Archive for October, 2021
Shii News – ‘Grand Imam of Al-Azhar set for historic meeting with top Shiite cleric in Iraq’
Amwaj Media:
Daily Briefing | Exclusive: Grand Imam of Al-Azhar set for historic meeting with top Shiite cleric in Iraq Amwaj.media has learned that the top Sunni scholar will meet with the Shiite supreme religious authority and pray at the holy shrine in Najaf.
See: <https://us7.campaign-archive.com/?e=c16528989a&u=bad46ac1df2d13e609949e861&id=5f37ed5e00>
- October 07, 2021
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
- October 06, 2021
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1.ONLINE Lecture on “The Iraqi Uprising and the Political Imagination” by Zahra Ali, Crown Cen-ter for Middle East Studies, Brandeis University, 6 October 2021, 11:00 am – 12:15 pm EDT
Since October 2019, Iraq has been experiencing an unprecedented movement of popular protests that is mobilizing a new generation to demand radical political change. What do uprisings and mass protests tell us about power in the contemporary world? How do protesters both challenge and assert dominant power struc-tures?
Information and registration: https://brandeis.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_JmJCQxzDRNqny1ZgSDLyKg
2. ONLINE Lecture: “Iran in Motion: Mobility, Space, and the Trans-Iranian Railway”, Department of Middle East Studies, University of Southern California, 6 October 2021, 3:30 pm – 4:50 pm PST
Completed in 1938, the Trans-Iranian Railway connected Tehran to Iran’s two major bodies of water: the Caspian Sea in the north and the Persian Gulf in the south. In this talk, Mikiya Koyagi discusses the case of travelers to illustrate how the railway project reshaped local, national, and transnational experiences of space.
Information and registration: https://mesana.org/resources-and-opportunities/2021/09/21/iran-in-motion-mobility-space-and-the-trans-iranian-railway
3. ONLINE Book Launch: “Routledge Handbook on Contemporary Egypt”, Edited by Robert Springborg, Amr Adly, Anthony Gorman, Tamir Moustafa, Aisha Saad, Naomi Sakr, Sarah Smierciak, Simon Frazer University, 6 & 13 & 20 & 27 October & 10 November 2021, 1:00 pm EST
The School for International Studies at SFU will be hosting a series of panels exploring the central themes of each section of the book, including history, politics, economy, law and human rights, and media and popular culture.
Information and registration: http://www.sfu.ca/internationalstudies/news-events/events/upcoming-events/egypt-handbook-launch.html
4. Colloque IREL : « La Formation des cadres religieux musulmans en France et en Europe », MSH Paris-Nord, Saint-Denis, 7-8 octobre 2021
Le colloque portera sur la formation des cadres religieux musulmans. Cette question est loin d’être spéci-fique à la France et à son modèle de relations entre État et religions : le problème se pose dans tous les pays européens, à partir du moment où il faut satisfaire les besoins cultuels et spirituels des Européens de confession musulmane.
Information : https://irel.ephe.psl.eu/actualites/colloque-formation-cadres-religieux-musulmans
5. ONLINE Webinar: “The Making and Unmaking of Borders and the State”, UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies, 8 October 2021, 9:30 am PT
Panelists: Dr. Dilan Okcuoglu is a postdoctoral fellow in Global Kurdish Studies at the American University, School of International Service in Washington, DC; Dr. Ahmad Mohammadpour is a socio-anthropologist from Eastern Kurdistan, Iran; Dr. Basileus Zeno is Karl Loewenstein Fellow and Visiting Lecturer in Political Science at Amherst College.
