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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260126T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260126T130000
DTSTAMP:20251211T191423Z
CREATED:20251211T191423Z
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SUMMARY:Bilingual Lecture Series: Ali Gheissari
DESCRIPTION:Hasan Pirnia and Constitutional Experience: Articulation of Public Law and the Prospects of Modern State in Iran\, 1905-1925\nAli Gheissari\nUniversity of San Diego\nMonday\, January 26\, 2026 \nLecture in English \nBunche Hall 10383\, 11:00am \nZoom link for hybrid online viewing both days: https://ucla.zoom.us/j/92182697630 \nThe topic of this presentation will be an assessment of the role of Hasan Pirnia (Moshir al-Dowleh) in the Iranian Constitutional Revolution and his contribution to articulating a theory of public law and the institutional requisites of the modern state in Iran. Given the limitations of time—and setting aside biographical details and the extensive accounts of the political events of the period—we shall focus specifically on two interrelated topics concerning the theoretical aspects of Pirnia’s political thought that also reflect the experience of the Constitutional Revolution in Iran. First\, the question of public law; and second\, the institutions necessary for the creation of a modern state. The Constitutional Revolution in Iran was not merely a political event but a transformation in the political mindset of Iranian society. A society that had lived for centuries under the notion of autocratic monarchy was\, at the beginning of the twentieth century\, attempting to experience the idea of a state governed by law and accountable to the nation. In this process\, there were a few statesmen—such as Hasan Pirnia—who\, under Iran’s circumstances at the time\, sought to open a challenging path between traditional structures and the creation of a modern state in Iran. \n  \n  \nAli Gheissari studied law and political science at Tehran University and history at Oxford and later taught at the University of San Diego. He has held visiting appointments at St. Antony’s College\, Oxford\, Brown University\, and the University of California\, Irvine\, and has written extensively in Persian and English on the intellectual history and politics of modern Iran and on modern philosophy and social theory. More recent publications include Iranian Studies: Selected Writings (Brill\, 2026); “Lost and found in translation: Kant in Persian Philosophical Prose” (Sophia Perennis\, Iranian Institute of Philosophy\, 2025); “Fruits of the Gardens: Ethics\, Metaphysics\, and Textual Pleasures in late Qajar Iran” (Journal of Persianate Studies\, 2024); and “Unequal Treaties and the Question of Sovereignty in Qajar and early Pahlavi Iran” (Ann Lambton Memorial Lecture\, 2023). Professor Gheissari has been the Editor-in-Chief of Iranian Studies; is on the Editorial Board of Iran Studies book series (published by Brill); and serves on the Board of Trustees of the Persian Heritage Foundation. His current research is on aspects of legal and constitutional history of modern Iran.
URL:https://nelc.ucla.edu/event/bilingual-lecture-series-ali-gheissari-2/
LOCATION:10383 Bunche Hall\, 11282 Portola Plaza\, Los Angeles \, CA\, 90095\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iranian,NELC
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nelc.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2025-01-25_Gheissari-web-image.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="UCLA Iranian Studies":MAILTO:iranianstudies@humnet.ucla.edu
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260125T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260125T180000
DTSTAMP:20251211T191244Z
CREATED:20251211T191140Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251211T191244Z
UID:20975-1769356800-1769364000@nelc.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Bilingual Lecture Series: Ali Gheissari
DESCRIPTION:Hasan Pirnia and Constitutional Experience: Articulation of Public Law and the Prospects of Modern State in Iran\, 1905-1925\nAli Gheissari\nUniversity of San Diego\nSunday\, January 25\, 2026 \nLecture in Persian \nRoyce Hall 314\, 4:00pm \nZoom link for hybrid online viewing both days: https://ucla.zoom.us/j/92182697630 \nThe topic of this presentation will be an assessment of the role of Hasan Pirnia (Moshir al-Dowleh) in the Iranian Constitutional Revolution and his contribution to articulating a theory of public law and the institutional requisites of the modern state in Iran. Given the limitations of time—and setting aside biographical details and the extensive accounts of the political events of the period—we shall focus specifically on two interrelated topics concerning the theoretical aspects of Pirnia’s political thought that also reflect the experience of the Constitutional Revolution in Iran. First\, the question of public law; and second\, the institutions necessary for the creation of a modern state. The Constitutional Revolution in Iran was not merely a political event but a transformation in the political mindset of Iranian society. A society that had lived for centuries under the notion of autocratic monarchy was\, at the beginning of the twentieth century\, attempting to experience the idea of a state governed by law and accountable to the nation. In this process\, there were a few statesmen—such as Hasan Pirnia—who\, under Iran’s circumstances at the time\, sought to open a challenging path between traditional structures and the creation of a modern state in Iran. \n  \n  \nAli Gheissari studied law and political science at Tehran University and history at Oxford and later taught at the University of San Diego. He has held visiting appointments at St. Antony’s College\, Oxford\, Brown University\, and the University of California\, Irvine\, and has written extensively in Persian and English on the intellectual history and politics of modern Iran and on modern philosophy and social theory. More recent publications include Iranian Studies: Selected Writings (Brill\, 2026); “Lost and found in translation: Kant in Persian Philosophical Prose” (Sophia Perennis\, Iranian Institute of Philosophy\, 2025); “Fruits of the Gardens: Ethics\, Metaphysics\, and Textual Pleasures in late Qajar Iran” (Journal of Persianate Studies\, 2024); and “Unequal Treaties and the Question of Sovereignty in Qajar and early Pahlavi Iran” (Ann Lambton Memorial Lecture\, 2023). Professor Gheissari has been the Editor-in-Chief of Iranian Studies; is on the Editorial Board of Iran Studies book series (published by Brill); and serves on the Board of Trustees of the Persian Heritage Foundation. His current research is on aspects of legal and constitutional history of modern Iran.
URL:https://nelc.ucla.edu/event/bilingual-lecture-series-ali-gheissari/
LOCATION:314 Royce Hall
CATEGORIES:Iranian,NELC
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nelc.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2025-01-25_Gheissari-web-image.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="UCLA Iranian Studies":MAILTO:iranianstudies@humnet.ucla.edu
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260112T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260112T130000
DTSTAMP:20251210T224234Z
CREATED:20251210T224234Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251210T224234Z
UID:20961-1768215600-1768222800@nelc.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Bilingual Lecture Series: Panel on Afghan Refugees in Iran
DESCRIPTION:Panel on Afghan Refugees in Iran\nJanuary 12\, 2026\n11:00am Pacific Time\nOnline via Zoom\nIn Persian and English\nRegistration Required\nRegistration Link: https://ucla.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_hcYEa8i_QB6EIvQRBb9YEw \nMunazza Ebtikar\nPANEL MODERATOR \nDr. Munazza Ebtikar recently completed her PhD (2025) in Politics\, History\, and Anthropology at the University of Oxford. She was a 2024-2025 Peace Fellow at Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs and currently serves as Co-Principal Investigator of Stanford’s Sonic Resistance Archive\, documenting Afghan cultural production. She holds an MPhil in Modern Middle Eastern Studies from Oxford and completed her undergraduate studies at UC Berkeley with degrees in Peace and Conflict\, Middle Eastern Politics\, and Near Eastern Languages and Literatures. Dr. Ebtikar is co-editing “Civil Resistance in Afghanistan” and brings multilingual research capabilities in Persian\, Arabic\, and Pashto to her work on Afghanistan’s contemporary political and cultural transformations. \n  \n  \nAshraf Haidari\nAfghan Refugees in Iran: Precarious Protection\, Forced Returns\, and Pathways Forward \nAmbassador Ashraf Haidari is a distinguished diplomat and humanitarian leader\, serving as the Founder and President of Displaced International (DI). From 2018 to 2022\, he was Afghanistan’s Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Director-General of the South Asia Cooperative Environment Program (SACEP)\, leading initiatives on regional security\, economic cooperation\, climate resilience\, and sustainable development. At Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs\, he held key roles\, including Director-General of Policy and Strategy and Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargé d’Affaires at the Afghan Embassies in Delhi and Washington\, D.C. His leadership is deeply shaped by his personal journey as a former refugee. He earned a B.A. in Political Science and International Relations from Wabash College\, followed by a Master’s in Security Studies at Georgetown University and a graduate certificate in Refugees\, Migration\, and Humanitarian Emergencies. \n  \n  \nMejgan Massoumi\nLives in Transit: Afghan Cultural Producers Navigating Precarity and Policing in Iran \nMejgan Massoumi is an Assistant Professor of History at Carnegie Mellon University. Her current book project examines the history of radio in Afghanistan\, revealing how music and sound shaped politics\, culture\, and everyday life at the crossroads of Asia and the Middle East. Her research has been supported by the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS)\, the Social Science Research Council (SSRC)\, and the American Institute of Afghanistan Studies (AIAS)\, and her dissertation received the World History Association’s 2023–24 Best Dissertation Prize. Dr. Massoumi earned her PhD in History from Stanford University in 2021. She also holds degrees in Architecture (B.A.) and City Planning (M.C.P.) from the University of California\, Berkeley\, grounding her scholarship in a cross-cultural and interdisciplinary perspective. \n  \n  \nMitra Naseh\nIncreasingly Restrictive Migration Policies for Afghans in Iran \nMitra Naseh is a forced migration scholar\, currently serving as an Assistant Professor and the Founding Director of the Forced Migration Initiative (FMI) at the Brown School\, Washington University in St. Louis. Her research focuses on the multidimensional social and economic integration of forcibly displaced populations\, shaped by her interdisciplinary academic training\, lived experience as an immigrant\, and extensive fieldwork with non-governmental organizations and United Nations agencies\, particularly in the Middle East and South Asia. She is the co-author of the widely recognized book Best Practices in Social Work with Refugees and Immigrants\, published by Columbia University Press in 2019. \n  \n  \nZuzanna Olszewska\nBeyond Dorr-e Dari: The Global Literary Ripples of a Pioneering Refugee Cultural Institution in Iran \nZuzanna Olszewska is Associate Professor in the Social Anthropology of the Middle East at the University of Oxford and a fellow of St. John’s College\, Oxford. She is an anthropologist with a particular interest in the literary and cultural production among the Afghan diaspora. She is author of award-winning monograph The Pearl of Dari: Poetry and Personhood among Young Afghans in Iran (Indiana University Press\, 2015) and numerous articles. She is also a translator of Persian-language poetry from Afghanistan.
