the International Qur’anic Studies Association (JIQSA), subject to peer review.
Interested scholars should submit a draft of the paper which they read at the most current Annual Meeting; this draft should be no longer than fifteen double-spaced pages (or 3750 words including bibliography). Please do not submit slides. Submissions should be emailed to contactus@iqsaweb.org by February 7. The prize winner will be announced at the end of February. The winner should then be prepared to submit a fully revised version of the winning article by April 1, 2024. Publication of the final version is contingent upon review by the award committee and editorial staff of JIQSA.
Questions? Email contactus@iqsaweb.org. We look forward to receiving your submissions!
Deadline Approaching! IQSA Call for Papers (London 2024)
There is only one week left to submit your proposals for the International Qur’anic Studies Association’s Annual Meeting to be held in person from July 15-18, 2024, hosted by the Institute of Ismaili Studies in London!
We are accepting proposals for individual papers, panels, and roundtable discussions. Proposals will be considered on any aspect of the academic study of the Qur’an or its reception history. Proposals are due on January 31, 2024.
Individual papers: Individual paper proposals should be no more than 400 words long and should include the title of the paper, the name and affiliation of the presenter, and a 100-150-word biography.
Panel papers: Papers belonging to pre-arranged panels should indicate the name of the panel in the appropriate field in addition to providing a 400-word abstract and title for the individual paper. Only panel organizers should include a panel abstract in the submission. There is a dedicated field for submitting the panel abstract.
Roundtables: We will accept a limited number of proposals for lightning roundtable discussions. These are roundtables of up to seven participants, where two to three questions are given and each participant has no more than three minutes to address each question. Ample opportunity should be given for audience participation. Only roundtable organizers should submit an abstract which would include the rationale and the questions to be asked.
Please only submit one paper proposal (either individual or as a part of a panel); roundtable discussants may also give a paper.
Proposals for single and panel papers must include:
Author name and affiliation.
100-150-word short bio (written in English).
Paper title.
400-word paper abstract (written in English).
Proposals can be submitted here by January 31, 2024. For your proposal to be accepted and to attend the conference you must be an active IQSA member. You can join IQSA here. If you are a graduate student, contingent faculty, or are from the global south and are unable to pay, please contact us (contactus@iqsaweb.org).
Registration is now open for IQSA’s Annual Meeting in person in London from July 15-18, 2024, hosted by the Institute of Ismaili Studies. Active IQSA members canregister at this link. If you are not an active IQSA member, please sign up here. Registration is open to conference participants as well as observers.
IQSA has negotiated special rates for accommodations to make the conference as affordable as possible for the attendees. The available options, along with a map of their locations, are provided at this link.
Please register and book your travel/accommodations as soon as possible to lock in the best possible rates!
IQSA will make available a limited number of travel grants (up to $500 USD) for those most in need of financial assistance in order to attend. Preference will be given to those presenting. Please check the corresponding box on the registration form for consideration.
Questions? Email contactus@iqsaweb.org. We hope you will join us for this exciting meeting in London!
The International Qur’anic Studies Association is delighted to hold its Annual Meeting in person from July 15-18, 2024, hosted by the Institute of Ismaili Studies in London!
A friendly reminder that we are now accepting proposals for individual papers, panels, and roundtable discussions to be held in-person at the Aga Khan Centre, King’s Cross, London. Proposals will be considered on any aspect of the academic study of the Qur’an or its reception history. Proposals are due on January 31, 2024.
Individual papers: Individual paper proposals should be no more than 400 words long and should include the title of the paper, the name and affiliation of the presenter, and a 100-150-word biography.
Panel papers: Papers belonging to pre-arranged panels should indicate the name of the panel in the appropriate field in addition to providing a 400-word abstract and title for the individual paper. Only panel organizers should include a panel abstract in the submission. There is a dedicated field for submitting the panel abstract.
Roundtables: We will accept a limited number of proposals for lightning roundtable discussions. These are roundtables of up to seven participants, where two to three questions are given and each participant has no more than three minutes to address each question. Ample opportunity should be given for audience participation. Only roundtable organizers should submit an abstract which would include the rationale and the questions to be asked.
