Alexander Jabbari
@ajab.bsky.social
Professor of sundry Persianate things. I write about language, literature, history, philology, politics.
Pinned
Alexander Jabbari
@ajab.bsky.social
· Oct 2
My latest article "Cosmopolitan Philology and Sacred Grammar" is out in @histandtheojrnl.bsky.social. I examine the 1st Persian grammar "Minhaj al-Talab" (1660, from China), using it to think through the history of Persian philology & the relationship between cosmopolitan/vernacular & Persian/Islam.
Reposted by Alexander Jabbari
In the Aures, yesterday was Pharaoh Day, ass n Ferɛun.
www.facebook.com/massa.khadid...
In local tradition, it's the day Pharaoh is thought to have drowned in the Red Sea as he pursued Moses, and the agricultural (Julian) New Year's Day.
This was calqued from a lunar calendar to a solar one:
www.facebook.com/massa.khadid...
In local tradition, it's the day Pharaoh is thought to have drowned in the Red Sea as he pursued Moses, and the agricultural (Julian) New Year's Day.
This was calqued from a lunar calendar to a solar one:
Massa Khadidja Saad
Assa d ass n ferɛun هل كل المناطق تحتفل به وهل تسمونه مزلغ ايضا ، اتمنى اثراء الموضوع
www.facebook.com
January 15, 2026 at 2:16 PM
In the Aures, yesterday was Pharaoh Day, ass n Ferɛun.
www.facebook.com/massa.khadid...
In local tradition, it's the day Pharaoh is thought to have drowned in the Red Sea as he pursued Moses, and the agricultural (Julian) New Year's Day.
This was calqued from a lunar calendar to a solar one:
www.facebook.com/massa.khadid...
In local tradition, it's the day Pharaoh is thought to have drowned in the Red Sea as he pursued Moses, and the agricultural (Julian) New Year's Day.
This was calqued from a lunar calendar to a solar one:
Finally deleted my Twitter account for good (long overdue)
January 14, 2026 at 4:20 PM
Finally deleted my Twitter account for good (long overdue)
Reposted by Alexander Jabbari
Today at 34 & Park in Minneapolis, a woman tried to drive down the street where a protest had broken out in front of a home ICE was raiding, saying she had a doctor apt to get to. ICE agents busted out her windows, cut off her seatbelt, and pulled her out before arresting her.
January 13, 2026 at 6:56 PM
Today at 34 & Park in Minneapolis, a woman tried to drive down the street where a protest had broken out in front of a home ICE was raiding, saying she had a doctor apt to get to. ICE agents busted out her windows, cut off her seatbelt, and pulled her out before arresting her.
Reposted by Alexander Jabbari
Our December 2025 "Philology Now" theme issue, edited by Valeria López Fadul and Courtney Weiss Smith, is out!
Read it here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/14682303...
Read it here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/14682303...
January 12, 2026 at 6:42 PM
Our December 2025 "Philology Now" theme issue, edited by Valeria López Fadul and Courtney Weiss Smith, is out!
Read it here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/14682303...
Read it here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/14682303...
Reposted by Alexander Jabbari
#ArticleSnapshot📸: #PhilologyNow editors Valeria López Fadul and Courtney Weiss Smith "make a case for 'philology' as a useful sign under which to consider the ways historians are already working with words in their efforts to understand the past."
Read their introduction: doi.org/10.1111/hith...
Read their introduction: doi.org/10.1111/hith...
PHILOLOGY NOW: EDITORS’ INTRODUCTION
In this introduction to the “Philology Now” theme issue, we make a case for “philology” as a useful sign under which to consider the ways historians are already working with words in their efforts to...
doi.org
January 13, 2026 at 2:54 PM
#ArticleSnapshot📸: #PhilologyNow editors Valeria López Fadul and Courtney Weiss Smith "make a case for 'philology' as a useful sign under which to consider the ways historians are already working with words in their efforts to understand the past."
Read their introduction: doi.org/10.1111/hith...
Read their introduction: doi.org/10.1111/hith...
