Announcements of InterestCall for Papers: Special Issue "Are Muslim-Jewish Relations Improving in the 21st Century?"The journal Religions has issued a Call for Papers on, "Are Muslim-Jewish Relations Improving in the 21st Century?" Muslim-Jewish relations have been discussed throughout the past 1300 years. They are discussed in the Quran and the Hadith as well as in many texts written by Jewish spiritual leaders. The alleged enmity between Islam and Judaism and between Muslims and Jews, proclaimed by some radical voices does not do justice to the rich and complex history and to today’s reality of Muslim-Jewish relations. Generalizing Muslim-Jewish relations as either a relation of mutual hatred and war or as one of harmony in the pre-modern era seem to be largely rooted in politicized views. The Palestinian-Israeli conflict has often overshadowed Muslim-Jewish relations and has added to such a politization and polarization. However, there seems to be an increasing interest to look at Muslim-Jewish relations beyond that conflict. Some initiatives of Muslim-Jewish dialogue have been established in the European and American diaspora. More recently, ties between Israel and some Arab countries, such as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco, have warmed with signing of agreements aimed at normalizing relations. The latter has been controversial because there is fear that they forego Palestinian interests. However, they have led to new discussions in the Middle East and beyond about improving Muslim-Jewish relations. This might be related to a longer trend in some Muslim countries to rediscover their Jewish heritage. We invite scholars to reflect on today’s relations and trends of Muslim-Jewish relations. This issue will be focused on areas where Muslim-Jewish relations seem to be improving but we also welcome submissions that are more skeptical in their outlook. However, we hope to receive well-argued pieces (5,000 to 10,000 words) that help us to identify trends and factors that determine Muslim-Jewish relations today. We especially welcome case studies that look at projects that rediscover the local or regional Jewish or Muslim heritage and case studies of interfaith projects. Deadline for submissions: July 31, 2021 For more information, please go to https://www.mdpi.com/journal/religions/special_issues/Muslims-Jewish U.S. Academic Placements/Exchange for Israeli ScholarsThe Israel Institute offers two exchange programs that support Israeli scholars who want to come to the United States to conduct research, build academic networks, and teach. The Teaching Fellow Program funds multi-year teaching placements at colleges and universities in the United States for academics with doctoral degrees and expertise in modern Israel. Application Deadline AY22-23 Placements: September 24, 2021. The Visiting Faculty Program enables scholars with full time teaching positions at Israeli colleges and universities to come to the United States to teach about modern Israel for a year. Application Deadline for AY22-23 Placements: September 14, 2021. Seventh Yemen Exchange online course, April 19 - 30The Seventh Yemen Exchange is an intensive online version of the Yemen Exchange organized by the Sana’a Center and The Exchange Foundation since 2017. The course is designed to provide unique access to information, perspectives, updates and analyses on Yemen for those seeking to develop a working background knowledge of the country as well as those already thoroughly versed in its dynamics. The 10-days of sessions will be conducted via Zoom Monday-Friday, starting at 16:00 Sana’a time/09:00 EST and concluding at approximately 19:00/12pm each day. Participants from around the world will attend discussions with Yemeni analysts, academics, politicians, bureaucrats, business leaders and international experts, gaining insight into the country from a wide range of perspectives. Participants will also have the chance both to virtually engage with speakers during the sessions and to connect with them individually after the Exchange. The sessions – totaling more than 30 hours – will dive into several specific areas, including but not limited to: Yemen’s multifaceted conflicts; the country’s socio-political dynamics; internal divisions and alliances among parties to the conflict; the possibility of southern secession; military and political developments on the ground; the status of various armed groups; the regional battle for Yemen; the humanitarian and economic crisis in the country; the UN-led peace process; and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. All sessions are held under the Chatham House Rule (and are therefore not recorded). Some sessions host only one speaker in order to assure as open and unfiltered a discussion as possible on very sensitive topics. Simultaneous translation to English will be provided when necessary. Prior to the beginning of the course, accepted participants will receive a course reading list and final agenda. Throughout the ten days of sessions, necessary agenda updates will then be communicated with participants. Those interested will also be connected with the speakers, enabling them to follow up after The Exchange for their own work and research. Applying for a scholarship: The Yemen Exchange currently has five scholarships (covering the participation fee) available for researchers who will deepen the social, political and geographic diversity of the Exchange and who can demonstrate both financial need and a deep interest in Yemen. For any questions related to scholarships or to request an application with more information, email: [email protected]. Richard A. Horovitz Fund for Professional Development, 2021-22IIE is pleased to announce a competition of the Richard A. Horovitz Fund for Professional Development for the 2021-22 academic year. The Horovitz Fund is dedicated to African artists and scholars in the humanities and social sciences. Award winner(s) receive funds to defray educational costs for one academic year. Application Criteria include:
Qualified candidates should please apply here if they meet the requirements of the scholarship. Link here: https://www.iie.org/Programs/Richard-A-Horovitz-Fund-for-Professional-Development/Apply |