Information and registration: https://mesana.org/resources-and-opportunities/2021/10/01/the-making-and-unmaking-of-borders-and-the-state
6. ONLINE Webinar: “The Making and Unmaking of Borders and the State”, UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies, 8 October 2021, 9:30 am PT
Panelists: Dr. Dilan Okcuoglu is a postdoctoral fellow in Global Kurdish Studies at the American University, School of International Service in Washington, DC; Dr. Ahmad Mohammadpour is a socio-anthropologist from Eastern Kurdistan, Iran; Dr. Basileus Zeno is Karl Loewenstein Fellow and Visiting Lecturer in Political Science at Amherst College.
Information and registration: https://mesana.org/resources-and-opportunities/2021/10/01/the-making-and-unmaking-of-borders-and-the-state
7. ONLINE Discussion: “From the Middle East to Afghanistan: The Evolution of the Islamic State in Khorasan Province”, Middle East Institute NUS, Singapore, 9 November 2021, 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm SGT
Dr Antonio Giustozzi, author of the books “The Taliban at War” and “The Islamic State in Khorasan”, will discuss the role of the Islamic State in Afghanistan, following the fall of Kabul. Alongside him will be Raffaello Pantucci, a researcher at RSIS whose work looks at security dynamics in the Eurasian heartland.
Information and registration: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/from-the-middle-east-to-afghanistan-the-evolution-of-the-islamic-state-in-khorasan-province/
8. HYBRID “3rd Annual Islamic Philosophy Conference of the American Society of Islamic Philosophy & Theology”, Harvard and Brandeis Universities, 3-5 December 2021
The aim of the conference is to promote the study of Islamic Philosophy, broadly conceived, in its historical and contemporary context.
Deadline for Abstracts: 25 October 2021. Information: https://asipt.org/conferences/
9. ONLINE Conference: “Migration Methodologies: Challenges, Innovations and Conceptual Im-plications for Asian Migrations”, National University of Singapore, 20-21 January 2022
Papers will focus on innovative methodological approaches while drawing on substantive findings relevant to “Asian migrations” (broadly defined to refer to migration flows within, as well as in and out of Asia) in order to grapple with the challenges and possibilities in conducting migration research.
Information: https://ari.nus.edu.sg/events/mime/
10. International Conference: “Silk Roads by Land and Sea”, GUtech German University of Technology, Muscat, 9-12 March 2022
The conference will be organised by the RIO Research Centre Indian Ocean (www.rio-heritage.org). It seeks to contribute to the emerging field of “mobility studies”, shedding new light on the overland and sea networks stretching from the Eastern Mediterranean and East Africa to East Asia from the earliest times to the present day.
Information: http://silkroads.rio-heritage.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/210729_Call-for-Papers_v2.pdf
11. International Conference: “Body, Medicine, and Feminism: The Life and Work of Nawal El Saadawi”, Duke University, 21-22 March 2022
Papers will focus on the role of the body and medicine in Dr. El Saadawi’s oeuvre while other papers will be dedicated to the spirit of her work and thought. A special issue of the Journal of Middle East Women’s Studies will be devoted to the memory of Dr. El Saadawi.
Information: https://middleeaststudies.duke.edu/call-papers-nawal-conference-2022
12. International Conference ““Ruling the Waves”: Transnational Radio Broadcasting in the Mid-dle East and the Mediterranean between Production and Reception”, 1920-1970, German His-torical Institute etc., Rome, 22-24 June 2022
The conference re-examines the history and experiences of transnational radio broadcasting by analyzing its production, reception, and impact in the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean regions between the early 1920s and 1970.
13. Full-time PhD Scholarship (4 Years) for Research on Islamic Eco-Theology, “South African-German Research Hub on Religion and Sustainability (SAGRaS)”, University of Pretoria, Uni-versity of the Western Cape, Humboldt-University Berlin
SAGRaS will focus on the impact of religious ecological tenets and teachings (eco-theologies) on collective and individual ecological actions, and will explore these fields through studies focusing on different religious communities and traditions in South African-German comparative perspective..
