A lecture in English by Kamran Talattof (University of Arizona). October 09, 2017. One of the earliest Persian poets, Rudaki (859–941), employed the word wine within a wide semantic register in his poems. However, his unicity is most manifest when the process of wine making is depicted within a highly allegorical poem entitled “Mother of Wine."...

A lecture in Persian by Behrooz Parhami (UCSB). November 19, 2017. The Persian script has presented some difficulties, ever since printing presses were introduced in Iran in the 1600s. The appearance of typewriters created additional problems and the introduction of digital computers added to the design challenges. These difficulties persisted, until high-resolution dot-matrix printing offered greater...

A lecture in English by Behrooz Parhami (UCSB). November 20, 2017.  The Persian script has presented some difficulties, ever since printing presses were introduced in Iran in the 1600s. The appearance of typewriters created additional problems and the introduction of digital computers added to the design challenges. These difficulties persisted, until high-resolution dot-matrix printing offered greater...

Abbas Amanat (Yale) In this book talk given in Persian, Abbas Amanat discusses the challenges and rewards of writing about a half millennium of history in his recently published book: Iran: A Modern History  (Yale University Press, 2017). Event Flyer

Mehrzad Boroujerdi (Syracuse) In this presentation, Mehrzad Boroujerdi, Professor of Political Science at Syracuse University and Visiting Scholar at UCLA’s Center for Near Eastern Studies, will address such issues as the central tenants of Iranian identity, attempts to refine it, and the current challenges and controversies regarding this contested notion. Event Flyer

Following the lectures of the speakers, there will be a period for Q & A. Amir AghaKouchak (UC Irvine) Anthropogenic Drought and the Notion of Water-Bankruptcy خشکسالی انسانی و مقوله ورشکستگی آبی The presentation focuses on Iran currently experiencing serious water and environmental problems. Droughts coupled with increasing water demands and over-abstraction of surface and...

Janet Afary (UC Santa Barbara) There is very little information on the romantic and sexual behaviors of young Muslim contemporaries in the Middle East, or among immigrant communities in the West. However, Facebook has provided us with a new tool, which permits a better understanding of young Muslim practices from Algeria and Egypt to Iran and Pakistan. In this lecture, two questions...

Aria Fani (UC Berkeley) This talk will consider the role of early twentieth-century Persian-language journals in institutionalizing what we know as Persian literary history today in Iran and Afghanistan. The focus of the talk will be Mohammad Taqi Bahar's journal Daneshkadeh, and in particular 'Abbas Eqbal-Ashtiyani's series titled "Tarikh-e adabi" (Literary history, 1918-1919). Once we...

Film Screening of Untaken Paths (2017, 106 min, English subtitles) from director Tahmieh Milani will be followed by a panel discussion. About the Film: Legendary feminist filmmaker Tahmineh Milani is no stranger to stories of women’s marital struggles. Untaken Paths, her fourteenth feature, tells the story of a young woman in love who marries against the...