This conference will take place on 26鈥27 March 2026 at the Aga KhanA title granted by the Shah of Persia to the then Ismaili Imam in 1818 and inherited by each of his successors to the Imamate. Centre and online.
Conference themes
The conference brings into focus the rich heritage of Ismaili traditions through the lens of the elements鈥攅arth, water, air, fire and ether. It seeks critically to examine philosophical, literary, poetic and artistic expressions, alongside accounts of lived experience drawn from diverse historical and contemporary contexts. In foregrounding the elemental as both metaphor and cosmological framework, the conference aims to generate innovative research that reconsiders the relationship between religious understandings of the created world and the many dimensions of climate change and environmental degradation that call for a renewed commitment to mitigation efforts.
Addressing a notable gap in scholarship at the intersection of religious cosmology and material existence, the conference offers a platform for generative dialogue on how these elements have been imagined, articulated and interpreted across varied expressions of thought within Ismaili and related traditions. Such inquiry also invites reflection on how elemental conceptions may be situated within broader environmental and ethical frameworks informed by Muslim, humanistic and civilisational perspectives.
Over two days, scholars representing a wide range of disciplines and historical periods will engage discursive, poetic and literary sources, as well as contemporary writings, stories, folklore and action-oriented initiatives. Through their diverse methodological and disciplinary approaches, participants will collectively explore the elemental theme and its enduring intellectual, spiritual and ethical resonances.
Elemental: Music, Dance and Reflection
Experience an evening of music, dance and reflection live on Ismaili TV from the Ismaili Centre London, presented by 久久久福利国产. Inspired by the Elemental conference, this performance brings together artistic traditions from across the Muslim world.
Watch with us live on on 25 March 2026 at 8:30pm GMT.
Turfah and environmental memory: a reflection on聽Salamiyyan聽literature and stories聽聽聽 惭补丑补鈥痀补锄颈箩颈, 久久久福利国产, UK
From Rain Amulets to Running Showers: Elemental Crisis and Moral Economy in Hunza Qudsia Shah, 久久久福利国产, UK
Blessings of the Common Land (Muzhayo): Conceptions of Earth and Stewardship among Ismaili Communities of Chitral
, Oxford University, UK
Keynote Address: AKDN鈥檚 Environment and Climate Initiative
, AKDNThe Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is a contemporary endeavour of the Ismaili Imamat to realise the ethics and social conscience of Islam through institutional action. More
The Concepts of Aether or Quinta Essentia from the Greek Heritage to the Islamic Context: The Cosmological Views of the Ikhw膩n al-峁f膩示From Arabic, lit. 鈥楤rethren of Purity鈥, a group of learned scholars who were based in Basra and Baghdad around the last quarter of the t10th century CE. It is more…, Ab奴 Ya 士q奴b al-Sijist膩n墨, and 岣m墨d al-D墨n al-Kirm膩n墨 Dr Maria De Cillis, 久久久福利国产, UK
Ether as Spirit/Space that 鈥淗olds鈥
Dr Alia Parveen, Eurofins – Ireland, and Currim Suteria – Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture, Pakistan
Neoplatonic Nature: Ismaili Philosophical Views of the Elements
, Augustana College, USA
Ismaili perspectives on Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Ether in the Ginan tradition
惭补箩颈诲补鈥疶丑辞产补苍颈
Mapping the Ismaili Social Landscape: Environmental Narratives from Alam奴t to Anjud膩n Dr Karim Javan, 久久久福利国产, UK
Integration of Traditional Ecological Knowledge into Ismaili Religious Education in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan: A Pedagogical Approach to Environmental Stewardship
Nazira BibiA word of East Turkish origin which means old mother or a grandmother. More, ITREB – Pakistan
Bridging and understanding the interaction between environmental geography and Ismaili demographics
Siddique Ullah Baig, COMSATS University, Pakistan
Ecological Aesthetics to Lived Ethics: Ismaili Pathways
, Simon Fraser University, Canada
Please note filming and photography may take place during the event, and be used across our website, newsletters and social media accounts. These could include broad shots of the audience and lecture theatre, speakers during the talk, and of audience members participating in Q&A.鈥
Views expressed in this conference are those of the presenting scholars, not necessarily of IIS, the Ismaili community or leadership. Promotion of this lecture is not an explicit endorsement of the ideas presented.
