Graphic Art & Posters

Iran has produced many talented graphic designers and typographers in recent years. Back in September, the New York Times featured an article on some of the most prominent artists in this field including--Homa Delvaray and Iman Raad. Iranian graphic designers are incredibly innovative with the Farsi script--here is a sampling of some contemporary posters, book covers, and experiments in typography: 

Love

For more international graphic art:  Rene Wanner's Website

Latest Reads

The fall semester is more than half way over and I can't believe how much I've read since starting classes in August. When people ask me what I've been up to, my usual answers are either 'translating' or 'reading'. Aside from a couple of Zoroastrian texts, most of my readings are Middle Eastern/Central Asian ethnographies or about Islam. Here's the full list! :

Orientalism (Said)

The Ethical Soundscape: Cassette Sermons and Islamic Counterpublics (Hirschkind)

Arab Women in the Field: Studying your own Society (ed. Altorki)

Islam in Post-Soviet Uzbekistan: The Morality of Experience (Rasanayagam)

Everyday Islam in Post-Soviet Central Asia (Louw)

Princeton Readings in Islamist Thought: Texts and Contexts from al-Banna to Bin Laden (ed. Euben)

Afghanistan: A Cultural and Political History (Barfield)

Bartered Brides: Politics, Gender and Marriage in an Afghan Tribal Society (Tapper)

Before Taliban : Genealogies of the Afghan Jihad (Edwards)

Local Politics in Afghanistan: A Century of Intervention in Social Order (ed. Schetter)

The Politics of Muslim Cultural Reform: Jadidism in Central Asia (Khalid)

The New Woman in Uzbekistan: Islam, Modernity, and Unveiling Under Communism (Kamp)

Veiled Empire: Gender and Power in Stalinist Central Asia (Northrop)

Living Islam: Women, Religion, and the Politicization of Culture in Turkey (Saktanber)

The New Crusade: Constructing the Muslim Enemy (ed. Qureshi)

Select Counsels of the Ancient Sages, also known as 'The Book of Counsel of Zartosht' (Middle Persian)

The Bundahishn ("Creation"), or Knowledge from the Zand (Middle Persian)

Portrait of a Painter: 15th century, 'Persian Painting on Facebook'

I think one of the tricks to keep your self motivated in graduate school is finding inspiration --things that get you excited and make you feel connected to the field. I always find inspiration in art and art history, so here are a couple of my favorite sites:

Facebook: Persian Painting (great collection of miniatures)...thanks to my mom for finding this one!

https://www.facebook.com/persian.paintings?fref=ts

Facebook: Cult of the Ancient Gods (lots of ancient Persian art from Fars Province)

https://www.facebook.com/cultoftheancientGods?fref=ts

Tumblr: That Bohemian Girl (a beautiful style/fashion blog with Orientalist flare) 

http://thatbohemiangirl.tumblr.com/

Homa Delvaray (graphic designer from Iran)

http://www.homadelvaray.com/

Qajar Tile from 'Persian Painting on Facebook'

Autumn in Iran

Shabaviz Publishing Company - Iran

Shabaviz Publishing, based in Tehran, is one of the most amazing children's book companies that I've ever encountered.  The artistic quality of their publications is phenomenal and frequently the recipient of many international book awards. Nearly all of Shabaviz's books are available for reading on the International Children's Digital Library website, where readers can zoom-in on the text of each page. I've read a few of their books with my Persian class at IU and with the aid of a dictionary, any student of Farsi can work through the texts. It's a great resource for learning idiomatic phrases and colloquial styles of narration. Here are a few of my favorite book covers to give you a sense of their creative spirit.

Blossoms

Shabaviz Covers

Guest House مهمان خانه

This evening I randomly opened to page 109 of the book, The Essential Rumi by Coleman Barks, which features one of Rumi's most celebrated poems titled: The Guest House. It's a short poem, but its message is significant-- embrace all experiences, both pleasant and unpleasant, as a guide from beyond.

This being human is a guest house.

Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,

some momentary awareness comes

as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!

Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,

who violently sweep your house

empty of its furniture,

still, treat each guest honorably.

He may be clearing you out

for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,

meet them at the door laughing,

and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,

because each has been sent

as a guide from beyond. 