Please only submit one paper proposal (either individual or as a part of a panel); roundtable discussants may also give a paper.
Proposals for single and panel papers must include:
Author name and affiliation.
100-150-word short bio (written in English).
Paper title.
400-word paper abstract (written in English).
Proposals can be submitted here by January 31, 2024. For your proposal to be accepted and to attend the conference you must be an active IQSA member. You can join IQSA here. If you are a graduate student, contingent faculty, or are from the global south and are unable to pay, please contact us (contactus@iqsaweb.org).
Registration for the conference will open soon and information will be made available regarding accommodations including discounted rates, travel grants, and child care.
Questions? Email contactus@iqsaweb.org. We look forward to receiving your submissions!
The International Qur’anic Studies Association is delighted to hold its Annual Meeting in person from July 15-18, 2024, hosted by the Institute of Ismaili Studies in London!
We are now accepting proposals for individual papers, panels, and roundtable discussions to be held in-person at the Aga Khan Centre, King’s Cross, London. Proposals will be considered on any aspect of the academic study of the Qur’an or its reception history.
Individual papers: Individual paper proposals should be no more than 400 words long and should include the title of the paper, the name and affiliation of the presenter, and a 100-150-word biography.
Panel papers: Papers belonging to pre-arranged panels should indicate the name of the panel in the appropriate field in addition to providing a 400-word abstract and title for the individual paper. Only panel organizers should include a panel abstract in the submission. There is a dedicated field for submitting the panel abstract.
Roundtables: We will accept a limited number of proposals for lightning roundtable discussions. These are roundtables of up to seven participants, where two to three questions are given and each participant has no more than three minutes to address each question. Ample opportunity should be given for audience participation. Only roundtable organizers should submit an abstract which would include the rationale and the questions to be asked.
Please only submit one paper proposal (either individual or as a part of a panel); roundtable discussants may also give a paper.
Proposals for single and panel papers must include:
Author name and affiliation.
100-150-word short bio (written in English).
Paper title.
400-word paper abstract (written in English).
Proposals can be submitted here by January 31, 2024. For your proposal to be accepted and to attend the conference you must be an active IQSA member. You can join IQSA here. If you are a graduate student, contingent faculty, or are from the global south and are unable to pay, please contact us (contactus@iqsaweb.org).
Registration for the conference will open soon and information will be made available regarding accommodations including discounted rates, travel grants, and child care.
Questions? Email contactus@iqsaweb.org. We look forward to receiving your submissions!
Deadline TODAY! Call for Papers – IQSA Annual Meeting 2023
Today is the deadline to submit paper proposals for IQSA’s Annual Meeting to be held in San Antonio, Texas from November 17-20, 2023. Paper proposals should be submitted through the SBL’s automated online submission system under the corresponding “Affiliates” link by March 14, 2023 (note: IQSA membership is required for proposal submission; see below). Paper proposals will be accepted through 11:59 PM (23:59) US Eastern Time (UTC-4). Submission links can be found below under the respective program units. If you require further information or experience difficulties with the submission process, please contact the chairs of the program unit to which you would like to apply.
Please note that all proposals must include:
Author name and affiliation
Paper title
400 word paper abstract (written in English)
Eligibility for proposal submissions is contingent upon the following:
Active IQSA membership is required at the time of proposal submission for the IQSA Program, and the membership status of all applicants will be checked prior to acceptance
Participants must maintain current IQSA Membership through their participation in the Annual Meeting
Please also note that:
To ensure equity and diversity amongst participants, participants should submit only one paper presentation per IQSA Annual Meeting
Participants will be required to register for the conference by submitting payment through SBL’s online submission system(users are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the “Super Saver” rates which end mid-May)
The Annual Meeting includes panels for each of IQSA’s seven program units:
The Linguistic, Literary, and Thematic Perspectives on the Qur’anic Corpus unit invites proposals for papers that engage with the study of the Qur’an from a literary standpoint and examine aspects such as rhetorical devices, literary motifs, characterization, themes, voices, sound, structure of passages or surahs, etc. While the unit welcomes proposals that explore any of these aspects, this year we particularly encourage papers that utilize linguistic, literary, and thematic perspectives to study the legal and prescriptive material found in Medinan surahs and verses.
