Podcasts about mellon islamic studies initiative

My guest today is Dr. Sahar Khamis, associate professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Maryland. Dr. Khamis is an expert on Arab and Muslim media and the former head of the Mass Communications and Information Sciences Department at Qatar University. She’s a former Mellon Islamic Studies Initiative visiting professor at the University of Chicago. She is the co-author of the books: Islam Dot Com: Contemporary Islamic Discourses in Cyberspace (Palgrave Macmillan, 2009) and Egyptian Revolution 2.0: Political Blogging, Civic Engagement and Citizen Journalism (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013). Additionally, she authored and co-authored numerous book chapters, journal articles and conference papers, regionally and internationally, in both English and Arabic. She is the recipient of a number of prestigious academic and professional awards, as well as a member of the editorial boards of several journals in the field of communication, in general, and the field of Arab and Muslim media, in particular. Dr. Khamis is a media commentator and analyst, a public speaker, a human rights commissioner in the Human Rights Commission in Montgomery County, Maryland, and a radio host, who presents a monthly radio show on “U.S. Arab Radio” (the first Arab-American radio station broadcasting in the U.S. and Canada). For a full transcript, visit: http://alonben-meir.com/audio/issues-episode-17-sahar-khamis/

Professor of the History of South Asia at the University of London, Francis Robinson (Trinity College, Cambridge PhD, 1970), is one of the most prominent and influential voices among Western scholars of Muslim history and Islam in India. His research on Islam and Muslim history in South Asia focuses on Muslim responses to modernity, learned and holy families and their textual traditions, and religious and political change. His interest in the Muslim world, however, is not confined to the Indian subcontinent, but spans a much wider geographical region and discursive landscape. The Mellon Islamic Studies Initiative is a three-year project, designed to support the expansion and enhancement of the study of Islam at the University of Chicago. Administered by the Divinity School, the initiative is a cross-divisional collaboration, intended to create a sustained campus conversation about the future of Islamic studies. Funded by a generous grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the initiative brings to the University distinguished visiting scholars representing a wide range of topics in Islamic Studies, resulting in a substantive, sustained discussion about both specific topics in Islamic studies and the wider field of study.

If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. Kay Heikkinen leads a panel devoted to readings from Gamal al-Ghitany's works in the English translations by Farouk Mustafa, followed by readings by al-Ghitany from the original and comments by al-Ghitany on the narrative form and linguistic register of each work. Join Gamal Al Ghitany and participants for discussions on the reception, transformation, and reiteration of classical Arabic biographical and autobiographical literature in modern Arabic fiction, as well as the process of translation and its relationship with the original text. Gamal al-Ghitany is the fall quarter 2013 Mellon Islamic Studies Initiative visitor. He has been appointed visiting professor of practice. Practice professorships are reserved for those who have achieved distinction in the creative arts, such as musicians, choreographers, poets, or fiction writers. Al-Ghitany has published more than forty novels, collections of short stories, and works of literary criticism; and was the founder and, until recently, director of the Egyptian literary periodical Akhbar al-Adab, widely viewed as the most influential literary periodical in the Arab world. Three of his works were translated by the late Farouk Mustafa Abdel Wahhab, the University of Chicago’s award-winner translator of modern Egyptian fiction: Zayni Barakat (1988); The Zaafarani Files (2009); and The Book of Epiphanies (2012).

If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. Cameron Cross on Translating a Work of Yusuf Idris, followed by Michael Sells on Authorial Personas of Ibn al-`Arab. Join Gamal Al Ghitany and participants for discussions on the reception, transformation, and reiteration of classical Arabic biographical and autobiographical literature in modern Arabic fiction, as well as the process of translation and its relationship with the original text. Gamal al-Ghitany is the fall quarter 2013 Mellon Islamic Studies Initiative visitor. He has been appointed visiting professor of practice. Practice professorships are reserved for those who have achieved distinction in the creative arts, such as musicians, choreographers, poets, or fiction writers. Al-Ghitany has published more than forty novels, collections of short stories, and works of literary criticism; and was the founder and, until recently, director of the Egyptian literary periodical Akhbar al-Adab, widely viewed as the most influential literary periodical in the Arab world. Three of his works were translated by the late Farouk Mustafa Abdel Wahhab, the University of Chicago’s award-winner translator of modern Egyptian fiction: Zayni Barakat (1988); The Zaafarani Files (2009); and The Book of Epiphanies (2012).