URL:https://nelc.ucla.edu/event/bilingual-lecture-series-panel-on-afghan-refugees-in-iran/
LOCATION:Online Via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Humanities,Iranian,NELC
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nelc.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2026-01-12_Afghan-Refugees-Panel-web-image.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="UCLA Iranian Studies":MAILTO:iranianstudies@humnet.ucla.edu
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251117T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251117T130000
DTSTAMP:20251006T194335Z
CREATED:20251006T194335Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251006T194335Z
UID:20877-1763380800-1763384400@nelc.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Between Ramat Rahel and Jerusalem in the 7th Century BCE
DESCRIPTION:
URL:https://nelc.ucla.edu/event/between-ramat-rahel-and-jerusalem-in-the-7th-century-bce/
LOCATION:365 Kaplan Hall
CATEGORIES:NELC
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251116T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251116T180000
DTSTAMP:20251027T163900Z
CREATED:20251006T201123Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251027T163900Z
UID:20883-1763308800-1763316000@nelc.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Bilingual Lecture Series: Panel Discussion on Iran’s Current Economic\, Political\, and Environmental Situation
DESCRIPTION:Panel Discussion on Iran’s Current Economic\, Political\, and Environmental Situation\nSUNDAY\, NOVEMBER 16\, 2025\n4:00 PM PST \nNOW ONLINE ONLY\nTo watch on Zoom: https://ucla.zoom.us/j/97789716771 \nPanelists Include: \nIran’s Water Crisis: Current Realities and Preconditions for Solutions\nAmir AghaKouchak is a Chancellor’s Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth System Science at the University of California\, Irvine. He also serves as Director of UC Irvine’s Center for Hydrometeorology and Remote Sensing (CHRS)\, where his team develops innovative tools for monitoring and modeling hydrologic extremes. In addition\, he is the Lead for Water\, Climate\, and Infrastructure Risk at the United Nations University Institute for Water\, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH)\, contributing to global efforts on sustainable water management and climate resilience. His research focuses on natural hazards and climate extremes\, bridging the disciplines of hydrology\, climatology\, and remote sensing. A central theme of his work is the study of interactions among climatic and non-climatic hazards\, particularly compound and cascading events. Dr. AghaKouchak has published over 270 peer-reviewed journal articles and has received numerous honors\, including the AGU James B. Macelwane Medal\, AGU Fellow\, ASCE EWRI Fellow\, ASCE Norman Medal and ASCE Huber Research Prize. \nIran’s Perilous Political Landscape: Domestic and International Challenges\nMehrzad Boroujerdi is Vice Provost and Dean of College of Arts\, Sciences\, and Education at Missouri University of Science and Technology. Previously he was a Professor of Government and International Affairs and Director of the School of Public and International Affairs at Virginia Tech\, Professor of Political Science at Syracuse University\, and President of the Association for Iranian Studies.  Dr. Boroujerdi earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Boston University\, his master’s degree in political science from Northeastern University\, and his Ph.D. in international relations from The American University (Washington\, D.C.). He has been a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University\, a Rockefeller Foundation Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin\, a visiting scholar at UCLA\, and a non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute (Washington\, D.C.). \nFrom Critical to Hypercritical: Economy of Iran after the Iran-Israel War\nNader Habibi is the Henry J. Leir Professor of Practice in the Economics of the Middle East at Brandeis University’s Crown Center for Middle East Studies. Before joining Brandeis University in June 2007\, he served as managing director of economic forecasting and risk analysis for Middle East and North Africa in Global Insight Ltd. Mr. Habibi has worked in academic and research institutions in Iran\, Turkey and the United States since 1987. He earned a master’s degree in systems engineering\, and a PhD in Economics from Michigan State University. His most recent research projects are a) Economic relations of Middle Eastern countries with China\, b) Economic and social conditions of Kurdish regions in Iran\, Iraq\, Syria and Turkey\, and c) Economic relations of Turkey with Iran and Arab countries. Habibi served as director of Islamic and Middle East Studies at Brandeis University (August 2014-August 2019). Links to his publications are available at https://naderhabibi.blogspot.com/. \n  \nEvent in Persian\, moderated by Nayereh Tohidi (California State University\, Northridge)\n  \nThis event is made possible with the co-sponsorship of the UCLA Program of Iranian Studies and the UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies\, as well as with the major support of the Amuzegar Chair in Iranian and the Musa Sabi Term Chair of Iranian Studies.
URL:https://nelc.ucla.edu/event/panel-discussion-on-irans-current-economic-political-and-environmental-situation/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Humanities,Iranian,NELC
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nelc.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2025-11-16_Economics-Panel-web-image.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="UCLA Iranian Studies":MAILTO:iranianstudies@humnet.ucla.edu
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251105T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251105T180000
DTSTAMP:20251006T202234Z
CREATED:20251006T202023Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251006T202234Z
UID:20896-1762358400-1762365600@nelc.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Pourdavoud Lecture Series: Lucinda Dirven: Zoroastrianism in the Religious Context of the Arsacid Empire
DESCRIPTION:November 5\, 2025 \nRoyce Hall 306\, 4:00pm \nDownload Event Flyer Here \nZoom link for online attendance: https://ucla.zoom.us/j/94920554065 \nRSVP link: https://forms.gle/2BmZz73crt582bJJ8 \nZoroastrianism in the Religious Context of the Arsacid Empire\nUnlike the tendency to emphasize the multifaceted and diverse aspects of religious life in the Parthian Empire\, this talk aims to identify shared characteristics by focusing on the religious preferences of the Arsacid rulers. Although Zoroastrianism was not yet clearly defined at this time\, evidence suggests that Zoroastrian ideas influenced the ideology of Arsacid kingship. Conversely\, the ideology of the King of Kings influenced the practices of families and rulers who reigned under their suzerainty\, including those who were otherwise unaffected by Zoroastrianism. Although such practices were rare\, they still had repercussions for the religious lives of the populace in the Arsacid Empire. \n\n\n\nLucinda Dirven\nUniversity of Nijmegen \n\n\n\nLucinda Dirven is a professor of ancient religions at the University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands. She studied art history and theology (history of religions and comparative religion) at Leiden University\, where she obtained her PhD\, which was published in 1999. Following a postdoctoral fellowship in the archaeology department at the University of Amsterdam\, she taught in the history departments at the universities of Utrecht and Amsterdam. Since completing her PhD\, her research has focused on the Roman and Parthian Near East\, particularly Dura\, Hatra and Palmyra\, and the influence of these regions on the Roman West. Her research combines material culture and written sources\, primarily focusing on religion. One recent topic has been religious continuity and change in Syria and Mesopotamia\, particularly during the Roman and Parthian periods. She is currently a Getty Scholar working on a project focusing on the cult of Mithras in Dura-Europos.
URL:https://nelc.ucla.edu/event/pourdavoud-lecture-series-lucinda-dirven-zoroastrianism-in-the-religious-context-of-the-arsacid-empire/
LOCATION:Royce 306
CATEGORIES:Humanities,NELC,Pourdavoud Institute
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nelc.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2025-11-5_Dirven-web-image.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251015T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251015T210000
DTSTAMP:20250904T194514Z
CREATED:20250904T194514Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250904T194514Z
UID:20798-1760551200-1760562000@nelc.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Fowler Films: The Dawn is Too Far: Stories of Iranian-American Life
DESCRIPTION:The UCLA Program of Iranian Studies is pleased to co-sponsor the following event: \nThe Dawn is Too Far: Stories of Iranian-American Life\n  \nClick here to RSVP.\n  \nThis compelling documentary highlights the untold stories of eight Iranian Americans in the San Francisco Bay Area\, weaving together personal narratives from both Iran and the United States. Co-directed by Persis Karim\, the film offers a poetic and multifaceted perspective that challenges the predominance of negative media portrayals of Iran. \nThe documentary delves into the experiences of the Bay Area Iranian diaspora\, exploring how their lives and work have been shaped by this unique region\, while also showcasing their profound contributions to its cultural and social fabric. Featuring rare archival footage\, the film presents a layered narrative that brings new depth to our understanding of this community\, especially at a time when Iran is regularly in the news again. \nFollowing the screening\, a moderated Q&A session will be held with co-director Persis Karim and Kevan Harris\, vice chair and associate professor of sociology at UCLA and lead researcher for the UCLA Iranian Diaspora Dashboard. A reception will follow. \nPersis Karim is director emeritus of the Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies at San Francisco State University\, where she also taught in the Department of Humanities and Comparative World Literature (2015-25); previously\, she taught at San Jose State University for 17 years. She is the editor of three anthologies of Iranian diaspora literature and has published numerous articles on this subject in academic journals\, as well as poetry and essays in non-academic publications. The Dawn is Too Far: Stories of Iranian-American Life is her first film; it reflects her interest in documenting and sharing the larger history as well as personal stories of those who are part of the global Iranian diaspora. \nKevan Harris is a historical sociologist who studies social change and development in Iran and the broader Middle East. He is the author of A Social Revolution: Politics and the Welfare State in Iran\, a fieldwork-based analysis of how three decades of social policy reshaped Iran’s politics and social classes. His research examines how the Iranian state has developed over time\, how welfare programs have shaped society\, how business and government interact\, and how class mobility has changed across generations. He has directed large-scale survey research projects\, including the Iran Social Survey\, which examines patterns of social stratification\, mobility\, and political attitudes within Iran. He also conducts research on the history of the Iranian diaspora\, including Iranian Americans. \nThe screening and reception are generously presented by the Farhang Foundation\, in partnership with the UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies\, with additional support from the UCLA Program of Iranian Studies and the UCLA Program on Central Asia. \n\n\n\n\n  \nImage courtesy of Persis Karim
