News Archives
July 2011
Alnoor Merchant, Head Librarian and Keeper of Special Collections at The Institute of Ismaili Studies recently visited Arlington, Waco, Austin and Chicago in the USA to talk about artistic, intellectual and architectural patronage in the Islamic world. He also spoke about the important role that patrons played in the history of Islamic art.
June 2011
Dr Orkhan Mir-Kasimov of the Institute’s Department of Academic Research and Publications presented a paper at the seminar, The Current State of Research on Medieval Islam.
The Khujand State University in collaboration with The Institute of Ismaili Studies recently organised a book launch of Nasirian Ethics by Nasir ad-din
Tusi, a celebrated 13th century Muslim scholar. The publication represents the first edition of the Nasirian Ethics in the Tajik language.
A seminar on “Understanding and Addressing Poverty” was organised by The Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS) in Dhaka, Bangladesh, from 16 to 18 October, 2009. The seminar was attended by alumni of IIS’ graduate programmes as well as development professionals and academics.
May 2011
The IIS launched one of its new publications, Spiritual Quest: Reflections on Qur’anic Prayer According to the Teachings of Imam ‘Ali at the Ismaili Centre in Dubai.
The second cohort (C2) of the Institute’s Secondary Teacher Education Programme (STEP) celebrated their achievements at the annual graduation ceremony held at the Institute of Education’s (IOE) Logan Hall on the 6th of April 2011.
April 2011
The Institute of Ismaili Studies has awarded its doctoral scholarships for the fifteenth year. The two recipients of the 2011 cycle of the scholarship programme are Zarangez Karimova from Tajikistan and Ula Zeir from Syria.
Professor Mohammed Arkoun, one of the most prominent and influential figures in Islamic Studies, passed away in Paris on 14 September 2010 at the age of 82 years. Professor Arkoun was Senior Research Fellow in the IIS’ Department of Academic Research and Publications and Member of the Board of Governors.
The ninth annual Summer Programme on Islam was held in the historic surroundings of Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge. Thirty-six participants from thirteen countries (Afghanistan, Angola, Canada, France, India, Iran, Kenya, Pakistan, Portugal, Syria, Tajikistan, UK and USA) participated in the eight-day programme.
The Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS) is delighted to welcome Dr Fayyaz Vellani as Head of the Department of Graduate Studies. In this role, Dr Vellani has overall responsibility for the strategic development, leadership and management of the Department of Graduate Studies. In particular, he will guide the development of the Secondary Teacher Education Programme (STEP) and the Graduate Programme in Islamic Studies and Humanities (GPISH).
The IIS hosted a book launch at the Ismaili Centre in Lisbon to launch two recent publications: Spiritual Quest and the Portuguese translation of Justice & Remembrance.
Students from the Class of 2010 of the Secondary Teacher Education Programme (STEP) recently returned from an educational tour of Cairo, Egypt. The visit was an essential component of the Religious Education and the Humanities in Secondary Education module, part of their double master’s degree programme.
Professor Mervyn Frost, Head of the Department of War Studies at King’s College, London, was the second guest speaker at the ‘Talking Ethics’ series held on 24 March 2009. Titled ‘Understanding contemporary conflict in ethical terms’, the talk argued that ethical discourse plays a pivotal role in how participants as well as observers frame their positions in conflict, regardless of the legal and political language that is used.
The IIS is pleased to announce the publication of A Modern History of the Ismailis: Continuity and Change in a Muslim Community, edited by Dr Farhad Daftary, Co-Director of the Institute. This publication is the culmination of the most recent scholarship, in many cases based on field research, as well as oral traditions and community documents not published hitherto. As such, it is the first publication of its kind dealing with a modern history of the Ismailis.