Deadline for applications: 1 November 2021. Information: https://www.rcsd.hu-berlin.de/de/aktuelles/sagras-callforapplications-phd.pdf
14. Faculty Position in Modern Middle Eastern History, American University of Sharjah
Successful candidates will have a PhD in History or related discipline; a record of excellent teaching, ideally of at least one year; a proven record of scholarship; and an active research agenda.
Deadline for applications: 1 November 2021. Information: https://mesana.org/resources-and-opportunities/2021/09/28/faculty-position-in-modern-middle-eastern-history
15. Non-Core Faculty Position in Arabic Language and Linguistics Assistant Professor, Georgetown University in Qatar
This is a full-time, three-year position that is eligible for renewal. The teaching load is nine credits per semes-ter. We are particularly interested in hearing from colleagues with previous experience teaching Arabic to heritage as well as foreign language learners.
Deadline for applications: 15 October 2021. Information: https://apply.interfolio.com/92287
16. Tenure Track Assistant Professor in Middle Eastern History, Loyola Marymount University, CA
The successful candidate will be expected to teach lower-division courses in Middle Eastern history and world history, as well as upper-division courses in the area of specialization.
Deadline for application: 15 October 2021.
Information: https://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=61695
17. Assistant Professor in the History of the Middle East/Islamic World, Tulane University, New Orleans
The field of research is open, teaching experience preferred. Candidates should have a working knowledge of at least one language appropriate for research in the Middle East and/or Islamic World and should be prepared to offer classes in both the History of the Modern Middle East and the Premodern Islamic World.
Deadline for application: 15 October 2021. Information: https://apply.interfolio.com/92896
18. Postdoctoral Research Associate (12 Months) for Iran and Persian Gulf Studies in the 19th-21st Century, Princeton University
The goal of the program is to support outstanding scholars of Iran and the wider Persianate world at an early stage of their careers and thus to strengthen the field of Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies in the United States and abroad.
Deadline for application: 10 December 2021. Information:
https://puwebp.princeton.edu/AcadHire/apply/application.xhtml?listingId=22703
19. Assistant or Associate Professor for Early Modern Ottoman History, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore
Applicants` research should cover events occurring between the 15th and 18th centuries with regional specialization open. We are particularly interested in candidates whose research makes broad connections and/or spans multiple regions and communities, as well as those who engage with both Ottoman Turkish and other relevant languages.
Deadline for applications: 15 November 2021. Information: https://apply.interfolio.com/94351
20. HYBRID “Trans-Med Fall School: New Narrations about Diversities”, Università degli studi Roma Tre, 14-16 October 2021
The free seminar cycle, in English, provides a multidisciplinary framework on the theme of diversity in the Mediterranean area, with particular attention to how it has been and is expressed by the younger generations. It also provides cultural and technical tools to narrate and communicate the linguistic, cultural, social and religious diversity.
Deadline for applications: 8 October 2021. Information: https://studiumanistici.uniroma3.it/didattica/post-lau-ream/transmed/
21. Notice of UC-Irvine’s programmatic and funding resources for pursuing a PhD in the history of art, architecture and archaeology of the pre-modern Persianate World, with a focus on South Asia.Students apply to the PhD Program in Visual Studies, and once enrolled, pursue theinterdisciplinary Graduate Specialization in Ancient Iran and the Premodern Persianate World.
All accepted students are guaranteed five years of funding. In this regard, the newly endowed Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali Graduate Fellowship program will award one five-year PhD fellowship each year in the Study of the Pre-Modern Persianate World, providing a competitive stipend, summer funding and a first year free from teaching duties.
