About this Event
W.M. Watt Lecture
Arabic has been taught at the University of Edinburgh for over 260 years, and today our department of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies (IMES) is globally recognised as a leading centre in the field.
From his appointment as Lecturer in Arabic in 1947, until his retirement as Professor in 1979, William Montgomery Watt made an outstanding contribution both to Islamic scholarship and to the development of IMES.
The inaugural Watt Lecture was launched in November 2015 to mark the 50th anniversary of Watt's Inaugural Lecture as the first Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies in Scotland.
The 2026 lecture
We are delighted to welcome Professor Emily Selove (University of Exeter) to deliver the eighth annual W.M. Watt Lecture.
Medieval Arabic Magic between Historical Cartoons and Philological Inquiry
This lecture explores key themes in the study of Medieval Islamic occult texts, focusing especially on jinn and other unseen entities invoked in Arabic grimoires such as Sirāj al-Dīn al-Sakkākī’s (d. 1229) Kitāb al-Shāmil wa-baḥr al-kāmil.
We will examine the methods by which sorcerers, philosophers, and other thinkers of the age studied the nature of these beings and the best way to interact with (or avoid) them. We will also explore the relationship of illusion and trickery to magic and the esoteric in this historical context.
Each topic is illustrated with a historical cartoon from Popeye and Curly: 120 Days in Medieval Baghdad. Thus we will walk the line between seriousness and play (jidd wa hazl) in approaching the study of Medieval Arabic literature in general, and the Islamic Occult in particular.
About the speaker
Emily Selove (PhD, UCLA) is an Associate Professor at the University of Exeter and convenor of its Centre for Magic and Esotericism. She launched the MA in Magic and Occult Sciences in 2023.
Her research focuses on medieval Arabic literature, poetry, and magic, with key works including The Hikayat Abu'l-Qasim and the 'A Sorcerer's Handbook' project on al-Sakkākī’s magic text.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Lecture Theatre A, 40 George Square, Lecture Theatre A, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
GBP 0.00
