A History Of Literary Criticism In Iran 1866 1951

Cultural writing. Literary criticism. Middle-Eastern Studies. A HISTORY OF LITERARY CRITICISM IN IRAN contains comprehensive research on the works of the leading figures in the field of literary criticism in modernist Iranian thought in the nineteenth century: Mirza Fath `Ali Akhundzade, Mirza Malkom Khan, Mirza `Abd al-Rahim Talebof and Zeyn al-`Abedin Maraghe`i. Inclusion of Ahmad Kasravi and Sadeq Hedayat was considered appropriate later due to some common aspects of critical attitude to the predecessors. These criticisms were the first seeds of modern literary criticism sown in the field of social and political life in Iran. Parsinejad is well-known to researchers in the field of Iranian studies. The publication of this book is useful in familiarizing readers with one of the most crucial aspects of progressive and critical thought in the Iranian modern era.

Philosophy in Qajar Iran offers an account of the life, works and philosophical thoughts of major philosophers of Iran between the late eighteenth and the early twentieth centuries.

Nationalism has played an important role in the cultural and intellectual discourse of modernity that emerged in Iran from the late nineteenth century to the present, promoting new formulations of collective identity and advocating a new and more active role for the broad strata of the public in politics. The essays in this volume seek to shed light on the construction of nationalism in Iran in its many manifestations; cultural, social, political and ideological, by exploring on-going debates on this important and progressive topic.

Iran is a country with a deep and complex history. Over several thousand years, Iran has been the source of numerous creative contributions to the spiritual and literary world, and the site of many remarkable manifestations of material culture. The special place that Iran has come to hold in contemporary historical events, most recently as a center stage actor in the unfolding and interconnected drama of worldwide nuclear arms proliferation and terrorism, is all the more reason to explore the characters and personality of Iran and Iranians. The A to Z of Iran is designed to give the reader a quick and understandable overview of specific events, movements, people, political and social groups, places, and trends. Through its extensive chronology, introduction, bibliography, appendixes, and more than double the number of cross-referenced dictionary entries as in the previous edition, the work allows for considerable exploration of a number of historical and contemporary topics and issues. In particular, the modern period, defined as 1800-present, is covered extensively.

This book delves into the history of subjective rights within the context of 19th-century Iran, specifically during the eventful Qajar era. The crux of its research lies in the emergence and evolution of the concept of subjective rights as opposed to the notion of objective rights. During this pivotal period, this transition marked a paradigm shift from “right as to be right” to “right as to have a right.” A central pillar of this book is the creation of a meta-theory, one that sheds light on the semantical evolution of the concept of rights. Within these pages, readers will find a concise history, tracing the conceptual path that led from the objective to the subjective realm of rights. In addition to these historical explorations, it delves into the intricate field of rights theory, investigating the foundations and justifications of rights. Employing the Hohfeldian framework, it analyses various conceptions of rights as they manifest within travel literature, enlightenment literature, and dream literature of the Qajar era. This book will be of interest to scholars and students with an interest in Iranian studies, Iranian history, Persian literature and human rights.

The main focus of Literary Subterfuge and Contemporary Persian Fiction is to identify components and elements which define Persian modernist fiction, placing an emphasis on literary concepts and devices which provide the dynamics of the evolutionary trajectory of this modernism. The question of ‘who writes Iran’ refers to a contested area which goes beyond the discipline of literary criticism. Non-literary discourses have made every effort to impose their "committed" readings on literary texts; they have even managed to exert influence on the process of literary creation. In this process, inevitably, many works, or segments of them, and many concepts which do not lend themselves to such readings have been ignored; at the same time, many of them have been appropriated by these discourses. Yet components and elements of Persian literary tradition have persistently engaged in this discursive confrontation, mainly by insisting on literature’s relative autonomy, so that at least concepts such as conformity and subterfuge, essential in terms of defining modern and modernist Persian fiction, could be defined in a literary manner. Proffering an alternative in terms of literary historiography; this book supports a methodological approach that considers literary narratives which occur in the margins of dominant discourses, and indeed promote non-discursivity, as the main writers of Persian modernist fiction. It is an essential resource for scholars and researchers interested in Persian and comparative literature, as well as Middle Eastern Studies more broadly.

Iran's long history and complex cultural legacy have generated animated debates about a homogenous Iranian identity in the face of ethnic, linguistic and communal diversity. The volume examines the fluid boundaries of pre-modern identity in history and literature as well as the shaping of Iranian national identity in the 20th century.

While recent books have explored Arab and Turkish nationalism, the nuances of Iran have received scant book-length study—until now. Capturing the significant changes in approach that have shaped this specialization, Rethinking Iranian Nationalism and Modernity shares innovative research and charts new areas of analysis from an array of scholars in the field. Delving into a wide range of theoretical and conceptual perspectives, the essays—all previously unpublished—encompass social history, literary theory, postcolonial studies, and comparative analysis to address such topics as: Ethnicity in the Islamic Republic of Iran Political Islam and religious nationalism The evolution of U.S.-Iranian relations before and after the Cold War Comparing Islamic and secular nationalism(s) in Egypt and Iran The German counterrevolution and its influence on Iranian political alliances The effects of Israel's image as a Euro-American space Sufism Geocultural concepts in Azar's Atashkadeh Interdisciplinary in essence, the essays also draw from sociology, gender studies, and art and architecture. Posing compelling questions while challenging the conventional historiographical traditions, the authors (many of whom represent a new generation of Iranian studies scholars) give voice to a research approach that embraces the modern era's complexity while emphasizing Iranian nationalism's contested, multifaceted, and continuously transformative possibilities.