Research
Awards
Application opens: August 15, 2024
Deadline to apply: October 15, 2024
The Canadian Friends of Sufi Arts, Culture, and Knowledge™ (CFSACK®) Research Awards Program is dedicated to advancing the study and appreciation of Sufi arts, culture, and knowledge. This program offers financial support to students and scholars affiliated with Canadian higher educational or cultural institutions, enabling them to engage in various academic activities. These activities encompass fieldwork, archival research, and organizing conferences or workshops to foster academic publication.
Awarded candidates may potentially have the opportunity to gain exclusive access to the Musée d’Art et de Culture Soufis MTO™ in Chatou, France (20km outside Paris), upon request and subject to approval. The exclusive access would include complimentary admission to the museum, the opportunity to consult with the museum’s curators and researchers and privileged access to the museum's collections.
Subject areas eligible for the CFSACK Research Awards are wide-ranging and include any research project related to Sufi Art, Culture and Knowledge in fields including, but not limited to, art, art history, fine arts, anthropology, archaeology, architecture, classics, cultural studies, ethnomusicology, history, literature, philosophy, psychology, religious studies, and sociology. This diversity reflects the program's commitment to fostering a comprehensive understanding of Sufi culture across various disciplines.
Please review all documents linked above and our frequently asked questions section, and contact research.awards@cfsack.org with any other questions or clarifications related to the awards program.
Awards Committee Members
Dr. Angela Andersen
Dr. Angela Andersen holds a doctorate in the history of art. She has worked with not-for-profit organizations, museums, and educational institutions to focus on the role of architecture in human rights and community wellbeing. Her research engages the inter- and intra-religious interactions that take place via the built environment in Muslim contexts, with a focus on the architecture of minority and marginalized groups, including Sufi orders and Alevi lineages. Her publications examine the development and use of Alevi ceremonial sites known as cemevis, the social and legal ramifications of the oppression of these ceremonial settings, and the collection and analysis of oral history and verse as tools for examining the meaning of religious architecture. She teaches courses that explore both contemporary and historical art and architecture. Dr. Andersen was awarded the Margaret B. Ševčenko Prize in Islamic Art and Culture by the Historians of Islamic Art Association and fellowships with SSHRC, the Centre for Studies in Religion and Society at the University of Victoria, the Hamad bin Khalifa Symposium on Islamic Art, and the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at MIT. She is an Associate Editor with the International Journal of Islamic Architecture and the Program Coordinator of the Epidemic Urbanism Initiative.
Dr. William Rory Dickson
Dr. Dickson is an associate professor of Islamic Religion and Culture in the Religion and Culture Department at The University of Winnipeg. He completed a joint-PhD in Religious Studies (2012) at Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo, with a specialization in Islamic Studies. As an SSHRC Doctoral Fellow (2010-2011), Dr. Dickson attended the University of Toronto and the University of Copenhagen’s Graduate Research School in Damascus, Syria. His research focuses on contemporary Islam in general and Islamic mysticism (Sufism) in particular. His first book, Living Sufism in North America: Between Tradition and Transformation, explores the ways in which Sufi leaders in North America negotiate Sufism’s to Islam, authority, and gender. He is currently preparing a manuscript with Meena Sharify-Funk for an innovative introductory text on Sufism while continuing a number of research projects on Contemporary Islam. He has travelled throughout the Middle East, including Syria, Egypt, and Morocco.
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Dr. Majid Doroudi
Majid Doroudi is the Chair of the Board of Directors of CFSACK and its representative on the Research Awards Committee. He is an Associate Professor of Teaching in the Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. Dr. Doroudi has taught Anatomical Sciences, including Gross Anatomy, Embryology, Neuroanatomy, and Histology, to medical, dental, and allied health students for over thirty years. He has been awarded numerous grants to advance the medical curriculum by implementing integrated modules. His passion for this field led him to apply digital media in anatomical sciences education, where he established a YouTube channel to distribute his dissection videos to anatomy learners globally. He has presented his pedagogical research at both national and international conferences. Recognized for his excellence in teaching, he has received the Killam Teaching Award, ten Medical Undergraduate Society Teaching Awards, and the Excellence in Teaching Award from the UBC Faculty of Dentistry. He is the co-author of the textbook M&M Essential Anatomy.
