News - Page 7 of 16

Free Screening of “Frame by Frame” at Roshan Institute for Persian Studies at the University of Maryland

Feb 22, 2016

Roshan Institute for Persian Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park, is presenting a free screening of Frame by Frame on Sunday February 21, 2016, from 5:00-7:00pm, at UMD Stamp Building.

Frame by Frame is an award-winning documentary about photojournalism and free speech in Afghanistan. Following the screening, producer and lead translator Baktash Ahadi will lead a discussion of key ideas reaised int eh film, including humanitarian issues, women’s rights, free speech, and the challenge of translating Persian.

The screening is free and open to the public.

Spring 2016 Roshan Institute Lecture Series at San José State University

Feb 20, 2016

The Persian Studies Program at San José State University is holding several exciting lectures this spring designed to celebrate Persian art, literature and culture. On February 2, author of Better Than War, Siamak Vossoughi will share a reading of “Stories Make a Home.” On February 25, Dr. Amy Malek, Scripps College, will deliver a lecture on “Producing Culture & Citizenship in the Iranian Diaspora.” The screening of A Woman Walks Home Alone at Night, a film directed by Ana Lily Amirpour, will be held on March 3, followed by a concert of Persian Music with Saba Ensemble for Noruz on March 6. Finally Dr. Dariush Zahedi, UC Berkeley, will deliver a lecture on “Impact of the P5 + 1 US-Iran Relations.”

All lectures are free and open to the public.

Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute is delighted to support these events and the Persian Studies Program of SJSU.

Launch of Roshangar: the Roshan Undergraduate Persian Studies Journal at UMD

Nov 16, 2015

It is with great joy that Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute announces the launch of Roshangar, the very first undergraduate journal in Persian Studies at Roshan Institute for Persian Studies, University of Maryland. This biannual academic publication is totally designed and run by a group of talented undergraduate students, under the guidance of former Roshan Institute Fellow, Ida Meftahi, Visiting Assistant Professor at Roshan Institute for Persian Studies.

The peer-reviewed journal is accompanied by the Roshangar website, which features film and book reviews, interviews with scholars and artists, as well as highlights of local Persian events.

Submission of high quality research papers (1,500-2,000 words) is open to all undergraduate students nationally and internationally, as long as they are related to Persian Studies.

The first edition of Roshangar will be published electronically in January 2016.

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New Roshan Institute Professorship in Persian Studies at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

Nov 3, 2015

Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute is pleased and proud to announce a new endowment at UNC-Chapel Hill for the establishment of Roshan Institute Professorship in Persian Studies, in the College of Arts and Sciences.

This grant creates the first Persian studies endowed professorship at Carolina. Housed in the Department of Asian Studies, the new faculty member will teach Persian language and culture courses, and enable the university to offer a minor in Persian Studies.

In 2013, Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute established an endowment for Roshan Institute Fellowship for Excellence in Persian Studies for graduate students at UNC-Chapel Hill. The two endowments combined bring the Institute’s total gifts to $1 million in support of the university’s growing Persian studies program.

Chaired by Dr. Carl Ernst, William Kenan Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies, the Persian studies program is supported by the department of Asian studies in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim Civilizations.

Parsi Textiles Exhibition at East-West Center Gallery

Oct 30, 2015

Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute is delighted to announce the upcoming Exhibition: Parsi Silk & Muslin from Iran, India and China, at the East-West Center Gallery in Honolulu, from October 11, 2015 to January 24, 2016.

Curated by Pheroza J. Godrej, Firoza Punthakey and Michael Schuster, this exhibition focuses on Parsi textiles, highlighting aspects of the long and varied development of the Parsi community. From the 8th through the 10th centuries, the Parsis emigrated from Central Asia/Greater Persia to South Asia (they are the smallest recognized ethnic group in India) when Islam was overtaking the region and marginalizing the once-dominant Zoroastrian religion.

Parsi clothing demonstrates elements borrowed from Iran, India, Victorian-era England, and China. The exhibit emphasizes the continuity of Parsi culture, giving insight into the Zoroastrian religion and its Persian roots, the history of the community and its rich and complex culture.

Find more about the Parsi Textiles Exhibition

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University of Washington Persian and Iranian Studies Gala

Oct 17, 2015

The UW Persian and Iranian Studies Program announced its Autumn Gala will take place on Saturday, October 17, 2015, from 6:00pm to 9pm, at the Mercer Island Community Center, 8236 SE 24th Street, Mercer Island, WA.

Guests will enjoy a catered dinner, live performances and an auction. Speakers include several UW faculty: Professor Selim Kuru, Chair of the Near Eastern Languages and Civilization Department and Director, Persian and Iranian Studies Program; Professor Samad Alavi, Assistant Professor of Persian and Iranian Studies; and Joel Walker, Jon Bridgman Associate Professor of History. The keynote speaker is Babak Parviz, Vice President at Amazon and Affiliate Faculty at UW.

Organized and presented by community members, in collaboration with UW, the Gala will raise funds for the Persian and Iranian Studies program, students and faculty. Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute is proud to support the event and is offering a matching grant.

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Welcome to Dr. Mohamad Navid Bazargan at Roshan Institute for Persian Studies

Oct 14, 2015

Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute is delighted to welcome Professor Mohamad Navid Bazargan to the faculty of Roshan Institute for Persian Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park, starting fall 2015. He will hold the position of Visiting Assistant Professor in the area of Persian literature and culture.

Professor Bazargan has been an Assistant Professor of Persian Literature at Tehran Azad University since 2005. During this time, he has served on the academic Boards of The Great Encyclopedia of Islam, The Encyclopedia of the Persian Language, and as editor of Journal of Culture and Literature at Azad University in Roudehen. He was a Visiting Scholar at California State University of Northridge from 2013 to 2014. Dr. Bazargan’s scholarship spans canonical texts such as the Shahnameh and the Masnavi. And, his studies, talents and personal involvement in modern literature, painting and calligraphy greatly enrich his work.

Find more about Roshan Institute for Persian Studies

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Fall 2015 Roshan Institute Lecture Series at San José State University

Oct 10, 2015

The Persian Studies Program at San José State University is holding several exciting lectures this fall designed to celebrate Persian art, literature and culture. On September 8, graphic illustrator and co-author of Operation Ajax, Daniel Burwen will deliver a talk on “Retelling the Story on the 1953 CIA Coup in Iran in Graphic Form.” On October 6, the University will welcome Arash Davari, Ph.D. candidate, UCLA, Political Science, for a lecture on “A Return to Which Self? Ali Shari’ati and the Articulation of an Indeterminate Collective Subject in Revolutionary Iran,” followed by a poetry reading with Iranian-American poet Soraya Shalforoosh on October 15. Finally, the screening of Fifi Howls from Happiness, a documentary about Iranian artist, Bahman Mohassas, will be held on November 18, followed by a discussion with film producer Marjaneh Moghimi. All lectures are free and open to the public.

Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute is delighted to support these events and the Persian Studies Program of SJSU.

Grant Awarded to The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Sep 6, 2015

Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute is proud to announce a grant to The Metropolitan Museum of Art in support of three upcoming projects related to Persian arts and culture: a digital publication cataloguing the Museum’s collection of 600 coins excavated at the Iranian city of Nishapur between 1935 and 1948; and two events planned in conjunction of the exhibition The Great Age of the Seljuqs (April 26 -July 24, 2016). On display at this special MET exhibition will be luster-painted ceramics, silk textiles, manuscripts, and ornate metalwork created during the reign of the Seljuqs, a Turkish dynasty that ruled Iran and Anatolia from 1038 to 1307.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the world’s leading art museums, with a collection spanning more than 5,000 years of world culture, from prehistory to the present. Its collection of Islamic art is the most comprehensive in the world. It includes more than 12,000 of the finest objects, dating from the seventh to the 20th century. Outstanding holdings include the collections of more than 450 Islamic carpets; pages from a sumptuous copy of the Shahnameh, or Book of Kings, created for Shah Tahmasp (1514-76); and a 14th-century glazed ceramic mihrab, or prayer niche, from a theological school in Isfahan.

Find out more about the MET

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EMBODYING THE BELOVED: (Homo) eroticism and Embodiment in Medieval Sufism

Sep 3, 2015

Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute is pleased to announce EMBODYING THE BELOVED: (Homo) eroticism and Embodiment in Medieval Sufism, a lecture presented by Matthew Thomas Miller and hosted by the Library of Congress and Roshan Institute for Persian Studies at University of Maryland, College Park.

Matthew Miller is a PhD student in the Program in Comparative Literature and graduate certificate program in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) at Washington University in St. Louis, where he is completing his dissertation entitled “The Poetics of the Sufi Carnival: The ‘Rogue Lyrics’ (Qalandariyyāt) of Sanā’ī, ‘Attār, and ‘Erāqī.”

Mr. Miller is currently a Roshan Institute Research Fellow at University of Maryland and Associate Director for Roshan Institute’s Digital Project in Persian Humanities. Previously, he was Dissertation Fellow at Washington University in St. Louis (2013-2014), a Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute Fellow (2012-2013), and a Mellon Sawyer Doctoral Fellow (2011-2012). He is the author of the forthcoming (2015) “Fakhr al-Dīn ‘Irāqī: Poet and Mystic,” in Religious and Mystical Literature (Volume VI of A History of Persian Literature Series).

Thursday, September 3, 2015 | 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. | Thomas Jefferson Building, African Middle Eastern Reading Room, LJ-220 | Library of Congress

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New Grant to East-West Center for 2015 Senior Journalists Seminar

Aug 18, 2015

Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute is pleased to announce its continuing support of the Senior Journalists Seminar, a signature program of the East-West Center, in 2015. Launched in 2003, the Senior Journalists Seminar is a 21-day professional dialogue, study and travel program intended to enhance media coverage and elevate the public debate regarding religion and its role in the public sphere, specifically as it regards US-Muslim relations.

Designed for senior print, radio, broadcast and online journalists from the US and Asian countries with substantial Muslim populations, the Senior Journalists Seminar offers an opportunity for participating journalists to engage their peers, experts and the public on issues relevant to US-Muslim relations.

The 2015 Senior Journalists Seminar program includes travel to Washington, DC; Nashville, Tennessee; Honolulu, Hawaii; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and Lahore and Islamabad, Pakistan, from August 19 – September 10.

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New Support for the Completion of the Persepolis Fortification Archive Project

Aug 11, 2015

Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute is pleased to announce that Dr. Matthew Stolper, John A. Wilson Professor Emeritus of Oriental Studies, the Oriental Institute at The University of Chicago, has been awarded a two-year Roshan Institute Fellowship for Excellence in Persian Studies, in support of the completion of the Persepolis Fortification Archive (PFA) Project at the Oriental Institute. The PFA is a group of clay tablets discovered at Persepolis in 1933 by archaeologists from the Oriental Institute and provides an incredible source of information on the languages, art, institutions and history of Achaemenid Persia at its height. The PFA project, under the direction of Professor Stolper was first supported by Roshan Institute in 2013.

The new grant allows Professor Stolper to complete the project by engaging two students to work on the project during summer 2015 and summer 2016, and up to eight students to work part-time during the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 academic years. This funding and work are of timely importance before the tablets leave the Oriental Institute to return to the National Museum of Iran.

Learn more about the Persepolis Fortification Archive Project

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Persian Language Class to be offered Online in the Fall at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa

Aug 2, 2015

Beginning in the fall of 2015, Persian language will be offered as an online course for the first time at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. PERS 101: Beginning Modern Persian 1 is designed for distance learning, attracting learners who do not have Persian instruction at their universities.

Persian Language, Linguistics, and Culture Program at UH Mānoa is an exciting initiative made possible through a grant from Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute.

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Shirin Neshat translates Iranian History through Art

Jul 14, 2015

For Shirin Neshat, “art became a kind of an excuse to build a relationship, even from a distance,” to her homeland and history. Neshat grew up in pre-revolutionary Iran, then came to the U.S. as a student in the 1970s and is now an internationally recognized artist. She was recently interviewed by Jeffrey Brown on the PBS Newshour to look at her latest exhibit, “Shiring Neshat: Facing History” at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washnington, DC. On display until September 20, 2015, the exhibition presents an array of Neshat’s most compelling works, illuminating the points at which cultural and political events have impacted her artistic practice. Commenting on freedom and loss, Neshat’s deeply humanistic art is at once personal, political, and allegorical.