URL:https://nelc.ucla.edu/event/fowler-films-the-dawn-is-too-far-stories-of-iranian-american-life/
LOCATION:UCLA Fowler Museum
CATEGORIES:Iranian,NELC
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://nelc.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/10-15-iranian2.webp
ORGANIZER;CN="UCLA Iranian Studies":MAILTO:iranianstudies@humnet.ucla.edu
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251008T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251008T180000
DTSTAMP:20250911T162632Z
CREATED:20250911T155854Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250911T162632Z
UID:20802-1759939200-1759946400@nelc.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Pourdavoud Institute and Yarshater Center 2025 Fall Welcome
DESCRIPTION:Pourdavoud Institute and Yarshater Center 2025 Fall Welcome Reception\nWednesday\, October 8\, 2025\n4:00 – 6:00 pm\nRoyce Hall 306\nRegistration Requested\nThe Pourdavoud Institute for the Study of the Iranian World and the Yarshater Center for the Study of Iranian Literary Traditions invites you to join us for a fall reception. \nIn the company of our supporters\, colleagues\, academic affiliates\, students\, and esteemed guests\, we shall be introducing the Institute and Center’s stimulating programming and research agenda for the academic year 2025–26. \nLight refreshments will be served. Parking in Lot 2 or Lot 5 is recommended. \nRSVP
URL:https://nelc.ucla.edu/event/pourdavoud-institute-and-yarshater-center-2025-fall-welcome/
LOCATION:Royce Hall Room 306\, 10745 Dickson Plaza\, Los Angeles\, CA (CALIFORNIA)\, 90095
CATEGORIES:Iranian,NELC,Pourdavoud Institute,Yarshater Center
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nelc.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/pourdavoud-fall-welcome-2025.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250601T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250601T180000
DTSTAMP:20250423T161003Z
CREATED:20250417T231040Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250423T161003Z
UID:20279-1748793600-1748800800@nelc.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Bilingual Lecture Series: Nepotism in the Islamic Republic of Iran
DESCRIPTION:پدیدهٔ خویشاوند سالاری در جمهوری اسلامی ایران\nNepotism in the Islamic Republic of Iran\nSunday\, June 1\, 2025 | 4:00-6:00 PM Pacific | Royce Hall\, Room 314 \nAlternate live stream via Zoom: \nhttps://ucla.zoom.us/j/91262030653 \n(No need to register in advance\, just click the link at 4:00pm on June 1 to join.) \n \nIn 1962\, Leonard Binder\, a keen observer of Middle Eastern politics\, noted that “nepotism is a strict family obligation in Iran.” More recently\, Assef Ashraf described the Qajar state as a “familial state.” During the Pahlavi dynasty\, the dominant influence of the “thousand families” in Iranian affairs was evident. Even the massive social revolution of 1979 did not alter Binder’s astute observation about nepotism\, which persisted in the Islamic theocracy that followed. Post-revolutionary Iran’s political landscape remains significantly influenced by informal institutions and kinship ties. This talk will focus on one such primordial network: family ties. Drawing on a longitudinal study of over 2\,800 members of the political elite in the Islamic Republic\, the speaker has compiled the most extensive list of familial connections. He argues that understanding the dynamics of post-revolutionary politics in Iran requires recognizing (a) the significant role of informal politics and (b) the kinship and marital ties of officeholders\, beyond a simple focus on embedded formal institutions and political structures. \nAbout the Speakers\nDr. Mehrzad Boroujerdi is Vice Provost and Dean of College of Arts\, Sciences\, and Education at Missouri University of Science and Technology. Previously\, he was a Professor of Government and International Affairs and Director of the School of Public and International Affairs at Virginia Tech (2019-2022) and Professor of Political Science at Syracuse University (1992-2019). He is the author of Tarashidam\, Parastidam\, Shikastam: Guftarhay-i dar Siyasat va Huvyiyat-i Irani (Tehran\, 2010) and Iranian Intellectuals and the West: Tormented Triumph of Nativism (Syracuse University Press\, 1996); co-author of Post-revolutionary Iran: A Political Handbook (Syracuse University Press\, 2018); and editor of Mirror for the Muslim Prince: Islam and Theory of Statecraft (Syracuse University Press\, 2013). His articles have appeared in Comparative Studies of South Asia\, Africa and the Middle East\, Critique: Journal for Critical Studies of the Middle East\, International Third World Studies Journal and Review\, Iranian Journal of International Affairs\, Iranian Studies\, Foreign Service Journal\, Journal of Peace Research\, Middle East Economic Survey\, and Syracuse Law Review.Dr. Boroujerdi has been President of the Association for Iranian Studies\, a fellow of the American Council on Education\, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University and a Rockefeller Foundation Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin\, a visiting scholar at UCLA\, a non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute (Washington\, D.C.)\, and a Co-PI of Iran Data Portal. \n  \n  \nDr. Ali Akbar Mahdi will serve as a discussant following the lecture.  He is emeritus professor of Ohio Wesleyan University and currently teaches sociology at California State University\, Northridge.
URL:https://nelc.ucla.edu/event/bilingual-lecture-series-nepotism-in-the-islamic-republic-of-iran/
LOCATION:314 Royce Hall
CATEGORIES:Bilingual Lecture Series,Iranian,NELC
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nelc.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/BLS-Flyer-Boroujerdi-web-image.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250521T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250521T180000
DTSTAMP:20250320T201530Z
CREATED:20250320T201230Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250320T201530Z
UID:20121-1747843200-1747850400@nelc.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Pourdavoud Lecture Series: Gunvor Lindström
DESCRIPTION:The Denavar Satyrs as Time Travelers: From Ancient Persia to Greece\, Rome\, and 20th Century Collections\n\nThe influence of Greco-Roman artistic traditions on the Parthian Empire (c. 250 BCE–225 CE) remains a subject of debate\, with little direct evidence attesting to their presence. One long-overlooked artifact that challenges this assumption is the recently reconstructed Denavar Vase\, a monumental stone bowl adorned with a satyr frieze in the Greek style. The reconstruction of this bowl—its fragments now dispersed across museums and collections on three continents—suggests that it once formed part of a local ruler’s palace décor\, reflecting a deep engagement with the visual language of the Roman elite. The second part of this lecture traces the biographies of these fragments since their discovery around 1914. It will follow the track of famous scholars and connoisseurs who incorporated the pieces into their collections\, and go on a varied journey through the art history and historiography of Hellenistic and Parthian art. This journey also explores 19th-century decorative arts and museum presentations\, ultimately navigating the political history from the First to the end of the Second World War. \nAbout the Speaker \n\n\nDr. Gunvor Lindström is a Classical Archaeologist with a deep engagement in neighboring disciplines. A leading expert on Hellenism in the Ancient East\, she has conducted extensive research across Central Asia\, Iran\, and Mesopotamia\, focusing on the Hellenistic and Parthian periods. Since 2004\, she has conceived and led several high-profile projects at the German Archaeological Institute’s Eurasia Department. Her work on Hellenistic and Kushan Bactria includes studies of votive practices\, notably the offerings from the famous Oxus Temple. She also discovered and excavated a Hellenistic sanctuary at Torbulok in modern Tajikistan (2013–2018)\, now a key reference point for Hellenistic Bactria. In recent years\, she has focused on Hellenistic art in Central Asia and Iran\, conducting the first systematic study of bronze and marble statues from Kale-e Chendar in Khuzestan (better known as Shami) and reconstructing a monumental bronze portrait statue of a Hellenistic ruler in the National Museum of Iran. \n\nClick here to register for this event.
URL:https://nelc.ucla.edu/event/pourdavoud-lecture-series-gunvor-lindstrom/
LOCATION:Royce 306
CATEGORIES:Iranian,NELC,Pourdavoud Institute
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nelc.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Pourdavoud-Lecture-Series-Lindstroem-web-image.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250514T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250514T180000
DTSTAMP:20250407T205430Z
CREATED:20241210T215238Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250407T205430Z
UID:19849-1747238400-1747245600@nelc.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Pourdavoud Lecture Series: Wu Xin
DESCRIPTION:Imperial Foundations of the Silk Road: Persian Roads and Han Walls\n \nWhile the Silk Road is often celebrated as a pivotal example of early globalization\, scholarship has primarily focused on the consequences of its connectivity\, neglecting the crucial question of its formation and operational logistics. This lecture re-examines the origins and mechanisms of this trans-Eurasian network during the latter half of the first millennium BCE. It posits that the imperial ambitions of the Achaemenid Persian and Han Chinese dynasties were fundamental in establishing this communication network. Specifically\, the Persian Royal Road facilitated movement from Central Asia to the Mediterranean\, while the Han dynasty’s extensive wall systems provided security and strategic control from Chang’an to Samarkand. This analysis\, drawn on archaeological discoveries from Central Asia and wester China\, argues that the combined infrastructural investments of these geographically and temporally distinct empires laid the groundwork for the roads that ultimately interconnected the ancient Eurasian world. \nAbout the Speaker  \nWu Xin received her undergraduate and master’s training at Beijing University\, focusing on Chinese archaeology and Central Asian Buddhist Art. She earned her PhD at the University of Pennsylvania\, specializing in the art and archaeology of the ancient Near East. Her dissertation\, titled “Central Asia in the Context of the Achaemenid Persian Empire (6th to 4th Centuries B.C.)\,” reflects her interest in the interactions between Central Asia and the Achaemenid imperial power. With extensive experience in archaeological projects\, Wu Xin directed the Kyzyltepa Project in Uzbekistan and is finalizing a monograph titled Persia and the East\, which presents her renewed scholarship on the relationships between Central Asia\, the Eurasian steppe\, and the Achaemenid Empire. Previously a professor in the Department of History at Fudan University in Shanghai\, Wu Xin currently serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology at Bryn Mawr College. \nClick here to register for this event.
