ASSOCIATION FOR IRANIAN STUDIES انجمن ایران پژوهی http://associationforiranianstudies.org AIS Newsletter Volume 38, Number 1 May 2017 EDITOR’S NOTE Dear Readers, The year began with terrible news for all those whose jobs, interests and connections to loved ones requires crossing the US borders. The AIS issued a statement in response to President Trump’s executive decree, which you will find in the following pages. What you also will find is a report on a recent conference held in Kolkata on Mirza Ghalib (1797-1869), a research report on the female religious authorities (bibi otuns) of Tajikistan, a report by the editor of Iranian Studies on its recently published 50th anniversary issue, and, as usual, exciting member news, news about library acquisitions and recent activities in Persian studies programs, as well as calls for submissions and applications. The Association will soon announce plans for its 2018 conference, which due to looming travel restrictions is being relocated to Canada. For updates, please check the Association’s website from time to time. For now, let me wish all readers an animating and revitalizing summer with hopes for a more peaceful future, Mirjam Künkler, the University of Göttingen NOTE OF THE PRESIDENT It is my distinct pleasure to serve as the new President of the Association for Iranian Studies during its fiftieth anniversary. The mission during my tenure is to open the association to those who work in newly emerging fields, as well as bringing scholars from Iran and Europe into the fold of the association and promoting gender equality to the association. This means working with such institutions as the Societas Iranalogica Europea and its president, Professor Pierfrancesco Callieri of the University of Bologna at Ravenna, and the Great Encyclopaedia of Islam. With these new partners, we can forge new ties and organize conferences and publications, and invite more female scholars to serve on the selection, administrative and decision- making body. Furthermore, cooperation with other institutions and organizations for the study of Iran and the Persianate world in a comparative context can only enhance our position and standing as an organization. Association for Iranian Studies Founded in 1967 AIS 2017 OFFICERS AIS Newsletter Volume 38, Number 1 May 2017 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 2017 PRESIDENT’S NOTE CONT’D MEMBER NEWS TOURAJ DARYAEE In terms of publication, the journal of the association (Iranian Janet Afary has published Charand o Parand: Revolutionary Satire from Iran, 1907- PRESIDENT Studies), has just published its fiftieth volume, doing so in a timely 1909 (co-edited and translated with John R. Perry), Yale University Press, 2016. She ALI GHEISSARI manner and putting out an impressive series of articles, thanks to has also published the articles “The Rhetoric and Performance of the Trickster JOURNAL EDITOR Professor Ali Gheissari and his editorial team. I believe the next step for Nasreddin” (co-authored with Kamran Afary) in Iran Namag 2:1 (Spring 2017); “Love RIVANNE SANDLER the Association of Iranian Studies is to consider publishing the in the Middle East: The Contradictions of Romance in the Facebook World” (co- EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & TREASURER proceedings of the papers presented at our bi-annual conferences. The authored with Roger Friedland, Paolo Gardinali, and Cambria Naslund) in Critical TOURAJ ATABAKI proceedings would be published in two volumes, where the Ancient & Research on Religion, Vol 4, Issue 3, 2016; and “Digital Romance: The Sources of PAST-PRESIDENT Medieval Iranian papers will make up the first volume, followed by the Facebook Love in the Muslim World” (co-authored with Ramina Sotoudeh and Roger Modern Iran papers as a second volume. This will need willing editors, Friedland), in Media, Culture and Society, Vol 39, Issue 3, 2017. the proper logistics and a proper peer-review team, but it is something COUNCIL 2017 that would also enrich our standing as an academic association. Gay Breyley’s book Iranian Music and Popular Entertainment: From Motrebi to Losanjelesi and Beyond, co-authored with Sasan Fatemi, London and New York: TOURAJ DARYAEE ALI GHEISSARI This brings us to the issue of the location of our next conference Routledge 2016 has been awarded the 2016 Open Prize by the International RIVANNE SANDLER in June 2018. The Association initially announced its intention to hold Association for the Study of Popular Music – Australia / New Zealand. Breyley has TOURAJ ATABAKI ELENA ANDREEVA the next conference at the University of California, Irvine. Due to the also published ‘Between the Cracks: Street Music in Iran’, Journal of Musicological AFSHIN MARASHI recent changes in the US government and the issue of a travel ban, and Research 35:3, 72-81, and ‘From the “Sultan” to the “Persian Side”: Jazz in Iran and JAMES GUSTAFSON FLORIAN SCHWARZ also the delays in the issue of visas to Iranian nationals, we are exploring Iranian jazz since the 1920s’ in Bruce Johnson, ed, Jazz and Totalitarianism, London ALYSSA GABBAY the possibility of holding the conference in Canada. We