For more information please contact: matthew.canepa@uci.edu and/or alkap@uci.edu. Faculty and current students can be found here: https://www.humanities.uci.edu/persianstudies/program/grad_program.php
22. Online Symposium – The Environment and Ecology in Islamic Art – November 8-15, 2021
The Environment and Ecology in Islamic Art and Culture, the 9th Biennial Hamad bin Khalifa Symposium on Islamic Art, takes place live online on Zoom from November 8 – 15, 2021. Nasser Rabbat, the Aga Khan Professor and Director of the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at MIT, gives the keynote address on November 8, titled “The Quest for Thermal Delight.” Presenters on November 9-12 include Rebecca Zorach, Farid Esmaeil, T.J. Demos, D. Fairchild Ruggles, Yusen Yu, Stephane Pradines, Alexander Brey, Anna Gade, Nada Shabout, Huma Gupta, Rachel Winter, Amanda Boetzkes, Elizabeth Rauh, Pamela Karimi, Michelle Apotsos, and Nisa Ari with a roundtable conversation on November 15 with the artists Tarek Al-Ghoussein and Camille Zakharia. All presentations are followed by an opportunity for attendees to ask questions. This event is free but advance registration is required. For more information, please visit the event website, https://islamicart.qatar.vcu.edu/.
23. Extended: Call for Contributions to 6th IDHN Conference
Dear friends and colleagues,
I would like to remind you of our upcoming 6th IDHN Conference that will take place on Wednesday, November 17, 2021.
We are calling for contributions from both members and guests, who are developing or deploying digital methods and tools in the study of Islam and Muslim communities and Islamicate languages. Our conference is open to participants from both humanistic and scientific disciplines. We would also like to encourage Master’s and Ph.D. students to share their Digital Humanities research with us.
If you wish to participate in the conference, please send an email to team@idhn.org with a preliminary title, abstract (150-300 words), and your academic affiliation. The deadline has been extended to Friday, October 15, 2021.
We will select four to six presentations for our conference. Each presentation will be 20 minutes long and followed by Q&A for 10 minutes.
We will hold the meeting online on ZOOM; the access code and link will be sent to you in the network’s newsletter. We will schedule our conference to accommodate presenters from all time zones. This schedule will correspond with the morning hours in the Americas and evening hours in Europe and the Middle East.
Please share our announcement with your colleagues and students, and please forward this call to your networks and listservs as well.
Best wishes to all,
Irene Kirchner (Georgetown University)
24. CLS Program Application Now Open for Fully-Funded Summer Study Abroad
We are pleased to announce that the application for the 2022 Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program is now open! We welcome your students to apply now to study Persian, Arabic, Turkish, Russian, or Azerbaijani next summer on a fully-funded study abroad program.
The application is now live and available online at: https://www.clscholarship.org/apply
Applications are due Tuesday, November 16, 2021 by 8:00pm EST.
The CLS Program is an intensive overseas language and cultural immersion program for American students enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities. Students spend eight to ten weeks abroad studying one of 15 critical languages. The program includes intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences designed to promote rapid language gains. Most languages offered by the CLS Program (9 of 15) do not require applicants to have any experience studying critical languages.
CLS, a program of the U.S. Department of State, is part of a wider government initiative to expand the number of Americans studying and mastering foreign languages that are critical to national security and economic prosperity. CLS plays an important role in preparing students for the 21st century’s globalized workforce and increasing national competitiveness.
The CLS Program offers instruction in the following languages: Arabic, Azerbaijani, Bangla, Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Swahili, Turkish, and Urdu. Resources for advisors are available on our web site at: https://clscholarship.org/advisors
The CLS Program will host frequent webinars, Q&A sessions, and alumni panels for students and advisors throughout the fall. A full calendar of these events and corresponding registration links is available on our web site at: https://clscholarship.org/events
If you have any questions, please contact us at: cls@americancouncils.org
Sincerely,
Jonathan Poser
Program Officer
Critical Language Scholarship Program
American Councils for International Education
1828 L Street N.W., Suite 1200
Washington, D.C. 20036
T 202 833 7522
www.americancouncils.org
25. Join a Discussion on Women’s Rights in Afghanistan
We Are All Afghanistan: Afghan Women Leaders Reflect on the Past and the Way Forward
Description
Join Former UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya Obaid and WLP Founder and President Mahnaz Afkhami for a conversation with Former Minister for Women’s Affairs in Afghanistan Sima Samar and Former Governor of Bamyan Province Habiba Sarabi. Their discussion will focus on their experiences as women leaders and human rights advocates in Afghanistan and what can be done to support women and girls in Afghanistan.