The aim of the Qur’an: Manuscripts and Textual Criticism unit is to provide a cross-disciplinary setting for the exploration of the various interconnected issues that arise when questions concerning the Qur’an’s text are investigated through the prism of its manuscript tradition. This latter term encompasses the field of Qur’an manuscripts per se, but also alludes to such information regarding the history of the text that can be gleaned from the citations, marginal notes, and detailed analysis provided in other branches of the Islamic sciences, for example Qur’an commentaries and the qira’at literature. It is hoped that bringing together scholars from a variety of disciplines will serve to enrich and strengthen each of these fields. The Manuscripts and Textual Criticism unit seeks to create a forum for the application of textual criticism to the Qur’anic text attested both in physical manuscripts and within the wider Islamic tradition. It also aims to investigate palaeographic, codicological, and art historical features in the Qur’an’s manuscript tradition. For the 2023 meeting in San Antonio, the unit welcomes papers on any topic within the range of the interests of the Manuscripts and Textual Criticism program unit. For the 2023 meeting in San Antonio, the unit welcomes papers on any topic within the range of the interests of the Manuscripts and Textual Criticism program unit.
The focus of this unit is the Qur’an’s relationship to the Biblical tradition in the broadest sense: the books of the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament in the various languages of their original composition and later translations (regardless of a particular book’s status of canonization within specific Jewish or Christian groups), as well as the exegetical, homiletic, and narrative traditions of the Bible in written or oral form. For the 2023 meeting in San Antonio, the Qur’an and the Biblical Tradition unit welcomes proposals that engage any aspect of the relationship between the Bible and the Qur’an.
The Methodology and Hermeneutics Unit invites proposals for papers that focus on the theological and hermeneutical relationship between the Qur’an and extra-Qur’anic sources of truth or authority, including the prophetic Sunna, communal Sunna, consensus (ijma’), the Shi’i Imams and their Sunna, hadith literature, biographical literature (sira), formative exegetical literature (tafsir), the rulings of Muslim scholars (‘ulama’), the Sufi shuyukh or Sufi poetry, mystical unveiling (kashf), studies of the material universe, intellect, and so forth.
For example, proposed papers could consider:
The hermeneutical relationship between the Qur’an and the prophetic Sunna; for instance, in how hadith, sīra, or “occasions of revelation” (asbāb al-nuzūl) impact exegesis;
How principles from Islamicate philosophy (falsafa) or theology (kalām) are used to exegete the Qur’an, or how specific verses become significant within Muslim ontological and cosmological discourse;
How the idea of the Imams as the authoritative interpreters of the Qur’an influences exegesis in Shiʾī Islam;
How Sufi works of literature like the Mathnawī of Rūmi or Divān of Hāfiz distill the Qur’an for popular audiences;
How Sufi exegetes read the Quran through the lenses of mystical principles and spiritual experience;
Ways in which modern and contemporary Qur’anic interpretation adheres to or departs from influential premodern methods of tafsīr, and so forth.
The Surah Studies Unit invites proposals for individual papers on any of the 37 surahs in the 30th juz’ (Juz’ ‘Amma), viz. from Surat al-Naba’ (78, “The Announcement”) to Surat al-Nas (114, “Humanity”). Proposals about any aspect of any surah—or cluster of surahs—are welcome. Proposals which can take our collective thinking in new directions are especially encouraged. These might broach (1) such general themes as: addressee(s), chronology and dating, the eschaton, oaths and oracular language, rhyme and rhythm, or textual cruxes; (2) topics specific to particular surahs, such as: astral imagery and phenomena in Surat al-Buruj (85, “The Constellations”) or Surat al-Takwir (81, “Rolling Up”), non-human beings in Surat al-Nazi‘at (79, “The Dispatchers”), Surat al-‘Alaq (96, “The Clot”), and Surat al-Fil (105, “The War Elephant”), or the language of commerce and trade and wealth in Surat al-Takathur (102, “Vying”) and Surat al-Ma‘un (107, “Liberality?”); or (3) devotional, liturgical and recitational aspects of the surahs and the juz’. The Surah Studies Unit welcomes diverse methods and new approaches. The raison d’être of the Unit is specifically to bring different perspectives into dialogue with one another.
