Call for Paper Proposals: The 5th Great Lakes Adiban Workshop in Ann Arbor, Michigan

Update, 5 July 2021: With apologies for re-posting, we have made a few changes to the GLAS Workshop plan, moving the date to October 9–10 and adding the option for remote participation. Please read on for details.

The Great Lakes Adiban Society (GLAS) invites submissions for its fifth annual workshop, scheduled to take place at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, on October 9–10, 2021. We welcome works in progress that would benefit from extensive discussion and feedback, and especially encourage graduate students to participate. This workshop might also prove beneficial for those planning to present at the MESA conference on October 28–31.

The Society aims to provide a regional forum for scholars of Islamicate adab, particularly of the medieval and early modern periods, to meet and share their work. We leave our parameters of language and genre intentionally open in order to invite as wide a collaboration as can be useful, but as a group we are generally interested in the literary production of the broad complex of premodern Muslim societies across the Eastern Hemisphere. This naturally includes the major Islamicate languages of Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Urdu, as well as many others (Armenian, Georgian, Hebrew, Spanish, etc.) that participate in similar literary conventions.

In light of the continued travel restrictions imposed by the pandemic, the Workshop will take place in a hybrid format: scholars who can make the trip to Ann Arbor are encouraged to do so, but those who can not may participate remotely via Zoom. Applicants may indicate their preference on the application below.

Those who wish to participate can apply by filling out our online application by August 16, 2021. Please note that each accepted participant will be given 45 minutes to present and discuss their work; because of this, we have limited space and may have to turn down some submissions if we get too many. In such an event, preference will generally be given to graduate students, regional scholars, and works in progress. All in-person participants should plan to cover the costs of travel and lodging, but graduate students should note that we may (funding permitting) be able to offer small grants to help offset these expenses.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at greatlakesadibansociety@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!