Time: Oct 15, 2021 10:00 AM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Register at:
- October 05, 2021
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Webinar: ‘Le cheikh Qutb b. Muyhī Lārī (m. après 1503) était-il un crypto chiite?’ – D. Aigle (Paris, 7.10.21)
La première séance du séminaire “Sociétés, politiques et cultures du monde iranien” aura lieu le jeudi 7 octobre 2021 de 17h à 19h.
Vous pourrez suivre la séance :
– en présentiel : Salle 5.05, INaLCO, 65 rue des Grands Moulins, Paris, [Attention : le “passe sanitaire” sera demandé]
– ou en visioconférence (lien de connexion ci-après).
Nous serons heureux d’y accueillir Denise Aigle (directrice d’études émérite, EPHE), pour une conférence intitulée :
« Le cheikh Qutb b. Muyhī Lārī (m. après 1503) était-il un crypto chiite ?
Un saint homme du Fārs à l’aune des sources épistolaires »
Résumé
Fondateur au xve siècle d’une communauté de mystiques, Quṭb al-Dīn Muḥammad b. Muḥyī al-Dīn est considéré comme l’un des soufis sunnites les plus influents du Lāristān à la veille de la conquête safavide. Alors que Quṭb b. Muḥyī jouit d’une importante notoriété dans les écrits des penseurs des époques postérieures, aucun texte hagiographique n’a été rédigé par ses compagnons pour préserver sa mémoire. On sait très peu de choses sur la vie de Quṭb b. Muḥyī hormis l’importante correspondance qu’il rédigea à l’adresse de ses compagnons. On dispos également des témoignages peu diserts de deux historiens qui vivaient dans le Fārs à la fin du xve siècle.
Faute de pouvoir restituer la memoria hagiographique de Quṭb-i Muḥyī par l’analyse des anecdotes et des récits qui constituent la vie de tout saint homme, l’objectif ici est de présenter, les autorités textuelles sur lesquelles il s’appuie pour délivrer ses enseignements. Puis, à partir du contenu allusif aux autorités politiques, je chercherai à mettre en lumière sa vision du pouvoir et quel fut son rôle politique et social. Enfin, je tenterai d’émettre quelques hypothèses sur les raisons qui ont conduit les savants chiites, depuis la période safavide, à intégrer Quṭb b. Muḥyī dans les dictionnaires biographiques de savants chiites. On trouve en effet dans certaines lettres, des théories qui pourraient s’interpréter selon les concepts du chiisme imamite, notamment en termes eschatologiques.
Orientations bibliographiques
• M. B. Wuthūqī, « Makātīb-i Quṭb al-Dīn Muḥammad b. Muḥyī al-Dīn Kushknārī Lārī wa ta’thīr-i ān dar ta’sīs-i shahr-i Qubṭābād », Tārīkh wa Jughrāfiyya : Kitāb-i Māh, Téhéran, Sāzmān-i Chāp wa Intishārāt-i Wizārat-i Farhang wa Irshād-i Islamī, 1380sh./ 2000, p. 130-138.
• S. Subrahmanyam, « Du Tage au Gange au xvie siècle : une conjoncture millénariste à l’échelle eurasiatique », Annales. Histoire, Sciences sociales, vol. 1, 2001, p. 51-84.
• S. Bashir, Messianic Hopes and Mystical Visions. The Nūrbakhshīya Between Medieval and Modern Islam, Columbia, University of South Carolina Press, 2003.