For the 2023 IQSA Annual Meeting in San Antonio, the Qur’an and Late Antiquity program unit invites proposals that utilize various types of material or evidence—be that literary, documentary, or epigraphic—to illuminate the historical context in which the Qur’an was revealed and the early Islamic polity emerged. We are especially interested in papers that present and discuss new and comparative methodologies to approach the interplay between Late Antique phenomenon and the Qur’an.
The Societal Qur’an unit invites proposals for papers that investigate the Qur’an in its lived and societal contexts throughout history, from Late Antiquity to contemporary Late Modernity. Papers might, for instance, discuss topics such as:(1) ritual uses of the Qur’an; (2) practices of teaching the Qur’an; (3) talismanic and medical uses of the Qur’an; (4) the production of manuscript, print, and new media versions of the Qur’an and their commodification; (5) the role of the Qur’an in public debates, political organisation, and identity building; (6) the Qur’an in arts and media; (7) multilingual representations of the Qur’an. Proposals are encouraged that engage with sociological, anthropological, and political science theories and methods in their pursuit of the societal and lived Qur’an.
Questions? Email contactus@iqsaweb.org! We look forward to seeing you in San Antonio!
Call for Papers: IQSA Annual Meeting 2023
The International Qur’anic Studies Association has opened its call for papers for its Annual Meeting to be held in San Antonio, Texas from November 17-20, 2023. Paper proposals should be submitted through the SBL’s automated online submission system under the corresponding “Affiliates” link by March 14, 2023 (note: IQSA membership is required for proposal submission; see below). Submission links can be found below under the respective program units. If you require further information or experience difficulties with the submission process, please contact the chairs of the program unit to which you would like to apply.
Please note that all proposals must include:
Author name and affiliation
Paper title
400 word paper abstract (written in English)
Eligibility for proposal submissions is contingent upon the following:
Active IQSA membership is required at the time of proposal submission for the IQSA Program, and the membership status of all applicants will be checked prior to acceptance
Participants must maintain current IQSA Membership through their participation in the Annual Meeting
Please also note that:
To ensure equity and diversity amongst participants, participants should submit only one paper presentation per IQSA Annual Meeting
Participants will be required to register for the conference by submitting payment through SBL’s online submission system(users are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the “Super Saver” rates which end mid-May)
The Annual Meeting includes panels for each of IQSA’s seven program units:
The Linguistic, Literary, and Thematic Perspectives on the Qur’anic Corpus unit invites proposals for papers that engage with the study of the Qur’an from a literary standpoint and examine aspects such as rhetorical devices, literary motifs, characterization, themes, voices, sound, structure of passages or surahs, etc. While the unit welcomes proposals that explore any of these aspects, this year we particularly encourage papers that utilize linguistic, literary, and thematic perspectives to study the legal and prescriptive material found in Medinan surahs and verses.
The aim of the Qur’an: Manuscripts and Textual Criticism unit is to provide a cross-disciplinary setting for the exploration of the various interconnected issues that arise when questions concerning the Qur’an’s text are investigated through the prism of its manuscript tradition. This latter term encompasses the field of Qur’an manuscripts per se, but also alludes to such information regarding the history of the text that can be gleaned from the citations, marginal notes, and detailed analysis provided in other branches of the Islamic sciences, for example Qur’an commentaries and the qira’at literature. It is hoped that bringing together scholars from a variety of disciplines will serve to enrich and strengthen each of these fields. The Manuscripts and Textual Criticism unit seeks to create a forum for the application of textual criticism to the Qur’anic text attested both in physical manuscripts and within the wider Islamic tradition. It also aims to investigate palaeographic, codicological, and art historical features in the Qur’an’s manuscript tradition. For the 2023 meeting in San Antonio, the unit welcomes papers on any topic within the range of the interests of the Manuscripts and Textual Criticism program unit. For the 2023 meeting in San Antonio, the unit welcomes papers on any topic within the range of the interests of the Manuscripts and Textual Criticism program unit.
