\u201cFaiths in Dialogue: Art and Architecture, Science and Medicine\u201d
\nFriday 9 March 2018
\nHomewood Campus
\nGilman Hall, Room 50
\n9-5
\nConcert to follow, 5-6pm, Great Hall of Levering<\/p>\n\n
PROGRAM OVERVIEW:<\/p>\n
8:30-9:15\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Light Breakfast
\n9:15-9:30\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Welcome and Opening Remarks (Niloofar Haeri and Lawrence Principe)<\/p>\n
9:30-11:45\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Session 1 : Art and Architecture
\nSpeakers: Eva Hoffman (Tufts), \u00dcnver R\u00fcstem (JHU), Jennifer Pruitt (Wisconsin-Madison)<\/p>\n
12:00 – 1:00\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Luncheon<\/p>\n
1:00 – 3:15\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Session 2 : Science and Medicine
\nSpeakers: Sally Ragep (McGill), Gabriele Ferrario (JHU), Robert Morrison (Bowdoin)<\/p>\n
3:15 – 3:30\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Coffee<\/p>\n
3:30 – 4:45\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Keynote Address – F. Jamil Ragep (McGill)<\/p>\n
5:00 – 6:00\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Concert: Peabody Consort, Mark Cudek, Director – \u201cMusic of Three Faiths\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0(music from the Court of Alfonso X)<\/p>\n
6:00- \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Reception<\/p>\n\n
ABSTRACTS:<\/p>\n
Session 1 : Art and Architecture (9:30-11:45)<\/strong><\/p>\n 9:30 – 10:15 :\u00a0 \u201cA Space of Exchange: The Intersection of Mediterranean Visual Identities,\u201d\u00a0 Eva R. Hoffman, Tufts University.<\/p>\n The circulation of art and culture provides a vantage through which to explore the dynamic cross-cultural exchanges that characterized the medieval Mediterranean world between the 10th<\/sup> and 13th<\/sup> centuries. Through a lens of cultural mobility, furthermore, we may challenge traditional classifications of works of art into fixed categories such as \u201cIslamic\u201d, \u201cChristian\u201d, \u201cJewish\u201d and offer an alternative, more holistic model for mapping art and culture of the region. In this paper, I explore a variety of works that crossed religious, political, and geographic boundaries in the Mediterranean. A discourse of portability allows us to expand the location of visual identity beyond individual dynastic and religious sites of origin to a \u201cspace of exchange\u201d. This arena of the medieval Mediterranean world in which works were circulated and viewed, inspired a multiplicity of intersections with an emphasis on interactivity that were multidirectional.<\/p>\n 10:15 – 11:00 : \u201cBeyond Boundaries: Istanbul\u2019s Greek Architects and the Globality of Ottoman Baroque Architecture,\u201d \u00dcnver R\u00fcstem, Johns Hopkins University<\/p>\n The Ottoman capital of Istanbul was transformed in the eighteenth century by the rise of a new building style that scholars have dubbed \u201cOttoman Baroque\u201d in reference to its idiosyncratic adaptation of European-inspired forms. Although dismissed as decadent and inauthentic by many modern observers, such architecture was in its own day highly esteemed by locals and foreigners alike, challenging the idea that the Ottoman Empire succumbed to Western \u201cinfluence\u201d as it looked for remedies to its decline. Focusing on the leading role of Istanbul\u2019s Greek architects and their transnational networks in assimilating Western models, this talk shows that the empire\u2019s embrace of the Baroque was a conscious and creative move that invoked the Ottomans\u2019 own claim to a Greco-Roman artistic heritage. The resultant monuments, which reasserted the empire\u2019s status in locally grounded but globally resonant terms, compel us to think beyond restrictive East-West binaries and to consider the kinds of cross-cultural interactions and overlaps that gave the Ottoman Baroque its far-reaching scope, appeal, and significance.<\/p>\n 11:00 – 11:45 :\u00a0\u00a0\u201cProductive Destruction: Islamic Jerusalem after the Destruction of the Holy Sepulcher,\u201d\u00a0Jennifer Pruitt, University of Wisconsin-Madison.<\/p>\n The Fatimid era of Islamic architecture (909-1171) is often held up as an example of artistic efflorescence occurring in concert with multicultural tolerance.