If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. Join Gamal Al Ghitany and participants for discussions on the reception, transformation, and reiteration of classical Arabic biographical and autobiographical literature in modern Arabic fiction, as well as the process of translation and its relationship with the original text. Gamal al-Ghitany is the fall quarter 2013 Mellon Islamic Studies Initiative visitor. He has been appointed visiting professor of practice. Practice professorships are reserved for those who have achieved distinction in the creative arts, such as musicians, choreographers, poets, or fiction writers. Al-Ghitany has published more than forty novels, collections of short stories, and works of literary criticism; and was the founder and, until recently, director of the Egyptian literary periodical Akhbar al-Adab, widely viewed as the most influential literary periodical in the Arab world. Three of his works were translated by the late Farouk Mustafa Abdel Wahhab, the University of Chicago’s award-winner translator of modern Egyptian fiction: Zayni Barakat (1988); The Zaafarani Files (2009); and The Book of Epiphanies (2012).

If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. Metin Heper, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey, on "Some Notes on Secularism in Turkey" Scholarship on secularism in the Middle East and South Asia has been radically transformed in the last decade, and continues to be one of the most innovative and creative, as well as challenging, areas of inquiry. It has become apparent that we are talking about multiple ways of constituting and imagining secularism, and that recognition of historical context and diversity is essential. We no longer use Western Europe as a yardstick, or even speak of secularism as a uniform phenomenon, instead we have moved to exploring the diversity of secularisms in a wide variety of social, cultural and historical contexts. Scholarship increasingly probes ways in which secularisms are constructed in interaction with new understandings of religion and expressions of religiosity, the redefinition of ‘public’ and ‘private,’ ideas of citizenship, and individual subjectivities. See more at: http://divinity.uchicago.edu/Mellon-Islamic-Studies-Initiative2

If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. Join Gamal Al Ghitany and participants for discussions on the reception, transformation, and reiteration of classical Arabic biographical and autobiographical literature in modern Arabic fiction, as well as the process of translation and its relationship with the original text. Gamal al-Ghitany is the fall quarter 2013 Mellon Islamic Studies Initiative visitor. He has been appointed visiting professor of practice. Practice professorships are reserved for those who have achieved distinction in the creative arts, such as musicians, choreographers, poets, or fiction writers. Al-Ghitany has published more than forty novels, collections of short stories, and works of literary criticism; and was the founder and, until recently, director of the Egyptian literary periodical Akhbar al-Adab, widely viewed as the most influential literary periodical in the Arab world. Three of his works were translated by the late Farouk Mustafa Abdel Wahhab, the University of Chicago’s award-winner translator of modern Egyptian fiction: Zayni Barakat (1988); The Zaafarani Files (2009); and The Book of Epiphanies (2012).

If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. Metin Heper, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey, on "Some Notes on Secularism in Turkey" Scholarship on secularism in the Middle East and South Asia has been radically transformed in the last decade, and continues to be one of the most innovative and creative, as well as challenging, areas of inquiry. It has become apparent that we are talking about multiple ways of constituting and imagining secularism, and that recognition of historical context and diversity is essential. We no longer use Western Europe as a yardstick, or even speak of secularism as a uniform phenomenon, instead we have moved to exploring the diversity of secularisms in a wide variety of social, cultural and historical contexts. Scholarship increasingly probes ways in which secularisms are constructed in interaction with new understandings of religion and expressions of religiosity, the redefinition of ‘public’ and ‘private,’ ideas of citizenship, and individual subjectivities. See more at: http://divinity.uchicago.edu/Mellon-Islamic-Studies-Initiative2

If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. Join Gamal Al Ghitany and participants for discussions on the reception, transformation, and reiteration of classical Arabic biographical and autobiographical literature in modern Arabic fiction, as well as the process of translation and its relationship with the original text. Gamal al-Ghitany is the fall quarter 2013 Mellon Islamic Studies Initiative visitor. He has been appointed visiting professor of practice. Practice professorships are reserved for those who have achieved distinction in the creative arts, such as musicians, choreographers, poets, or fiction writers. Al-Ghitany has published more than forty novels, collections of short stories, and works of literary criticism; and was the founder and, until recently, director of the Egyptian literary periodical Akhbar al-Adab, widely viewed as the most influential literary periodical in the Arab world. Three of his works were translated by the late Farouk Mustafa Abdel Wahhab, the University of Chicago’s award-winner translator of modern Egyptian fiction: Zayni Barakat (1988); The Zaafarani Files (2009); and The Book of Epiphanies (2012).

