[Deadline October 1] Call for Papers: Ninth Annual Graduate Student Book Review Colloquium
August 30, 2026, 8:00 AM to October 1, 2026, 11:59 PM EDT
Online Location, Zoom
The AbuSulayman Center for Global Islamic Studies at George Mason University (ACGIS) and The Maydan, the Center’s public-facing scholarship platform, present the Ninth Annual Graduate Student Book Review Colloquium on Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies to be held virtually on Thursday, December 3, 2026.
Please refer to the application procedures detailed below. The deadline for applications is 11:59pm EST on October 1, 2026.
Objective
The Colloquium invites advanced graduate students and advanced undergraduate students in the social sciences and humanities to submit reviews on noteworthy books published since January 1, 2025 in the field of Islamic and Middle Eastern studies.
The Colloquium is organized by The Maydan, the public-facing scholarship platform of the AbuSulayman Center for Global Islamic Studies. The Maydan is dedicated to supporting Islamic Studies with the recognition that academic scholarship in this field of inquiry is currently in need of discussions and publications that are able to disseminate research to a larger audience. The Colloquium aims to foster a lasting conversation between academic and lay readership.
At the Colloquium, the accepted students will have the opportunity to present their book reviews in pre-organized panels lasting 20 minutes. The Colloquium will take place on Zoom.
In selecting their books, reviewers are expected to focus on a single monograph – as a general rule, edited volumes and reference works remain outside the scope of this Colloquium, applicants should contact rzigmund@gmu.edu to discuss exceptions – and to demonstrate engagement with the existing literature, using references to at least two books on a similar theme. The reviewers are encouraged to construct their works with particular attention to the context, content, and critique of the selected book. As a note, works that were reviewed in the 2025 Colloquium will not be accepted.
Application Process and Important Dates
Interested candidates should submit the following:
1) A 500-word abstract that presents a justification for the selection of the work under examination.
2) A short writing sample (5 pages maximum) on the broader themes of the selected book. (for graduate student applicants only)
3) A resume (2 pages maximum).
All three documents should be emailed to Robert Zayd KiaNouri-Zigmund at rzigmund@gmu.edu as a single PDF file by October 1, 2026, 11:59 pm EST.
The subject line of the email should appear in the following format: [LASTNAME, BOOK REVIEW COLLOQUIUM 2026].
Acceptance notices and the books under review will be sent to the reviewers on October 22, 2026.
Reviewers will be asked to submit their reviews (1300 words maximum) by November 26, 2022.
Honorariums & Publishing with Maydan
Final products will be considered for publication on The Maydan. The AbuSulayman Center for Global Islamic Studies at George Mason University will offer a $300 honorarium to the eligible authors of reviews that are selected for publication.
