non-BRISMES Events

Non-BRISMES Events

Peter Sluglett, a long time member of BRISMES, is President-elect of MESA, the Middle East Studies Association of North America. He taught Middle Eastern history at Durham University between 1974 and 1993 and at the University of Utah since 1994; he is currently Visiting Research Professor at the Middle East Institute of the National University of Singapore. This year he is President-elect; he will be President in 2012-13. He served as a member of the BRISMES Council between 1986 and 1989, and was Review Editor of the British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies between 1990 and 1994.

“Thinking Out of the Box: Devising New European Policies to Face the Arab Spring” (NEPAS) – Website: http://nepas-project.net/
University of Minho, Braga – 21-22 February 2013

CBRL Academic Arabic Programme

2-20 September in Beirut, Lebanon

The Council for British Research in the Levant has launched a new programme to offer advanced language training to established academic researchers who work on the Arab world. The programme caters to the specific needs of lecturers, professors, and post-doctoral researchers who have already reached a high level of proficiency and use Arabic sources for their research, but who would benefit from the opportunity to refresh their language skills during a period of intensive immersion.

To meet the needs of these established academics, the CBRL is organising two short, intensive courses in autumn 2013 and Easter 2014. Conducted entirely in Arabic, each three-week course will offer a combination of content-based discussion on various topics in Arab history, culture and society, and sessions designed to hone general language proficiency (listening, reading, writing and speaking). The programme will provide 12 hours per week of small group sessions (6-8 participants), in addition to 4 hours per week of individual tuition to focus on topics and skills of relevance to their research interests (e.g. specific literary or historical texts, interview skills, colloquial Arabic, etc). The programme aims to replicate the intellectual environment of a university seminar held in Arabic, rather than traditional pedagogical instruction.

In September 2013, the course will be provided by the Institut Français du Proche Orient (IFPO) Beirut.

For further details about the CBRL Academic Arabic Programme, visit www.cbrl.org.uk/news.html

Thanks to generous funding from the British Academy, the CBRL can offer bursaries to cover tuition, travel, and accommodation. Deadline for applications is 31 May 2013. Further information is available at www.cbrl.org.uk/support.html

Queries should be directed to Daniel Neep, CBRL Research Director at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

SOAS to start new summer school courses on the Middle East

The London Middle East Institute (LMEI) at SOAS is to introduce a combination of two short courses from this summer: the Government and Politics of the Middle East and Modern Arabic. The intensive five-week summer school programme will take place from 24 June to 26 July 2013.

Summer school students can take two courses: an Arabic language course (either introductory or intermediate) and another on 'Government and Politics of the Middle East'.

Government and Politics of the Middle East serves as an introduction to the politics of North Africa (Maghreb), the Arab East (Mashriq) including the Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula, Israel, Turkey and Iran. It offers an overview of the major political issues and developments in the region since the end of the First World War and addresses key themes in the study of contemporary Middle East politics, including: the role of the military, social and economic development, political Islam, and the recent uprisings (the 'Arab Spring').

Arabic 100 is a course in Modern Standard Arabic for complete beginners. It teaches students the Arabic script and provides basic grounding in Arabic grammar and syntax. On completing the course, students should be able to read, write, listen to, and understand simple Arabic sentences and passages.

Arabic 200 is an intermediate course, which focuses on reading, writing, grammar and provides training in listening. The course will also introduce modern media Arabic to prepare students to read newspapers, magazines and internet news sources published in the Arab world today. On completing the course, students should be able to read and understand texts of an intermediate level, compose short texts in Arabic on a variety of topics and be able to follow oral communication in Arabic. Students will also be trained in the basic skills necessary to read and understand Arabic news media with the aid of a dictionary.

Hassan Hakimian, Director of the LMEI, said: "We are pleased to extend opportunities for learning about the Middle East region at SOAS in the summer period. Our courses aim to develop the students' language skills as well as their understanding of the major trends in Middle East politics and current affairs through critical reading, lectures, presentations and informed discussions."

Registration is now open and there are still places available. Please note that early bird discounts of 10% are available until 15 May.

For more information, see: http://www.soas.ac.uk/lmei/summerschool/ or contact Louise Hosking: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Royal Charter Granted to the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies

British Library book move

British Library book moves affecting Middle Eastern language material.

