Submit an Essay

We invite scholars to contribute in-depth conceptual essays in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies. Our platform is dedicated to exploring the historical development, semantic evolution, and interpretive significance of key terms and ideas across time, place, and intellectual tradition.

These essays move beyond definition and summary. They illuminate how concepts emerge, evolve, and remain contested—across disciplines, languages, and intellectual traditions.

We welcome contributions from advanced graduate students, early-career researchers, and senior scholars alike. Our aim is to cultivate a vibrant, interdisciplinary forum grounded in rigor, clarity, and conceptual depth.

Scope

Submissions may engage concepts within or across fields such as:

Essays may focus on Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Urdu, or other relevant linguistic and regional contexts, including comparative or transregional approaches.

We particularly encourage essays that:

• Trace conceptual development across historical periods
• Examine semantic shifts across time and geography
• Analyze contested or evolving interpretations
• Situate terms within broader intellectual, theological, legal, or political debates
• Bridge classical and contemporary discourses

Length

• Short Essays: 250–1,000 words
• Long Essays: 1,000–5,000 words

All submissions should combine scholarly rigor with clarity and accessibility. Essays should be analytically grounded, historically attentive, and accessible to advanced students and scholars across related disciplines.

Original and Previously Published Work

We accept both original and previously published material.

Original submissions must not be under review elsewhere at the time of submission.

Previously published work (including journal articles, book chapters, encyclopedia entries, or scholarly essays) may be submitted provided that:

• The author holds the rights to republish the material, or
• The author has secured written permission from the copyright holder.

The original publication venue and full citation must be clearly indicated. Any acknowledgment language required by the original publisher must be included. Authors may revise or adapt previously published work for this format, subject to copyright permissions.

Authors are responsible for confirming rights status and obtaining any necessary permissions prior to publication.

Why Contribute?

This platform offers:

• A space to develop and showcase conceptual expertise
• An interdisciplinary and international readership
• A format that allows depth without the constraints of a conventional journal article
• An opportunity to shape conversations around foundational terms and debates

We are building a living intellectual archive—one that treats concepts not as static definitions, but as historically situated, interpretively layered, and continually evolving.

How to Submit

Please send your completed essay (as a Word document or PDF) to: publications@iiit.org

Include:

• Your full name
• Institutional affiliation (if applicable)
• A brief biographical note (2–3 sentences)
• Confirmation regarding copyright status (for previously published material, if applicable)

We look forward to reviewing your submission and to fostering a rich, collaborative forum for conceptual inquiry in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies.