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Rashīd al-Dīn in the Eye of the Beholder: Proposing a Holistic Approach to Reception History

10383 Bunche Hall

Photo: Humboldt Foundation/Wolfgang Hemmann Central Asia in Transition Lecture by Judith Pfeiffer (University of Bonn) Recent scholarship has painted a rather dim picture of the Mongol-Ilkhanid vizier and historian Rashīd al-Dīn’s (d. 718/1318) historiographical impact in the Muslim world. This lecture proposes a holistic approach to Rashīd al-Dīn’s oeuvre that includes both his historiographical and...

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How much of a physician was Rashīd al-Dīn?

Photo: Humboldt Foundation/Wolfgang Hemmann A lecture by Judith Pfeiffer (University of Bonn) Rashīd al-Dīn Faḍl Allāh Hamadānī (d. 718/1318) is often introduced as “ṭabīb,” or ‘physician,’ mostly to distinguish him from authors with similar names, notably the epistolographer Rashīd al-Dīn Waṭwāṭ (d. 578/1182). This paper discusses Rashīd al-Dīn’s scholarly persona as a physician. Starting from his epithet,...

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Computers and Challenges of Writing in Persian

121 Dodd Hall 390 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA

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

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Computers and Challenges of Writing in Persian

Humanities Room 365 415 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA

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

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Many Roads to Oxiana: Safavid and Mughal Poetry on Central Asian Campaigns

10383 Bunche Hall

Sunil Sharma (Boston University) Central Asia under the Uzbeks was viewed with ambivalence by their Persianate neighbors, the Safavids and Mughals. On the one hand, it was cherished as the cradle of Persian literature and the Timurid homeland, but at the same time its rulers were also frequently at war with them. Literary representations of military...

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The Achaemenid King and his Governors: Identity – Imitation – Identification

Maria Brosius (University of Toronto) While we may have a rather clear idea about the relationship between the Achaemenid king and his satraps, the relationship between the king and local governors and city-rulers has received less scholarly attention. An exception to this omission is Mausolus of Caria who seems to stand out because Greek sources...

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Great King / King of Kings. Survival and Transformation of a Persian Title in the Hellenistic Period, c. 330–30 BCE: From the Achaemenids to the Parthians

Rolf Strootman (Utrecht University) The Old Persian imperial titles Great King and King of Kings (xšāyaθiya vazạrka and xšāyaθiya xšāyaθiyānām) disappeared after the Macedonian conquest of the Achaemenid Empire in 330 BCE. But already before the Parthians reestablished Iranian kingship in Iran, the title Great King had returned in a Greek version: basileus megas. That title...

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In Search of Modern Iran

Abbas Amanat (Yale) In this book talk, Abbas Amanat discusses the challenges and rewards of writing about a half millennium of history in his recently published book: Iran: A Modern History  (Yale University Press, 2017). Event Flyer Registration Please complete this form to register for the event. Seating is limited.  Name* First Last Email* Attending?*YesNoAffiliation*UCLA StudentUCLA...

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Freed from Hostageship: Iranian Perspectives on the Arsacids of Rome

Jake Nabel (Getty Research Institute) Over the course of the Julio-Claudian period in Rome (c.30 BCE-68 CE), several Arsacid princes from the ruling family of the Parthian empire were sent to live in the court of the Roman emperor. Ancient Greco-Roman sources describe these figures as “hostages,” and modern scholars have largely followed suit. While...

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Why and How Iranian Identity has become so Politicized? (Lecture in Persian)

121 Dodd Hall 390 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA

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

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Between Graven Images and Zoroastrian Texts: How to Study Ancient Iranian Religious Iconography?

Michael Shenkar (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem) The study of the Iranian religious iconography has been traditionally bound to the Zoroastrian texts. Deities, animals and symbols have all been usually interpreted based on the descriptions found in the Avesta and in the Middle Persian literature. However, to treat these problematic texts as a source of...

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Panel on Environment and Sustainability (in Persian)

121 Dodd Hall 390 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA

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

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Persian and Greek Participation in the Making of China’s First Empire

UCLA Fowler Museum

Terra-cotta warriors, bronze chariots and horses are among the iconic artifacts associated with China’s first imperial dynasty, the Qin (221 206 BCE). Chinese archaeologist Duan Qinbo shares new evidence that suggests the material culture and social governance of the Qin may not be solely indigenous Chinese, but may also have come to China along Central...

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The Frankfurt School, Authoritarianism, Fundamentalism and Cosmetics: From 1920s Germany to Contemporary Middle East

121 Dodd Hall 390 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA

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

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Ancient Persia and the West: An International Symposium

The Pourdavoud Center for the Study of the Iranian World and the Getty Research Institute are co-organizing a one-day symposium to be held on April 25, 2018 at the Pourdavoud Center, UCLA. Presenters will include invited speakers and the current Getty Villa Scholars, whose projects focus on the encounters of ancient Iran with the classical...

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Soundtrack of the Revolution: The Politics of Music in Iran

Nahid Siamdoust (Yale University) Soundtrack of the Revolution offers a striking account of Iranian culture, politics, and social change. Drawing on over five years of research in Iran, including during the 2009 protests, Nahid Siamdoust introduces a full cast of characters, from musicians and audience members to state officials, and takes readers into concert halls...

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Is There a Persian Literary History? Twentieth-century Journals and the Formation of Literary Criticism

121 Dodd Hall 390 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA

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

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“Untaken Paths”- Film Screening and Discussion

121 Dodd Hall 390 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA

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

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