Tag: Iranian Studies

  • Bulletin of the Asia Institute

    Bulletin of the Asia Institute

    The Bulletin of the Asia Institute (BAI), newly moved to the Yarshater Center for the Study of Iranian Literary Traditions at UCLA, is a well-known journal in our discipline that has variously re-invented itself since 1931. In 1987, the editors of the Inaugural Issue of the newly reborn Bulletin of the Asia Institute noted:

    [The journal’s] fledgling flight was made in 1931 as the Bulletin of the American Institute for Persian Art and Archaeology, then it molted into the Bulletin of the American Institute for Iranian Art and Archaeology, to rise again as the Bulletin of the Asia Institute of Pahlavi University in 1969, and now once more, shaking the ashes from its wings, as the Bulletin of the Asia Institute.

    Notes from the Editors (1987)

    The editors, among whom was Carol Altman Bromberg, are referring to Richard Frye, who in his preface likened the journal to a phoenix:

    The Bulletin of the Asia Institute is truly a phoenix rising again from cold ashes, and its history should be told as a preface to its new publication.

    Preface by Frye (1987)

    Carol Altman Bromberg, the tireless editor of the journal for nearly 40 years, was often in touch to inform me of newly published volumes. In 2023, when I heard that she might not be able to continue working on the journal, I offered to help her explore a move to a digital-only infrastructure with fresh institutional backing. She took some time to consider the possibility, and finally wrote:

    Dear Arash,

    I have given your suggestions a good deal of thought. At the moment, I prefer to leave things as they are but will consider this again in the future.

    All best,
    Carol

    It is a pity that I was unable to assist with a transition aimed at ensuring the journal’s survival and continuation. I am, however, delighted to see that the phoenix of the BAI has risen once more; this time at the Yarshater Center for the Study of Iranian Literary Traditions (UCLA). In its new home, the BAI will soon be able to celebrate its centenary. My warmest congratulations to Rahim Shayegan and his team.

    Carol must have decided to go with the Shogun rather than the Ninja, which is absolutely fine. Having been informed of the publication of the new volume by the Yarshater Center, I am delighted that they continue Carol’s tradition of being in touch.

    I hope that at times when circles of justice are not what they pretend to be, a sense of open collaboration built on trust can still thrive in our discipline.

  • Berkeley Working Papers in Middle Iranian Philology

    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 Manifesto for Middle Iranian Philology. As the title suggests, this issue of the journal serves as a manifesto where I show a possible direction for the journal by discussing Nietzsche’s views on philology.

    We warmly invite our colleagues to contribute to the journal.

  • The Roar of silence

    On 26 September, I presented François de Blois the Festschrift that Adam Benkato and I edited:

    Benkato, Adam & Arash Zeini (eds.). 2021. The roar of silence: A Festschrift in honour of François de Blois. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society 31(3).

    The presentation took place at the Ancient India & Iran Trust in Cambridge a couple of days after François’s 73rd birthday. Here is my speech:

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  • Abadan:Retold

    Abadan:Retold is an innovative, multi-media social history project invented and managed by Rasmus Christian Elling, an Associate Professor of Iranian Studies at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

    A crucial part of the project is an online portal (www.abadan.wiki) with multiple functions.

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  • Closure of ‘small Humanities programmes’!

    Stop the Cuts
    Image source: http://3909.cupe.ca/files/2013/05/Stop-the-Cuts.jpg

    At BiblioIranica, we usually do not comment on issues beyond our academic interests in ancient Iran. However, it would be wrong, if we did not express our disappointment after hearing the news of the closure of ‘small Humanities programmes’ at the University of Copenhagen. As the University Post reports, the “Faculty of Humanities at the University of Copenhagen will shut down five smaller study programmes permanently”. A full list of the threatened programmes, and the university’s plans are published here.

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  • Masters of Persian calligraphy

    Congratulations to Hamidreza Ghelichkhani, who curated and annotated this delightful anthology in collaboration with Kambiz GhaneaBassiri.

    This anthology invites audiences to interact with select works of Iranian masters of calligraphy from the tenth to the twentieth century. These works were carefully chosen to represent the artistic canon that has shaped the world of calligraphy in contemporary Iran. Their influence has in many cases exceeded the national boundaries of modern Iran, and the earlier works helped spread Persianate culture throughout West Asia in the Middle Ages and the Early Modern era.

    Source: Home – Masterpieces of Persian Calligraphy

  • Farāmarz, the Sistāni hero

    van Zutphen, Marjolijn. 2014. Farāmarz, the Sistāni hero: Texts and traditions of the Farāmarznāme and the Persian epic cycle. Leiden/Boston: Brill.

