Zahra Institute

Graduate School

JONATHAN PHILLIPS
Royal Holloway, University of London

ANNUAL LECTURE 2025

On April 5, Zahra Institute was delighted to welcome Jonathan Phillips of Royal Holloway, University of London, for its Fifth Annual Lecture on “The Life and Legend of the Sultan Saladin.” Phillips is the author of several award-winning histories and general editor of the forthcoming Cambridge History of the Crusades. His research focuses on the history of the Third Crusade and the memory of the crusades in Western Europe and the Near East since the eighteenth century.

Phillips’ engaging presentation shed new light on the medieval ruler’s character and milieu and was illustrated with images from both twelfth-century manuscripts and modern depictions of Salahaddin. A lively discussion followed.

The event, held at the Crown Center on the campus of Loyola University Chicago, drew a robust audience of academics and community members, including Chicago-area supporters of ZI and guests from as far away as Washington, DC, and Atlanta. We were especially pleased to see many new faces this year.  

WATCH THE LECTURE


SPRING 2025 SPEAKER SERIES



AHMET KURU

San Diego State University

Populism, Islamism, and Nationalism:
A New Partnership Worldwide


Wednesday, Feb 5, 2025
12:00 PM CST / 1:00 PM EST

WATCH HERE


SPRING 2025 SPEAKER SERIES



JIHAN MOHAMMED

Vanderbilt University

Vegetarian Diet at the Intersection
of Kurdish Identity, Religion, and Class


Wednesday, Feb 19, 2025
12:00 PM CST / 1:00 PM EST

WATCH HERE


SPRING 2025 SPEAKER SERIES



FARANGIS GHADERI

University of Exeter, UK

Untold Kurdish Women's Histories 


Wednesday, March 19, 2025
12:00 PM CST / 1:00 PM EST

WATCH HERE


SPRING 2025 SPEAKER SERIES



CEVAT DARGIN

Columbia University

"The Black Box of the Republic":
Dersim '38 and the Making of the Modern Turkish State

Wednesday, April 2, 2025
12:00 PM CST / 1:00 PM EST

WATCH HERE

    

SPRING 2025 SPEAKER SERIES        


OZAN AKSOY

Berklee College of Music

Music in the Lives of Alevi Kurds       

Wednesday, April 16, 2025
12:00 PM CST / 1:00 PM EST

ZOOM LINK


SPRING 2025 SPEAKER SERIES



BENJAMIN RASSBACH

Orient-Institute Beirut

Imaginaries of Shingal as a Landscape of Resistance-Narratives around Yezidi Shrines Since the ISIS Genocide

Wednesday, April 30, 2025
12:00 PM CST / 1:00 PM EST

ZOOM LINK


SPRING 2025 SPEAKER SERIES



JAFFER SHEYHOLISLAMI

Carleton University

Language Ideologies
and the Discursive Construction of the Persian Language Hegemony in Iran

Tuesday, May 13, 2025
12:00 PM CST / 1:00 PM EST

ZOOM LINK


SPRING 2025 SPEAKER SERIES



MICHAEL CHYET

Library of Congress Retiree

Breakthroughs in Kurdish Lexicography


Tuesday, May 28, 2025
12:00 PM CST / 1:00 PM EST

ZOOM LINK

Showcasing Spring 2025 MA Courses

KRD 504: Kurds in the Middle East: History and Politics

While focusing on divisions and differences among the Kurds because of the creation of modern states in the Middle East, this course aims to show cross-border interactions, cultural exchanges, and trans-national movements.

KRD 509: Kurdish Intellectual Profiles: Ehmedê Xanî

This course is devoted to the exploration of the life and thought of Ehmedê Xanî (1651-1707) as an early modern thinker. Poet, diplomat, and thinker Ehmedê Xanî is a pillar of classical Kurdish literature and the author of the Kurdish classic, Mem û Zîn. Xanî's literary corpus and the sociopolitical background that gave rise to it will be examined in the context of intellectual history.

KRD 503: Research Methods and Academic Conventions

Explores the nature of the research process, data collection, and the main tools of quantitative and qualitative research. The course offers an overview of the research process tailored to Kurdish Studies and related interdisciplinary areas, focusing on interviews, ethnography, and archival research. 

MUS 500: Approaches to Critical Muslim Studies

Provides an introduction to Critical Muslim Studies and surveys major disciplinary approaches to key topics in the study of Islam and Muslims.

