News Archive, 2002
Institute’s Latest Publication Surveys Fatimid History and its Sources July 2002
Exploring an Islamic Empire: Fatimid History and its Sources is the latest publication in the Institute's Ismaili Heritage Series. In the work, Paul E. Walker surveys the shape and content of the dynasty's history and examines the sources used to reconstruct and analyse that history. More
IIS Seminar Series Explores Legal Pluralism in Indonesia and France May 2002
The second seminar in the Institute’s
IIS welcomes Class of 2005 October 2002
Nineteen students from seven countries, including one Fulbright scholar, were accepted into the Institute’s Graduate Programme in Islamic Studies and Humanities (GPISH). The students selected from almost 300 applicants will embark on an intensive two-year course in the faith, culture and thought of Muslim societies, leading to a Masters degree from a British university. More
Azim Nanji inaugurates Abrahamic Initiative Lectures August 2002
Professor Azim Nanji , Director of The Institute of Ismaili Studies, opened this year’s 9-week Helen Boyle 2002 Abrahamic Initiative Lectures hosted by the Chautauqua Institution in New York State. His talk, conducted on June 28, 2002 addressed the topic of “Islam and Beauty.” More
Shi‘i Studies Represented by the IIS at First World Congress for Middle Eastern Studies October 2002
The first World Congress for Middle Eastern Studies (WOCMES) , attended by over 2000 experts from all branches of the humanities, social sciences and related disciplines, was held at the University of Mainz, Germany from September 8 - 13, 2002. The IIS presented a two-part panel entitled “Multidimensional Approaches to Shi‘i Studies” as part of the proceedings. More
IIS Focuses on Communal Identity in Ismaili Societies at MESA 2002 December 2002
The largest ever meeting of the Middle Eastern Studies Association of North America (MESA) took place in Washington, DC from November 23-26, 2002. This year's conference attracted over 2,200 participants and provided a forum to share recent scholarship as well as showcase new art and cinema focusing on the Middle East and the Muslim world. "Identity and Community in Ismaili Societies" was the theme of the Institute's panel. More
Shainool Jiwa Appointed International Baccalaureate Chief Examiner September 2002
Dr Shainool Jiwa, Qur’anic Studies Co-ordinator at The Institute of Ismaili Studies, was recently appointed as chief examiner in Islamic History for the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), based in Geneva. Dr Jiwa succeeds Professor Carole Hillenbrand, Chair in Islamic History at the University of Edinburgh, in her 5-year appointment. More
Sarfaroz Niyozov Receives Gail P Kelly Award February 2002
Each year the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) recognizes an outstanding doctoral dissertation with its Gail P Kelly Award. Created to honour the distinguished comparative educator Gail P Kelly, the Award honours a PhD or EdD dissertation that addresses social justice and equity in an international context. This year’s recipient is Dr Sarfaroz Niyozov, the Institute’s Central Asian Studies Co-ordinator. More
IIS Publication and Scholar Receive Prestigious Iranian Award December 2002
Early Shi‘i Thought: The Teachings of Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (I. B. Tauris in association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies) by Dr Arzina R. Lalani , was awarded one of Iran’s most prestigious literary awards, the Kitab Sal-e Vilayat, by the country’s Ministry of Culture. The prize, which is in its fourth year, is offered to the best publication, in any language, on the topic of love and devotion to the Shi‘i imams. More
Muslim Pluralism Series Examines Modernism in Iran and British India December 2002
Two seminars were held at the Institute as part of the series on Muslim Pluralism, focusing on intellectual pluralism through the recent histories of Iran and the Indian subcontinent. Dr Farhang Jahanpour spoke on the topic of “Reform and Pluralism in Islam: The Responses of Contemporary Iranian Intellectuals” and Dr Faisal Devji addressed “Muhammad Iqbal and the Crisis of Representation in British India”. More
Graduating Class of 2003 Looks to the Future November 2002
The graduating Class of 2003 and over 120 guests commemorated the Class’ achievements at a ceremony held at London’s Royal Geographic Society on October 19, 2002. The students who began the Institute’s Graduate Programme in Islamic Studies and Humanities in September 2000 will now go on to pursue their Masters at universities of their choice. More
Institute’s Latest Publication Explores Civil Society in the Muslim World November 2002
A year-long seminar series on “Civil Society in Comparative Muslim Contexts” culminated in the IIS’ latest publication, edited by Dr Amyn B. Sajoo . During the course of the series, leading scholars were invited to the Institute to address approaches to civil life across the Muslim world - from democratic and cultural expressions to human rights. More
IIS Summer Programme on Islam August 2002
