Iranian Cultural Identity and the Politics of Religious Nationalism The lecture begins with an exploration of the various bases for Iranian “cultural identity” (Iraniyat)—including a long pre-Islamic legacy, the Persian language, Shi’ism, and the bonds and affinities among a people who have inhabited roughly the same territory for nearly three millennia. It makes a distinction...

A Talk with the Collective for Black Iranians: On the Importance of Centering Erased Black and Afro Iranian Histories from Iran and the Diaspora A Panel Discussion Sunday, February 27, 2022 at 11:30am Pacific Time via Zoom Panel in Persian and English Registration Required Please join the UCLA Program of Iranian Studies and the UCLA...

هشتادسالگی و عشق A Film Screening and Panel Discussion of Simin Behbahani: Love at Eighty Sunday, March 13, 2022 at 11:30am Pacific Time via Zoom Film in Persian with English Subtitles Panel in Persian Registration Required https://ucla.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_MkAi-NDfQR-rKKgZQI3kUw

Book Talk with Shaul Bakhash: The Fall of Reza Shah Monday, April 4, 2022 at 3:00pm Pacific Time via Zoom Lecture in English Registration Required https://ucla.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_tvfAF2NiT8qu6vUxlBoFzA

Āvānegār, a collaborative documentary narrated by Dr. Mohsen Mohammadi (Director of Indo-Persian Music at UCLA) explores the history of transcription of Iranian music, based on decades of research in various archives in Iran, Europe, and the United States. Rare historical documents and sources are presented in the film, and several historical notations of Iranian music...

Latest Developments in Afghanistan and Implications for Iran: A Panel Discussion   Ahmad Nader Nadery Former Chair of Independent Civil Service Commission in Kabul, and Member of the Peace Negotiation Team for Afghanistan The Taliban’s Return to Power and Its Implications for Afghanistan and Iran   Homeira Qaderi Afghan Writer and Women’s Rights Activist, and Radcliffe...

Wednesday, April 27, 2022 at 11:00am Pacific Time via Zoom Registration Required This talk examines the many ways in which Persian tilework has been packaged and interpreted between the field, museum, and photograph. At stake is a balancing act between prevailing narratives of world heritage and local and national histories, as well as the reconciliation...

تنش شعر و قدرت در ایران ِ پس از انقلاب The Tension Between Poetry and Power in Post-Revolutionary Iran شعر و شاعران چه نقشی در پیروزی انقلاب ۵۷ و به مسند نشاندن حاکمان جمهوری اسلامی داشتند؟ چرا حاکمان جمهوری اسلامی به شعر اهمیت می‌دهند؟‌ شاعران حکومتی چه کسانی هستند و چگونه به عرصه شعر بعد...

اجراگری مردانگی توسط زنان هنرمند در موسیقی لاله‌زاری The Arabic-infused Iranian popular musical genre, Lalehzari (or Kucheh-Bazari), was well liked amongst Iran’s underclass in the last few decades before the 1979 Revolution. In the sixties and seventies, the taste for Lalehzari music clearly indicated a lower social class and was associated by mainstream culture with...

The Performance of Female Masculinity in Lalehzari Music The Arabic-infused Iranian popular musical genre, Lalehzari (or Kucheh-Bazari), was well liked amongst Iran’s underclass in the last few decades before the 1979 Revolution. In the sixties and seventies, the taste for Lalehzari music clearly indicated a lower social class and was associated by mainstream culture with...