URL:https://nelc.ucla.edu/event/pourdavoud-lecture-series-wu-xin-2/
LOCATION:Royce 306
CATEGORIES:Iranian,NELC,Pourdavoud Institute
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nelc.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Pourdavoud-Lecture-Series-Wu-Xin-web.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250428T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250428T170000
DTSTAMP:20250225T170230Z
CREATED:20250225T165810Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250225T170230Z
UID:20064-1745848800-1745859600@nelc.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Symposium – (Mis)Using the Bible: White Evangelicalism & Christian Nationalism in America
DESCRIPTION:White Evangelicalism and Christian Nationalism has occupied an increasingly prominent position since—and in many ways before—the first Trump administration. Events such as January 6 and the second Trump presidency have highlighted the entanglement of politics and religious belief that is central to Christian Nationalism. This symposium brings together several scholars to discuss various aspects of white Evangelicalism and Christian Nationalism\, particularly as they connect to modern and contemporary American politics. The symposium serves as a forum for investigating topics such as tolerance and religious pluralism\, the use of anti-abortion protests\, and the intersection of race and Christian Nationalism. Further\, the symposium opens a discussion on how Evangelicalism and Christian Nationalism use and misuse biblical and historical material to bolster their narratives. \nSpace is limited. RSVP here for the in-person event. \nRegister here for the Zoom link here. \nSymposium Schedule: \n2pm–2:10pm: Welcome – Carol Bakhos\, Chair\, Study of Religion \n2:10pm-2:30pm: Introduction and Opening Remarks by Gina Konstantopoulos\, Symposium Moderator – “Evangelizing Antiquity: The Museum of the Bible and the Appropriation of the Past” \n2:30pm-3:00pm: Sophie Björk-James – “To Be Pro-life in an Age of Extinction: Abortion\, Christian Nationalism\, and Ecological Denial” \n3:00pm-3:20pm: Break \n3:20pm-3:50pm: Brooklyn Walker – “Counterpoint in the Heavenly Choir:  Christian Nationalism\, Anti-Christian Nationalism\, and the Multivocality of American Christianity” \n3:50pm-4:20pm: Michael R. Fisher\, Jr. – “Race\, Politics\, and Christian Nationalism in the Second Era of Trump” \n4:20pm-5pm: Discussion and Q&A \n  \nOpening Remarks: “Evangelizing Antiquity: The Museum of the Bible and the Appropriation of the Past” \nFounded in 2017 by David Green\, the Museum of the Bible stands as an impressive institution: it boasts seven floors and 430\,000 square feet of exhibition space\, all located two blocks from the National Mall in Washington DC. The museum presents a narrative wherein historical and religious evidence and artefacts are utilized to bolster an evangelical perspective. This talk discusses how the Museum of the Bible\, as well as other evangelical institutions\, utilize the past in particular in their attempt to craft—and moreover legitimize—their own\, often very specific\, narrative. \n\nGina Konstantopoulos is an associate professor in Assyriology and Cuneiform studies in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at the University of California\, Los Angeles. Her research centers on religion\, magic\, and literature in Mesopotamia\, with a focus on the role of demons and monsters. She is the author of The Divine/Demonic Seven and the Place of Demons in Mesopotamia (Brill\, 2023). She has authored articles on demons and monsters in Mesopotamia\, translations of Sumerian and Akkadian texts\, and the reception of Mesopotamia in later pre-modern and modern contexts. \n  \n“To Be Pro-life in an Age of Extinction: Abortion\, Christian Nationalism\, and Ecological Denial” \nWithin Christian Nationalism\, anti-abortion and anti-environmental politics are united. Since white evangelicals adopted an anti-abortion stance between the late 1970s and early 1980s\, they have sought to make it the most significant moral issue of our time. Abortion can then act as a moral pivot\, re-directing concern away from other problems\, especially environmental ones. Drawing on long-term research on white evangelical politics in Colorado\, this talk shows how within Christian Nationalism concern about abortion often serves to occlude care about the environment and the climate crisis. The significance of this is hard to overstate in our current era of climate crisis and species collapse. \n\nSophie Bjork-James is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Vanderbilt University. She has over ten years of experience researching both the US based Religious Right and the white nationalist movements. She is the author of The Divine Institution: White Evangelicalism’s Politics of the Family (Rutgers 2021\, winner of the Anne Bolin & Gil Herdt Book Prize) and the co-editor of Beyond Populism: Angry Politics and the Twilight of Neoliberalism (2020). She has been interviewed on the NBC Nightly News\, NPR’s All Things Considered\, BBC Radio 4’s Today\, and in the New York Times. Her work has received support the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research\, the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion\, the American Academy of Religion\, the National Science Foundation\, and the Mellon Foundation. She is currently working on a new book exploring how young people understand abortion in a state that has implemented a total abortion ban. \n  \n“Counterpoint in the Heavenly Choir:  Christian Nationalism\, Anti-Christian Nationalism\, and the Multivocality of American Christianity” \nThe Bible has been used to give voice to the concepts of rule by religious precept and ethnocentrism central to Christian nationalism. But\, in opposition to religious nationalism\, the Bible has also been used to proclaim themes of pluralism\, equality\, and liberty. Using data drawn from a survey of American Christians\, I explore the extent to which both Christian nationalist and anti-Christian nationalist ideas derived from the Bible have taken hold in the public. Among American Christians\, support for Christian nationalism and anti-Christian nationalism are positively linked. While anti-Christian nationalist ideas have the potential to improve tolerance\, feelings of threat can silence these messages supportive of religious pluralism. \n\nBrooklyn Walker is an Instructor of Political Science at Hutchinson Community College and will be joining the University of Tennessee-Knoxville as Assistant Professor in the fall of 2025. Brooklyn is interested in how people come to think of themselves as members of politicized groups and in the effects of politicized identities on intergroup relations and public opinion. Her projects have explored the intersections of Christian nationalism and religious and racial group identities. She also researches in the areas of political psychology\, racial and ethnic politics\, and gender and politics. \n  \n“Race\, Politics\, and Christian Nationalism in the Second Era of Trump” \nAlthough Christian nationalism ideology resonates across the United States\, it’s important to recognize that\, like many demographic groups\, supporters of Christian nationalism don’t universally subscribe to the same ideas. Existing research focuses almost exclusively on White Americans who qualify as Christian nationalism adherents and sympathizers (hereafter Christian nationalists) and does so through observational analysis with few exceptions. This presentation leverages observational analysis and causal inference to examine the ideological and political differences between Black\, White\, and Latine Americans who qualify as Christian nationalists. \n\nMichael R. Fisher Jr.\, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor in the political economy of race/racism in the Department of African American and African Studies and is a Faculty Affiliate at the Center for the Study of Religion at The Ohio State University. Trained as an interdisciplinary scholar\, Dr. Fisher’s areas of specialization include race\, policy\, and socio-economic inequality and race and religion. He holds research appointments at the Metropolitan Policy Center at American University\, the National Initiative of Mixed-Income Communities at Case Western Reserve University\, and the Institute for Gender Studies at the University of South Africa. He is also a 2023–25 Public Fellow with the Public Religion Research Institute and is editor of Confronting Racism and White Supremacy in the US: Twenty-First-Century Theological Perspectives (Friendship Press\, 2024). \nOrganized by Gina Konstantopoulos\nCo-sponsored by the UCLA Department of History and Near Eastern Languages and Cultures.
URL:https://nelc.ucla.edu/event/symposium-misusing-the-bible-white-evangelicalism-christian-nationalism-in-america/
LOCATION:Royce Hall Room 306\, 10745 Dickson Plaza\, Los Angeles\, CA (CALIFORNIA)\, 90095
CATEGORIES:NELC
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nelc.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Christian-nationalism_header.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250428T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250428T130000
DTSTAMP:20250318T232920Z
CREATED:20250318T232920Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250318T232920Z
UID:20114-1745838000-1745845200@nelc.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Bilingual Lecture Series: The Mahsa Movement and the Feminist Uprising in Iran
DESCRIPTION:The Mahsa Movement and the Feminist Uprising in Iran\nMonday\, April 28\, 2025 | 11:00 am – 1:00 pm \nZoom Registration: \nhttps://ucla.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_iPW7un5RTfySMm-7Eicfrg \n \nThis book talk will focus on a social movement that brought new characteristics to the fore\, not only in Iran\, but also in the Muslim world. It was probably the first genuine\, global\, and extensive feminist movement in Iran ever\, and perhaps in the Muslim world. This is not to deny that women have played a significant role in social movements in many Muslim countries since the nineteenth century. But within these movements\, women were not in the vanguard\, did not become the main actors\, did not express their feminist demands in clear opposition towards the powers that be\, and men did not follow them en masse. The anthropological characteristics of the Mahsa Movement (or the Movement “Woman\, Life\, Liberty”) are analyzed throughout this book in what seems to be its major characteristic\, namely rejecting the Islamic Regime’s machoistic ideology of martyrdom and proposing instead a culture of Joy and Happiness\, in which women play a central role\, notably by freeing their body from the yoke of the imposed veil. \nAbout the Speaker \nFarhad Khosrokhavar is a retired professor at École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris\, France. His academic interests are in social movements in Iran\, mainly after the Islamic Revolution; the Arab Revolutions of 2010–12; Jihadism in Europe with a particular focus on France; and philosophical foundations of social sciences. He has published around 40 books\, mostly written in French and English\, with translations of these works appearing in many other languages including Italian\, German\, Spanish\, Kurdish\, and Arabic. He has also authored around 100 articles in French\, English\, and Persian\, with German\, Italian\, Spanish\, Arabic translations. He was a Rockefeller Fellow (1990)\, a Yale Visiting Scholar (2008)\, and a Harvard Visiting Scholar (2009). His most recent books include: Le nouveau jihad en Occident (2018); Jihadism in Europe\, European Youth and the New Caliphate (2021); Iran\, La jeunesse démocratique contre l’Etat prédateur (2023); and Revolt Against Theocracy\, The Mahsa Movement and the Feminist Uprising in Iran(2024).
URL:https://nelc.ucla.edu/event/bilingual-lecture-series-the-mahsa-movement-and-the-feminist-uprising-in-iran-2/
CATEGORIES:Bilingual Lecture Series,Iranian,NELC
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nelc.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/BLS-Flyer-Khosrokhavar-web-image.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250427T113000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250427T133000
DTSTAMP:20250318T225944Z
CREATED:20250318T225944Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250318T225944Z
UID:20109-1745753400-1745760600@nelc.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Bilingual Lecture Series: The Mahsa Movement and the Feminist Uprising in Iran
DESCRIPTION:جنبش مهسا و قیام فمینیستی در ایران\nThe Mahsa Movement and the Feminist Uprising in Iran\nSunday\, April 27\, 2025 | 11:30 am – 1:30 pm \nZoom Registration: \nhttps://ucla.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_HxPN8qGWQuSbj1Y1WO9TRQ \n \nThis book talk will focus on a social movement that brought new characteristics to the fore\, not only in Iran\, but also in the Muslim world. It was probably the first genuine\, global\, and extensive feminist movement in Iran ever\, and perhaps in the Muslim world. This is not to deny that women have played a significant role in social movements in many Muslim countries since the nineteenth century. But within these movements\, women were not in the vanguard\, did not become the main actors\, did not express their feminist demands in clear opposition towards the powers that be\, and men did not follow them en masse. The anthropological characteristics of the Mahsa Movement (or the Movement “Woman\, Life\, Liberty”) are analyzed throughout this book in what seems to be its major characteristic\, namely rejecting the Islamic Regime’s machoistic ideology of martyrdom and proposing instead a culture of Joy and Happiness\, in which women play a central role\, notably by freeing their body from the yoke of the imposed veil. \nAbout the Speaker \nFarhad Khosrokhavar is a retired professor at École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris\, France. His academic interests are in social movements in Iran\, mainly after the Islamic Revolution; the Arab Revolutions of 2010–12; Jihadism in Europe with a particular focus on France; and philosophical foundations of social sciences. He has published around 40 books\, mostly written in French and English\, with translations of these works appearing in many other languages including Italian\, German\, Spanish\, Kurdish\, and Arabic. He has also authored around 100 articles in French\, English\, and Persian\, with German\, Italian\, Spanish\, Arabic translations. He was a Rockefeller Fellow (1990)\, a Yale Visiting Scholar (2008)\, and a Harvard Visiting Scholar (2009). His most recent books include: Le nouveau jihad en Occident (2018); Jihadism in Europe\, European Youth and the New Caliphate (2021); Iran\, La jeunesse démocratique contre l’Etat prédateur (2023); and Revolt Against Theocracy\, The Mahsa Movement and the Feminist Uprising in Iran(2024).