\u00a0 The notable exception given to this narrative is the reign of the \u201cmad\u201d caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah (r. 996-1021), who destroyed the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem and most of the churches in his land. This paper explores Fatimid architecture in Jerusalem in the period immediately following al-Hakim\u2019s destruction of the famous church. Looking at reconstructions, repairs, and demolitions on the Islamic Haram al-Sharif and the Christian Holy Sepulcher, it explores the resurgence of architectural patronage in the early eleventh century. This paper argues that rather than being purely destructive, al-Hakim\u2019s incursion in the city acted as a catalyst for his successor\u2019s investment in the city — suggesting a constructive counterpart to medieval architectural destruction.<\/p>\n Session 2 : Science and Medicine (1:00-3:15)<\/strong><\/p>\n 1:00 – 1:45 : \u201cTwo Scientific Textbooks in Islam that (Nevertheless) Persisted,\u201d Sally Ragep, McGill University<\/p>\n Ma\u1e25m\u016bd al-Jaghm\u012bn\u012b, who hailed from Central Asia, wrote a corpus of introductory scientific textbooks in Arabic in the late twelfth\/early thirteenth centuries. Two of these textbooks became extremely popular: one a treatise on theoretical astronomy and another an abridgment of Ibn S\u012bn\u0101 [Avicenna]\u2019s famous medical compendium. This presentation discusses the influence of these two texts and their many commentaries and translations that were studied extensively for over eight centuries throughout much of the Islamic world. Far from being a stagnant, unchanging tradition, these two texts and their many derivative works indicate a vibrant, evolving pedagogy in astronomy and medicine that could accommodate new ideas, whether by Islamic scholars or from other cultural traditions.<\/p>\n 1:45 – 2:30 : \u201cGraeco-Arabic Science among the Medieval Jews of Cairo: The Fragmentary Evidence,\u201d Gabriele Ferrario, Johns Hopkins University<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em>The translation and assimilation of Greek philosophy and science in the medieval Arabo-Islamic world had a crucial influence not only on the development of Islamic thought, but also on the culture of the other religious communities that lived under Islamic rule. My talk will address the penetration of Graeco-Arabic philosophical and scientific lore within medieval Jewish communities by analyzing the rich evidence retrieved from the Cairo Genizah, a storage room for sacred (and also secular) writings attached to the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Old Cairo. Among the 350,000 manuscript fragments retrieved from the Genizah, manuscripts of scientific and philosophical works represent a unique and surprisingly rich cache.<\/p>\n 2:30 – 3:15 : \u201cTraders, Scholars, and Players: Jews, Muslims, and Christians,\u201d Robert Morrison, Bowdoin College<\/p>\n This presentation, focused on intellectual life in the Eastern Mediterranean around 1500, will describe a multi-religious network of scholars and traders, some of whom were also facile with court culture. This network\u00a0bridged the Ottoman Empire, Candia (on Crete), and the Veneto.\u00a0\u00a0The scholars exchanged information on topics that included astronomy, astrology, medicine, philosophy, and religious thought. \u00a0Although historians of science have been most attracted to the possibility of explaining the parallels between Renaissance astronomy and the astronomy of Islamic societies, this presentation demonstrates that there is a much broader context that comprised a number of fields and that the broader context for this scholarly exchange was commercial activity. \u00a0Most important, we shall see that information flowed in both directions as the scholarly intermediaries were quite interested in developments in Europe.<\/p>\n Keynote Address (3:30 – 4:45)<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cTales of Transmission: Scientific Exchanges in the Pre-modern Period,\u201d F. Jamil Ragep, McGill University<\/p>\n Tracing the transmission of scientific ideas, theories, instruments, terms\u2014just to name a few possibilities\u2014is an important part of the history of science. But why is it important? One of the things we can learn is that transmission involves selection and transformation, which can tell us significant things about both the transmitting and the receiving cultures. There is also serendipity, reminding us that history is contingent. In this talk, we will look at several cases of transmission during the premodern period, trying to draw some conclusions about inter-cultural transmission and its importance for helping us understand those cultures.