Learn more about the exhibition

Watch the PBS video

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Rumi: Quatrains of Love

Jun 9, 2015

Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art presents Rumi: Quatrains of Love,
a musical performance based on the writings of Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi (1207-1273), one of the world’s most
revered and beloved Persian poets. This musical creation is composed by Luna Pearl Woolf and includes performances
by a cellist, pianist and vocalist. Former Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute Fellow, Maseeh Ganjali will read Rumi’s
quatrains in the original Persian and offer additional insights into the life and significance of this beloved master
of literature and spirituality.

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Roshan Institute Achievement Awards for Iranian Culture and Art Club Students

Jun 7, 2015

Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute would like to congratulate the 40 recipients of Roshan Institute Achievement Awards whose accomplishments were recognized at an end-of-year ceremony held by the Iranian Culture and Art Club (ICAC) of Fresno on June 7. During the ceremony, presentations were made in Persian language by ICAC students to an audience of more than 150 Iranian-American community members and judges.

ICAC is a nonprofit organization that offers Persian language and dance classes as well as public programs celebrating Persian culture for the Fresno community. A grant from Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute made possible for ICAC to continue providing its successful Persian language and cultural programs during the academic year 2014-2015.

Find out more about ICAC

Watch the Awards Ceremony

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“Shirin Neshat: Facing History” at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, May 19 – September 20, 2015

May 8, 2015

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden announced a major exhibition dedicated to the Iranian artist Shirin Neshat. “Shirin Neshat: Facing History” will present an array of Neshat’s most compelling works, illuminating the points at which cultural and political events have impacted her artistic practice. Included are the “Women of Allah” photographs that catapulted the artist to international acclaim in the 1990s; lyrical video installations, which immerse the viewer in imagery and sound; and two monumental series of photographs, The Book of Kings, 2012, and Our House Is on Fire, 2013, created in the wake of the Green Movement and the Arab Spring. Commenting on freedom and loss, Neshat’s deeply humanistic art is at once personal, political, and allegorical.

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Iran’s Entrepreneurial Spirit

Apr 15, 2015

Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute is delighted to announce Iran’s Entrepreneurial Spirit, a lecture whereby Shahab Kaviani shares his perspective on the importance of strong founding teams when building new businesses and the unique traits many Iranian entrepreneurs’ possess. Shahab recently visited Tehran where he presented at the Web & Mobile conference and will share his observations and why he believes Iran is poised for an economic revival fueled by innovation and entrepreneurship.

Wednesday, April 15, 2015 | 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. | St. Mary’s Hall | University of Maryland.

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Hamid Rahmanian presents Zahhak: The Legend of the Serpent King at Shangri La

Apr 10, 2015

Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute is delighted to announce Zahhak: The Legend of the Serpent King, a shadow puppet performance of an epic tale from Hamid Rahmanian’s bestselling illustrated book Shahnameh: The Epic of the Persian Kings. This exciting shadow play featuring new puppets created by Rahmanian recounts the story of the misguided Prince Zahhak, who is convinced by the devil to overthrow his crowned father and usurp the throne. As a result of this evil deed, he is transformed into the treacherous and oppressive Serpent King. After his 1,000-year reign of terror, a valiant man named Feraydun gains the strength and army to defeat the unjust king. This original production is produced and narrated by Maseeh Ganjali, featuring puppeteers and musical accompaniment.

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Shahnameh: The Epic of the Persian Kings

Apr 5, 2015

Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute is delighted to support Shahnameh:
The Epic of the Persian Kings, an exhibition of Rahmanian’s innovative illustrations of the Shahnameh on view at the Honolulu Museum of Art. Consisting of some 50,000 verses, the Shahnameh was composed by the poet Ferdowsi in the late 10th to early 11th centuries, but its origins trace back much earlier, and it follows the history of the Persian empire from its mythical origins to the end of the Sassanian period in the 7th century.

In 2013, after thousands of hours of work over more than five years, Rahmanian published
a critically acclaimed newly illustrated edition of the Shahnameh, reviving once again its significance for a contemporary audience. Intended to make the epic accessible to a new generation of readers, the bold, dynamic illustrations seamlessly update the traditional aesthetics of historic Shahnameh imagery. Rahmanian brilliantly took 15th- to 19th-century Iranian, Mughal Indian, and Ottoman miniature paintings as his source material, transforming them through digital editing into an entirely novel way of illustrating the text.

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