If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. Kay Heikkinen leads a panel devoted to readings from Gamal al-Ghitany's works in the English translations by Farouk Mustafa, followed by readings by al-Ghitany from the original and comments by al-Ghitany on the narrative form and linguistic register of each work. Join Gamal Al Ghitany and participants for discussions on the reception, transformation, and reiteration of classical Arabic biographical and autobiographical literature in modern Arabic fiction, as well as the process of translation and its relationship with the original text. Gamal al-Ghitany is the fall quarter 2013 Mellon Islamic Studies Initiative visitor. He has been appointed visiting professor of practice. Practice professorships are reserved for those who have achieved distinction in the creative arts, such as musicians, choreographers, poets, or fiction writers. Al-Ghitany has published more than forty novels, collections of short stories, and works of literary criticism; and was the founder and, until recently, director of the Egyptian literary periodical Akhbar al-Adab, widely viewed as the most influential literary periodical in the Arab world. Three of his works were translated by the late Farouk Mustafa Abdel Wahhab, the University of Chicago’s award-winner translator of modern Egyptian fiction: Zayni Barakat (1988); The Zaafarani Files (2009); and The Book of Epiphanies (2012).

If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. Cameron Cross on Translating a Work of Yusuf Idris, followed by Michael Sells on Authorial Personas of Ibn al-`Arab. Join Gamal Al Ghitany and participants for discussions on the reception, transformation, and reiteration of classical Arabic biographical and autobiographical literature in modern Arabic fiction, as well as the process of translation and its relationship with the original text. Gamal al-Ghitany is the fall quarter 2013 Mellon Islamic Studies Initiative visitor. He has been appointed visiting professor of practice. Practice professorships are reserved for those who have achieved distinction in the creative arts, such as musicians, choreographers, poets, or fiction writers. Al-Ghitany has published more than forty novels, collections of short stories, and works of literary criticism; and was the founder and, until recently, director of the Egyptian literary periodical Akhbar al-Adab, widely viewed as the most influential literary periodical in the Arab world. Three of his works were translated by the late Farouk Mustafa Abdel Wahhab, the University of Chicago’s award-winner translator of modern Egyptian fiction: Zayni Barakat (1988); The Zaafarani Files (2009); and The Book of Epiphanies (2012).

If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. Join Gamal Al Ghitany and participants for discussions on the reception, transformation, and reiteration of classical Arabic biographical and autobiographical literature in modern Arabic fiction, as well as the process of translation and its relationship with the original text. Gamal al-Ghitany is the fall quarter 2013 Mellon Islamic Studies Initiative visitor. He has been appointed visiting professor of practice. Practice professorships are reserved for those who have achieved distinction in the creative arts, such as musicians, choreographers, poets, or fiction writers. Al-Ghitany has published more than forty novels, collections of short stories, and works of literary criticism; and was the founder and, until recently, director of the Egyptian literary periodical Akhbar al-Adab, widely viewed as the most influential literary periodical in the Arab world. Three of his works were translated by the late Farouk Mustafa Abdel Wahhab, the University of Chicago’s award-winner translator of modern Egyptian fiction: Zayni Barakat (1988); The Zaafarani Files (2009); and The Book of Epiphanies (2012).

If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. See more at: http://divinity.uchicago.edu/Mellon-Islamic-Studies-Initiative2 Sufism today has gained widespread interest mainly through its music and poetry, but also through its contrast with orthodox scriptural Islam. Sufism stands for an inclusive Islam focused on personal love of God and spiritual guidance within a wide range of devotional practices. Music and mystical poetry are the sonic embodiment of Sufism and its worldwide placeholder in the search for spiritual goals. Sufi, thus, can designate a broader spectrum of vernacular devotional and ritual identities. The core idea for this workshop allows us to approach this near-global vogue of a Sufi Imaginary through its music. “Islam and Sufism” also brings into conversation a range of ideascapes and practices, from the traditional South Asian spiritual lineages to a new generation of Muslim popular culture. Sufi music is founded in ritual and its constraints, but its practice is also open to creative agency. Reaching for the gift of the sublime enables embodied engagement on multiple levels—through rhythm, repetition of words, even ecstatic dance, to reach for the gift of the sublime, individually or collectively. Panel 1: The Sublime and Music: Islam and the West Regula Qureshi and Philip V. Bohlman in Conversation Discussant: Michael Sells Recitation and Discussion of Poetry Michael Sells, Love Lyrics of Ibn al-Farid and Ibn al-`Arabi Saleem Qureshi, Sublime Rebellion: Iqbal's Urdu and Farsi Verse Chair: Thibaut d'Hubert Colloquy 1 Deborah A. Kapchan, Witnessing the Sublime: Sufi Samaa in Secular France Moderator: Hakan Karateke Music and Sublime Across the Muslim World Bertie Kibreah, Sufi Tattva: The Sound and Space of Mystical Song in Bangladesh Shayna Silverstein, Performing Sacred Popular: Syrian Sufi Dance as National Heritage Michael O’Toole, Staging the Sublime: Music and Islam on Stage in Germany Lauren Osborne, Locating Experience and Emotion in the Recited Qur'an Moderator: Marcia K. Hermansen The Labor of Sublimity: A Conversation Kaley Mason, Robert L. Kendrick, Regula Qureshi Colloquy 2 Peter L. Manuel, Qawwali as the Anti-Sublime Moderator: Regula Qureshi

