The workshop on "Figures of Authority. Argumentative Strategies, Exemplary Motifs, and Narrative Patterns in the Political Advice Literature of the Premodern Islamic World" will investigate the rhetorical, narrative, and exemplary devices through which political advice literature in Arabic, Persian, and Turkish articulated authority across the premodern Islamic world. From the circle of justice to the metaphor of the lion-king, from Aristotle’s words of advice to Alexander to the anecdotes on Anūshirwān’s court, from the motif of light to signify the ruler’s authority as guarantor of rights and duties by dispelling obscurity to the Qurʾānic notion of God as mālik al-mulk (Q. 3:26), from the sisterhood of religion and kingship to the body-and-organs metaphor that explains the hierarchical structure of the polity—the repertoire of political advice literature abounds with recurring allegories, exemplary figures and narratives that both reflect and shape political discourse across centuries. Rather than treating these elements as accessory or stereotypical devices, the aim is to examine how they operate as integral parts of political reasoning and as powerful vehicles for specific messages, adapted to different contexts and audiences. 

We welcome proposals from scholars at all career stages. Please see the full CFP for further details on topics, submission guidelines, and deadlines. The deadline for submission is 15 December 2025.

Dr. Marianna Zarantonello, marianna.zarantonello@uni-tuebingen.de
Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Asien-Orient-Institut, Abt. Orient- und Islamwissenschaft