During the course of 2010, the British Library is undertaking collection moves which will include material in all Middle Eastern languages. The items that are being moved will be unavailable to readers while they are prepared, moved and reshelved in the new storage building in Boston Spa. Information about the shelfmarks affected by the embargo will be in the Library's April Reader Bulletin at www.bl.uk/collectionmoves/index.html .

Books and journals in Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Hebrew (and other Middle Eastern languages) acquired since 1986, and all hard-copy newspapers, will be placed under an embargo from 10 May 2010. This material will not be available for use until it has been loaded into the new storage facility at Boston Spa. Material will be available again between the end of July and November 2010 when it has transferred.

Material in Middle Eastern languages acquired before 1986 will be moved to Boston Spa later in the year. These moves will affect most books and journals published after 1850 (1900 for Arabic). Books published before this date, and rare or special material, will not be moving and will be available for use at St Pancras as normal. Books moving from St Pancras are scheduled to be unavailable from October 2010 until early 2011 when they have been transferred to the new building.

Material stored at Boston Spa will be available for use in the St Pancras Reading Rooms, but will need to be ordered 48-hours in advance. Most post-1950, non-UK, publications will be available for inter-library loan, as normal, once they have transferred.

Summary

Post-1986 books and journals, and all hard copy newspapers, will be unavailable from 10 May 2010. Material will be available again from July 2010 to November 2010 depending on when it is transferred.

Post-1850 (post-1900 for Arabic) but pre-1986 material will be unavailable from October 2010 until it has transferred (probably early 2011).

Particularly rare and older material will remain at St Pancras and will be available as normal. The moves will not affect manuscripts, microfilm, recorded sound or e-materials, nor materials in Western languages.

For further information about these collections see www.bl.uk/reshelp/findhelpregion/middleeast/meresources/index.html .

British Academy - International Partnerships

International Partnerships (Middle East) Scheme

In an initiative developed by the British Academy's Area Panels, awards of up to £10,000 a year for up to three years are available to support the development of ongoing links between research centres or institutions, within the humanities and social sciences, in the UK and in the Middle East (including North Africa). The link would be built around a specific research theme of mutual interest. This could be carried forward through visits in both directions; workshops; seminars and lecture programmes; collaborative research; and joint publications. The programme might form part of either institution's training programme and will ideally involve participation from more than one overseas institution, and might also involve more than one department/university/group/research centre in the UK.
Aim of Award
The scheme is intended to foster links between the UK and the Middle East (including North Africa), with an emphasis on helping scholars to develop research skills and to produce a joint research outcome.
Scope
Priority will be given to projects with a training element, such as the support and development of staff or postgraduate students (in the UK and overseas). The scheme is intended to benefit early-career scholars from both the UK and overseas, and projects will be highly regarded where they include junior academics from both sides. Visits might be undertaken for staff exchange, supplying teaching elements to courses and developing joint curricula. Workshops and seminars should form an integral part of the programme, and involve both staff and postgraduate students. It is expected that each programme should produce papers or some other joint research outcome designed for publication.

Eligibility
Applicants must be of postdoctoral or equivalent status (i.e. academic staff with at least one or two years of teaching/ research experience)

Level of Grant
Grants are offered up to a maximum of £10,000 per year for up to 3 years.

Closing Date
The closing date for applications is 30 March 2011. Decisions will be announced in late July.
Applications must be submitted via https://egap.britac.ac.uk/, the Academy's electronic grant application system.
Further information together with application forms and notes of guidance are available from the Academy's website:
http://www.britac.ac.uk/funding/guide/intl/ip.cfm

The Falak Sufi Scholarship

The Graduate School of Arts and Science of New York University is pleased to announce the establishment of the Falak Sufi Scholarships awarded by the master’s program in Near Eastern Studies at the Kevorkian Center. Candidates for the master’s program in Near Eastern Studies are eligible to apply, including applicants to the program’s joint degree with Journalism, the concentration with Museum Studies, and the business track.

The Falak Sufi Scholarship is to honour the memory of a beloved student in the Near Eastern Studies program who died tragically in New York in 2008, and to support students from countries with a majority Islamic population in South Asia who might not otherwise be able to obtain a graduate education.