MUS 501: Muslim Societies

Surveys key issues and various contexts of contemporary Muslim life in comparative perspective including demographic changes, shift in authority structures, emerging popular culture, trends in secularization.


Chicago Kurdish Film Festival

The weekend of November 2-3 brought the first-ever Chicago Kurdish Film Festival!
Zahra Institute was proud to be among the sponsors of this important cultural event, joining esteemed institutions such as the Kurdish Cultural Center of Illinois, University of Chicago’s Department of Cinema and Media Studies, and DCASE (the City of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events).
The festival celebrated Kurdish cinema and culture, showcasing films that highlight the rich heritage and storytelling of the Kurdish people. It provided a platform for filmmakers, artists, and audiences to connect, learn, and delight in the diversity of Kurdish cinema. For more information about the event and future festivals, visit www.kurdsofillinois.org.

KCC Flyer


MA in Critical Muslim Studies

Critical Muslim Studies is an interdisciplinary field that focuses on Muslim experience in a global context. Unlike more textually based Islamic Studies, Critical Muslim Studies approaches Islam and Muslims in the context of lived experience and history. It takes Muslim life as its primary object of study and thus underlines the relevance of the humanities and social sciences. It also sees critique not as a luxury, but rather as a necessity for both Muslim life and the understanding of it. Critical Muslim Studies places the study of Islam and Muslims in conversation with various philosophical and intellectual traditions, understanding Muslim experience in truly global terms.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

  • Contemporary focus
  • Global character: Brings together the experiences of Muslim majorities and Muslim minorities, especially Muslims in America and Europe
  • Gives voice to the missing Kurdish strand in Islamic Studies
  • Offers the convenience of an online synchronous program with the highest American academic standards
MORE INFORMATION

MA in Kurdish Studies

The Master of Arts in Kurdish Studies at Zahra Institute is the first of its kind in the United States. It examines the lives and culture of the Kurds, a Middle Eastern people living in Kurdistan and beyond, spread across the borders of several modern states and linguistic and cultural zones.

The MA Program provides excellent background preparation for a doctoral degree in any field related to the Middle East and for those interested in pursuing careers in media, government, and international organizations. Our liberal arts approach to Kurdish Studies is based on rigorous academic standards and a strong commitment to scholarly freedom.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

  • The first MA Program in Kurdish Studies in the US
  • A unique focus on the humanities aspects of Kurdish Studies including literature, music, visual arts, and cinema
  • Covers a topic area long overlooked by traditional Middle Eastern Studies programs
  • Gain access to the language and culture of approximately forty million people
  • Offers the convenience of an online synchronous program with the highest American academic standards
MORE INFORMATION

The MA program’s interdisciplinary approach bodes very well for the promising two-year journey that lies ahead.

MARWAN

MA Program Student

Being at Zahra Institute is a unique experience for me because I can learn about the history of my nation and share this knowledge with others.

NEDA

MA Program Student

The level of instruction, the level of professionalism of the professors was top of the line. I am very grateful that I was able to complete the Certificate in Kurdish Studies.

VIERELINA

Certificate Program Student

I had the invaluable opportunity to engage with the courses offered online by the Zahra Institute, focusing on Kurdish language, culture, and history. The classes not only deepened my understanding of these critical subjects but also played a pivotal role in enhancing the quality of my doctoral research.

Gabriele Leone

2022 Certificate Program Graduate

I was honored to be a participant in Zahra's superb lineup of Speaker Series in 2024. I think Zahra Institute is the leading place for Kurdish studies in the United States, transforming the academic landscape from even several years prior.

Michael Brill

2024 Spring Guest Speaker




Artist Talk with Serhad Bapir

A Kurdish Visual Artist Tells His Story

WATCH THE TALK


QWX Blog is an initiative of Zahra Institute. It provides a platform for researchers to share with a wider audience brief reports, timely observations, and commentary in their areas of expertise.

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Vierelina Fernández

Zahra Institute Certificate Program 2021 alumnus and graduate student at Florida International University

Our Kurdish Studies Certificate Program connects students with highly-trained, responsive faculty in a small-class setting that enables them to expand on their existing knowledge while exploring Kurdish language, culture, and civilization. For application information visit our Certificate Program page.

Certificate in Kurdish Studies

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