The IQSA Annual Meeting held last week in Atlanta, Georgia, was a great success, thanks to cutting-edge research presentations and record-breaking attendance. Held in conjunction with the Annual Meetings of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) and the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL)—the largest gathering of religious studies scholars in the world, our meeting brought together an international community of scholars to exchange fresh ideas on the interdisciplinary study of the Qur’an and to forge collaborations for advancing Qur’anic studies in the years to come.
The 2015 meeting showcased the diversity of scholarly interests and approaches to the Qur’an, featuring papers on a variety of issues including rhyme in the Qur’anic text, violence in the Qur’anic milieu, and reader interactions with Qur’an manuscripts. In addition to the excellent research presentations and lively discussion, we also featured a roundtable discussion on “The Current State of Qur’anic Studies and Its Future,” in which leading experts addressed a range of key questions in the field, from sources and methods in Qur’anic scholarship to diversity and inclusion in the scholarly community. With over one hundred people in attendance, this discussion session truly reflected the importance and vitality of Qur’anic studies today.
IQSA is grateful to all the participants and attendees who contributed to the success of this year’s meeting. Please stay tuned for publication of the Presidential Address and Response papers, and keep an eye out for our Call for Papers for next year’s meeting in San Antonio!
IQSA remains committed to providing resources and opportunities for continued collaboration among Qur’an scholars. To that end, we invite you to stay in touch with colleagues and friends by becoming a member of IQSA. Members enjoy a variety of benefits including access to the Review of Qur’anic Research, the Qur’an Seminar, and our member directory.
Plan your Trip to Atlanta! IQSA Annual Meeting Program Highlights
The IQSA Annual Meeting in Atlanta is just a few weeks away! As you plan your trip, please note the following special events on the program, which starts Friday 20 November:
Presidential Address – Free and Open to the Public!
Reuven Firestone, Hebrew Union College: The Problematic of Prophecy Ebrahim Moosa, University of Notre Dame, Respondent
All students in Qur’anic and Islamic Studies attending the IQSA sessions are welcome to join. Food/drink will be served. A number of senior professors in Qur’anic Studies will be in attendance for informal conversation/mentorship. You can RSVP to contact@iqsaweb.org.
We hope to see you at these important events! Thank you!
A Special Welcome for Students at Annual Meeting in Atlanta
An Abbasid-era illustration of students studying with a faqih; image from Wikimedia Commons.
NOTE: TIME & DATE CHANGED
As we gear up for our Annual Meeting in Atlanta next month, IQSA is especially excited to welcome students and emerging scholars to our growing community. We warmly encourage all students who are planning to attend the Annual Meeting to RSVP for our Student Reception:
There will be plenty of food and refreshments, and plenty of friendly conversation with established scholars of Qur’anic studies, including Farid Esack, Reuven Firestone, Daniel Madigan, Gabriel Said Reynolds, Vanessa De Gifis, and Nicolai Sinai.
IQSA is committed to fostering community in Qur’anic studies by supporting students on their path to professional success and encouraging collaboration across generations, all of which are vital to the advancement of knowledge in our field.
If you are interested in attending the Student Reception, please simply RSVP to IQSA at contact@iqsaweb.org.
This will be a valuable opportunity for emerging scholars to mingle with established experts in Qur’anic studies in a more relaxed setting–with light refreshments and finger food!
IQSA is committed to fostering community in Qur’anic studies by supporting students on their path to professional success and encouraging collaboration across generations, all of which are vital to the advancement of knowledge in our field.
The IQSA Annual Meeting in Atlanta is scheduled to take place 20-23 November 2015, in conjunction with the SBL/AAR Annual Meetings. Registration is open at the SBL page HERE. You can save up to $70 by joining IQSA and registering for the Annual Meetings as an Affiliate Member. If you are not yet an IQSA member, we encourage you to please join us HERE.
We look forward to an exciting meeting of members and friends in Atlanta!
There are just a few days left to take advantage of the “super saver” discount registration rate for the IQSA Annual Meeting in Atlanta! The Annual Meeting, held in conjunction with the SBL/AAR Annual Meetings, 20-23 November, is a valuable opportunity to connect with scholars from around the world and explore the latest in Qur’anic research. The “super saver” rate is available now through Thursday 21 May. Please register through the SBL website here.
