The development of the historical profession in the Arab World since 1945 has received scant attention from Western scholars of the region. This is particularly the case regarding modern Arabic studies on Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Even in the field of medieval Islamic history, there is generally little awareness on the part of scholars based in the West, about the research and publications of their colleagues in the Arabic-speaking countries. As a consequence, Arabic secondary sources are rarely utilized and reviewed by Western historians of the medieval Islamic period.
Our conference aims to address this serious bibliographical gap. We will bring together an international group of specialists in a variety of pre-modern historical disciplines ranging from Assyriology to Mamluk Studies who will discuss contemporary Arabic-language scholarship in their respective fields. Some presentations will give an overview of a particular discipline across the entire Arabic-speaking World while others will focus on an historiographical “school” or a single major scholar as a case study. The conference will be a stepping-stone in the production of a multi-author handbook which will consist of studies and bibliographies of Arabic scholarship on Ancient and Medieval history.
Please register by sending an email to .
Program:
Day 1, Tuesday November 21
9:15 Welcoming Addresses by Prof. Dr. Michael Jäckel (President of Trier University), Prof. Raphael (Trier University), and Dr. Baadj (Trier and Bonn Universities)
PANEL 1 “THE ANCIENT WORLD”
Chair: Prof. Fayza Haikal (American University in Cairo),
Discussant: Prof. Christoph Schaefer (Trier University)
10:00 “Assyriology in Iraq” Dr. Laith Hussein (Baghdad and Jena Universities; in German)
11:00-11:15 Coffee Break
11:15 “Egyptology in Egypt” Dr. Amr Omar (Cairo University; in English)
12:15 “Recent Arabic scholarship on the Civilizations of Pre-Islamic Yemen” Dr. Mohamed Maraqten (Heidelberg University; English)
13:15-14:45 Lunch
14:45-15:45 “Classical Studies in the Arab World” Dr. Usama Gad (‘Ain Shams University [Cairo]; in English)
15:45-16:00 Final Discussion for Panel 1
coffee break 16-16.15
PANEL 2 “LATE ANTIQUE AND EARLY ISLAMIC HISTORY”
Chair: Prof. Mohamed Gad (King Faisal University [Saudi Arabia]), Discussant: Prof. Albrecht Fuess (Marburg University).
16:15-17:15 “Byzantine Studies in the Arab World” Dr. Abdelaziz Ramadan (‘Ain Shams University [Cairo]; in English)
17:15-18:15 “The Approach of Hichem Djait and the Tunisian School to the study of early Islamic History” Prof. Khaled Kchir (Tunis University; in French)
18:30 Dinner
Day 2, Wednesday, November 22
9:00 “Umayyad Studies in the Arab World” Prof. Abdulhadi Alajmi (Kuwait University; in English)
10:00 “Fatimid Studies in the Arab World” Prof. Bouba Medjani (Constantine University 2; in Arabic)
11:00-11.15 Final Discussion for Panel 2
11:15-11:30 Coffee Break
PANEL 3 “THE MAGHRIB AND AL-ANDALUS”
Chair: (T.B.A.),
Discussant: Prof. Maribel Fierro (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid)
11:30 “Ifrīqīya from 600 to 1500 in Modern Arabic Historical Scholarship” Prof. Mounira Chapoutot-Remadi (University of Tunis; in English)
Lunch 12:30-13:45
13:45-14:45 “The Study of Medieval History in Algeria from 1962 to the Present” Prof. Allaoua Amara (Emir Abdelkader University [Constantine]; in French)
14:45-15:45 “The Social and Economic History of the Medieval Maghrib in Modern Arabic Scholarship “ Prof. Azeddine Guessous (Chouaib Doukkali University [El Jadida, Morocco]; in Arabic)
16:00-17:00 Break: Tour of Roman Trier
Dinner 18:00
Day 3 Thursday, November 23
9:00 “Modern Arabic Scholarship on Relations between the Maghrib and Mashriq in the Middle Ages” Prof. Lotfi Ben Miled (Kairouan University; in French)
10:00 “The Contribution of Egyptian Scholars to the Study of Al-Andalus” Dr. Soha Abboud Hagar (Complutense University [Madrid]; in English)
11:00-11:15 Final Discussion for Panel 3
11:15-11:30 Coffee Break
PANEL 4 “THE CRUSADES AND THE MAMLUK PERIOD”
Chair: (T.B.A.),
Discussant: Prof. Stephan Conermann (Bonn University)
11:30 “Mamluk Studies in the Arab World” Prof. Emad Abou-Ghazi (Cairo University; in Arabic)
12:30-13:45 Lunch
13:45 “Modern Egyptian Arabic Scholarship on Mamluk Arts and Architecture (1250-1517)” Dr. Hani Hamza (Independent Scholar [Cairo]; in English)
14:45-15:00 Final Discussion for Panel 4
18:00 Dinner