• O. Mir-Kasimov, « Connaissance divine et action messianique : la figure de ‘Alī dans les milieux mystiques et messianiques (du Ve/XIe au Xe/XVIe siècle), dans Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi, Ali, le secret bien gardé. Figures du premier Maître en spiritualité shi’ite, Paris, CNRS Editions, 2020, p. 325-352.
Participer à la réunion Zoom :
https://zoom.us/j/98929895002?pwd=TUFnMTlrK1dXWlFXcFZldG9aN2F1QT09
ID de réunion : 989 2989 5002
Code secret : CeRMI
- October 04, 2021
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – Academic Items
1.Oklahoma State University (OSU) is accepting applications for a tenure-track faculty member in the School of Global Studies and Partnerships (SGSP). We are seeking excellent teachers and scholars with an interdisciplinary focus and whose work is related to international development, defined broadly. The appointed professor will teach up to four courses per year in the graduate program in the School’s Global Development and Leadership concentration in one or more of the following or related topics: global leadership, economic development, human rights, migration/refugee issues, food security, impact of climate change, or other relevant areas. We are particularly interested in candidates with the background and interest in serving as the Inaugural Iranian and Persian Gulf Program Chair to manage the IPGS program, which examines critical issues related to the Iranian and Persian Gulf region, such as food security, water issues, and sustainability. Here is the posting: https://okstate.csod.com/ats/careersite/JobDetails.aspx?site=8&id=9938
Interested parties are encouraged to submit their materials by November 15, 2021.
2. Arab Translation Association (ArTa) is pleased to invite you to enroll in our Course
titled “Arabic for Non-Arab Speakers”, date and time of the course shall be announced
at a later stage. Mrs Nada Ghannam, experienced and qualified in teaching shall manage
this Arabic course for Non-Arab speakers
The fees: $200
Duration: 20 hours
Contact for registration: Mrs Nada Ghannam
Email address: nadaghannam@outlook.com
Or via whatsapp : +27 82 788 2788
—
Please visit our pages and youtube channel below:
https://www.facebook.com/ArabTranslatorsAssociation
https://www.facebook.com/groups/ArTACourses
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQSdhuPN8G050I_IyqxoAQA
3. The Umayyad Mosque of Damascus: Art, Faith and Empire in Early Islam
Alain George
University of Chicago/Ginko, 2021
4. Webinar – Orientalist Photography – October 4
In celebration of the opening of the “Between Science and Art: Early Photography in the Middle East” exhibition at the Heritage Library, we are happy to take you on a journey through the early history of photography in the Middle East.
This special discussion will feature two speakers who are pioneers in the field of Orientalist photographic collections:
Giulia Martini: Archivist in charge of the photographic collection at Qatar National Library and curator of the exhibition “Between Science and Art: Early Photography in the Middle East”
Mathilde Falguiere: Head of photographic collections in “Architecture and Heritage Library” (Médiathèque de l’architecture et du patrimoine), Paris – Fort de Saint-Cyr.
The event will be conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation in Arabic and in French.
The event will be conducted online via Zoom.
Date: 4 October 2021
Time in Doha : 5:00 – 6:00 PM ; 4pm in Paris, 3pm in London etc.
To register (it is free) : https://events.qnl.qa/event/nKPY5/EN
Stephane IPERT
Director of Heritage Library, Qatar National Library
5. New Resource – Launch of the Khamseen Glossary
It is with great pleasure that we announce the launch of Khamseen: Islamic Art History Online’s new Glossary, accessible here. This multimedia lexicon features fully captioned short-form videos—each lasting five to seven minutes—on terms relating to Islamic art, architecture and visual culture. The Glossary is conceived as a series of dynamic and informative “flash” talks that explore the etymology, use, and relevant examples of terms that are both central to, and expansive of, the discipline.
Under the direction of Khamseen team member Michelle Al-Ferzly, the Glossary features presentations by experts in the field. These presentations not only discuss sites, monuments, paintings, images, objects, and concepts considered “canonical” in the field, but they also aim to broaden the range of material, geographical, and temporal examples as well. For optimal accessibility, all Glossary term presentations are provided with closed captions.
