W.M. Watt Lecture In briefDate - 17 November 2025Venue - Meadows Lecture Theatre, Medical SchoolSpeaker - Professor Emily Selove (University of Exeter)Title - Medieval Arabic Magic between Historical Cartoons and Philological InquiryW.M. Watt LectureArabic 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 2025 lectureWe 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 InquiryThis 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 speakerEmily 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.How to joinThis event is open to all, and free to attend. No registration is required, simply turn up on the day.Previous lectures in the seriesSpeakerDateVenueThemeProfessor Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi (École Pratique des Hautes Études/PSL - Sorbonne)27 May 202450 George Square and onlineShi'i Islam: Doctrinal Foundations and Historical DevelopmentsEmerita Professor Carole Hillenbrand (University of Edinburgh)1 November 202250 George Square and onlineMary, the mother of Jesus, in IslamProfessor Paul Starkey (Durham University)30 October 2019David Hume TowerIn Search of Identity: Faris al-Shidyaq and the 19th-Century Arabic RevivalDr Linda Komaroff (Los Angeles County Museum of Art)28 November 201850 George SquareDining with the Sultan: Reflections on the Fine Art of Feasting at the Islamic CourtsProfessor Nur Masalha2 November 2017Playfair LibraryPowerful Symbols and the British-Zionist Alliance: From Balfour to the NakbaProfessor Maribel Fierro (Spanish National Research Council, Spain)4 November 2016Old Medical SchoolCharisma and Anti-Charisma in al-AndalusProfessor Carole Hillenbrand23 October 2015Playfair LibraryMontgomery Watt: The Man and The ScholarAre you interested in studying Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies?We are internationally recognised as a leading institution for studying Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Middle Eastern Studies, offering both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.Find out more about Islamic and Middle Eastern studies at Edinburgh Tags Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Nov 17 2025 17.00 - 19.00 W.M. Watt Lecture Join us in person for the W.M. Watt Lecture 2025 by Professor Emily Selove (University of Exeter). Meadows Lecture Theatre Medical School University of Edinburgh EH8 9AG Find the venue
W.M. Watt Lecture In briefDate - 17 November 2025Venue - Meadows Lecture Theatre, Medical SchoolSpeaker - Professor Emily Selove (University of Exeter)Title - Medieval Arabic Magic between Historical Cartoons and Philological InquiryW.M. Watt LectureArabic 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 2025 lectureWe 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 InquiryThis 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 speakerEmily 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.How to joinThis event is open to all, and free to attend. No registration is required, simply turn up on the day.Previous lectures in the seriesSpeakerDateVenueThemeProfessor Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi (École Pratique des Hautes Études/PSL - Sorbonne)27 May 202450 George Square and onlineShi'i Islam: Doctrinal Foundations and Historical DevelopmentsEmerita Professor Carole Hillenbrand (University of Edinburgh)1 November 202250 George Square and onlineMary, the mother of Jesus, in IslamProfessor Paul Starkey (Durham University)30 October 2019David Hume TowerIn Search of Identity: Faris al-Shidyaq and the 19th-Century Arabic RevivalDr Linda Komaroff (Los Angeles County Museum of Art)28 November 201850 George SquareDining with the Sultan: Reflections on the Fine Art of Feasting at the Islamic CourtsProfessor Nur Masalha2 November 2017Playfair LibraryPowerful Symbols and the British-Zionist Alliance: From Balfour to the NakbaProfessor Maribel Fierro (Spanish National Research Council, Spain)4 November 2016Old Medical SchoolCharisma and Anti-Charisma in al-AndalusProfessor Carole Hillenbrand23 October 2015Playfair LibraryMontgomery Watt: The Man and The ScholarAre you interested in studying Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies?We are internationally recognised as a leading institution for studying Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Middle Eastern Studies, offering both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.Find out more about Islamic and Middle Eastern studies at Edinburgh Tags Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Nov 17 2025 17.00 - 19.00 W.M. Watt Lecture Join us in person for the W.M. Watt Lecture 2025 by Professor Emily Selove (University of Exeter). Meadows Lecture Theatre Medical School University of Edinburgh EH8 9AG Find the venue
Nov 17 2025 17.00 - 19.00 W.M. Watt Lecture Join us in person for the W.M. Watt Lecture 2025 by Professor Emily Selove (University of Exeter).