<\/p>\n Concert (5:00 – 6:00),<\/strong> in the Great Hall of Levering Hall<\/p>\n The Peabody Consort: \u201cMusic of Three Faiths\u201d<\/p>\n Julie Bosworth, soprano<\/p>\n Mark Cudek, director, gittern, percussion<\/p>\n Brian Kay, oud, voice<\/p>\n Niccolo Seligmann, vielle<\/p>\n Guest artist: Daphna Mor, voice, ney, recorders<\/p>\n The Program in Islamic Studies<\/strong><\/p>\n The Program in Islamic Studies at Johns Hopkins University was established in 2014. We organize a variety of courses covering various time periods and geographical areas in a variety of disciplines intersecting with the Islamic world and its cultures. We offer an undergraduate minor and host speakers and events on campus throughout the academic year. Our aim is to educate students and promote understanding about Muslims and Islam in historical and comparative perspective, and in the context of Islam\u2019s co-existence with many other faiths. We support a cross-disciplinary approach that spans history, the history of science, the history of art, anthropology, sociology, philosophy, literature, Near Eastern studies, and other fields.<\/p>\n The 2018 Morris W. Offit Symposium on Muslims, Christians, and Jews around the Mediterranean has received additional cosponsorship from The Singleton Center for the Study of Premodern Europe and The Leonard and Helen R. Stulman Program in Jewish Studies<\/p>\n Morris W. Offit<\/strong> is Chairman of Offit Capital (a Wealth Management Advisory firm); prior to that time, he was Founder and CEO of OFFITBANK, a wealth management private bank, which merged into Wachovia Bank in 1999.\u00a0 Mr. Offit began his career in 1960 at Mercantile Safe Deposit and Trust Company in Baltimore in investment research.\u00a0 He joined Salomon Brothers in 1969 and for ten years was a General Partner, establishing the Stock Research Department with subsequent responsibility for fixed income and equity sales.<\/p>\n Mr. Offit received a BA from Johns Hopkins University (1957) and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (1960).\u00a0 He was the recipient of an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from Johns Hopkins University in 1996.\u00a0 In 1983, he served as Adjunct Professor of Finance at the Columbia Graduate School of Business, lecturing on the secondary capital markets. Primary affiliations in the non-profit sector include:\u00a0 Johns Hopkins University (Former Chairman), Jewish Museum (Former Chairman), UJA-Federation of New York (Former Chairman and President), and WNET (Trustee), The American Museum of the Revolution (Philadelphia) (Trustee). Mr. Offit was formerly a Director of the AIG Board and Chairman of Finance and Risk Management Committee.<\/p>\n The Program in Islamic Studies at Johns Hopkins University gratefully acknowledges Mr. Offit\u2019s generous support that made this Symposium possible, and whose gifts and encouragement have so greatly enriched the Program\u2019s offerings and operation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The 2018 Morris W. Offit Symposium on Muslims, Christians, and Jews in the Mediterranean World \u201cFaiths in Dialogue: Art and Architecture, Science and Medicine\u201d Friday 9 March 2018 Homewood Campus Gilman Hall, Room 50 9-5 Concert to follow, 5-6pm, Great Hall of Levering PROGRAM OVERVIEW: 8:30-9:15\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Light Breakfast 9:15-9:30\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Welcome and Opening Remarks (Niloofar Haeri […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-23","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/krieger.jhu.edu\/islamic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/krieger.jhu.edu\/islamic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/krieger.jhu.edu\/islamic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krieger.jhu.edu\/islamic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krieger.jhu.edu\/islamic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/krieger.jhu.edu\/islamic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":606,"href":"https:\/\/krieger.jhu.edu\/islamic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23\/revisions\/606"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/krieger.jhu.edu\/islamic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}