    In Farāmarz, the Sistāni Hero Marjolijn van Zutphen discusses the manuscripts, storylines and main themes of the shorter and the longer Farāmarznāme (c. 1100), in relation to Ferdowsi’s Shāhnāme and several other later maṡnawis about the warriors from Sistān (the Persian Epic Cycle). Farāmarz, a secondary figure of the Shāhnāme, gained importance in later epic traditions and as the invincible protagonist of both Farāmarznāmes reached a status that equalled, if not surpassed, that of his famous father Rostam.

  • Eleventh Biennial Iranian Studies Conference

    University of Vienna

    Tuesday-Friday, 2–5 August 2016

    Conference Information

    The International Society for Iranian Studies (ISIS) is pleased to announce that the Eleventh Biennial Iranian Studies Conference will be held in Vienna, Austria from August 2-5, 2016 at the University of Vienna. Onsite registration begins on the 2nd and the program extends until the evening of the 5th.

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  • Iran and the Caucasus

    Volume 18, issue 4 of Iran and the Caucasus:

    Iran and the Caucasus 18(4).

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  • The epic of Farāmarz

    The new issue, vol. 24, of the Bulletin of the Asia Institute (BAI) has been published. As of this post, the journal’s website has not been updated to reflect the content of vol. 24, and the issue contains too many articles and reviews of interest to individually list them here.

    Michael Shenkar has made a PDF of his article available here:

    Shenkar, Michael. 2014. The epic of Farāmarz in the Panjikent paintings. Bulletin of the Asia Institute 24. 67–84.

    Update:

    The following content list has been posted by Carol Bromberg:

    Bulletin of the Asia Institute 24 (December 2014)

    David Stronach, Solomon at Pasargadae: Some New Perspectives

     Domenico Agostini, Encountering a Beautiful Maiden: On the Zoroastrian dēn in Comparison with Dante’s Beatrice

     Yishai Kiel, Gazing through Transparent Objects in Pahlavi and Rabbinic Literature: A Comparative Analysis

     Dieter Weber, Villages and Estates in the Documents from the Pahlavi Archive: The Geographical Background

     Michael Shenkar, The Epic of Farāmarz in the Panjikent Paintings  (2 color plates)

     Étienne de la Vaissière, Silk, Buddhism and Early Khotanese Chronology: A Note on the Prophecy of the Li Country

     Harry Falk, Libation Trays from Gandhara

     Phyllis Granoff, Maitreya and the Yūpa: Some Gandharan Reliefs

     David Frendo, Sovereignty, Control, and Co-existence in Byzantine-Iranian Relations: An Overview

     Zsuzsanna Gulácsi, The Prophet’s Seal: A Contextualized Look at the Crystal Sealstone of Mani (216–276 c.e.) in the Bibliothèque nationale de France (2 color plates)

    Reviews

    Prods Oktor Skjærvø, Gnosis and Deliverance: Werner Sundermann’s “Speech of the Living Soul”

    Azarnouche, ed. and trans. Husraw ī Kawādān-ē ud Rēdag-ē: Khosrow fils de Kawād et un page (Jenny Rose)

    Agostini. Ayādgār ī Jāmāspīg: Un texte eschatologique zoroastrien (Daniel Sheffield)

    Jullien, ed. Eastern Christianity: A Crossroads of Cultures (David Frendo)

  • Iran and the West

    Call for Papers for a conference at the University of Warwick:

    Iran and the West: Converging Perspectives

    1-3 July 2015

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  • Symposia Iranica’s second graduate conference on Iranian Studies

    Symposia Iranica provides ‘postgraduates and early career scholars with the opportunity to present their research without the limitations of an overarching theme – as such, submissions related to any aspect of Iranian studies in the ancient through to contemporary periods within the humanities and social sciences are all welcome’.
    Call for Papers | Symposia Iranica
    Second Biennial Iranian Studies Conference
     
    Hosted by the University of Cambridge, 8-9 April 2015
    ***Deadline: 15 November 2014***

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  • Iran: A very short introduction

    Ansari, Ali. 2014. Iran: A very short introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
    Iran: A VSIThis Very Short Introduction presents a radical reinterpretation of Iranian history and politics, placing the Islamic Revolution in the context of a century of political change and social transformation. By considering the various factors that have contributed towards the construction of the idea of Iran and the complex identity of Iranians themselves, Ali Ansari steers a clear path towards a more realistic understanding for us all.

    See here for more information.