For 2010–11, the scholarship includes an academic-year stipend (a minimum of $22,440), tuition, student health insurance, and registration and services fees for up to two years, provided that academic standards of the Graduate School and the graduate program are met.

The application deadline for fall 2010 admission is January 4, 2010.

For more information, eligibility and application requirements, visit:

www.gsas.nyu.edu/object/sufischolarship

Job Vacancy - University of Sydney, Australia

PhD Scholarship
(AHRC: Collaborative PhD with the British Library, University of
Birmingham including the Centre for African Studies and Arabic Division)

POSITION, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

The Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies at Columbia University announces an opening in Hebrew language to be filled at the rank of Lecturer in Discipline or Associate in Discipline, beginning July 2013 and ending June 2014. We are seeking a professional language teacher with a serious commitment to teaching languages for academic purposes. This is a full time one-year appointment.

We are seeking a professional language teacher with a serious commitment to developing pedagogical materials and incorporating technological innovations into the curriculum.

Applicants should preferably have a Ph.D. in Hebrew, but those with a Master's degree and considerable language teaching experience are also encouraged to apply. Salary and rank commensurate with experience.

Responsibilities will include teaching 2 or 3 courses per semester and other duties associate with the language program.

Successful candidates for all ranks (Lecturer, Associate) must have native or near native fluency in Hebrew and English, foreign language instruction experience, and an oral proficiency based approach.

A cover letter, statement of teaching philosophy and methodology, curriculum vitae, three letters of recommendation, teaching evaluations and teaching materials to support the application should be uploaded at our secure online site:

academicjobs.columbia.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=57670

Applications will be reviewed starting May 25, 2013.

Columbia University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer.

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP
GULBENKIAN BIOGRAPHY PROJECT
University of Southampton

Salary £27, 854

Thanks to the generous support of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation the University of Southampton recently launched a three-year project to research the life and career of one of the most renowned yet mysterious figures in the history of the oil industry. Based for the majority of his life in London and Paris, Calouste Gulbenkian (1869-1955) was a businessman, diplomat, art collector and philanthropist who helped to create such modern industry names as Shell and Total.

Working closely with the Principal Investigator, Dr Jonathan Conlin, you will be undertaking archival and other research into this enigmatic individual and his activities. You will have a PhD (or equivalent) in business, economic or diplomatic history as well as experience of independent working in state and business archives. We would particularly value a detailed understanding and knowledge of the late 19th/early 20th-century history of one or more of the areas in which Gulbenkian had personal or professional interests (Ottoman Empire/Middle East, Russia/Caucasus, Mexico, Venezuela).

Further details at:

https://www.jobs.soton.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx?ref=231413F4

Informal enquiries may be addressed to Dr Conlin at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

LSE Middle East Centre - Administrator

Salary: £23,537 - £26,457 per annum inclusive - Status: Permanent.

The LSE Middle East Centre promotes interdisciplinary research on the societies, economies, polities and international relations of the Middle East and North Africa. The Centre seeks an Administrator to play a key role in running and expanding the Centre's infrastructure and research activities. The Administrator will manage the Centre's events programme and deliver essential administration to the Centre's staff, research projects and communications. Candidates should have:

■ knowledge of the field of Middle East studies;

■ experience of events management;

■ administrative experience in a demanding environment.

The benefits that come with this job include generous annual leave and excellent training and development opportunities. For full application details and to apply for this post please go to: http://tiny.cc/lp5juw

Closing date for the receipt of applications: 26 April 2013

If you have any questions, please contract Robert Lowe at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Applications for this post must be submitted through the online application form on the LSE website. For more information on how to apply, visit the LSE vacancies page.

The Egypt Exploration Society is looking for an enthusiastic, energetic, personable and well-organised Fieldwork & Engagement Manager to be the Society\'s main representative in Egypt. Fluent written and spoken Egyptian Arabic and English are essential. Full details are here: http://www.ees.ac.uk/news/index/215.html .

PhD Research Fellow

University of Warwick -Politics and International Studies

£27,578 - £35,938 pa

Fixed Term Contract from 1 October 2012 until 30 September 2016

A four year PhD fellowship is available to do research on the Iraqi diaspora in Europe within the Project "Diasporas and Contested Sovereignty" sponsored by the European Research Council. The project will be conducted at Warwick University under the supervision of Dr. Maria Koinova. A team of four researchers (PI, post-doc, two PhD researchers) will investigate the transnational mobilisation of conflict-generated diasporas in Europe and their impact on polities experiencing contested sovereignty in the Balkans, the Caucuses, and the Middle East.