URL:https://nelc.ucla.edu/event/bilingual-lecture-series-the-mahsa-movement-and-the-feminist-uprising-in-iran/
CATEGORIES:Bilingual Lecture Series,Iranian,NELC
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nelc.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/BLS-Flyer-Khosrokhavar-web-image.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250310T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250310T163000
DTSTAMP:20250128T010237Z
CREATED:20250128T000057Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250128T010237Z
UID:19980-1741618800-1741624200@nelc.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Bilingual Lecture Series: Women’s Rights and the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran
DESCRIPTION:Women’s Rights and the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran\nMonday\, March 10\, 2025 | 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm \nZoom Registration: \nhttps://ucla.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_JkEcn_S1Rvqmdvgfwe68Fw \n\n\n\n \nThe Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran\, ratified after the 1979 Islamic Revolution\, stands as the country’s foundational legal framework\, requiring all subsequent laws to align with its principles. The revolution itself was propelled by widespread calls for social and political reform\, with significant factions advocating for democracy\, human rights\, and gender equality. Iranian women played a prominent role in this movement\, underscoring the aspirations for a more inclusive and equitable society. While the constitution reflects these revolutionary demands by enumerating freedoms and rights modeled after Western constitutions\, it also incorporates elements of Islamic jurisprudence. This duality emerged from the influence of conservative religious factions\, who\, after helping to overthrow the monarchy\, swiftly consolidated power post-revolution. In this talk\, I will examine the provisions within Iran’s constitution that pertain to women’s rights\, focusing on how these provisions intersect with religious and secular legal systems. I will also explore the real-world impact on women’s personal and professional lives\, highlighting the challenges of extreme gender-based oppression under the current system. Finally\, I will discuss pathways for reform and envision how future constitutional efforts can avoid the missteps that have perpetuated inequality for over forty years. \nAbout the Speaker \n\n\n\nPegah Banihashemi is currently a JSD candidate at the University of Chicago Law School\, where she also completed an LL.M. in 2022. Pegah is currently working on the history of the formation of the Iranian Constitution both before and after the Islamic Revolution of 1979. In this project\, she will explore the problems of implementing the constitution in Iran. Part of Pegah’s project is dedicated to the issue of comparing constitutions among different countries. Pegah began her undergraduate studies focusing on French literature in Iran where reading the works of French philosophers and thinkers piqued her interest in the field of law. She completed a second Bachelor’s of Law\, after which\, she earned a Master’s and LL.M. in International Commercial Law and Private Law at Shahid Beheshti University\, achieving a first rank and defending her thesis in international arbitration. In Britain\, she worked on human rights research\, commentary\, and advocacy\, focusing on death sentences\, immigration law\, and women’s and children’s rights in Middle Eastern and Sharia Law. She has worked extensively in the analysis of international law and international human rights and is a regular expert legal analyst with many global media outlets and non-profits. She has also taught several legal courses on topics including women\, economics\, and the law\, human rights advocacy\, and students’ and teachers’ rights.
URL:https://nelc.ucla.edu/event/bilingual-lecture-series-womens-rights-and-the-constitution-of-the-islamic-republic-of-iran-2/
CATEGORIES:Bilingual Lecture Series,Iranian,NELC
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nelc.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/BLS-Flyer-Banihashemi-web-image.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250309T113000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250309T133000
DTSTAMP:20250131T233623Z
CREATED:20250127T235318Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250131T233623Z
UID:19975-1741519800-1741527000@nelc.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Bilingual Lecture Series: Women’s Rights and the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran
DESCRIPTION:زن در قانون اساسی ایران  \nWomen’s Rights and the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran\nSunday\, March 9\, 2025 | 11:30 am – 1:30 pm \nZoom Registration: \nhttps://ucla.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pM3LdrXXSriCfDMGfzVg8w \n\n\n\n \nThe Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran\, ratified after the 1979 Islamic Revolution\, stands as the country’s foundational legal framework\, requiring all subsequent laws to align with its principles. The revolution itself was propelled by widespread calls for social and political reform\, with significant factions advocating for democracy\, human rights\, and gender equality. Iranian women played a prominent role in this movement\, underscoring the aspirations for a more inclusive and equitable society. While the constitution reflects these revolutionary demands by enumerating freedoms and rights modeled after Western constitutions\, it also incorporates elements of Islamic jurisprudence. This duality emerged from the influence of conservative religious factions\, who\, after helping to overthrow the monarchy\, swiftly consolidated power post-revolution. In this talk\, I will examine the provisions within Iran’s constitution that pertain to women’s rights\, focusing on how these provisions intersect with religious and secular legal systems. I will also explore the real-world impact on women’s personal and professional lives\, highlighting the challenges of extreme gender-based oppression under the current system. Finally\, I will discuss pathways for reform and envision how future constitutional efforts can avoid the missteps that have perpetuated inequality for over forty years. \nAbout the Speaker \n\n\n\nPegah Banihashemi is currently a JSD candidate at the University of Chicago Law School\, where she also completed an LL.M. in 2022. Pegah is currently working on the history of the formation of the Iranian Constitution both before and after the Islamic Revolution of 1979. In this project\, she will explore the problems of implementing the constitution in Iran. Part of Pegah’s project is dedicated to the issue of comparing constitutions among different countries. Pegah began her undergraduate studies focusing on French literature in Iran where reading the works of French philosophers and thinkers piqued her interest in the field of law. She completed a second Bachelor’s of Law\, after which\, she earned a Master’s and LL.M. in International Commercial Law and Private Law at Shahid Beheshti University\, achieving a first rank and defending her thesis in international arbitration. In Britain\, she worked on human rights research\, commentary\, and advocacy\, focusing on death sentences\, immigration law\, and women’s and children’s rights in Middle Eastern and Sharia Law. She has worked extensively in the analysis of international law and international human rights and is a regular expert legal analyst with many global media outlets and non-profits. She has also taught several legal courses on topics including women\, economics\, and the law\, human rights advocacy\, and students’ and teachers’ rights.
URL:https://nelc.ucla.edu/event/bilingual-lecture-series-womens-rights-and-the-constitution-of-the-islamic-republic-of-iran/
CATEGORIES:Bilingual Lecture Series,Iranian,NELC
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nelc.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/BLS-Flyer-Banihashemi-web-image.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250305T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250305T180000
DTSTAMP:20241204T233300Z
CREATED:20241204T231615Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241204T233300Z
UID:19834-1741190400-1741197600@nelc.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Yarshater Lecture Series: Cameron Cross
DESCRIPTION:Spiderweb Stories: Translations\, Adaptations\, and Connections in Persian Romance\nIn this talk\, I will explore some avenues for comparative literary study through the framework of early Persian romances. The earliest extant representatives of this genre in Persian show that it is deeply imbricated with prior and adjacent narrative traditions\, making it part of an intertextual and transregional literary network. Through these texts\, we can find evidence of direct translation and adaptation\, as well as broader signs of a shared vocabulary of narrative expectations\, typical characters and topoi\, and thematic concerns. Approaching them as “connected” texts within this broader network — with the understanding of “network” as a series of linkages with no necessary center or periphery — affords us one way of tracing the lattices of movement and exchange that inform the disciplinary premise of the (or a) “global” Middle Ages. At the same time\, this approach also allows us to better see how individual texts utilize the generic repertory of love narrative to speak to purposes and audiences highly specific to their contexts. To illustrate this\, I will offer quick sketches of three versified love stories in Persian and show how they speak to a wide range of historical events and intellectual discussions. \nAbout the Speaker \nCameron Cross is an associate professor of Iranian Studies at the University of Michigan\, Ann Arbor\, whose research interests center in the literary traditions of the “Nile to Oxus” region from about 800–1200 CE. Cross is the author of Love at a Crux: The New Persian Romance in a Global Middle Ages (University of Toronto Press\, 2023)\, which explores the emergence of ‘romance’ as a literary genre in New Persian and the idea of ‘romantic love’ as an ethical praxis within this generic tradition. \nClick here to register for this event.
URL:https://nelc.ucla.edu/event/yarshater-lecture-series-cameron-cross/
LOCATION:Royce 306
CATEGORIES:Iranian,NELC,Yarshater Center
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nelc.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Yarshater-Lecture-Series-Cross-flyer-for-web.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250202T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250202T180000
DTSTAMP:20250107T202917Z
CREATED:20250107T185452Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250107T202917Z
UID:19876-1738512000-1738519200@nelc.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Bilingual Lecture Series: Film Screening and Director Q&A
DESCRIPTION:Bilingual Lecture Series: Film Screening and Director Q&A with Mohammad Ehsani\nAlternate live stream on Zoom: \nhttps://ucla.zoom.us/j/95549537236 \nThe Water Will Take Us (2022)\n(Persian with English subtitles) \n \nIn the spring of 2019 Iran experienced a near apocalypse event that went by almost unnoticed by the world. Widespread flash flooding affected large parts of the country over the course of one month\, leading to major damages countrywide and leaving the already impoverished population in utter disarray.  The film is a  look at how years of mismanagement\, poor spatial planning and climate change are impacting civil society in Iran. \nLady Urmia (2013)\n(Persian with English subtitles) \n \nThe film is a poetic documentary about Lake Urmia\, in the northwest of Iran\, which is drying up completely. The environmental catastrophe will affect also neighboring countries such as Iraq and Turkey. The film is narrated in the voice of the lake itself\, crying for help and trying to gain international attention to its suffering. \nAbout the Director \nMohammad Ehsani\, an Iranian independent filmmaker and a member of the Iranian Documentary Filmmakers Association and IDA. He has made several award-winning documentary and fiction films\, such as The Lovers: The Victims\, Tabriz: Images from the Forgotten World\, Enamel Dome\, Lady Urmia\, Once Hamoun\, Karun\, When the Woodpeckers Leave\, and The Water Will Take Us. Ehsani’s films deal with historical drama and social environmental issues in Iran.
