Musto Observatory

The goal of this session is to explore textual artifacts that have originated or been adapted for use in one or more of the cultural traditions of Islam. The interplay between cultures, including relationships between different Islamic cultures or between Islamic and other cultures, will be a particular focus. Papers that address any period up to 1914 will be prioritized. A variety of media will be considered, including objects, architecture, manuscripts, and printed materials. Examples of possible topics include the use and reuse of items bearing epigraphy in any language; the reinterpretation of imagery from elsewhere to illustrate Islamic texts; the early European historiography of Islamic materials. While attending to the specificity of local traditions, the session will consider the significance of these textual artifacts in intercultural and historiographic perspective. The geographical definition of “Islamic” is open.

• This session will be held in person in Chicago.
• Deadline for proposals: August 25, 2025. NB: It is not necessary to be a CAA member to submit a proposal, but all participants will need to be CAA members at the time of the conference. BSA membership is not required.
• Send proposals (title & 250-word max abstract) and CV to the session co-chairs: Hiba Abid, Curator for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, The New York Public Library hibaabid@nypl.org, and Jeanne-Marie Musto, BSA liaison to CAA musto.jeannemarie@gmail.com.
• If you are a current CAA member, please include your CAA member number with your proposal.

For further details about the conference, please see CAA’s conference webpage; for details about this session, please write Hiba and Jeanne-Marie.