You will possess a masters degree (awarded or near completion) or equivalent in a relevant discipline. The ability to act as an independent researcher is essential, as is evidence of a clear research agenda. You will ideally have an academic background in international relations, comparative politics, conflict studies, foreign policy analysis, transnationalism, and migration and diaspora studies. Very good linguistic skills in Arabic are essential. Prior qualitative and/or quantitative methods training is highly desirable. You will be expected to do multi-sited research both in Europe and Iraq, publish academic articles, and assist with the organisation of project-related events.

The position offers four-year PhD training at the department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Warwick, field research subsidy, and opportunities to travel to academic conferences.

We would particularly welcome applications from female candidates and those from a minority ethnic background, as they are currently under represented within the department.

For more information on how to apply: http://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/AEV088/phd-research-fellow/

Six Positions Related to Gulf History/Arabic Science at the British Library, London

The British Library is recruiting a project manager to lead on content creation for a new programme to deliver a comprehensive state-of-the-art resource on Gulf History and Arabic Science. The post will oversee the creation of digital objects, making them discoverable with appropriate metadata, and creating high-quality contextual and interpretative material relevant to the needs of users. This is a fixed term post until 31 December 2014 in the first instance. Salary £46,778-£54,328 p.a. For further details see: http://gs10.globalsuccessor.com/fe/tpl_britishlibrary01.asp?newms=jj&id=90789 Closing date: 1 August 2012.

Gulf History/Arabic Science Project Manager, British Library.

For further details see: http://gs10.globalsuccessor.com/fe/tpl_britishlibrary01.asp?newms=jj&id=90789 Closing date: 1 August 2012.

Arabic Scientific Manuscripts Curator, British Library.

http://gs10.globalsuccessor.com/fe/tpl_britishlibrary01.asp?s=bkMjPUrEcTFkHhTcz&jobid=90846,4572025954&key=72584760&c=413548259814&pagestamp=dbjitbdkoxetndmfdy

Visual Arts Curator - part-time (0.5 FTE ), British Library.

http://gs10.globalsuccessor.com/fe/tpl_britishlibrary01.asp?s=ziKhNSpCaRDiFfRax&jobid=90848,4072026256&key=72584760&c=413548259814&pagestamp=sekeqmsmcfuzppumyh

Manager, Gulf History, British Library.

http://gs10.globalsuccessor.com/fe/tpl_britishlibrary01.asp?s=hNwYvBGdQoFRwTtFol&jobid=90855,8269485614&key=72584760&c=413548259814&pagestamp=secovhvpekssxcwqxw

Project Team Leader, Gulf History, Arabic Language Subject Specialist, British Library.

http://gs10.globalsuccessor.com/fe/tpl_britishlibrary01.asp?s=raCzFKhUsJVaXxJsp&jobid=90936,5472025954&key=72584760&c=413548259814&pagestamp=sezfclynlkhjcliqbk

Project Team Leader, Gulf History, Archival Specialist, British Library.

https://gs10.globalsuccessor.com/fe/tpl_britishlibrary01.asp?s=eziKhNSpCaRDiFfRax&jobid=90938,5672026256&key=72584760&c=413548259814&pagestamp=sekeiepddxssqrbpdf

For further details and information about how to apply follow the links or see http://www.bl.uk/careers/ . The closing date for these posts is 1 August 2012.

Department of Arabic & Islamic Studies – Lecturer

School of Languages and Cultures, Faculty of Arts

The University of Sydney, Australia

Arab, Islamic and Middle East Studies
Great lectureship opportunity
A competitive academic salary is available

Please visit the following link for more information and to apply: http://usyd.nga.net.au/cp/index.cfm?event=jobs.checkJobDetailsNewApplication&returnToEvent=jobs.processJobSearch&jobid=253774da-79a4-80d1-669c-529c43168ea9&jobsListKey=c7a967e9-4342-4924-bae6-1bd9f0f48751&persistVariables=jobsListKey

non-BRISMES Events