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Dear friends and colleagues,
This is an exciting moment for the Institute as activity gradually returns to normal, with a lively programme of book launches and lectures, the reopening of the Aga Khan Centre Gallery, and the publication of our first Open Access title.
We are pleased to share with you a copy of the latest IIS Update magazine, to read at your leisure, which brings together some of the larger stories from last year in more depth, and looks ahead to some of the new projects on the horizon.
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Register to attend book launch
Command and Creation: A Shi'i Cosmological Treatise (Feb 2021)
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Join us for this special launch event for Command and Creation: A Shi’i Cosmological Treatise, with author Dr Daryoush Mohammad Poor in lively conversation with Dr Toby Mayer, both Senior Research Associates at The Institute of Ismaili Studies. The event is moderated by Dr Orkhan Mir-Kasimov, series editor of the Ismaili Texts and Translations Series and Senior Research Fellow in the Shi'i Studies Unit.
Command and Creation is a critical edition and English translation of the only Persian work by Shahrastani. The central question of the sermon is how the world comes into being (khalq). This creation is connected with knowledge of God, and then the manifestation of God’s command (amr) in the material world.
The speakers will explore two major themes in the book, beginning with the evolution of religious law (sharīʿat) and its perfection in esoteric resurrection (qiyāmat). They will also consider the relationship between the role of the Imams and that of Prophets, and look at a conversation between Musa and Khidr in which the role of the founder of religious law (the prophet) is discussed alongside the role of the esoteric perfector of it (the qāʾim).
A small selection of refreshments will be available following the event. Please speak to staff if you have dietary requirements.
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Date: Thursday 17 March, 6:00pm-7:00pm (GMT)
Venue: Aga Khan Centre (register on Eventbrite)
Livestreamed online (register via Zoom)
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First Open Access publication from The Institute of Ismaili Studies
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Central Asian Ismailis: An Annotated Bibliography of Russian, Tajik and Other Sources (Feb 2022)
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The Shi'i Ismaili Muslims of Central Asia have a complex political history. This Open Access book by Dagikhudo Dagiev (Senior Research Associate, The Institute of Ismaili Studies) is the first English-language study of the Ismaili Muslims in this region, based on analysis of the Russian, Soviet and post-Soviet scholarship about them. It sheds new light on their history and heritage, and also shows how the Ismailis of Central Asia have been understood and presented in the academic literature.
It is also the first Open Access book from The Institute of Ismaili Studies, available to all via the Bloomsbury Collections Open Access platform, and represents an exciting step in our growing publications programme.
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The Panj River (Amū Daryā) which divides Tajik Badakhshān from Afghan Badakhshān as a result of Anglo-Russian rivalry in Central Asia in the late 13th/19th century
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First, Dagiev examines the history of the Ismaili daʿwa in Central Asia from the 3rd/9th century until modern times and, in articular, the instrumental role of the prominent Ismaili daʿi and poet Nāṣir-i Khusraw (d. after 462/1070). He then discusses the interest in Ismaili studies engendered by the Russian takeover of the region and how this field of research was affected by 70 years of Communist rule, as well as by the demise of Communism. Dagiev also presents an annotated bibliography of material in Russian and Tajik on the Ismailis of Central Asia, covering their history society, thought and traditions, most of which has not previously been readily accessible to Western scholarship.
This is a hugely important, landmark publication not only for scholars of Ismaili studies and Central Asian history, but also for those interested in Russian and Soviet scholarship on Islam.
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Wladimir Alekseevich Ivanow (1886–1970)
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Applications now open for IIS Doctoral Scholarships
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The IIS is pleased to announce that applications for the Doctoral Scholarship are now open. The deadline for applications is 31 March 2022.
The IIS awards Doctoral Scholarships each year to suitable candidates who are interested in pursuing research at PhD level on a topic related to any of the Institute’s core research areas. The most relevant to the Institute’s research needs are:
- Ismaili studies
- Wider Shi'i studies
- Qur'anic studies
- Islamic law
- Education
- Manuscript studies
Full details of how to apply, and eligibility criteria, are available online.
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"Wladimir Ivanow and Modern Ismaili Studies"
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Scholars at The Institute of Ismaili Studies reflect on the life and legacy of Wladimir Ivanow, and how his work has impacted the study of Islam, the field of Ismaili studies, as well as their own research.
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We are pleased to announce this exhibition at the Aga Khan Centre Gallery, London, is extended to the end of April, with tickets now available to book.
It follows the pioneering Russian scholar of Ismaili studies, Wladimir Ivanow (1886 – 1970) across the Muslim world. His life and work traced the contours of a transformative and decisive period in modern history – encompassing revolution and the struggle against European empires, as well as their dissolution into new nations. During this period there was also a significant shift in the academic study of Islam, and of Ismaili Shi’ism in particular.
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Keynote: "The Proper Name" by Professor Faisal Devji
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This event is the closing keynote address of an IIS-Cambridge workshop on the study of Islam at the end of empire, taking place at the Aga Khan Centre, London.
The keynote is delivered by Faisal Devji (Professor of Indian History and Director of the Asian Studies Centre at St. Antony’s College, University of Oxford) and builds on the broad themes of the workshop, and explores the question: when and why did Islam come to be conceived of as a proper name?
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Date: 25 March 2022
Time: 4:00-5:30pm (GMT)
Venue: Aga Khan Centre (register on Eventbrite)
Livestreamed online (register via Zoom)
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IIS Update Magazine (2021)
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The latest annual IIS Update magazine is available to read or download, and brings you news of recent and forthcoming projects, publications, and about staff and students at the Institute, along with a personal message from Dr Daftary reflecting on the year gone by.
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Many thanks,
Department of Communications and Development
The Institute of Ismaili Studies
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