Members of IQSA could save up to $70 by registering for the Annual Meetings as an Affiliate Member! Not an IQSA member? Please join IQSA today! We hope you’ll join us and meet us in Atlanta!
Join IQSA and Save on Meeting Registration Rates! عضوية الجمعية مفتوحة الآن
The IQSA Annual Meeting in Atlanta, 20-23 November, will be held in conjunction with the SBL/AAR Annual Meetings. You could save up to $70 by joining IQSA and registering for the Annual Meetings as an Affiliate Member! Registration is now open on the SBL website here. Take advantage of an additional “super saver” discount by registering now through 21 May. We hope you’ll join us and meet us in Atlanta!
** PLEASE DO THE FOLLOWING **
(1) العضوية مجانية – To join our academic community today (for free!) simply submit a Membership Form here: http://members.iqsaweb.org/Join-Us
(2) التسجيل بسعر مخفض إلى ٢٢/٥/٢٠١٥ – Annual Meeting Registration (Discounted until May 22, 2015) :
Registration for the IQSA Annual Meeting in Atlanta, 20-23 November, is now open! You can access the registration system through the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) webpage HERE. Take advantage of the “super saver” discount by registering now through 21 May. Please visit the SBL site for more information on registration rates, housing, meeting locations, etc. We look forward to seeing you in Atlanta!
The International Qur’anic Studies Association seeks two graduate student assistants for editorial and online help. Assistants will work approximately ten hours per week.
General Qualifications
Be a registered graduate student in Qur’anic Studies or related field; Ph.D. candidates preferred
Commit to the position for a minimum of one calendar year (from time of start)
While assistants are unpaid, they gain valuable relevant experience in academic service, writing, editing, marketing, communications, networking, and volunteering. Work is mostly remote and online, so the 10 hours/week required are “flex hours” that accommodate student schedules. Assistants receive FREE registration to the Annual Meeting in Atlanta, November 2015. As IQSA members, assistants gain free access to member benefits including Review of Qur’anic Research, Qur’an Seminar, JIQSA, job board, and member directory. Assistants are also eligible to receive letters of recommendation for their service and have access to a global network of Qur’anic Studies scholars. IQSA is committed to the professional development of graduate students.
Attend the Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, 20-23 November 2015
Meticulous attention to detail
Expertise in editing academic publications, preferably in Qur’anic Studies or related field
Knowledge of French and German a plus
Expertise in transliteration, style guides, and standard conventions concerning texts in Arabic and at least one additional classical language (e.g. Syriac, Hebrew, Persian, Greek)
Position Duties
Edit proposals and biographies for publication in annual Program Book for Annual Meeting
Edit proposals resulting from the JIQSA Call for Papers
Assist the PRC Chair as needed
Other duties as requested
Graduate Online Assistant
The Online Assistant will work directly with the Executive Assistant and Blog Coordinator, and report to the Executive Director.
Qualifications
Knowledge of Arabic, French, and German a plus
Position Duties
Compile job, fellowship, and other professional opportunities for the IQSA Job Board
Contribute or solicit one blog post per month
Curate links and topics related to Qur’anic Studies to post weekly to Discussion Group
IQSA Membership for 2015 is now open! We warmly invite you to join IQSA by filling out a membership form HERE. Benefits of membership include access to Review of Qur’anic Research, Qur’an Seminar, member directory, and job board; a discounted registration/affiliate rate for the Annual Meeting in November; and special offers from publishers. And the IQSA membership fee for 2015 is only $25 (USD), among the lowest of its kind!
After completing the membership form and paying the fee (payment can be made with credit card or PayPal account), you will be emailed your login information. Once you login, you can change your password, create your profile for the member directory, and access member benefits at anytime.
View highlights from the IQSA Annual Meeting held in San Diego, November 2014:
We truly value your membership. Welcome! أهلا وسهلا
New Program Unit for the 2015 Annual Meeting: The Qur’an and Late Antiquity
by Greg Fisher and Michael Pregill
Over the past fifteen years, there has been a tremendous upsurge of interest in the historiography of late antique Arabia. This has happened as a result both of targeted studies as well as developments in late antique historiography more broadly. New studies authored or edited by Glen Bowersock, Averil Cameron, Greg Fisher (including work with Jitse Dijkstra), Robert Hoyland, and Christian Robin have contributed to a better understanding of a number of historical issues. These include the relationship of Arabia to its neighbors; the archaeology and history of different groups of people in the Arabian Peninsula; links between different communities, especially religious communities; alliances managed by Romans, Persians, and Himyarites with Arab clients; and the development of Arab “identity” prior to the seventh century.