If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. See more at: http://divinity.uchicago.edu/Mellon-Islamic-Studies-Initiative2 Sufism today has gained widespread interest mainly through its music and poetry, but also through its contrast with orthodox scriptural Islam. Sufism stands for an inclusive Islam focused on personal love of God and spiritual guidance within a wide range of devotional practices. Music and mystical poetry are the sonic embodiment of Sufism and its worldwide placeholder in the search for spiritual goals. Sufi, thus, can designate a broader spectrum of vernacular devotional and ritual identities. The core idea for this workshop allows us to approach this near-global vogue of a Sufi Imaginary through its music. “Islam and Sufism” also brings into conversation a range of ideascapes and practices, from the traditional South Asian spiritual lineages to a new generation of Muslim popular culture. Sufi music is founded in ritual and its constraints, but its practice is also open to creative agency. Reaching for the gift of the sublime enables embodied engagement on multiple levels—through rhythm, repetition of words, even ecstatic dance, to reach for the gift of the sublime, individually or collectively. Panel 1: The Sublime and Music: Islam and the West Regula Qureshi and Philip V. Bohlman in Conversation Discussant: Michael Sells Recitation and Discussion of Poetry Michael Sells, Love Lyrics of Ibn al-Farid and Ibn al-`Arabi Saleem Qureshi, Sublime Rebellion: Iqbal's Urdu and Farsi Verse Chair: Thibaut d'Hubert Colloquy 1 Deborah A. Kapchan, Witnessing the Sublime: Sufi Samaa in Secular France Moderator: Hakan Karateke Music and Sublime Across the Muslim World Bertie Kibreah, Sufi Tattva: The Sound and Space of Mystical Song in Bangladesh Shayna Silverstein, Performing Sacred Popular: Syrian Sufi Dance as National Heritage Michael O’Toole, Staging the Sublime: Music and Islam on Stage in Germany Lauren Osborne, Locating Experience and Emotion in the Recited Qur'an Moderator: Marcia K. Hermansen The Labor of Sublimity: A Conversation Kaley Mason, Robert L. Kendrick, Regula Qureshi Colloquy 2 Peter L. Manuel, Qawwali as the Anti-Sublime Moderator: Regula Qureshi

If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. See more at: http://divinity.uchicago.edu/Mellon-Islamic-Studies-Initiative2 Sufism today has gained widespread interest mainly through its music and poetry, but also through its contrast with orthodox scriptural Islam. Sufism stands for an inclusive Islam focused on personal love of God and spiritual guidance within a wide range of devotional practices. Music and mystical poetry are the sonic embodiment of Sufism and its worldwide placeholder in the search for spiritual goals. Sufi, thus, can designate a broader spectrum of vernacular devotional and ritual identities. The core idea for this workshop allows us to approach this near-global vogue of a Sufi Imaginary through its music. “Islam and Sufism” also brings into conversation a range of ideascapes and practices, from the traditional South Asian spiritual lineages to a new generation of Muslim popular culture. Sufi music is founded in ritual and its constraints, but its practice is also open to creative agency. Reaching for the gift of the sublime enables embodied engagement on multiple levels—through rhythm, repetition of words, even ecstatic dance, to reach for the gift of the sublime, individually or collectively. Panel 1: The Sublime and Music: Islam and the West Regula Qureshi and Philip V. Bohlman in Conversation Discussant: Michael Sells Recitation and Discussion of Poetry Michael Sells, Love Lyrics of Ibn al-Farid and Ibn al-`Arabi Saleem Qureshi, Sublime Rebellion: Iqbal's Urdu and Farsi Verse Chair: Thibaut d'Hubert Colloquy 1 Deborah A. Kapchan, Witnessing the Sublime: Sufi Samaa in Secular France Moderator: Hakan Karateke Music and Sublime Across the Muslim World Bertie Kibreah, Sufi Tattva: The Sound and Space of Mystical Song in Bangladesh Shayna Silverstein, Performing Sacred Popular: Syrian Sufi Dance as National Heritage Michael O’Toole, Staging the Sublime: Music and Islam on Stage in Germany Lauren Osborne, Locating Experience and Emotion in the Recited Qur'an Moderator: Marcia K. Hermansen The Labor of Sublimity: A Conversation Kaley Mason, Robert L. Kendrick, Regula Qureshi Colloquy 2 Peter L. Manuel, Qawwali as the Anti-Sublime Moderator: Regula Qureshi

