Jörg Matthias Determann's Blog, page 16

Roundtable at Digital Festival for the History of Science 2023

I am replete with gratitude to Michael Barany and Greg Radick for allowing me to participate in a roundtable of the Digital Festival for the History of Science 2023 (#BSHSDigiFest23). Our session is entitled “Beyond ‘Plato to NATO’: Reimagining the Introductory History of Science Course.” It will take place on July 3, 2023, at 5pm British Summer Time (BST). This event is hosted by the British Society for the History of Science. You can find ideas and resources from our workshop here: http://study.histsci.scot/doku.php?id...

Interview for the Express Tribune

Thank you very much and بہت بہت شکریہ to Zeeshan Ahmad for interviewing me about my I.B. Tauris book on Islam, Science Fiction and Extraterrestrial Life for the Express Tribune! Our conversation appeared under the title “From Arabian Nights to Star Wars” in the newspaper’s weekly T-Magazine on July 2, 2023. The Express Tribune is a leading English-language news organization in Pakistan and a partner of the New York Times International Edition. You can read our interview here: https://tribune.com.pk/story/2424376/...

Review of Islam, Science Fiction and Extraterrestrial Life on Middle East Monitor

Big thanks and شكراً جزيلاً to Omar Ahmed for reviewing my I.B. Tauris book on Islam, Science Fiction and Extraterrestrial Life for Middle East Monitor! Ahmed is a researcher and staff writer who holds a master’s degree in International Security and Global Governance from Birkbeck, University of London. He writes that my work “encourages readers to broaden their horizons and challenge preconceived notions about the relationship between Islam and science fiction. By delving into this lesser-known aspect of Muslim culture, one can appreciate the cultural diversity and creative expressions that exist within the Islamic world…and beyond.” Read Ahmed’s complete review here: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/202...

Article on teaching ancient history in the Gulf

Thanks a lot and ألف شكر to the fantastic team of Al-Fanar Media for publishing another article of mine! My essay is entitled “How to Make Ancient History Relevant to Students in the Gulf Today.” Special thanks go to Mohamed Elhawary for inviting me to contribute again and to Charles Huckabee for thorough and detailed edits. Gilgamesh Nabeel produced a marvelous translation into Arabic, as usual. Jeanne Vaz kindly read my initial draft prior to submission. As always, I have to thank Patty Paine for her continuous mentorship. Finally, I benefited from insightful conversations with members of the Department of Art History at Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar over the years, especially Leah Long and Bethany Lynn Simpson. You can read my piece here: https://www.al-fanarmedia.org/2023/06...

Recording of workshop on Extraterrestrial Intelligence and Islamic Thought on YouTube

Thank you, grazie, merci and شکریہ to everyone who participated in the workshop on “Extraterrestrial Intelligence and Islamic Thought” via Zoom on June 7, 2023! Special thanks go to our expert speakers Shoaib Ahmed Malik, Hamza Karamali, Richard Playford and Nour Skaf. I extend my gratitude to Daniela de Paulis, the pioneering leader of the A Sign in Space project, as well as to Rebecca McDonald and her amazing colleagues at the SETI Institute for making our webinar possible. In case you were unable to join our discussions live, you can now watch the recording on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx5vZ...

Scientific Imagination podcast on A Sign in Space

Hartelijk dank (thank you very much) to Sabine Winters for interviewing me for her beautiful and insightful podcast Scientific Imagination! I am very honored to have my voice included in the first episode of a special series on the project A Sign in Space. Also featured are our visionary project leader Daniela de Paulis and our distinguished team member Frank White. Scientific Imagination is part of Winter’s interdisciplinary philosophy platform Future Based. Listen to the show here: https://www.scientificimagination.org...

Chairing a panel at the University of Notre Dame

I give thanks to Matt Dowd for the opportunity to chair a fascinating session at the Fifteenth Biennial History of Astronomy Workshop at the University of Notre Dame (NDXV). On June 22, 2023, I am very honored to moderate a panel with Trudy E. Bell and Trent MacNamara. I am also immensely grateful to Liz Hamm, Sarah Reynolds, Dana Freiburger and others who are making NDXV happen. My supervisor, Patty Paine, our department coordinator, Mary Amat, and our travel agent, Dushan Rajith, further enabled my participation. Finally, I could not fly to the United States without having my wife, Jeanne Vaz, and our nanny, Marilou Magsayo Semetara, take excellent care of my daughter Maria back in Qatar. You can browse the full program of the workshop here: https://www3.nd.edu/~histast/workshop...

Presentation at Fifteenth Biennial History of Astronomy Workshop

I express profound gratitude to the organizing committee of the Fifteenth Biennial History of Astronomy Workshop at the University of Notre Dame (NDXV) for accepting a paper of mine. On June 24, 2023, I am scheduled to speak about “Celestial Movement: A History of Social Justice Activism in Astronomy.” I am very grateful to Wesley Hedden for chairing this session, which also includes Steven R. Gullberg and Ian Tasker. I further acknowledge my debt to my outstanding research assistants who contributed so much to my project. They include Shaheer Liaqat, Mila Zhanat, Tami Kaldari, Linda binti Ridzuan Chun and Kara Dauletkanova. You can view the program of NDXV here: https://www3.nd.edu/~histast/workshop...

Workshop on Extraterrestrial Intelligence and Islamic Thought

Grazie tante and many thanks to Daniela de Paulis and Rebecca McDonald for giving me the opportunity to organize a webinar hosted by the SETI Institute! I am thrilled to facilitate a conversation on “Extraterrestrial Intelligence and Islamic Thought” as part of the project A Sign in Space. Our distinguished speakers include Shoaib Ahmed Malik, Hamza Karamali, Richard Playford and Nour Skaf. Our workshop is scheduled for June 7, 2023. It is free and open to the public. You can find our panelists’ biographies and a registration link here: https://asignin.space/extraterrestria...