URL:https://nelc.ucla.edu/event/bilingual-lecture-series-film-screening-and-director-qa-with-mohammad-ehsani/
LOCATION:314 Royce Hall
CATEGORIES:Bilingual Lecture Series,Iranian,NELC
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nelc.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/BLS-Flyer-Ehsani.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250129T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250129T180000
DTSTAMP:20241112T234630Z
CREATED:20241112T234630Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241112T234630Z
UID:19679-1738166400-1738173600@nelc.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Pourdavoud Lecture Series: Carlo Cereti
DESCRIPTION:The Rise of Persian: Understanding the Evolution of Writing in the Sasanian and Early Islamic Periods\nThis talk explores the evolution of writing during the Sasanian and early Islamic periods\, shedding light on the long-term process that led to Persian becoming the lingua franca in Western and Central Asia from Iran to the borders of China. With the groundwork laid by pioneering scholars\, we now have a stronger foundation for reading and understanding Middle Persian documents in their many forms. As Bernhard of Chartres observed\, “we are but dwarves on the shoulders of giants\,” benefiting from the invaluable contributions of previous generations. \nOur understanding of Middle Persian script has progressed in many key areas ranging from 3rd century royal inscriptions to the legends found on coins and gems\, and the wider array of secular texts written in ink on various materials. These include legal and commercial texts\, letters\, ostraca\, and dipinti found on walls and stuccos. Notable examples include the dipinti from Dura Europos (3rd century CE)\, Pahlavi papyri from the Sasanian occupation of Egypt (7th century)\, and parchments from the Iranian highlands (7th century). Additional comparable texts were found in the Indian subcontintent and range from the Quilon Copper Plates (9th century)\, to Parsi inscriptions in the Kanheri caves close to Mumbai (11thcentury) and to Nestorian crosses in Chennai and Kerala. \nWhile substantial evidence exists from the early and late Sasanian periods\, a gap persists in our record from the central Sasanian centuries. This may be due to limited archaeological investigation in major Sasanian cities\, though sociolinguistic shifts—perhaps after the Mazdakite movement disrupted the social order—may also have influenced the spread of writing. This analysis aligns with the scholarly interests of Ehsan Yarshater\, who offered profound insights into Iranian National History\, and invites further interdisciplinary inquiry to fully understand Persia’s enduring impact on the Islamic world. \nAbout the Speaker \nCarlo G. Cereti joined the University of California in 2024\,  serving as Endowed Ferdowsi Chair in Zoroastrian Studies and Prof. of Classics and Religions at UCI. He has served since 2000 as Full Professor of Iranian Studies at Sapienza University of Rome\, Dept. of Ancient World Studies\, from 2009 to 2017 he acted as Cultural Counsellor at the Embassy of Italy in Tehran.. His earliest research work focused on the history of the Zoroastrian Parsi community in India\, an intellectual interest that continued throughout his academic career\, though in time his main research field shifted to Middle Iranian Languages and Literatures and more specifically to the study of Zoroastrian literature in Middle Persian. His interest in the medieval and modern history of the Zoroastrian community\, combined with an intimate knowledge of Zoroastrian Middle Persian literature and more of Sasanian and post-Sasanian written culture led him to prepare critical editions of Middle Persian texts such as the Zand ī Wahman Yasn and many chapters of the Bundahišn\, as well as a work of synthesis on the Pahlavi tradition (La Letteratura Pahlavi) From 2006 onwards he has intensively worked on epigraphic Middle Persian\, with a focus on Narseh’s Paikuli inscription and on other epigraphic texts\, including seals and sealings as well as ostraca and documents mainly dating to the late Sasanian and early Islamic periods. This line of research has led him in recent years to dedicate an increasing amount of time to analyzing the written tradition of Sasanian and early Islamic Iran\, studying all different classes of written materials to analyze the phenomenon of literacy in its entirety and complexity. \nClick here to register for the event.
URL:https://nelc.ucla.edu/event/pourdavoud-lecture-series-carlo-cereti/
LOCATION:Royce 306
CATEGORIES:Iranian,NELC,Pourdavoud Institute
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nelc.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Pourdavoud-Lecture-Series-Cereti-Flyer-for-web.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250112T113000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250112T133000
DTSTAMP:20250107T202646Z
CREATED:20241212T233013Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250107T202646Z
UID:19854-1736681400-1736688600@nelc.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Bilingual Lecture Series: A Comparative Analysis of and Proposition on the Process of Transition to Democracy in Iran
DESCRIPTION:تحلیلی مقایسھ ای و راھبردی در باره فرایند گذار به  دموکراسی در ایران\n\n\n\n\nA Comparative Analysis of and Proposition on the Process of Transition to Democracy in Iran\nSunday\, January 12\, 2025 | 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM Pacific \nZoom Registration: \nhttps://ucla.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_NsgynB3eTcC5gMAFoEixAQ \n \n\n\n\n\nOver the past few decades\, democratic movements in many countries have successfully overthrown autocratic regimes and established democratic governments. In some cases\, these transformations occurred suddenly\, driven by dramatic mass uprisings and nonviolent civil resistance\, as seen in the Philippines in 1986\, Czechoslovakia in 1989\, Serbia in 2000\, and Tunisia in 2011. In other instances\, such as Portugal and Romania\, the initial change was marked by sudden and violent revolutions\, followed by a more gradual and peaceful transition to stable democracy. However\, in most cases\, democratic change has been achieved through a more gradual and incremental process\, as exemplified by Argentina\, Brazil\, South Korea\, Taiwan\, Hungary\, Chile\, Croatia\, Uruguay\, Ghana\, Guyana\, Kenya\, and others. While it is impossible to predict with certainty when and how democracy will emerge in Iran\, the experiences of other nations offer valuable lessons. Additionally\, Iran’s unique structural and historical characteristics play a crucial role in understanding its potential pathways. This talk will explore these issues\, providing a comparative analysis of the possible trajectories for Iran\, their defining characteristics\, and the challenges they may present. \nAbout the Speaker \n\n\n\n\nHadi Zamani is an economics PhD graduate from the University of London and has worked for more than thirty years in private and public sector institutions in the United Kingdom. He has participated in numerous international projects in Western and Eastern Europe\, Asia\, and Latin America for private companies\, governments of the concerned countries\, The European Union\, the development banks of Europe\, Asia and Latin America\, and the World Bank. In addition to teaching at the universities of London and Glasgow\, his work experience includes the positions of economic advisor at “Marsh McLennan” and “Halcrow”\, management of two investment funds in the UK\, and economic advisor at the British Ministry of Transport (DfT). In the case of Iran\, Hadi’s interest lies in the areas of political economy and economic development. He has published several books and articles in this field in Persian\, including Democracy and Sustainable Economic Development; The Effectiveness of Economic Sanctions; Economic Development and National Security; Opportunities and Challenges of Globalization; Obstacles to the Formation of Modern State and Economic Development in Iran; and The Curse of Oil. Hadi’s books\, articles\, and interviews in Persian are available on his website “www.hadizamani.com” and his social media pages.
URL:https://nelc.ucla.edu/event/bilingual-lecture-series-a-comparative-analysis-and-proposition-on-the-process-of-transition-to-democracy-in-iran/
CATEGORIES:Bilingual Lecture Series,Iranian,NELC
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nelc.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/BLS-Zamani-web-image.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241208T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241208T180000
DTSTAMP:20241029T210307Z
CREATED:20241029T210216Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241029T210307Z
UID:19622-1733673600-1733680800@nelc.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Bilingual Lecture Series: The Left\, Democracy\, and Authoritarianism in Iran: An Internationally Comparative Perspective
DESCRIPTION:چپ ، دموکراسی، و اقتدارگرایی در ایران: در مقایسه ای بین المللی \nThe Left\, Democracy\, and Authoritarianism in Iran: An Internationally Comparative Perspective \nSunday\, December 8\, 4:00-6:00 PM Pacific\, Royce Hall\, Room 314 \nAlternate live stream on Zoom: \nhttps://ucla.zoom.us/j/92237337565 \n(No need to register in advance\, just click the link at 4:00pm on December 8 to join.) \n \nIn this talk\, I will focus on the relationship between the Left and democracy in Iran. To understand the development of the Iranian Left over the past century\, we should first briefly outline how leftist movements after Marx evolved along three main trajectories\, how these paths ended\, and what renewal trends emerged thereafter. A relevant comparison to Iran is the experience of Latin American countries and the routes taken by the Left there. Following this introduction\, I will provide a historical overview of the different strands of the Left in Iran\, from the Constitutional Revolution (1906) to the present. Next\, I will address the successes\, setbacks\, and failures the Left has encountered along this journey. Finally\, I will discuss the problems\, challenges\, and opportunities facing the Left in Iran today. \nAbout the Speaker \nDr. Alireza Behtoui is a professor of sociology at the School of Social Sciences at Södertörn University in Stockholm\, Sweden. His research expertise includes Sociology of education\, political sociology and social movements\, sociology of elites\, race\, and ethnicity. He has published numerous scientific articles in English-language journals\, books in Swedish and popular scientific articles in Persian on these topics. He is currently on sabbatical at the University of California\, Berkeley. His latest writings have addressed the challenges against democracy building in Iran from a comparative perspective.
URL:https://nelc.ucla.edu/event/bilingual-lecture-series-the-left-democracy-and-authoritarianism-in-iran-an-internationally-comparative-perspective/
LOCATION:314 Royce Hall
CATEGORIES:Bilingual Lecture Series,Humanities,Iranian,NELC
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nelc.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/BLS-Behtoui.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20241121
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20241123
DTSTAMP:20241115T180356Z
CREATED:20240924T205557Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241115T180356Z
UID:19512-1732147200-1732319999@nelc.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Yarshater Center & Iranian Studies Symposium and Workshop: Nezāmi and the Iranian World
DESCRIPTION:Nezāmi and the Iranian World\nNovember 21–22\, 2024 | UCLA Royce Hall 306 \nA symposium and workshop convened by \nDomenico Ingenito (University of California\, Los Angeles) \nMorning Refreshments at 8:30am \nConference beings at 9:00am \n“Nezāmi and the Iranian World” is a two-day conference (November 21–22\, 2024) that brings together specialists of Persian literature\, junior faculty\, and graduate students to facilitate in-depth conversations on Nezāmi in a stimulating intellectual environment at UCLA. \nNezāmi Ganjavi’s five romances in verse\, collectively known as the Quintet (Khamsa)\, are regarded as the most precious examples of medieval Iran’s literary refinement. Drawing upon a vast repertoire of didactic\, romantic\, epic\, folkloric\, philosophical\, and scientific materials that circulated in ancient and medieval Iran\, and Central and West Asia\, Nezāmi’s stylistically impeccable narrative poems constitute a masterpiece of world literature. Like all classics\, Nezāmi’s Khamsa challenges every generation of scholars to re-read its fictional worlds through new critical lenses and in connection with emerging theoretical paradigms. \nIn the interest of promoting cross-generational and interdisciplinary conversations\, “Nezāmi and the Iranian World” approaches the study of Nezāmi’s poetry through close readings and critical analyses that\, while building on previous scholarship\, shall also highlight aspects of the Khamsa little explored heretofore. By studying Nezāmi “against the grain” of previous interpretations\, invited speakers shall explore the complex thematic\, aesthetic\, and ethical ambivalence of Nezāmi’s poetry as a powerful source of literary creativity that defies generic conventions\, as well as fixed hermeneutical categories. \nOn the first day of the conference\, “Rediscovering a Persian Treasury of Global Literature\,” invited speakers will deliver lectures that offer insights on the most recent developments in current approaches to the study of Nezāmi’s poetry. On the second day\, a workshop\, entitled “Recrafting Nezāmi Studies between the Real and the Imaginary\,” will offer UCLA graduate students the opportunity to discuss new trajectories in the field of Persian literary studies in unison with Nezāmi specialists. \nThe two-day conference “Nezāmi and the Iranian World” is organized under the auspices of the Yarshater Center for the Study of Iranian Literary Traditions and the UCLA Program of Iranian Studies\, in partnership with the Pourdavoud Institute for the Study of the Iranian World\, and convened by Domenico Ingenito. We also would like to acknowledge the co-sponsorship of the CMRS Center for Early Global Studies. \nSchedule of Speakers \nDay 1 \nSymposium: Rediscovering a Persian Treasury of Global Literature \nLeili Anvar (Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales\, Paris) \nLayli and Majnun and the Divan \nPaul Losensky (Indiana University) \nTents\, Fortresses\, and Caves: Literary Architectures in Nezami’s Eskandarnama \nAlexandra Hoffmann (University of British Columbia) \nMasculinities in Layli and Majnun \nJane Mikkelson (Yale University) \nThe Reality Shimmer: Hearing Voices in Nezami’s Layli and Majnun \nReading of Nezāmi’s Selected Works \n  \nDay 2 \n Workshop: Recrafting Nezāmi Studies between the Real and the Imaginary  \nSahba Shayani (University of California\, Los Angeles) \nShirin: From Ferdowsi to Nezami \nDomenico Ingenito (University of California\, Los Angeles) \n“As Fast as the Intellect”: Nezami’s Meräj Narratives\, Architectural Wonders\, and Poetic Inspiration \nAshkaan Kashani (University of California\, Los Angeles) \nEmergence of the New: Negation and Transformation in the Haft Paykar \nAllison Kanner-Botan (University of California\, Los Angeles) \nFiction and Ethics: Nezami’s Responses to Ferdowsi \nCharlotte Howley (University of California\, Los Angeles) \nSacred Geometry and Celestial Domes: The Architectural Dimension of Nezami’s Haft Paykar in Its Historical Context \nAzeem Malik (University of California\, Los Angeles) \nYusof and Zoleykhä between the White Dome and the Seventh Heaven: Reading Jämi alongside Nezami’s Seven Figures \nClick here to register for this event. \nClick here to download the PDF of the program.
