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Dr. Ghassan El Masri

Ghassan El Masri

Freie Universität Berlin

Fachbereich Geschichts- und Kulturwissenschaften

Seminar für Semitistik und Arabistik

Guest docent

Deputy of Prof. Dr. Beatrice Gründler in winter 2017/18 and summer 2018

Address
Fabeckstr. 23/25
14195 Berlin
Email
gmasri@zedat.fu-berlin.de

Currently a lecture at the institute; was head of the DFG research project Ruin to Resurrection at Corpus Coranicum at the Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften in Berlin-Potsdam, providing a database of Arabic poetry for the Academy’s Quran project.  His research is mainly focused on the Quran in its literary historical context, especially its relation to pre- and early Islamic poetry and the early lexical sources. Current research: Islamic historiography and the role of eschatology and political-theology in shaping representations of history and the future in contemporary Arabic and Islamic societies. His first book, a semantic-theological study of the Quranic concept of al-āḫira is expected to be on libraries’ bookshelves this year.

Education

2006-2011 Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany: Dr. Phil. magna cum laude- Arabic Studies

1999–2002 University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada: Philosophy - PhD Candidate

1996–1999 American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon: M.A. Philosophy (with high distinction)

1991–1996 American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon: B.A. Philosophy (with distinction)

Professional Experience

Present Seminar für Semitistik und Arabistik – Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany: Guest Lecturer, Seminar für Semitistik und Arabistik                          

2013-2017 Project: Ruin to Resurrection, Potsdam, Germany: Project Leader, Corpus Coranicum at Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften (host), Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (sponsor)

2014-Present GMP Architekten von Gerkan, Marg und Partner, Berlin, Germany: Consultant for Arab and Islamic Affairs (freelance)

2010-2016 Mideast Mirror, London, UK: Language Editor

2007–2017 Seminar für Semitistik und Arabistik – Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany: Part-time Lecturer

2012–2013 Institut für Islamwissenschaft – Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany: Academic Coordinator – Intellectual History of the Islamicate World.

2011–2012 Dahlem Humanities Center – Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany: Postdoctoral Research Fellow

2010 Corpus Coranicum at Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Potsdam, Germany: Junior Researcher

Honours and Awards

  • International Design Ideas Competition: The Nobel Quran Oasis - Al Madinah Al Munawarah Development Authority, Finalist with GMP Architekten. Link to project: http://www.designboom.com/architecture/gmp-architekten-noble-quran-oasis-medina-07-03-2014/
  • Ideenwettbewerb Juniorforum, Dahlem Humanities Center, 2011, Germany.
  • Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst, scholarship, 2006-2010, Germany.
  • Dean of Students Funding Guarantee at the University of Calgary, 2000-2002, Canada.
  • Faculty of Graduate Studies Research Scholarships at the University of Calgary, 2001-2002, Canada.
  • Graduate Assistantship 1996-1998, American University of Beirut, Lebanon.
  • Undergraduate Scholarship, 1995-1996, American University of Beirut, Lebanon.
  • Dean’s Honor’s List - American University of Beirut, 1994-1998, Lebanon.

Lectures in winter 2017/18


Lectures in summer 2017

  • 14288 Lektürekurs
    Der Koran als Literatur (Ghassan El-Masri)
    Zeit: Mi 10:00-12:00 (Erster Termin: 19.04.2017)
    Ort: 1.2052 Seminarraum (Fabeckstr. 23-25)

Further teaching experience

The list below contains courses taught at the Seminar für Semitistik und Arabistik at the Freie Universität Berlin:

WiSe 07/08 Literatur und Gesellschaft: Readings from Maqamat al-Hariri

SoSe 08 Literatur und Gesellschaft: Muallaqat and the Quran

WiSe 08/09 Literatur und Gesellschaft: The Early Arabic Philological Tradition

SoSe 09 K I: Der Koran in seiner spätantiken Umgebung

WiSe 09/10 Literatur und Gesellschaft: Pre-Islamic Poetry

SoSe11 Literatur und Gesellschaft: Themes from Pre- and early Islamic Poetry

SoSe 12 K I: Der Koran in seiner spätantiken Umgebung

WiSe 12/13 Literatur und Gesellschaft: The Quran and Pre-Islamic poetry

WiSe 13/14 Literatur und Gesellschaft: The Arabic Chrestomathy: Cases of Ambiguity

WiSe 14/15 Literatur und Gesellschaft: Reading the Roots of Arabic Literature

SoSe 15 K I: Der Koran in seiner spätantiken Umgebung

SoSe 17 K I: Der Koran in seiner spätantiken Umgebung

Articles:

  • “Maʾsal: what the ṭalal would tell us” in New directions in Quranic Studies, M. Sells and A. Neuwirth (eds.), New York: Routledge, 2016.
  • “Min al-baʿad ilá al-āḫira: Poetic Time and Qurʾanic Eschatology” in Les origines du Coran, le Coran des origins: Proceeding of the colloquium François Déroche, Christian Julien Robin et Michel Zink (éds.)", Paris: Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, 2015.
  • «Contribution à une meilleure compréhension de l’histoire de la Digue de Maʾrib au Yémen» , avec Ch. Darles, Ch. Robin et J. Schiettecattedans F. Baratte, en Ch. Robin & E. Rocca (éd.), Regards croisés d’Orient et d’Occident. Les barrages dans l’Antiquité tardive. Actes du colloque tenu à Paris les 7–8 Janvier 2011 (Orient et Méditerranée, 13), Paris, De Boccard, p. 7‐68.
  • “The Qur`ān and the Character of Early Arabic Poetry”, in Quran and Adab, Nuha Shaar (ed.), Oxford University Press, 2017.

Book reviews:

  • Nasser, Shady Hekmat, The Transmission of the Variant Readings of the Qur’an: The Problem of Tawāṭur and the Emergence of Shawādhdh, Leiden: Brill, 2013 in al-Abḥāth, American University of Beirut, 2018.
  • Lange, Christian, Paradise and Hell in Islamic Traditions, Cambridge University Press, 2015 in Journal of Islamic Ethics, Brill 2018.

Forthcoming:

  • The Meaning of the Word: al-āḫira [manuscript].
  • Altarabische Dichtung at the Corpus Coranicum, BBAW [digital database].

Radio:

  • Sure 103 Verse 1-3Das Ringen mit der Zeit in Koran Erklärt, Deutschland Radio (aired Dec. 2016).