If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. See more at: http://divinity.uchicago.edu/Mellon-Islamic-Studies-Initiative2 Sufism today has gained widespread interest mainly through its music and poetry, but also through its contrast with orthodox scriptural Islam. Sufism stands for an inclusive Islam focused on personal love of God and spiritual guidance within a wide range of devotional practices. Music and mystical poetry are the sonic embodiment of Sufism and its worldwide placeholder in the search for spiritual goals. Sufi, thus, can designate a broader spectrum of vernacular devotional and ritual identities. The core idea for this workshop allows us to approach this near-global vogue of a Sufi Imaginary through its music. “Islam and Sufism” also brings into conversation a range of ideascapes and practices, from the traditional South Asian spiritual lineages to a new generation of Muslim popular culture. Sufi music is founded in ritual and its constraints, but its practice is also open to creative agency. Reaching for the gift of the sublime enables embodied engagement on multiple levels—through rhythm, repetition of words, even ecstatic dance, to reach for the gift of the sublime, individually or collectively. Panel 1: The Sublime and Music: Islam and the West Regula Qureshi and Philip V. Bohlman in Conversation Discussant: Michael Sells Recitation and Discussion of Poetry Michael Sells, Love Lyrics of Ibn al-Farid and Ibn al-`Arabi Saleem Qureshi, Sublime Rebellion: Iqbal's Urdu and Farsi Verse Chair: Thibaut d'Hubert Colloquy 1 Deborah A. Kapchan, Witnessing the Sublime: Sufi Samaa in Secular France Moderator: Hakan Karateke Music and Sublime Across the Muslim World Bertie Kibreah, Sufi Tattva: The Sound and Space of Mystical Song in Bangladesh Shayna Silverstein, Performing Sacred Popular: Syrian Sufi Dance as National Heritage Michael O’Toole, Staging the Sublime: Music and Islam on Stage in Germany Lauren Osborne, Locating Experience and Emotion in the Recited Qur'an Moderator: Marcia K. Hermansen The Labor of Sublimity: A Conversation Kaley Mason, Robert L. Kendrick, Regula Qureshi Colloquy 2 Peter L. Manuel, Qawwali as the Anti-Sublime Moderator: Regula Qureshi

If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. See more at: http://divinity.uchicago.edu/Mellon-Islamic-Studies-Initiative2 Sufism today has gained widespread interest mainly through its music and poetry, but also through its contrast with orthodox scriptural Islam. Sufism stands for an inclusive Islam focused on personal love of God and spiritual guidance within a wide range of devotional practices. Music and mystical poetry are the sonic embodiment of Sufism and its worldwide placeholder in the search for spiritual goals. Sufi, thus, can designate a broader spectrum of vernacular devotional and ritual identities. The core idea for this workshop allows us to approach this near-global vogue of a Sufi Imaginary through its music. “Islam and Sufism” also brings into conversation a range of ideascapes and practices, from the traditional South Asian spiritual lineages to a new generation of Muslim popular culture. Sufi music is founded in ritual and its constraints, but its practice is also open to creative agency. Reaching for the gift of the sublime enables embodied engagement on multiple levels—through rhythm, repetition of words, even ecstatic dance, to reach for the gift of the sublime, individually or collectively. Panel 1: The Sublime and Music: Islam and the West Regula Qureshi and Philip V. Bohlman in Conversation Discussant: Michael Sells Recitation and Discussion of Poetry Michael Sells, Love Lyrics of Ibn al-Farid and Ibn al-`Arabi Saleem Qureshi, Sublime Rebellion: Iqbal's Urdu and Farsi Verse Chair: Thibaut d'Hubert Colloquy 1 Deborah A. Kapchan, Witnessing the Sublime: Sufi Samaa in Secular France Moderator: Hakan Karateke Music and Sublime Across the Muslim World Bertie Kibreah, Sufi Tattva: The Sound and Space of Mystical Song in Bangladesh Shayna Silverstein, Performing Sacred Popular: Syrian Sufi Dance as National Heritage Michael O’Toole, Staging the Sublime: Music and Islam on Stage in Germany Lauren Osborne, Locating Experience and Emotion in the Recited Qur'an Moderator: Marcia K. Hermansen The Labor of Sublimity: A Conversation Kaley Mason, Robert L. Kendrick, Regula Qureshi Colloquy 2 Peter L. Manuel, Qawwali as the Anti-Sublime Moderator: Regula Qureshi