The focus of this unit is the Qur’an’s relationship to the Biblical tradition in the broadest sense: the books of the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament in the various languages of their original composition and later translations (regardless of a particular book’s status of canonization within specific Jewish or Christian groups), as well as the exegetical, homiletic, and narrative traditions of the Bible in written or oral form. For the 2023 meeting in San Antonio, the Qur’an and the Biblical Tradition unit welcomes proposals that engage any aspect of the relationship between the Bible and the Qur’an.
The Methodology and Hermeneutics Unit invites proposals for papers that focus on the theological and hermeneutical relationship between the Qur’an and extra-Qur’anic sources of truth or authority, including the prophetic Sunna, communal Sunna, consensus (ijma’), the Shi’i Imams and their Sunna, hadith literature, biographical literature (sira), formative exegetical literature (tafsir), the rulings of Muslim scholars (‘ulama’), the Sufi shuyukh or Sufi poetry, mystical unveiling (kashf), studies of the material universe, intellect, and so forth.
For example, proposed papers could consider:
The hermeneutical relationship between the Qur’an and the prophetic Sunna; for instance, in how hadith, sīra, or “occasions of revelation” (asbāb al-nuzūl) impact exegesis;
How principles from Islamicate philosophy (falsafa) or theology (kalām) are used to exegete the Qur’an, or how specific verses become significant within Muslim ontological and cosmological discourse;
How the idea of the Imams as the authoritative interpreters of the Qur’an influences exegesis in Shiʾī Islam;
How Sufi works of literature like the Mathnawī of Rūmi or Divān of Hāfiz distill the Qur’an for popular audiences;
How Sufi exegetes read the Quran through the lenses of mystical principles and spiritual experience;
Ways in which modern and contemporary Qur’anic interpretation adheres to or departs from influential premodern methods of tafsīr, and so forth.
The Surah Studies Unit invites proposals for individual papers on any of the 37 surahs in the 30th juz’ (Juz’ ‘Amma), viz. from Surat al-Naba’ (78, “The Announcement”) to Surat al-Nas (114, “Humanity”). Proposals about any aspect of any surah—or cluster of surahs—are welcome. Proposals which can take our collective thinking in new directions are especially encouraged. These might broach (1) such general themes as: addressee(s), chronology and dating, the eschaton, oaths and oracular language, rhyme and rhythm, or textual cruxes; (2) topics specific to particular surahs, such as: astral imagery and phenomena in Surat al-Buruj (85, “The Constellations”) or Surat al-Takwir (81, “Rolling Up”), non-human beings in Surat al-Nazi‘at (79, “The Dispatchers”), Surat al-‘Alaq (96, “The Clot”), and Surat al-Fil (105, “The War Elephant”), or the language of commerce and trade and wealth in Surat al-Takathur (102, “Vying”) and Surat al-Ma‘un (107, “Liberality?”); or (3) devotional, liturgical and recitational aspects of the surahs and the juz’. The Surah Studies Unit welcomes diverse methods and new approaches. The raison d’être of the Unit is specifically to bring different perspectives into dialogue with one another.
For the 2023 IQSA Annual Meeting in San Antonio, the Qur’an and Late Antiquity program unit invites proposals that utilize various types of material or evidence—be that literary, documentary, or epigraphic—to illuminate the historical context in which the Qur’an was revealed and the early Islamic polity emerged. We are especially interested in papers that present and discuss new and comparative methodologies to approach the interplay between Late Antique phenomenon and the Qur’an.
