Call for Papers
McGill Institute of Islamic Studies Student Council
14th Annual Symposium
April 28-29, 2027
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Call for Papers

14th Annual MIISSC Symposium “Making Knowledge: Sciences and Intellectual Traditions in the Islamicate World”

As the Islamic Studies Students Council, we are excited to announce the call for papers for our 14th Symposium, taking place on April 28-29th 2027, at McGill University.

This interdisciplinary symposium invites graduate students and postdoctoral researchers to explore how knowledge has been conceived, produced, transmitted, debated, and transformed within and across the Islamicate world, from Late Antiquity to the present.

We welcome contributions examining the ideas, texts, practices, and institutions through which different forms of knowledge have emerged and developed. How have scholars and communities understood, organized, and challenged knowledge? How have scientific, philosophical, religious, and literary traditions shaped one another through encounters across languages, regions, and historical contexts? We encourage submissions addressing these questions from a wide range of perspectives, including the history of science, philosophy, literature, religious thought and practice, education, and everyday forms of knowing.

Key Information and Eligibility
This symposium is open exclusively to graduate students and postdocs whose work engages the Islamicate world. We specifically encourage submissions from the following disciplines:

·      Islamic Studies

·      Religious Studies/Theology

·      Literature

·      Philosophy

·      Anthropology

·      History

·      And all other relevant disciplines across the humanities. 

Submission Guidelines
Accepted presenters will be invited to deliver 15-minute presentations addressing the symposium theme.

·     Abstract Length: Maximum 300 words.

·     Submission Deadline: January 1, 2027

·     Submission Procedure: Please submit your abstract, a brief academic bio (maximum 100 words), and your institutional affiliation through the submission form.

Logistics

 ·    Presenters will be informed of their acceptance by January 15, 2027.

·    The symposium will be held in a hybrid format, with both in-person and online presentations. In-person presentations are particularly encouraged. 

·    Limited financial support is available to help cover travel and accommodation expenses for selected participants.

Should you have any questions, please contact: miissc.symposium@mcgill.ca
We look forward to receiving diverse and engaging abstracts that interrogate the central concept of the symposium.

Sincerely,

MIISSC Symposium Committee, Institute of Islamic Studies, McGill University