Votive stele of alabaster with Sabaean inscription adressed to the moon-god Almaqah, ca. 700 BC, Yemen; held in the Department of Oriental Antiquities, Louvre Museum, Paris. Image accessed from Wikimedia Commons.
Over the same period, Qur’anic studies has developed in significant ways as well, particularly regarding the investigation of the literary compositions and religious discourses that may have provided the horizons and context of the emergence of the Qur’anic revelation. The Qur’an and Late Antiquity program unit, the newest in IQSA’s Annual Meeting lineup, seeks to promote knowledge of developments in Late Antique studies among scholars of the Qur’an and developments in Qur’anic studies among scholars of Late Antiquity, particularly in order to encourage better integration of these fields in the future. Our remit includes not only pre-Islamic Arabia and its immediate environs, but also the larger frame of late antique history, culture, religion, society, and politics in the Near East and Mediterranean regions as it may illuminate the background to the rise of Islam and its broad, long-term consequences.
CALL FOR PAPERS:
Chairs:
Greg Fisher, Department of History, Carleton University
Michael Pregill, Institute for the Study of Muslim Societies and Civilizations, Boston University
The Qur’an and Late Antiquity program unit focuses on investigation of and critical reflection on the historical context in which the Qur’an was revealed. We seek papers that illustrate significant textual parallels between the Qur’an and other literatures of Late Antiquity, especially those that contribute to a better understanding of the Qur’an’s place in its cultural, political, social, and religious environment. We also seek papers that interpret the rise of the Qur’anic community in a broader phenomenological, sociological, or historiographic context, whether that of pre-Islamic Arabian society or the Roman and Sasanian Empires that dominated the eastern Mediterranean and Near East in this period. Particular attention will be paid to such questions as processes of political consolidation and legitimation, construction of communal boundaries, and relationships between communities and polities.
For the 2015 IQSA Annual Meeting in Atlanta (November 20-23), we will sponsor two panels. First, we invite paper proposals for a panel on recent developments in the historiography of Late Antiquity as it pertains to the Qur’anic milieu in pre-Islamic Arabia or the wider context of the Roman and Sasanian dominions. This panel will be co-sponsored by the AAR Traditions of Eastern Late Antiquity group. We especially encourage submissions that attempt to achieve a broader synthesis of cultural, political, and religious trends beyond the analysis and comparison of textual corpora.
We also invite paper proposals for a panel to be co-sponsored with the SBL Religious World of Late Antiquity program unit. This panel, the first of two to be presented in consecutive years, will feature papers on the intersection of religion and violence in Late Antiquity as it pertains specifically to the Qur’an and the Qur’anic milieu. The panel takes as its inspiration Thomas Sizgorich’s groundbreaking work Violence and Belief in Late Antiquity: Militant Devotion in Christianity and Islam. We especially encourage proposals that engage Sizgorich’s work directly and explicitly, whether on a historical, thematic, or methodological level.
IQSA 2014 Keynote and Response Papers Now Available!
Following the success of the IQSA Annual Meeting in San Diego, there has been high demand for access to the keynote paper of Professor Angelika Neuwirth and the response paper of Professor Andrew Rippin. We are very pleased to make both of these papers now available on our website, **Here**. Together, these papers reflect the vibrancy of various (inter)disciplinary approaches to the text and context of the Qur’an, as well as the value of critical dialogue for the ongoing vitality of Qur’anic studies. Such dialogue is enriched through the active engagement of IQSA members and friends. Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter, join our online discussion group, become a member of IQSA, and spread the word among your colleagues, students, and friends! Thanks for your support!
The 2015 meeting showcased the diversity of scholarly interests and approaches to the Qur’an, featuring papers on a variety of issues including rhyme in the Qur’anic text, violence in the Qur’anic milieu, and reader interactions with Qur’an manuscripts. In addition to the excellent research presentations and lively discussion, we also featured a roundtable discussion on “The Current State of Qur’anic Studies and Its Future,” in which leading experts addressed a range of key questions in the field, from sources and methods in Qur’anic scholarship to diversity and inclusion in the scholarly community. With over one hundred people in attendance, this discussion session truly reflected the importance and vitality of Qur’anic studies today.