URL:https://nelc.ucla.edu/event/iranian-studies-yarshater-symposium-and-workshop-nezami-and-the-iranian-world/
LOCATION:Royce 306
CATEGORIES:Humanities,Iranian,NELC
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nelc.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/nezami-for-web.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241115T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241115T180000
DTSTAMP:20241112T222109Z
CREATED:20240827T153604Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241112T222109Z
UID:19494-1731686400-1731693600@nelc.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Pourdavoud & Iranian Studies Co-Sponsored Lecture: Panagiotis Agapitos
DESCRIPTION:Byzantium Within a Medieval Eurafricasian Literary Polysystem: Historiography\, Fictional Tales\, and the Practices of Narrative Representation\n  \nByzantium and its literature has been excluded from the national canons of European literatures. While there are some obvious reasons for this exclusion in the 18th–19th century\, it is woth noting that also Byzantinists supported this exclusion by promoting the alterity of Byzantine culture in relation to “Medieval Europe.” The talk will examine two types of entangled premodern narratives as examples which show the application of new criteria that would allow us to think inclusively in terms of broader “medieval” literary polysystems and the various regional/transregional systems that operated within them. Two such “story spaces” will be used: the Eurafricasian and the Hindosinonipponese polysystems. The first example will look at the various forms of historiography during the periods AD 700–900 and 1000–1200\, while the second example will focus on erotic tales between 1000–1300. The texts cover a broad spectrum of languages (Byzantine Greek\, Medieval Latin\, Middle High German\, Old French\, Arabic\, New Persian and Early Japanese). The comparison\, part of a narrative history of Byzantine literature – will use structural\, thematic\, stylistic and socio-cultural criteria with the aim of highlighting and explaining similarities and differences between the practices of narrative within the two medieval literary polysystems. \nAbout the Speaker \nPanagiotis Agapitos is since 2021 Fellow of Byzantine Studies at the Gutenberg Research College of the University of Mainz\, having worked before that for 25 years at the University of Cyprus as Professor of Byzantine Literature and Culture in the Department of Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies. He studied at the University of Munich and received his PhD from Harvard University in 1990. He has taught as visiting professor at the Free University of Berlin\, the High School of Social Sciences in Paris\, Stanford University and the Sapienza University of Rome. His research interests focus on Byzantine literature\, the history of manuscripts and education in Byzantium\, the critical edition of Medieval Greek texts\, narratology\, theory and practice of rhetoric\, genre studies and cultural history. He has published over 90 papers on these topics\, while his most recent book is a translation into English of the Tale of Livistros and Rodamne\, a Byzantine love romance of the 13th century (Liverpool University Press\, 2021). He is currently writing a narrative history of Byzantine literature (AD 300–1500) under contract with Cambridge University Press. In his free time he writes “mystery stories” set in ninth-century Byzantium.
URL:https://nelc.ucla.edu/event/pourdavoud-iranian-studies-co-sponsored-lecture-panagiotis-agapitos/
LOCATION:Royce 306
CATEGORIES:Iranian,NELC,Pourdavoud Institute
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nelc.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Niarchos-Lecture-flyer-for-web.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241009T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241009T180000
DTSTAMP:20240812T163905Z
CREATED:20240812T163905Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240812T163905Z
UID:19474-1728489600-1728496800@nelc.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Pourdavoud Institute Fall Reception 2024
DESCRIPTION:Pourdavoud Institute Fall 2024 Welcome Reception\nWednesday\, October 9\, 2024\n4:00 – 6:00 pm\nRoyce Hall 306\nRegistration Required\nThe Pourdavoud Institute for the Study of the Iranian World invites you to join us for a fall reception. \nIn the company of our supporters\, colleagues\, academic affiliates\, students\, and esteemed guests\, we shall be introducing the Institute’s stimulating programming and research agenda for the academic year 2024–25. \nLight refreshments will be served. Parking in Lot 2 or Lot 5 is recommended. \nPlease click here to RSVP.
URL:https://nelc.ucla.edu/event/pourdavoud-institute-fall-reception-2024/
LOCATION:Royce 306
CATEGORIES:Iranian,NELC,Pourdavoud Institute
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nelc.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/UCLACampusWithFountain.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240930T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240930T150000
DTSTAMP:20240803T001032Z
CREATED:20240803T001032Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240803T001032Z
UID:19466-1727701200-1727708400@nelc.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:2024-25 NELC Fall Welcome Reception
DESCRIPTION:Please RSVP: https://forms.gle/YmzRJDVeF4sF5KJ76
URL:https://nelc.ucla.edu/event/2024-25-nelc-fall-welcome-reception/
LOCATION:314 Royce Hall
CATEGORIES:NELC
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240602T113000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240602T133000
DTSTAMP:20240412T212359Z
CREATED:20240412T211242Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240412T212359Z
UID:19183-1717327800-1717335000@nelc.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Bilingual Lecture Series: Socio-Economic Stratification\, Labor Issues\, and the Labor Movement in Iran
DESCRIPTION:قشر بندی اجتماعی-اقتصادی، مسائل کارگری و جنبش کارگران در ایران\n\n\n\n\nSocio-Economic Stratification\, Labor Issues\, and the Labor Movement in Iran\nSunday\, June 2\, 2024 I 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM \nZoom Registration: \nhttps://ucla.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_CpBto5YGT-WkGYFOwtwB5Q \n \n\n\n\n\nKazem Alamdari \nDiscussant \nTouraj Atabaki \nنقش کارگران بیکار و ناپایدارکار در جنبش‌های اعتراضی ایران ۱۴۰۲-۱۳۹۶ ( ۲۰۱۷-۲۰۲۳) \nThe Agency of Unemployed and Precarious Workers in the Protest Movements of Iran 2017-2023 \nAzam Khatam \nبحران اقتصادی وعدم استقلال معیشتی و زیست ِی زنان جوان ایران: از انطباق تا اعتراض \nEconomic Downturns and the Failure to Launch among Young Women in Iran: Adaptation\, Protest and in-between \nMohammad Safavi \nتاثیر سیاست ھای اقتصادی-اجتماعی حکومتی بر کارگران و ھمگرایی جنبش کارگری با دیگر جنبش ھا \nThe Impact of the socio-economic policies of the state on workers and convergence of the labor movement with other movements \nAbout the Speakers \n\n\n\nKazem Alamdari is a retired faculty of sociology at California State University\, Northridge. He has published ten books and numerous articles. His first book\, Why Iran Lagged Behind and the West Moved Forward\, has been published 19 times in Iran. His article “Religion and Development Revisited: Comparing Islam and Christianity with Reference to the Case of Iran” in the Journal of Developing Societies has been named one of “The 50 Most-Frequently-Read Articles.” As a public intellectual\, he is frequently featured in the media and presents lectures at national and international conferences. \n  \n  \n  \n  \nTouraj Atabaki is Senior Research Fellow at the International Institute of Social History and Professor Emeritus of Social History of the Middle East and Central Asia at Leiden University. Atabaki studied theoretical physics and later history at the University of London and Utrecht University. Following positions at Utrecht University and the University of Amsterdam\, he joined Leiden University where he held the Chair of Social History of the Middle East and Central Asia. Atabaki’s research encompasses historiography\, social history of labor and subaltern studies in 20th century Iran\, the Ottoman empire\, and Turkey\, as well as the Caucasus and Central Asia. His forthcoming publications with Cambridge University Press are: Social History of the Iranian Oil Industry and Fallen in the Whirlwind: Life and Time of Iranian Migrant Labour and Political Activists during the Soviet Great Purge. Atabaki’s major publications and research projects can be found on: https://socialhistory.org/en/staff/touraj-atabaki. \n  \n  \n  \nAzam Khatam is a Research Affiliate at The City Institute\, York University. She completed her PhD in the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York University in 2015. Dr. Khatam has previously worked as a urban planner and sociologist in Tehran in the 1990s and 2000s. Her publications include “Struggles over defining the moral city: Islam and urban public life in Iran\,” in Herrera and Bayat (eds.) The Making of Muslim Youths: New Cultural Politics in the Global South and North; “The Space Reloaded: Publics and Politics on Enqelab Street in Tehran\,” in Sharp and Panetta (eds.) Urbanism and the Arab Uprisings\, Beyond the Square. \n  \n  \n  \n  \nMohammad Safavi was born in Abadan\, Iran. In 1975\, he was hired as a project-based worker in the construction sector of the “Iran-Japan Petrochemical Company” in the town of Jarrahi (Besat) in the province of Khuzestan. That is where he became a Labor activist; an active member (1978-1980) of the “Independent Syndicate of the Seasonal Workers of Abadan Region.” During the Iran-Iraq war\, he was working as a project-based worker in the construction section of the Power Field of Esfahan. He left Iran in 1980s\, and after his emigration to Canada\, he started working as a baker in 1988 in a large industrial baking company (Canada Bread). For 15 years he served as a workers’ representative in the Committees for Safety\, Security\, and Hygiene. He had also become a member of the Union of the Automobile Workers (CAW)\, and the Union of Food Workers (UFCW1518)‌.  Safavi has published several articles in Persian and English on labor issues in journals such as Women’s View\,  Feminist School\, and Kar-Mozd. His article on “The formation of the seasonal and project-based workers in Abadan” was published in the book Iran’s Struggles for Social Justice\, edited by Peyman Vahabzadeh\, 2016.