have reports of and New York: Routledge, 2016, 297-324. MARYAM MOAZZEN PEYMAN JAFARI even European scholars who have traveled to Iran for research have MARYAM N. SABBAGHI difficulties to obtain visas to come to the US. Moving the conference to Elton L. Daniel has been appointed Interim Director of the Center for Iranian Studies Canada will allow Iranian nationals, but also scholars from several other at Columbia University and as Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopaedia Iranica (as of 15 countries who have similar problems, to be able to travel and participate. January 2017). We shall announce the location of the conference at the end of May FOR PAST COUNCILS AND 2017, and hope that we could accommodate the largest number of Touraj Daryaee & Khodadad Rezakhani, From Oxus to Euphrates: A History of BOARDS, PLEASE VISIT: participants possible. Late Antique Iran, Jordan Center for Persian Studies, 2017. Lastly, I would like to emphasize that I firmly believe that an Michelle Langford has published the article ‘Sohrab Shahid Saless: An Iranian HTTP://ASSOCIATIONFORIRANIANSTUDIES.ORG/ academic institution which deals with the Iranian world must be in Filmmaker in Berlin‘, in Screening the Past, Vol. 41, December 2016. ABOUT/OFFICERS/2017 contact with Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan, among other countries. We are a non-political and non-religious association and we must be Behnaz Mirzai’s documentary films “Afro-Iranian Lives” and “The African-Baluchi mindful of scholars in Iran and beyond who would like to be part of our Trance Dance” have been reviewed by Mary Elaine Hegland, Professor of organization, but are apprehensive about our stance on issues. While Anthropology at Santa Clara University, in Iranian Studies, Vol. 50, Issue 1, 2017, we hold such values of scholarly freedom and the rights of all the 169-172. members of our association to adhere to them, we must be sensitive to our colleagues in the region and try to accommodate their realities and Mahnaz Moazami has edited and published Zoroastrianism: A Collection of Articles academic careers as well. This view would only foster better relations from the Encyclopaedia Iranica, 2 vols., New York: Bibliotheca Persica Press, 2016. and open up a dialogue and cooperation between us that is certainly beneficial to all. Touraj Daryaee, President of the Association for Iranian Studies 2 3 AIS Newsletter Volume 38, Number 1 May 2017 MEMBER NEWS CONT’D EDITORIAL NOTE FROM THE IRANIAN Alka Patel & Touraj Daryaee, India and Iran in the STUDIES JOURNAL Longue Duree, Jordan Center for Persian Studies, 2017. In the spring 2017 issue of this Newsletter I took the opportunity to reiterate Christine van Ruymbeke has published the monograph our general editorial consensus to invite scholars engaged in different aspects of Kashefi’s Anvar-e Sohayli. Rewriting Kalila wa-Dimna in Iranian studies to send us book reviews. Timurid Herat, Brill, 2016. Here I would like to broaden our invitation and encourage scholars to actively Eskandar Sadeghi-Boroujerdi was awarded a three- participate in reading and evaluating the latest research and contributions to the field year postdoctoral fellowship by the British Academy and before they reach a wider audience. Although the editorial office in general, and our has been based at the Department of History at the book review editors in particular, actively follow the most recent publications in the University of Manchester since October 2016. His current general field of Iranian studies, I would like to take this opportunity to invite our project examines the mechanisms and channels of mass readers to let us know of recent scholarly publications in English, Persian, or other political participation post-1953 and how they were languages on every aspect of Iranian studies. Our invitation of course includes all our organised and co-opted by the Pahlavi state. readership, including academics, and research students. Jen Semken has published ‘Politiques des musiques Also, similar to the established practice of other populaires en Iran au XXIe siècle’ in Elsa Grassy and scholarly periodicals, we would like to hear from scholars, Jedediah Sklower, eds., Politiques des musiques AIS members and non-members alike, in their respective populaires au XXIe siècle, Guichen: Éd. Mélanie Seteun, fields of expertise who would be willing to accept our invitation 2016, 121-138. to write book reviews. Please write to us and let us know of your research interest and fields of expertise. On February 14, 2017 the Italian Ministry of Culture awarded Professor Anna Vanzan a lifetime achievement Likewise, publishers are also invited to send their award for her translation activity and for promoting recent lists relating to Iranian studies to the editorial office for Persian culture in Italy. further distribution among our book review editors or, as shown on our website, they can contact appropriate book Sarah Walker’s article ‘“Under the Bruised Sky”: Music review editors directly with regard to specific titles within their and Mourning in Postrevolutionary Iran’ has been areas of specialization.