The Prophet's Body is an interdisciplinary workshop that addresses issues concerning the representation of the Prophet Muhammad in its various forms. Convened by Professor Steven Caton, Professor David Roxburgh, and Yasmine Al-Saleh, the workshop meets around twice a semester and is designed to encourage discussions and exchanges between historians, art historians, and anthropologists on this understudied subject. Each meeting consists of a presentation on a particular topic followed by a round-table discussion. In order to facilitate as much discussion as possible, the participants are provided with relevant readings in advance of the meetings.

The workshop is open to all faculty and students with an interest in the topic and a willingness to participate fully in the discussions. If you are interested in attending, please contact the workshop coordinator, Ünver Rüstem (urustem@fas.harvard.edu).

Details of Previous Meetings

On 22 October 2007, Dr İrvin Schick presented a paper on calligraphic representations of the Prophet Muhammad. A copy of the presentation and a related reading can be accessed by clicking the links below:

Schick_Presentation_Text

Schick_Presentation_Images

Schick_Reading

On 10 December 2007, Professor David Roxburgh presented a paper on painted portraits of the Prophet Muhammad. A copy of the presentation together with scans of two related readings are posted below:

Roxburgh_Presentation

Roxburgh_Reading_(Necipoglu)

Roxburgh_Reading (Soucek)

On 25 February, Professor Stefan Heidemann led a discussion on his paper "Nebuchadnezzar and Saladin: the Political Iconography of History in Contemporary Political Representation in the Middle East." The paper, its illustrations, and two related readings can be downloaded by clicking the links below:

Heidemann_Paper_Text

Heidemann Paper Illustrations

Heidemann_Reading_(Ende)

Heidemann_Reading_(Hillenbrand)

Details of Forthcoming Meetings

The next meeting of the workshop will take place on Monday, 21 April, and will center on a presentation given by Yasmine Al-Saleh on the Dala'il al-Khayrat, the famous book of prayers for the Prophet composed by Muhammad al-Jazuli in fifteenth-century Morocco. Based on first-hand research conducted in Kuwait, the presentation will seek to present original ideas and raise new questions about this well-known work. In preparation for the workshop, participants are asked to read the following items:

Al-Saleh_Reading_(Asani_&_Abdel-Malek)

Al-Saleh_Reading_(Cornell)

For further background information, see: Cornell, Vincent J., Realm of the Saint: Power and Authority in Moroccan Sufism (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1998).