URL:https://nelc.ucla.edu/event/bilingual-lecture-series-socio-economic-stratification-labor-issues-and-the-labor-movement-in-iran/
CATEGORIES:Bilingual Lecture Series,Iranian,NELC
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nelc.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BLS-Labor-and-Economic-Panel-Flyer.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240520T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240520T160000
DTSTAMP:20240521T162742Z
CREATED:20240409T234504Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240521T162742Z
UID:19170-1716213600-1716220800@nelc.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Bilingual Lecture Series: Heroes to Hostages: US—Iran Diplomacy through Race Relations and Human Rights
DESCRIPTION:Heroes to Hostages: US—Iran Diplomacy through Race Relations and Human Rights\n\nMonday\, May 20\, 2024 I 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM \nZoom Registration: \nhttps://ucla.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_QUtvGrfQTl2ZcaQhcdlJ1Q \n \n\n\n\n\nThis presentation appraises US-Iranian diplomacy through race relations and human rights. Intellectuals of the post-Mosaddeq era gave voice to an anti-colonial rhetoric that burst wide open during the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Many writers\, some with socialist leanings\, watched with interest political happenings in formerly colonized states. These conflicts were often rooted in experiences of racial discrimination and social inequality. At the same time\, the Iranian state also engaged with some of these themes and expanded its diplomatic relations with a range of countries in the Global South. Although state-to-state ties between Iran and America were strengthened during the two decades preceding the 1979 revolution\, social dissent also grew strident. The debate on human rights gave voice to these concerns as Iran’s politicians and writers reflected on the legacy of human rights and reassessed the country’s ties to the United States and the West. Race relations provided an unanticipated and often missed opportunity for collaboration. \nAbout the Speaker \n\n\n\n\nFiroozeh Kashani-Sabet received her B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill\, where she was a Morehead Scholar. She completed her Ph.D. in history at Yale University. Dr. Kashani-Sabet’s first book\, Frontier Fictions: Shaping the Iranian Nation\, 1804-1946\, analyzes the significance of land and border disputes to the process of identity and nation formation\, as well as to cultural production\, in Iran and its borderlands. She has worked extensively on the histories of disease\, science\, and reproductive politics. She has also published articles on disability\, hygiene\, humanism\, and quarantines in the context of the Persianate world. Her new book\, Heroes to Hostages: America and Iran\, 1800-1988 (Cambridge University Press) analyzes the ties between America and Iran not only through international diplomacy\, but also through cultural and social history\, with a focus on race\, gender\, and ethnic relations. It draws on a wide array of sources in Persian and English.
URL:https://nelc.ucla.edu/event/bilingual-lecture-series-heroes-to-hostages-us-iran-diplomacy-through-race-relations-and-human-rights-2/
CATEGORIES:Bilingual Lecture Series,Iranian,NELC
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nelc.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BLS-Kashani-Sabet-2.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240519T113000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240519T133000
DTSTAMP:20240409T234004Z
CREATED:20240409T234003Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240409T234004Z
UID:19163-1716118200-1716125400@nelc.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Bilingual Lecture Series: Heroes to Hostages: US—Iran Diplomacy through Race Relations and Human Rights
DESCRIPTION:قھرمان یا گروگان : تاریخ روابط آمریکا و ایران از دیدگاه مسائل نژادی و اجتماعی\nHeroes to Hostages: US—Iran Diplomacy through Race Relations and Human Rights\n\nSunday\, May 19\, 2024 I 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM \nZoom Registration: \nhttps://ucla.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_aieHlTjSSJa2-tL__Bf22g \n \n\n\n\n\nThis presentation appraises US-Iranian diplomacy through race relations and human rights. Intellectuals of the post-Mosaddeq era gave voice to an anti-colonial rhetoric that burst wide open during the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Many writers\, some with socialist leanings\, watched with interest political happenings in formerly colonized states. These conflicts were often rooted in experiences of racial discrimination and social inequality. At the same time\, the Iranian state also engaged with some of these themes and expanded its diplomatic relations with a range of countries in the Global South. Although state-to-state ties between Iran and America were strengthened during the two decades preceding the 1979 revolution\, social dissent also grew strident. The debate on human rights gave voice to these concerns as Iran’s politicians and writers reflected on the legacy of human rights and reassessed the country’s ties to the United States and the West. Race relations provided an unanticipated and often missed opportunity for collaboration. \nAbout the Speaker \n\n\n\n\nFiroozeh Kashani-Sabet received her B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill\, where she was a Morehead Scholar. She completed her M.A.\, M.Phil.\, and Ph.D. in history at Yale University. Dr. Kashani-Sabet has worked extensively on the histories of disease\, science\, and reproductive politics. She has also published articles on disability\, hygiene\, humanism\, and quarantines in the context of the Persianate world. Her new book\, Heroes to Hostages: America and Iran\, 1800-1988 (Cambridge University Press) analyzes the ties between America and Iran not only through international diplomacy\, but also through cultural and social history\, with a focus on race\, gender\, and ethnic relations. It draws on a wide array of sources in Persian and English.
URL:https://nelc.ucla.edu/event/bilingual-lecture-series-heroes-to-hostages-us-iran-diplomacy-through-race-relations-and-human-rights/
CATEGORIES:Bilingual Lecture Series,Iranian,NELC
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nelc.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BLS-Kashani-Sabet-1.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240508T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240508T180000
DTSTAMP:20240502T172228Z
CREATED:20240223T232102Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240502T172228Z
UID:19074-1715184000-1715191200@nelc.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:CANCELLED: Pourdavoud Lecture Series: Wu Xin
DESCRIPTION:It is with sincere regret that we have decided to cancel the upcoming lecture by Professor Wu Xin. Our campus\, like many others across the country\, is experiencing turbulent times with ongoing protests. We will reschedule this event at a later date when we will be able to welcome safely to campus our friends and colleagues.\n  \n\nRegal Metamorphosis: A Transcultural Journey of the Achaemenid Royal Women to the East\nXiwangmu\, also known as the Queen of the West\, is a significant deity in ancient Chinese mythology\, revered initially as the protector of departed souls. Her representation emerged during the late Western Han period around the 1st century BCE. Scholars have drawn parallels with Western deities such as Astarte\, Kybele\, and Athena\, yet little attention has been given to the origins of her function in Chinese funerary art. Analysis suggests that her origin lies in the queenly figures of the Achaemenid royal court. Through trade and intermarriage\, Persian noblewomen engaged with the Eurasian steppe nomads\, especially the Sakas\, who acted as cultural intermediaries between the Achaemenid court\, the steppe\, and China. This cultural exchange across Eurasia facilitated the transformation of Persian royal women into Chinese divine protectors. \nAbout the Speaker \nWu Xin received her undergraduate and master’s training at Beijing University\, focusing on Chinese archaeology and Central Asian Buddhist Art. She earned her PhD at the University of Pennsylvania\, specializing in the art and archaeology of the ancient Near East. Her dissertation\, titled “Central Asia in the Context of the Achaemenid Persian Empire (6th to 4th Centuries B.C.)\,” reflects her interest in the interactions between Central Asia and the Achaemenid imperial power. With extensive experience in archaeological projects\, Wu Xin directed the Kyzyltepa Project in Uzbekistan and is finalizing a monograph titled Persia and the East\, which presents her renewed scholarship on the relationships between Central Asia\, the Eurasian steppe\, and the Achaemenid Empire. Previously a professor in the Department of History at Fudan University in Shanghai\, Wu Xin currently serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology at Bryn Mawr College. \n  \nClick here to register for the event.
URL:https://nelc.ucla.edu/event/pourdavoud-lecture-series-wu-xin/
LOCATION:Royce 306
CATEGORIES:Iranian,NELC,Pourdavoud Institute
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nelc.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Wu-Xin-Cover-Image-version-2.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240501T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240501T180000
DTSTAMP:20240501T171903Z
CREATED:20240404T182007Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240501T171903Z
UID:19156-1714579200-1714586400@nelc.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:CANCELLED: Pourdavoud Lecture Series: Robert Rollinger
DESCRIPTION:Due to recent events on campus resulting in the cancellations of classes at UCLA today\, Professor Robert Rollinger’s lecture has been canceled. We apologize for any inconvienence and thank you for your understanding. We look forward to hosting you at one of our upcoming events soon.\n\nThe “Persian Wars”: An Alternative Perspective?\nThe “Persian Wars” are still regarded by many scholars and the interested general public as one of the major events in western history. The instructive and captivating narrative of Herodotus’ Histories became a pillar of Greek historical consciousness which\, after some breaks\, was transformed into a western European culture of remembrance since the 19thcentury. Scholarly literature on this event is abundant and flourishing. The underlying subtext of a permanent confrontation between allegedly well-defined blocks of cultural identities\, East and West\, Europe and Asia\, Orient and Occident\, and their charged markers of liberty vs. tyranny\, democracy vs. despotism\, truthfulness vs. shrewdness\, luxury vs. simplicity\, bravery vs. cowardness\, and individualism vs. collectivism\, have entered popular culture as well. If we look at the never-ending stream of contributions to the topic by modern scholarship one cannot avoid the conclusion that all “histories” of the “Persian Wars” are still more or less witty and erudite reproductions of Herodotus’ Histories. The basis of this approach is the adamant conviction that Herodotus was able (and willing) to separate fact from fiction and that his Histories by and large report what essentially had happened. The lecture tries to demonstrate the serious problems related to such an approach and to propose an alternative way to explore the topic. \nAbout the Speaker \nRobert Rollinger is Professor of Ancient History and Ancient Near Eastern Studies at the University of Innsbruck\, Austria\, where he has been holding\, since 2005\, the Chair for “Cultural Interactions between the ancient Near East and the Mediterranean” in the Department of Ancient History and Ancient Near Eastern Studies. Dr. Rollinger’s scholarly interests are wide-ranging and encompass the cultural expanse between the Aegean world and the ancient Near East\, with a special focus on ancient historiography\, the comparative history of empires\, and the Achaemenid Empire in particular. Dr. Rollinger is also known for his numerous publications and important editorial work: he has been (co-) editing among others the prestigious series: Oriens et Occidens (Franz Steiner Verlag); Classica et Orientalia (Harrassowitz); Studies in Universal and Cultural History (Springer); Philippika(Harrassowitz); (The Proceedings of the) Melammu Symposia(Austrian Academy of Science); and Empires Through the Ages in Global Perspective (de Gruyter). More recently\, he published together with Bruno Jacobs the Blackwell Companion to the Achaemenid Empire (Blackwell 2021)\, which shall serve as the new work of reference in the field. He is a member of numerous academic organizations and research groups\, among them: the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW); the German Archaeological Institute (DAI); and the Academia Europaea. \nClick here to register for the event.
URL:https://nelc.ucla.edu/event/pourdavoud-lecture-series-robert-rollinger/
LOCATION:Royce 306
CATEGORIES:Iranian,NELC,Pourdavoud Institute
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