The Societal Qur’an unit invites proposals for papers that investigate the Qur’an in its lived and societal contexts throughout history, from Late Antiquity to contemporary Late Modernity. Papers might, for instance, discuss topics such as:(1) ritual uses of the Qur’an; (2) practices of teaching the Qur’an; (3) talismanic and medical uses of the Qur’an; (4) the production of manuscript, print, and new media versions of the Qur’an and their commodification; (5) the role of the Qur’an in public debates, political organisation, and identity building; (6) the Qur’an in arts and media; (7) multilingual representations of the Qur’an. Proposals are encouraged that engage with sociological, anthropological, and political science theories and methods in their pursuit of the societal and lived Qur’an.
Questions? Email contactus@iqsaweb.org! We look forward to seeing you in San Antonio!
Reminders & Updates: IQSA Denver Annual Meeting
The IQSA Annual Meeting held in conjunction with the American Academy of Religion and Society of Biblical Literature is one short week away (November 18-22, 2022)! Please find friendly reminders and updates below as you prepare to present or attend the conference.
ANNUAL MEETING FAQs
Q: Can I still register for the IQSA Annual Meeting?
A: Active IQSA members can still register for the meeting at full price. Visit the SBL Annual Meeting Page and choose Register as a Member of an Affiliate Organization. Then, complete a New Registration under the Affiliate Members category, and choose International Qur’anic Studies Association when prompted.
Q: How do I attend the IQSA General Reception?
A: All registered IQSA attendees will receive an email notification with details for the off-site reception on Saturday, November 19 from 7-9pm.
Q: Do I have to be an IQSA member to register for the Annual Meeting?
A: YES – current IQSA membership is required and verified by staff upon registration. However, SBL/AAR membership is not required to attend the IQSA Annual Meeting. You can renew your IQSA membership HERE.
Q: I already registered for the Annual Meeting as an SBL/AAR member. Do I have to register again as an affiliate to attend IQSA events?
A: No – duplicate registration is not required to attend IQSA events if one has already registered as an SBL/AAR member. However, you must register as an active IQSA member if you are presenting at an IQSA session.
Q: Where can I find a schedule of events for the Annual Meeting?
A: Find the IQSA Conference Schedule online, and view the full SBL/AAR Program here. A digital version of the IQSA Annual Meeting Program Book and Annual Report will be available in the coming days!
Q: Does IQSA provide funding or reimbursement for its members to attend the meeting?
A: At this time, IQSA does not have the resources to provide financial assistance for Annual Meeting registration costs. However, IQSA encourages its members to seek financial aid through institutional grants and other funding.
Q: Where can I find more FAQs regarding the SBL and AAR Meeting & Events?
A: Find more details at this link!
Q: Should I use the SBL/AAR Mobile App? A: Absolutely! Using the mobile app or interactive web version will allow you to easily access event sessions, speakers, exhibitors, and organizer messages. When logged in using your registration number, you can personalize your schedule, take notes, share contacts, and more.
Why should you download the Annual Meetings Mobile App prior to arrival?
The app is the best and easiest way to find information about the whole meeting, including session times and locations, information about presentations, location of exhibitors, and general information about the meeting.
New this year, you can view session with updated information via a search filter. When browsing filter data, tap the filter data, then select “New and Updated Sessions,” then the filter you wish to apply.
The app contains easily searchable floor plans of the book exhibit hall, convention center, and meeting hotels. Navigating the meeting has never been easier.
We will have onsite programs available, but these were printed in September and many sessions may have changed locations or times. We urge you to download the app and check it for the latest information.
Be sure to add alerts@ativsoftware.com to your email’s allowed senders list to be sure to receive emails, notifications, and invitations from the meeting platform. Presenters should be on the lookout for more information in the coming days about how to upload materials like handout documents, full-text papers, and even pre-recorded videos. While uploading these materials is optional, we encourage presenter to take advantage of these opportunities.
Questions? Email us at contactus@iqsaweb.org. We look forward to seeing you in Denver!