If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. See more at: http://divinity.uchicago.edu/Mellon-Islamic-Studies-Initiative2 Sufism today has gained widespread interest mainly through its music and poetry, but also through its contrast with orthodox scriptural Islam. Sufism stands for an inclusive Islam focused on personal love of God and spiritual guidance within a wide range of devotional practices. Music and mystical poetry are the sonic embodiment of Sufism and its worldwide placeholder in the search for spiritual goals. Sufi, thus, can designate a broader spectrum of vernacular devotional and ritual identities. The core idea for this workshop allows us to approach this near-global vogue of a Sufi Imaginary through its music. “Islam and Sufism” also brings into conversation a range of ideascapes and practices, from the traditional South Asian spiritual lineages to a new generation of Muslim popular culture. Sufi music is founded in ritual and its constraints, but its practice is also open to creative agency. Reaching for the gift of the sublime enables embodied engagement on multiple levels—through rhythm, repetition of words, even ecstatic dance, to reach for the gift of the sublime, individually or collectively. Panel 1: The Sublime and Music: Islam and the West Regula Qureshi and Philip V. Bohlman in Conversation Discussant: Michael Sells Recitation and Discussion of Poetry Michael Sells, Love Lyrics of Ibn al-Farid and Ibn al-`Arabi Saleem Qureshi, Sublime Rebellion: Iqbal's Urdu and Farsi Verse Chair: Thibaut d'Hubert Colloquy 1 Deborah A. Kapchan, Witnessing the Sublime: Sufi Samaa in Secular France Moderator: Hakan Karateke Music and Sublime Across the Muslim World Bertie Kibreah, Sufi Tattva: The Sound and Space of Mystical Song in Bangladesh Shayna Silverstein, Performing Sacred Popular: Syrian Sufi Dance as National Heritage Michael O’Toole, Staging the Sublime: Music and Islam on Stage in Germany Lauren Osborne, Locating Experience and Emotion in the Recited Qur'an Moderator: Marcia K. Hermansen The Labor of Sublimity: A Conversation Kaley Mason, Robert L. Kendrick, Regula Qureshi Colloquy 2 Peter L. Manuel, Qawwali as the Anti-Sublime Moderator: Regula Qureshi

If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. See more at: http://divinity.uchicago.edu/Mellon-Islamic-Studies-Initiative2 Sufism today has gained widespread interest mainly through its music and poetry, but also through its contrast with orthodox scriptural Islam. Sufism stands for an inclusive Islam focused on personal love of God and spiritual guidance within a wide range of devotional practices. Music and mystical poetry are the sonic embodiment of Sufism and its worldwide placeholder in the search for spiritual goals. Sufi, thus, can designate a broader spectrum of vernacular devotional and ritual identities. The core idea for this workshop allows us to approach this near-global vogue of a Sufi Imaginary through its music. “Islam and Sufism” also brings into conversation a range of ideascapes and practices, from the traditional South Asian spiritual lineages to a new generation of Muslim popular culture. Sufi music is founded in ritual and its constraints, but its practice is also open to creative agency. Reaching for the gift of the sublime enables embodied engagement on multiple levels—through rhythm, repetition of words, even ecstatic dance, to reach for the gift of the sublime, individually or collectively. Panel 1: The Sublime and Music: Islam and the West Regula Qureshi and Philip V. Bohlman in Conversation Discussant: Michael Sells Recitation and Discussion of Poetry Michael Sells, Love Lyrics of Ibn al-Farid and Ibn al-`Arabi Saleem Qureshi, Sublime Rebellion: Iqbal's Urdu and Farsi Verse Chair: Thibaut d'Hubert Colloquy 1 Deborah A. Kapchan, Witnessing the Sublime: Sufi Samaa in Secular France Moderator: Hakan Karateke Music and Sublime Across the Muslim World Bertie Kibreah, Sufi Tattva: The Sound and Space of Mystical Song in Bangladesh Shayna Silverstein, Performing Sacred Popular: Syrian Sufi Dance as National Heritage Michael O’Toole, Staging the Sublime: Music and Islam on Stage in Germany Lauren Osborne, Locating Experience and Emotion in the Recited Qur'an Moderator: Marcia K. Hermansen The Labor of Sublimity: A Conversation Kaley Mason, Robert L. Kendrick, Regula Qureshi Colloquy 2 Peter L. Manuel, Qawwali as the Anti-Sublime Moderator: Regula Qureshi