The Institute of Ismaili Studies, in collaboration with Emory University, conducted its first residential Summer Programme on Islam for university students from July 21-August 3, 2002 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Thirty-two students from across North America participated in the intensive two-week residential course. More
New Publication Examines the Persian Ismaili Community in the Aftermath of the Mongol Invasions August 2002
Surviving the Mongols: Nizari Quhistani and the Continuity of Ismaili Tradition in Persia , by Nadia Eboo Jamal is the eighth monograph in the Institute’s Ismaili Heritage Series . In this work, the author examines, through the writings of the Ismaili poet and da‘i Nizari Quhistani, how the Nizari Ismaili community of Persia succeeded in retaining its religious identity and communal structures after the Mongol invasions. More
IIS at Fourth Biennial Conference on Iranian Studies July 2002
The Institute of Ismaili Studies contributed a panel presentation and hosted the conference reception at the Fourth Biennial Conference on Iranian Studies in Bethesda, Maryland from May 24-26, 2002. More
Diversity of Mosque Architecture Focus of Pluralism Seminar June 2002
The third seminar in the Institute’s new series exploring Muslim Pluralism , entitled Muslim Identity and Mosque Architecture,” was conducted by Professor Hasan-Uddin Khan on May 15, 2002. Professor Khan demonstrated the diversity of expressions used by Muslims in expressing their religious identities through their built environment. More
European Tour of “Expressions of the Pamir” June 2002
Expressions of the Pamir: Culture and Heritage of the Ismaili Muslims of Tajikistan,” a multifaceted event, produced and directed by Project Tajikistan of The Institute of Ismaili Studies, toured 5 European cities between May 8-June 11, 2002 after its widely acclaimed and highly publicised North American tour in 1999. More
Mohammed Arkoun Awarded Prestigious Levi Della Vida Prize May 2002
Professor Mohammed Arkoun was honoured with the Seventeenth Giorgio Levi Della Vida Award in Islamic Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles on May 10-11, 2002. The award, honouring his career of more than 30 years, celebrated his humanistic vision of Islam and his lifelong critique of the theoretical tensions embedded in the field of Islamic Studies. More
New Publication: The Unthought in Contemporary Islamic Thought by Mohammed Arkoun April 2002
The IIS is pleased to announce its most recent publication: The Unthought in Contemporary Islamic Thought by Professor Mohammed Arkoun. Formally launched on March 25th at the Ismaili Centre, London, and published in association with Saqi Books, the book makes available for the first time in English, the breadth and depth of the author’s work, updated to reflect the changing Muslim landscape over the past decade More
Ecstasy and Enlightenment, The Institute’s Latest Publication April 2002
The Institute is pleased to announce its second publication exploring devotional and mystical literatures of the Nizari Ismailis of the Subcontinent: Ecstasy and Enlightenment: The Ismaili Devotional Literature of South Asia by Ali S Asani . The work is the 6th monograph in the Ismaili Heritage Series and is published in association with I.B. Tauris. More
IIS Launches New Seminar Series on Muslim Pluralism March 2002
“Muslim Pluralism: Historical and Contemporary Encounters with the Internal Others” is the title of the Institute’s 2002 Seminar Series, which will explore the diverse ways in which Muslims have addressed issues of authority, governance, knowledge, gender, material culture, social relations, space, language, ethics and the sacred. The series’ first seminar,“The Contemporary Challenge of Pluralism in the Management of Competing American Islamic Identities” was conducted by Professor Patrice Brodeur on March 5, 2002. More
Building Bridges: Furthering Christian-Muslim Dialogue March 2002
Professor Azim Nanji, Director of the IIS, was invited by the Archbishop of Canterbury to participate in the two-day seminar, “Building Bridges: Overcoming Obstacles in Christian-Muslim Relations”, held at Lambeth Palace in January 2002. Nearly 40 Muslim and Christian scholars from Britain and around the world gathered in an interfaith dialogue to listen and grow in mutual understanding, to offer fresh insights and to build bridges of friendship and respect. More
Institute’s Latest Publication Explores Ginanic Literature February 2002
A Scent of Sandalwood: Indo-Ismaili Religious Lyrics by Dr Aziz Esmail is the first publication on the Ginans to be issued through the Institute. The Ginans are a corpus of religious hymns which have been, and continue to be, a central part of the religious life of the Indian Nizari Ismaili community. More
New Publications Explore Ismaili Thought in Mediaeval Muslim History February 2002
The Institute announces two of its recent publications: Al-Ghazali and the Ismailis: A Debate on Reason and Authority in Medieval Islam by Farouk Mitha and The Master and the Disciple: An Early Islamic Spiritual Dialogue, the Arabic text and English translation of Ja‘far b. Mansur al-Yaman’s Kitab ‘Alim wa’l-Ghulam, by James W Morris. Both works are published in collaboration with I. B. Tauris. More
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