Jul 15, 2020
Dr. Khalil Andani gives perhaps the most succinct introduction to the history of Ismailism. We cover their beginnings, understanding of revelation, the Qaramatians, the Fatimid caliphate and sub-sects.
Jun 15, 2020
Dr. Eric Hanne speaks passionately about not imposing simple sectarian or ethnic identities onto the history of the Buyid dynasty's relationship with the Abbasid caliphate. Funny, candid and insightful.
May 17, 2020
Dr. Rachel Schine speaks about
understandings of race and blackness in premodern Islamic(ate)
societies through the tale of Delhemma, a popular epic of rival families and 'Abd
al-Wahhāb, the black offspring of Fāṭimah, the eponymous Delhemma
(lit. "the one of high aspiration"), disowned by her husband.
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Apr 23, 2020
We speak with Dr. Liana Saif for an introduction on astrology in premodern Islamic(ate) societies. We cover origins, developments and key writers. A much overlooked topic explored with one of the leading authorities in the field. Find her work here:
Mar 29, 2020
Considered a heretic, the vegan anti-natalist poet Abū al-ʿAlāʾ al-Maʿarrī (d. 1058) provoked throughout his life but only had his head chopped off in 2013 as a statue by fanatics in his Syrian hometown. Dr. Kevin Blankinship, Assistant Professor of Arabic Language and Literature at Brigham Young University,...