Archive for September 23rd, 2025
Shii News – Academic Items
1. Invisible East
The Islamicate East series
Three books in The Islamicate East series are now listed on the EUP website and will be arriving in bookstores soon:
- The Warehouse of Bamiyan. Economic Life in Medieval Afghanistan by Arezou Azad, with a contribution by Pejman Firoozbakhsh (former Invisible East Postdoc);
- Persian World Histories in the Mongol Era. The Transmission and Reception of Rashid al-Din’s Jami al-Tawarikh, edited by Tomoko Masuya, Osamu Otsuka and Masatomo Kawamoto; and
- The Rise and Fall of the Barmakids: Stories from a Forgotten Persian Manuscripts, edited and translated by Pejman Firoozbakhsh and Arezou Azad.
2. Introducing The Intensive Online Course on The Life of the Prophet Muhammad (s)
December 08 – 13, 2025
A unique opportunity to journey through the profound stages of the Prophet’s life, guided by distinguished scholars of Islamic studies.
Over six interactive sessions, we will explore how the Prophet (s) lived, struggled, and transformed the world around him, with each lecture focusing on a pivotal dimension of his mission:
📖 Course Topics:
– What Qualities in the Prophet’s Early Life Prepared Him for Prophethood?
– How Did the Prophet Receive Revelation and Face the First Waves of Opposition?
– How Did the Prophet Maintain His Mission Under Hardship and Loss?
– How Was the Migration (Hijrah) a Turning Point in Islamic Civilization?
– Battles and Strategy – What Was the Prophet’s Approach to Faith, Diplomacy, and Defense?
– What Is the Lasting Legacy of the Prophet’s Final Years?
✨ Format: 6 live online sessions with Q&A
📅 Dates: December 08 – 13, 2025
📍 Platform: Online (via Zoom)
🎓 Organized by: Sadra International Institute
This is a chance to gain deep insights into the Sirah with the guidance of some of today’s leading Muslim scholars.
🔗 Register now: https://sadrai.com/prophet-muhammad
3. ‘The Military in Safavid Iran, 1501-1736’,
R Mathhee,
In THE CAMBRIDGE HISTORY OF WAR, VOLUME III:
War and the Early Modern World
Edited by D Parrott and G Agoston, 283- 308.
4. Open Access – Music Making in Iran from the 15th to the Early 20th Century
A H Pourjavady,
EUP, 2025
5. Zoom: ASPS Virtual Event Series XV
Actors/Performers, Audience, and Narrative Strategies in Naqqāli:
New Approaches
The Japan Office of the Association for the Study of Persianate Societies and the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, University of Tokyo, are pleased to co-host ASPS Virtual Event Series XV: “Actors/Performers, Audience, and Narrative Strategies in Naqqāli: New Approaches,” an online workshop on naqqāli that gathers together three papers by young naqqāli scholars across the globe. This workshop explores the vast, almost uncharted terrain of naqqāli, Persian professional storytelling in terms of performance, audience, and narrative. It also offers a Shāhnāma-khvāni performance by Mohammadali Mirzaee Jadideslam who is a naqqāl.
Pre-registration is required for the participation.
Date and Time: Thursday, November 27, 2025 at 15:00 (JST)
Venue: Online via Zoom
Language: English
Pre-registration: Please complete the registration form at < https://forms.gle/YFENy7uJwiqWMix67> by November 24, 24:00 (JST). A Zoom link will be sent to all registrants by the end of the following day.
Co-organized by: Japan Office, Association for the Study of Persianate Societies (ASPS Virtual Event Series XV); Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, University of Tokyo (Tobunken Symposium).
Contact: Naoki Nishiyama (nishiyama@ioc.u-tokyo.ac.jp)
Program
Chair: Kazuo Morimoto (ASPS Japan Office; IASA, UTokyo)
15:00-15:15: Kazuo Morimoto
Opening Remarks
15:15-15:45: Mohammdali Mirzaee Jadideslam (PhD candidate, University of Hamburg):
“Naqqāli, Narrating or Acting?”
15:45-16:15: Sara Mashayekh (PhD candidate, UC Santa Barbara)
“Audience, Performer, Venue: The Role of Spectators and the Space in Shaping Naqqāli Performances”
16:15-16:30: Shāhnāma-khvāni by Mohammad Mirzaee Jadideslam (naqqāl)
Break
16:30-17:00: Radman Rasooli Mehrabani (Independent scholar)
“Negotiating Myth and Reality: Naqqāls’ Strategies for Constructing Narrative Credibility”
17:00-17:20: Kumiko Yamamoto (ILCAA, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies)
17:20-17:45: Discussion
Abstracts:
Mohammdali Mirzaee Jadideslam, “Naqqāli, Narrating or Acting?”
Bahram Beyzaei identifies the naqqāl as an actor who embodies every character of a story alone. In line with Eric Bentley’s definition of theatre—“A impersonates B while C looks on”—naqqāli itself can be considered theatre, and the naqqāl’s performance, a form of acting. Still, a fundamental question emerges: can the naqqāl’s actions be aligned with principles established by major theatre figures such as Stanislavski, Michael Chekhov, or Grotowski? And if alignment exists, does this justify calling the practice “acting”?
To answer, a precise analysis is necessary. First, naqqāli must be examined in its earlier form, when it was closer to the act of narrating. Second, recent elements—innovations within the tradition—must be identified in order to trace their sources, evaluate their impact, and measure their integration. Only then can one assess whether this transformed version of naqqāli has merged with theatrical models, or instead taken an alternative path requiring a new classification.