Reposted by Alexander Jabbari
Moritz Steinschneider Prize is “specifically aimed at doctoral and postdoctoral students and postdoctoral researchers who have made outstanding contributions to the development and analysis of Jewish primary sources in their research."
#jewishstudies
mjsnow.hypotheses.org/20131
#jewishstudies
mjsnow.hypotheses.org/20131
Moritz Steinschneider Prize
According to their call, the Moritz Steinschneider Prize is “specifically aimed at doctoral and postdoctoral students and postdoctoral researchers who have made outstanding contributions to the develo...
mjsnow.hypotheses.org
January 4, 2026 at 9:12 PM
Moritz Steinschneider Prize is “specifically aimed at doctoral and postdoctoral students and postdoctoral researchers who have made outstanding contributions to the development and analysis of Jewish primary sources in their research."
#jewishstudies
mjsnow.hypotheses.org/20131
#jewishstudies
mjsnow.hypotheses.org/20131
Fuck
BREAKING: Federal law enforcement shooting reported in south Minneapolis; Border Patrol Chief Bovino on scene
BREAKING: Federal shooting in south Minneapolis; Border Chief Bovino on scene
A federal law enforcement shooting was reported in south Minneapolis at E. 34th Street and Portland Avenue. Border Chief Gregory Bovino is on scene.
sahanjournal.com
January 7, 2026 at 5:10 PM
Fuck
Reposted by Alexander Jabbari
It’s here! I’m delighted to share a new theme issue of @histandtheojrnl.bsky.social, “Philology Now.” Valeria López Fadul and I edited this issue, featuring smart contributions by Emily Apter, Peter de Bolla, Alan Durston, Cymone Fourshey, Claire Gilbert, Anthony Grafton…
historyandtheory.org/64-4
historyandtheory.org/64-4
Philology Now – Volume 64, Number 4 — History and Theory
History and Theory, Volume 64, Number 4
historyandtheory.org
January 5, 2026 at 4:14 PM
It’s here! I’m delighted to share a new theme issue of @histandtheojrnl.bsky.social, “Philology Now.” Valeria López Fadul and I edited this issue, featuring smart contributions by Emily Apter, Peter de Bolla, Alan Durston, Cymone Fourshey, Claire Gilbert, Anthony Grafton…
historyandtheory.org/64-4
historyandtheory.org/64-4
Reposted by Alexander Jabbari
@ajab.bsky.social Alexander Jabbari, @helgejojo.bsky.social Helge Jordheim, Alexandra Lianeri, David Lurie, Nancy Partner, and Ronit Ricci.
Come think with us about the relationships between and among languages, histories, and methods!
Come think with us about the relationships between and among languages, histories, and methods!
January 5, 2026 at 4:19 PM
@ajab.bsky.social Alexander Jabbari, @helgejojo.bsky.social Helge Jordheim, Alexandra Lianeri, David Lurie, Nancy Partner, and Ronit Ricci.
Come think with us about the relationships between and among languages, histories, and methods!
Come think with us about the relationships between and among languages, histories, and methods!
Reposted by Alexander Jabbari
woohoo! uc press cover design, fall 2026 insha'allah. ✨
January 3, 2026 at 5:22 PM
woohoo! uc press cover design, fall 2026 insha'allah. ✨
Reposted by Alexander Jabbari
My two main reading groups this year
January 2, 2026 at 7:27 PM
My two main reading groups this year
Reposted by Alexander Jabbari
my book, _Islamic Ethics and Spiritual Sovereignty: Genres of Tradition in Muslim South Asia_, will be published by @undpress.bsky.social in June 2026
i'm going through the proofs, and don't see any typos in the epilogue, so sharing this 3-page essay here
undpress.nd.edu/978026821090...
i'm going through the proofs, and don't see any typos in the epilogue, so sharing this 3-page essay here
undpress.nd.edu/978026821090...
January 2, 2026 at 1:46 AM
my book, _Islamic Ethics and Spiritual Sovereignty: Genres of Tradition in Muslim South Asia_, will be published by @undpress.bsky.social in June 2026
i'm going through the proofs, and don't see any typos in the epilogue, so sharing this 3-page essay here
undpress.nd.edu/978026821090...
i'm going through the proofs, and don't see any typos in the epilogue, so sharing this 3-page essay here
undpress.nd.edu/978026821090...
Reposted by Alexander Jabbari
New Medieval Books: The Emergence of Arabic Poetry www.medievalists.net/2024/12/new-... #poetry
New Medieval Books: The Emergence of Arabic Poetry - Medievalists.net
Offering a fresh look at the origins and development of Arabic poetry, this book argues that pre-Islamic poetry reflected regional identities and that later Islamic scholars favoured a specific style…
www.medievalists.net
December 27, 2025 at 3:17 PM
New Medieval Books: The Emergence of Arabic Poetry www.medievalists.net/2024/12/new-... #poetry
Reposted by Alexander Jabbari
do you also sometimes feel like literally anything worth doing in life requires knowledge of Persian poetry
December 27, 2025 at 7:40 PM
do you also sometimes feel like literally anything worth doing in life requires knowledge of Persian poetry
I saw Jafar Panahi's It Was Just an Accident. With less than a week left in the year it snagged the #1 spot on my worst films of 2025 list.
December 27, 2025 at 3:10 AM
I saw Jafar Panahi's It Was Just an Accident. With less than a week left in the year it snagged the #1 spot on my worst films of 2025 list.
There should be a new straight edge movement that shuns scrolling, slop, and AI
December 26, 2025 at 2:22 PM
There should be a new straight edge movement that shuns scrolling, slop, and AI
MESA book fair haul
November 26, 2025 at 6:42 PM
MESA book fair haul
En route to DC for MESA!
November 22, 2025 at 2:53 PM
En route to DC for MESA!
Reposted by Alexander Jabbari
If you use GMail, AI (Gemini) was turned on yesterday by default and now scans all of your content for machine learning. To turn off, go to Settings>General and scroll down. Uncheck the box for "Smart features."
There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
November 20, 2025 at 5:32 PM
If you use GMail, AI (Gemini) was turned on yesterday by default and now scans all of your content for machine learning. To turn off, go to Settings>General and scroll down. Uncheck the box for "Smart features."
There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
Zazaki language classes online
Beginner to advanced, scholarships available
Classes cover grammar fundamentals, real‑time speaking/listening practice, reading and writing drills, fun interactive activities (games, role‑play, music, literature)
www.halbuki.org/zazaki
Beginner to advanced, scholarships available
Classes cover grammar fundamentals, real‑time speaking/listening practice, reading and writing drills, fun interactive activities (games, role‑play, music, literature)
www.halbuki.org/zazaki
Zazaki | Halbuki
Online Modern Zazaki Language Lessons from Beginner to Advanced Levels.
www.halbuki.org
November 16, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Zazaki language classes online
Beginner to advanced, scholarships available
Classes cover grammar fundamentals, real‑time speaking/listening practice, reading and writing drills, fun interactive activities (games, role‑play, music, literature)
www.halbuki.org/zazaki
Beginner to advanced, scholarships available
Classes cover grammar fundamentals, real‑time speaking/listening practice, reading and writing drills, fun interactive activities (games, role‑play, music, literature)
www.halbuki.org/zazaki
English #etymology of the day: the word "mocha" (as in coffee) is ultimately from the name of the city of Mocha or المخا al-Mukhā in Yemen. A port city on the Red Sea, Mocha played an important role in the historic coffee trade. "Moka pot" also has the same etymology.
Reading about Rabbi Baruch ben Shumel. Born in Pinsk, immigrated to Safed (1819) and then travelled widely in the Arab world. Became the physician of the Imam of Sanaa, al-Imam al-Mahdi Abdallah, and then killed by him (after advising the Imam to refrain from sex, and asking to be governor of Mocha)
November 8, 2025 at 10:54 PM
English #etymology of the day: the word "mocha" (as in coffee) is ultimately from the name of the city of Mocha or المخا al-Mukhā in Yemen. A port city on the Red Sea, Mocha played an important role in the historic coffee trade. "Moka pot" also has the same etymology.