If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. See more at: http://divinity.uchicago.edu/Mellon-Islamic-Studies-Initiative2 Sufism today has gained widespread interest mainly through its music and poetry, but also through its contrast with orthodox scriptural Islam. Sufism stands for an inclusive Islam focused on personal love of God and spiritual guidance within a wide range of devotional practices. Music and mystical poetry are the sonic embodiment of Sufism and its worldwide placeholder in the search for spiritual goals. Sufi, thus, can designate a broader spectrum of vernacular devotional and ritual identities. The core idea for this workshop allows us to approach this near-global vogue of a Sufi Imaginary through its music. “Islam and Sufism” also brings into conversation a range of ideascapes and practices, from the traditional South Asian spiritual lineages to a new generation of Muslim popular culture. Sufi music is founded in ritual and its constraints, but its practice is also open to creative agency. Reaching for the gift of the sublime enables embodied engagement on multiple levels—through rhythm, repetition of words, even ecstatic dance, to reach for the gift of the sublime, individually or collectively. Panel 1: The Sublime and Music: Islam and the West Regula Qureshi and Philip V. Bohlman in Conversation Discussant: Michael Sells Recitation and Discussion of Poetry Michael Sells, Love Lyrics of Ibn al-Farid and Ibn al-`Arabi Saleem Qureshi, Sublime Rebellion: Iqbal's Urdu and Farsi Verse Chair: Thibaut d'Hubert Colloquy 1 Deborah A. Kapchan, Witnessing the Sublime: Sufi Samaa in Secular France Moderator: Hakan Karateke Music and Sublime Across the Muslim World Bertie Kibreah, Sufi Tattva: The Sound and Space of Mystical Song in Bangladesh Shayna Silverstein, Performing Sacred Popular: Syrian Sufi Dance as National Heritage Michael O’Toole, Staging the Sublime: Music and Islam on Stage in Germany Lauren Osborne, Locating Experience and Emotion in the Recited Qur'an Moderator: Marcia K. Hermansen The Labor of Sublimity: A Conversation Kaley Mason, Robert L. Kendrick, Regula Qureshi Colloquy 2 Peter L. Manuel, Qawwali as the Anti-Sublime Moderator: Regula Qureshi

If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. Mellon Islamic Studies Initiative Public Lecture by Visiting Professor Sahar Khamis: "Islamic Discourses in Cyberspace: Opportunities, Challenges and Future Prospects" The introduction of the Internet in the Muslim world imposed new realities and dynamics, whether in the political, social, cultural or communication landscapes. It also opened the door for many new opportunities, posed new threats, and invited future prospects. This makes it especially important to tackle the complexities and implications of this new digital age, with all its multi-faceted dimensions. It also necessitates discussing some of the most important debates, controversies, and deliberations being shared and exchanged between different groups of Muslims, as well as between Muslims and non-Muslims in cyberspace today, in an attempt to analyze the myriad of complex factors which could be conducive, or constraining, to digital dialogue. Likewise, it is also important to ask important questions, such as: How is the Internet contributing to shaping and redefining the notion of the "Virtual Umma?" How is it giving birth to new forms of "Online Fatwa?" How is it contributing to the creation of new "Islamic Public Spheres?" These are some of the questions which the co-author of the book: "Islam Dot Com: Contemporary Islamic Discourses in Cyberspace" Dr. Sahar Khamis tries to answer in her talk. Reception to follow. Sahar Khamis is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Maryland, College Park. She is an expert on Arab and Middle Eastern media. She is the former Head of the Mass Communication and Information Science Department in Qatar University. Dr. Khamis holds a Ph.D. in Mass Media and Cultural Studies from the University of Manchester in England. She is the co-author of the books: Islam Dot Com: Contemporary Islamic Discourses in Cyberspace (Palgrave Macmillan, 2009) and Egyptian Revolution 2.0: Political Blogging, Civic Engagement and Citizen Journalism (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013). Dr. Khamis has been appointed as a commissioner in the Human Rights Commission of Montgomery County, Maryland. Recorded in Swift Hall on April 18, 2014.

If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. Mellon Islamic Studies Initiative Public Lecture by Visiting Professor Sahar Khamis: "Islamic Discourses in Cyberspace: Opportunities, Challenges and Future Prospects" The introduction of the Internet in the Muslim world imposed new realities and dynamics, whether in the political, social, cultural or communication landscapes. It also opened the door for many new opportunities, posed new threats, and invited future prospects. This makes it especially important to tackle the complexities and implications of this new digital age, with all its multi-faceted dimensions. It also necessitates discussing some of the most important debates, controversies, and deliberations being shared and exchanged between different groups of Muslims, as well as between Muslims and non-Muslims in cyberspace today, in an attempt to analyze the myriad of complex factors which could be conducive, or constraining, to digital dialogue. Likewise, it is also important to ask important questions, such as: How is the Internet contributing to shaping and redefining the notion of the "Virtual Umma?" How is it giving birth to new forms of "Online Fatwa?" How is it contributing to the creation of new "Islamic Public Spheres?" These are some of the questions which the co-author of the book: "Islam Dot Com: Contemporary Islamic Discourses in Cyberspace" Dr. Sahar Khamis tries to answer in her talk. Reception to follow. Sahar Khamis is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Maryland, College Park. She is an expert on Arab and Middle Eastern media. She is the former Head of the Mass Communication and Information Science Department in Qatar University. Dr. Khamis holds a Ph.D. in Mass Media and Cultural Studies from the University of Manchester in England. She is the co-author of the books: Islam Dot Com: Contemporary Islamic Discourses in Cyberspace (Palgrave Macmillan, 2009) and Egyptian Revolution 2.0: Political Blogging, Civic Engagement and Citizen Journalism (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013). Dr. Khamis has been appointed as a commissioner in the Human Rights Commission of Montgomery County, Maryland. Recorded in Swift Hall on April 18, 2014.

If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. A Mellon Islamic Studies Initiative public lecture by Monica M. Ringer, Visiting Professor in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago and Associate Professor of Middle Eastern History at Amherst College French religious studies scholar Ernest Renan's famous lecture given at the Sorbonne in 1883, "Islam and Science," caused enormous consternation in Muslim intellectual circles, and launched a series of refutations. In many ways, the debates surrounding Renan's argument prefigured the "Clash of Civilizations" debate engendered by Samuel Huntington's infamous article published in 1993. In this talk, Professor Ringer examines one of the least well-known of the refutations, written by the Imam of the St. Petersburg mosque, Ataollah Bayezidof. Despite many shared premises, the two scholars' central disagreement surrounds the nature of Islamic exceptionalism. Recorded in Swift Hall’s Common Room on January 17, 2014.

If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. A lecture by Gamal al Ghitany, a renowned Egyptian author, whose short stories and novels have helped shape currents in Arabic fiction over the past four decades. Translation by Mohamed Wajdi Ben Hammed, PhD student of Literature at the University of Notre Dame. An event of the Mellon Islamic Studies Inititiave. The Mellon Islamic Studies Initiative is a three-year project, designed to support the expansion and enhancement of the study of Islam at the University of Chicago. Administered by the Divinity School, the initiative is a cross-divisional collaboration, intended to create a sustained campus conversation about the future of Islamic studies. Funded by a generous grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. Robert Gleave, professor of Arabic Studies at the University of Exeter, speaks at the University of Chicago Divinity School. A specialist in Islamic law, he has recently focused on the process of defining legitimate and illegitimate violence in Islamic legal thought. This lecture was sponsored by the Mellon Islamic Studies Initiative.

If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. Professor Abdulkarim Soroush: Part of the Mellon Islamic Studies Initiative, February 15, 2012

If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. Lecture sponsored by the Mellon Islamic Studies Initiative. Professor Angelika Neuwirth joined the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations in the Fall Quarter 2012. Dr. Neuwirth teaches at the Seminar for Semitic and Arabic Studies of Freie Universität Berlin, and is widely considered to be one of the world’s leading experts in the study of the Quran and Quranic exegesis. Professor Neuwirth will deliver a lecture October 12, and her work will be the subject of a workshop November 9.