In 20th-century Iran, Western theatre significantly influenced naqqāli. These influences shaped performance length, rhythm, suspense, vocal expression, and character building. Singing, costume design, and modern literature also contributed to its development. This study therefore positions naqqāli between narrating and acting, aiming to define the skills essential for the naqqāli.
Sara Mashayekh, “Audience, Performer, Venue: The Role of Spectators and the Space in Shaping Naqqāli Performances”
The relationship between the performer and the audience of a performance has long been the subject of scholarly discussions. However, the nature of the group we call “the audience” changes dramatically depending on time, place and the style of performance; naqqāli is no exception. This paper explores the nature of the relationship between the spectators of a naqqāli performance and the naqqāl who is telling the tale, as well as the influential role that the venue plays in shaping this relationship. By looking at the text of tumārs that have been left to us, as well as firsthand observations from those who have witnessed live naqqāli performances, this paper is attempting to make a series of inquiries into the power dynamic between the performers and their spectators, the level of audience’s involvement in altering the story being narrated, as well as the effect of the coffeehouse in shaping the performance.
Radman Rasooli Mehrabani “Negotiating Myth and Reality: Naqqāls’ Strategies for Constructing Narrative Credibility”
Naqqāli, a vibrant and influential performance tradition during the Safavid period, gradually declined from the late Qajar era, and its stories came under increasing criticism in the modern period, especially during the Pahlavi era. In response to these critiques, storytellers (naqqāls) sought to defend their art and enhance its credibility. To counter this, naqqāls sometimes reduced the hyperbolic elements of the stories to render the narratives more “realistic” and believable. Their responses were sometimes expressed explicitly—through interpreting and explaining the stories and by emphasizing that Ferdowsi’s poetry embodied wisdom, reason, and intellect—and at other times implicitly, through modifications within the narratives themselves. Another strategy was the modernization of the stories. Modernization not only made the tales more engaging for contemporary audiences but also functioned as a means of granting credibility. For instance, one storyteller narrated the revolt of Kāveh against Ẓaḥḥāk in a manner resembling modern political revolutions, while another claimed that the American story of Tarzan had been stolen from the tale of Goudarz’s son, yielding millions of dollars in profit abroad. A further strategy was the historicization of the Shahnameh: naqqāls sometimes turned to historical works to compare competing versions and occasionally to critique Ferdowsi’s account. One of them even claimed to be narrating the “real” history. Finally, embedding moral lessons and ethical reflections into the narratives was another strategy, widely regarded as one of the enduring values of the naqqāli tradition.
6. Indiana University’s Summer 2026 Language Workshop is now accepting applications for its intensive online Pashto program!
Online Courses
- Learn 1 year of language in 2 months
- Enjoy 18 hours of live instruction per week, plus cultural activities
- Combine the effectiveness of intensive study with the convenience of an online class
- Speed your learning by studying alongside enthusiastic and talented language learners
Funding Opportunities
- Explore your funding options here: http://go.iu.edu/language-workshop-funding
Priority Application Deadline
- December 5, 2025
Learn more and apply here: go.iu.edu/pashto-workshop
Questions? Email the Language Workshop at languageworkshop@iu.edu or join virtual office hours.
Contact Information
Kathleen Evans, Director, Indiana University Language Workshop
Contact Email
URL
http://go.iu.edu/pashto-workshop
7. Indiana University’s Summer 2026 Language Workshop is now accepting applications for its intensive online Persian program!
Online Courses
- Learn 1 year of language in 2 months
- Multiple levels of instruction
- Enjoy 18 hours of live instruction per week, plus cultural activities
- Combine the effectiveness of intensive study with the convenience of an online class
- Accelerate your learning with daily 1-on-1 skills training
- Speed up your learning by studying alongside enthusiastic and talented language learners
Funding Opportunities
- Explore your funding options here: http://go.iu.edu/language-workshop-funding
Priority Application Deadline
- December 5, 2025
Learn more and apply here: go.iu.edu/persian-workshop
Questions? Email the Language Workshop at languageworkshop@iu.edu or join virtual office hours.
Contact Information
Kathleen Evans, Director, Indiana University Language Workshop
Contact Email
URL
http://go.iu.edu/persian-workshop
8. Indiana University’s Summer 2026 Language Workshop is now accepting applications for its intensive, accelerated Arabic programs!
Online Courses
- Learn 1 year of Arabic in 2 months
- 5 levels of study
- Enjoy 18 hours of live instruction per week, plus cultural activities
- Combine the effectiveness of intensive study with the convenience of an online class
- Speed your learning by studying alongside enthusiastic and talented language learners
Funding Opportunities
- Explore your funding options here: http://go.iu.edu/language-workshop-funding
Priority Application Deadline
- December 5, 2025
Learn more and apply here: go.iu.edu/arabic-workshop
Questions? Email the Language Workshop at languageworkshop@iu.edu or join virtual office hours.
Contact Information
Kathleen Evans, Director, Indiana University Language Workshop
Contact Email
URL
http://go.iu.edu/arabic-workshop
9. Bowdoin College – Assistant Professor of Art History
https://networks.h-net.org/jobs/69128/bowdoin-college-assistant-professor-art-history
- September 23, 2025
- by Andrew Newman
- 0 Comment