Color Through Light

Stained Glass from Nasir al-Mulk Mosque (Shiraz) 

& Khaneh Tabatabaei-ha (Kashan)

Central Eurasian Studies & CEUS Pride

Since I've started graduate school at IUB, many people have asked me-- "why did you pick Indiana?" and "what's Central Asia?". I'd like to share some information regarding my department's program and highlight the unique opportunities at Indiana University when compared to other academic programs in the United States:

The Central Eurasian Studies Department, abbreviated as CEUS at Indiana University-Bloomington, is the premier program for the study of Central Asia in the United States. It is the only department that offers specialized M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Central Asian Studies in the U.S. and offers training in a number of less-commonly taught languages that are not taught anywhere else in the country. For example, this fall semester includes: Persian, Middle Persian/Pahlavi, Pashto, Dari, Turkish, Old Turkic, Tibetan, Old Tibetan, Mongolian, Classical Mongolian, Uzbek, Uyghur, Kazakh, Hungarian, Finnish, and Estonian.
Since a number of these languages suffer from a lack of textbooks, the CeLCAR (Center for Languages for the Central Asian Languages) at IU develops their own. For example, CeLCAR has written textbooks for Pashto, Dari, Uzbek, Uyghur, and Tajik.

While there are other departments in the US and in Europe which offer classes on "Central Asia" and a select number of Eurasian/Near Eastern languages, Indiana University's program is premier because of its consistency to offer multiple levels of less commonly taught languages regardless of enrollment size. At many universities "Central Asia" does not warrant its own department as "Near Eastern Studies","East Asian Studies", and "South Asian Studies" so often does in the U.S..

As far as I can tell, IU is the only American university currently teaching Pahlavi/Middle Persian alongside the School of Oriental and African Studies in London and the University of Leiden in the Netherlands. Additionally, CEUS balances rigorous language training with requiring their students to to become specialists in regional history, literature, and politics. Graduates from CEUS are well-equipped to continue in academia or pursue careers in government and consulting.

To become a specialist in Iranian/Afghan Studies takes years of training and I'm proud to be a student at IU. While CEUS is a small department, our mission is huge-- which is to maintain scholastic inquiry and to contribute to improving cross-cultural understanding of a region too often neglected.

Pahlavi Begins!

Classes started today at IUB and Pahlavi (Middle Persian) with Dr. Choksy already looks terrific. Pahlavi is an older form of modern Persian (or Farsi) and was officially used from 224-651 AD. It's largely associated with the Sasanian Dynasty and Zoroastrian texts. The Pahlavi writing system uses a modified Aramaic script with a few variants such as "Book Pahlavi" vs. "Inscriptional Pahlavi" which was used on coins and seals. It's written from right to left:

There's not really a 'textbook' for Middle Persian--just a handful of dictionaries from what I can tell.  Here's what we have lined up for the semester:
1) The Kārnāmag-ī Ardaxšīr-ī Pābagān or Book of the Deeds of Ardashir: The book narrates the epic adventures of King Ardashir, the founder of the forth Iranian dynasty, and the second Persian Empire. The story relates how Ardashir's father Papag, dreamed that his father Sasan would be reborn as Ardashir.
(In other words, a mythical genealogy story).

Ardashir's Coin

2)The Shahpur I Inscription: Shahpur I was the son of Ardashir and this is text describes the religious and political condition of the Sansanian Dynasty-- reminiscent of Behistun inscription of Darius I.

Shahpur's Coin

3) A selection of Zoroastrian texts--perhaps something like this: a page from the Pahlavi Denkard (a ninth century encyclopedia of the Zoroastrian religion)

4) The Bundahishn-- the Zoroastrian "creation story" and a source of Zoroastrian cosmogony/cosmology. 

Here's the intro page:

Vacation time! تعطیل

I just finished the Summer Workshop at IU-- and obtained a year's worth of language training in 8 weeks! Now I have some time off before starting fall classes-- which include Intermediate Persian, Urdu, and Middle Persian (Pahlavi).  This summer has felt like a full Persian immersion and I've learned so much. One of my favorite parts about this class has been the exposure to Iranian Cinema. Here are some of my favorite films:  (just a warning-- none of them have particularly happy endings, but I'm learning to appreciate the contemplative quality of Persian movies!). Enjoy :)

A Separation:

A married couple are faced with a difficult decision, to improve the life of their child by moving to another country or to stay in Iran and look after a deteriorating parent who has Alzheimers.

http://www.movie2k.to/movie-953983-A%2bSeparation%2b*subtitled*.html
(ignore the advertisement placed in front of the screen)

Marmoulak (The Lizard):

Although a comedy, the film makes serious points about the clergy, religion, society in Iran, and life in general. Due to the film's perceived attacks towards clerics, the movie was banned from theatres in Iran after only being on screen for one month.

The Pear Tree:

This is the story of a serious man in the face of his intellectual black out as he finds more meaning to his life while rummaging through his childhood memory. 

http://youtu.be/2Sox1XbZqAo