Nooshin Esmaeili - Committee Chair
Nooshin is a Registered Architect in Canada, a sessional instructor, and a Ph.D. scholar at the School of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape (SAPL) at the University of Calgary. After earning her Master of Architecture and before returning to academia, Nooshin worked at several leading architectural firms. She focuses on exploring the 'Sense of Self' within transcendental architecture, investigating how spaces can bridge the inner and outer worlds to foster a state of eudaimonia. She specifically delves into Persian architecture and spirituality, examining them through the lens of Sufism to enrich her research. Nooshin was awarded the prestigious 2023 OBEL Teaching Fellowship that enabled her to teach a 6-month Architectural Studio course on the "Importance of Wellbeing in the Built Environment” at the Royal University of Bhutan (RUB), College of Science and Technology (CST). Additionally, Nooshin is the Chair of the Canada Chapter of the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture (ANFA), a member of the Transdisciplinary Advisory Committee at the University of Calgary and serves as the president of the Graduate Student Committee for the Canada SSHRC grant, which supports a pan-Canadian partnership focused on “Quality in Canada’s Built Environment: Roadmaps to Equity, Social Value, and Sustainability.”
Dr. Marcus Milwright
Dr. Marcus Milwright is a British Academy Global Professor in the Department of History of Art, University of York and professor of Islamic art and archaeology at the University of Victoria, Canada. His research focuses on the art and archaeology of the Islamic Middle East, labour and craft practices in the urban environment, and cross-cultural contacts in the Medieval Mediterranean. He is involved in archaeological and architectural projects in Jordan, Syria and Greece and has created the Crafts of Syria, Crafts of Iraq, and Talking about Art websites. Dr. Millwright’s books include An Introduction to Islamic Archaeology (Edinburgh, 2010), The Dome of the Rock and its Umayyad Mosaic Inscriptions (Edinburgh, 2016); Islamic Arts and Crafts: An Anthology (Edinburgh, 2017); The Queen of Sheba’s Gift: A History of the True Balsam of Matarea (Edinburgh, 2021); A Story of Islamic Art (Routledge, 2023), and the co-edited volume (with Evanthia Baboula), Made for the Eye of One Who Sees: Canadian Contributions to the Study of Islamic Art and Archaeology (McGill/Queens University Press, 2022).
Dr. Meena Sharify-Funk
Dr. Meena Sharify-Funk is a Professor in the Department of Religion and Culture at Wilfrid Laurier University. Dr. Sharify-Funk has written and presented several articles and papers on Sufi hermeneutics, women and Islam, and the role of cultural and religious factors in peacemaking. She has also written, co-authored, and co-edited several books including Muslim Women in Contemporary North America: Controversies, Clichés, and Conversations (2023), Contemporary Sufism: Piety, Politics, and Popular Culture (2018), Unveiling Sufism: From Manhattan to Mecca (2017), Encountering the Transnational: Women, Islam, and the Politics of Interpretation (2008), Contemporary Islam: Dynamic, Not Static (2006), and Cultural Diversity and Islam (2003).
Frequently
Asked
Questions
For any additional questions or clarifications, please contact research.awards@cfsack.org. Please check this section from time to time, as new questions received will be answered here.
Can I apply for this award if I conduct my studies outside Canada?
Yes, as long as you are affiliated with a Canadian higher educational or cultural institution.
Must I have already been accepted into a university program to be eligible for the CFSACK Awards?
All applicants should be admitted to a Canadian higher educational or cultural institution program to be eligible.
Is a research project application permissible to be submitted by a team of researchers?
Please contact research.awards@cfsack.org for information on team applications and their eligibility.
Do I need prior experience or projects related to Sufism to apply for the CFSACK Awards?
No, prior experience in Sufism-related projects is not necessary, but the proposed research must align with the goals and mission of CFSACK.
Is Canadian citizenship a requirement for applying for the CFSACK Awards?
No, the awards are open to all students affiliated with Canadian higher educational or cultural institutions, regardless of their citizenship status.
Can the award funds be used to cover tuition fees?
No, the CFSACK Awards cannot be used to pay tuition fees.
Who is eligible to apply for the CFSACK Awards?
All undergraduate, master's, doctoral candidates, and postdoctoral fellows whose research or projects relate to the missions and goals of CFSACK are eligible to apply.
What should I do if I do not have a supervisor to provide a letter for my application?
If you do not have a supervisor, please contact research.awards@cfsack.org for alternative supporting documentation.
What documents are required when submitting my application?
Please refer to the application instructions for a detailed checklist of required documents.
Can I apply for this award as an online student outside of Canada?
Yes, remote online students affiliated with Canadian institutions are eligible.
Are there specific GPA or academic performance requirements for the CFSACK Awards?
The application details will specify if there are any GPA or academic performance requirements.
How will I determine if I have been selected for the award?
Award recipients will be notified via email.
What is the application deadline for the CFSACK Awards?
The application deadline is October 15, 2024.