Arash Zeini

Author: Arash Zeini

  • گیلاس و انجیر

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    Arash Zeini
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    دو هفته پیش پسر همسایه اجازه گرفت و چند تا گیلاس از درخت ما چید. امروز برام گوجه آورد که از پارک کنده بود.‌ قرار شد وقتی انجیرهای درخت ما رسیدند دوباره با نردبونش برگرده.

  • Stray Dog

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    Arash Zeini
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    I love dogs and often meditate on this photo. Something in those eyes, in the captured moment that seems so human. This one is the embodiment of the rōnin, but not because this is a Japanese stray. It’s in the eyes, in that gaze. It encapsulates survival, suffering, pain, courage and compassion all at the…

  • Sasanian inscriptions

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    Arash Zeini
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    I thoroughly enjoyed working with Olivia this term. She is a brilliant scholar, and I very much look forward to her book. The opportunity to discuss Ab’s ideas was an unexpected and very welcome side effect. Good luck to you all.

  • Im Dickicht der Zeichen

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    Arash Zeini
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    Mir scheint es, die Zeiten haben sich geändert. In ihrem Buch, ‘Im Dickicht der Zeichen’, beschreibt Aleida Assmann ihr Studium in den 60er Jahren: 1966 war das Jahr, in dem ich Abitur gemacht habe und mein Studium begann. Die Studienjahre in Heidelberg und Tübingen fielen in die bewegte Zeit der K-Gruppen und Vollversammlungen, der Marx-Lektüre…

  • The Sūdgar Nask

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    Arash Zeini
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    Last month, we celebrated the publication of Yuhan’s books at a launch event at Wolfson College (@WolfsonCollege), wonderfully organised and convened by Christian Sahner (@ccsahner). I really enjoyed doing this with Elizabeth Tucker and Christian. It seemed to us that Yuhan enjoyed it, which is perhaps the main point.

  • »Zur Kritik der Gewalt«

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    Arash Zeini
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    Die Aufgabe einer Kritik der Gewalt läßt sich als die Darstellung ihres Verhältnisses zu Recht und Gerechtigkeit umschreiben. Walter Benjamin

  • »Die Welt von Gestern«

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    Arash Zeini
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    Yesterday, I chanced upon the English translation of Stefan Zweig’s memoirs, The World of Yesterday. Looking through the book, I found Shakespeare’s brilliant words in the epigraph: »Let’s withdraw, and meet the time as it seeks us.« Anyone familiar with Stefan Zweig’s decision to end his life together with his wife will read »let’s withdraw«…

  • A history of decline?

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    Arash Zeini
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    On 12 December 2023, The Guardian reported a set of questions directed at Keir Starmer as part of its coverage of the Rwanda Bill: ‘MPs back Rwanda bill’. As I read through these questions, I couldn’t help but imagine them as part of a Socratic dialogue. Imagine the conversation was not between a modern-day politician…

  • Rise of the Sasanian Empire

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    Arash Zeini
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    I don’t know The Collector, having only recently been alerted to it by Google, but their article entitled Rise of the Sasanian Empire: The Persians (205-310 CE) looks interesting. I have not had a chance to read the article in detail, but it looks generally good and offers photos to illustrate the art and archaeology…

  • A Lost Parsi Fire Temple

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    Arash Zeini
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    A short report with some photos in India Times on The Lost Parsi Fire Temple Of Kolkata’s Ezra Street. The Parsi community’s connection with Kolkata dates back to more than 240 years. Relying on the written records, in 1767, Dadabhai Behramji became the first Parsi who settled in Kolkata. He was friends with John Cartier,…

  • Interreligious Dialogue in Medieval Bamiyan

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    Arash Zeini
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    This blog first appeared on the website of the Invisible East Programme. Historical documents, as opposed to narrative and religious primary source material, are an invaluable resource for the historical study of daily life and ordinary people. Micro-historical research, thus moves away from panoptic imperial historiography and often focuses on the history of smaller states,…

  • Bahari Research Fellow

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    Arash Zeini
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    As of today, I continue my work at the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Oxford, as a senior ‘Bahari Research Fellow’. I resume work on my usual research topics: Zoroastrianism in late antiquity and epistolary traditions within the Iranian world. I’m grateful to Yuhan Vevaina for the friendship, opportunity & the…

  • Berkeley Working Papers in Middle Iranian Philology

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    Arash Zeini
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    Adam Benkato and I have finally launched our journal, Berkeley Working Papers in Middle Iranian Philology, where we intend to publish short and longer articles or research reports on the philology and epigraphy of the Middle Iranian languages (Middle Persian, Parthian, Bactrian, Sogdian, Chorasmian, Khotanese). We start the Working Papers with issue 0, Towards a…

  • Mastodon

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    Arash Zeini
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    I am about to finally close my Twitter account. Maybe I use this moment to be off social media entirely, but if not, I will continue over at Mastodon.

  • The birth of the abestāg

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    Arash Zeini
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    I am delighted to be giving a lecture as part of the Pourdavoud Center Lecture Series on 11 January 2023. I will talk about the role of the Sasanians and philology in the creation and transmission of the abestāg, which is my preferred term for the collection of the texts we have come to know…