IIS Update 2023

The IIS Update is an annual publication by the Institute of Ismaili Studies that recaps the work and research in the previous year. You can read the 2023 IIS Update below:

As the external communications officer of the Institute of Ismaili Studies, I was tasked with overseeing the creation of the IIS Update. Having never encountered the IIS Update before, it being a largely internal publication, I quickly set to work studying editions of the magazine from previous years.

My goal for this magazine was to share with larger audiences the specific work of the Institute with a focus on what goes on ‘behind the scenes’: the inner-workings of the Institute that usually goes unseen.

Managing: as the managing editor of the magazine, I had to coordinate with all the contributors including writers, photographers, designers, and printers.

Writing: in some cases, contributors were unable to meet deadlines or content sources. In these cases, I opted to ‘ghost-write’ these pieces, including:

• Coming Out into the Light’, pages 18-21

• ‘Writing for the Jamat’, pages 26-27

I also wrote my own piece, based on an interview with one of IIS’ authors. This was my first time writing in a pseudo-journalistic fashion, incorporating research and multiple interviews into a cohesive piece.

• ‘Capturing the Experiences of the Jamatkhana’, pages 28-29

The 2023 IIS Update was met with amazing feedback both within the Institution and from the Ismaili community. The magazine was also used by graduate students of the Institute to supplement their exploration of The Quran: Form, Fragrance & Feeling, an exhibition at the Aga Khan Centre Gallery (covered on pages 22-25).