At present, we have a selection of terms available on our website, and we wish to thank our contributors for this first round of presentations. Since we now are actively building the Glossary, we welcome further contributions from Ph.D. holders who wish to craft multimedia definitions of terms of their selection, or any of the available terms listed here.
If you are interested in contributing to Khamseen, please contact us at teamkhamseen@umich.edu.
Sincerely,
Team Khamseen
Christiane Gruber, Founding Director
Sandra Williams, Managing Director
Yasemin Gencer, Content Coordinator
Michelle Al-Ferzly, Glossary Coordinator
Mira Xenia Schwerda, Production Manager
Bihter Esener, Digital Technologies Coordinator
Ani Kalousdian, Social Media Manager
6. Baskerville Institute Lecture: “The Shuster Mission to Iran: Leaving Something Worthwhile Behind” Oct. 11
We are pleased to inform you that our next 2021-2022 Baskerville Institute Lecture “The Shuster Mission to Iran: Leaving Something Worthwhile Behind” by Joan Gaughan will be on October 11th at 12 PM (MT).
This is a historical account of the effort of Morgan Shuster, a young American accountant who, in May 1911, during a period of democratic revolution, went with his family to Persia (Iran) to put its chaotic finances on a sound footing. Less than eight months later, under Russian and British pressure, he was forced to leave, his task unfinished.
The book describes Shuster’s efforts to help a crippled nation-the men and women with whom he worked and struggled for the right to rule themselves. There were some scoundrels among whom he worked. There were others, however, who believed that the dignity and honor of their country were worth working for and, in many cases, dying for.
The book raises an ethical question: while dignity and honor and the love of freedom for one’s country or, as in Shuster’s case, the desire to lift a burdensome yoke from a nation’s neck may be worth working for, even dying for, does that justify placing the lives of hundreds or even thousands of other people in jeopardy? In posing this question, the book asks if Shuster’s experience has any relevance in our present-day relations with Iran.
After taking a B.A. at the College of Saint Teresa in Winona, Minnesota, Joan Gaughan taught history and English to eighth-graders in Beloit, Wisconsin. The year was 1963. The assassination of President Kennedy that November prompted her to enlist in the Peace Corps and serve in Rasht and Lahijan, Iran. A trip to India during that service led to a life-long love of that country as well as love for the people of Iran. Her Peace Corps service was followed by a year of study at Columbia University, where she studied under Professor Ainslee Embree, who deepened her love for India, and Professor Ehsan Yar-Shater, who introduced her to the beauties of classical Persian literature. She transferred to the University of Michigan, where obtaining a doctorate in the British Empire allowed her to indulge her passion for both countries. After a thirty-year career teaching Western Civilization, Humanities, and English at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, Michigan, she has been able to reinvigorate her two youthful passions, study of Iran and India.
Register: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OTERgMf0TX2fP3vihwjnXw
- October 02, 2021
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment
Shii News – ‘ A Versified History of Shah Abbas the Great’ – Nozhat Ahmadi, Mohsen Mohammadi Fesharaki
A Versified History of Shah Abbas the Great [Futūḥāt-i Gītīsitān]
Nozhat Ahmadi, Mohsen Mohammadi Fesharaki
Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis, 2021.
This book is a critical edition of a versified history of Shah Abbas I attributed to Sayyid Aḥmad Ḥusaynī Khalīfah. It narrates the life of Shah Abbas I from before his ascension to the throne in 1588 until his death in 1629, and includes a brief history of his maternal ancestors, the Mīr-i Buzurg notables of Mazandaran. The majority of the work consists of accounts of Abbas I’s military campaigns and expeditions, and in these parts the poet narrates the history in the style of a heroic epic.
- October 01, 2021
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment