This conference seeks to move beyond existing paradigms and explore new approaches to the study of the Arab world and South Asia while uncovering understudied histories of exchange. The conference’s focus is on the period between the years following the First World War and the height of the Cold War.

The conference will take place at the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology in Cairo, on 9 & 10 May 2026. 

Institut français d’archéologie orientale (Ifao) in collaboration with Orient-Institut Beirut

Argument

Over the past decade, scholarly interest in connections between the Arab world and South Asia has grown considerably. Much of this work, groundbreaking in many cases, is marked by three characteristics. First, it tends to approach these connections primarily through the lens of religious exchange. Second, it often privileges individual trajectories over the broader, systemic dynamics of the networks linking the two regions. And third, it often remains shaped by disciplinary and regional compartmentalization—rooted in the legacies of area studies—which hampers efforts to identify, link, and compare phenomena common to both contexts.

This conference seeks to move beyond existing paradigms and explore new approaches to the study of the Arab world and South Asia while uncovering understudied histories of exchange. The conference’s focus is on the period between the years following the First World War and the height of the Cold War. The exchange and these connections we seek to investigate are manifold: they encompass the production of knowledge in one region of the other region; histories and imaginaries of anti-colonial solidarity; military and proto-diplomatic relations extending beyond colonial rule; the exchange of technological expertise; cultural and academic collaboration; and more. We welcome contributions that pay particular attention to unpublished sources across language and media, and provide original perspectives.

Aside from covering new ground in the fields of South Asia, Middle East, and global history, the conference seeks to foster a community of scholars interested in links, echoes, contrasts, and comparisons between South Asia and the Middle East. Since most scholars interested in such studies often come with a specialisation in the histories of one region rather than the other, we see the conference as an interesting opportunity to bring together two academic communities with the aim of sharing ideas, recommendations, and practical research advice.

Submission guidelines

The conference will take place at the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology in Cairo, on 9 & 10 May 2026. Travel and accommodation costs will be covered within the limits of the conference budget.

To apply, please send a title, an abstract (500 words) and a short biography, as well as a provisional travel plan at mail@aferrand.fr

before 1 November 2025. 

Selection Committee

Antoinette Ferrand (Ifao) & Simon Conrad (OIB)