Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute is delighted to announce that Nicholas Boylston was awarded a Roshan Institute Fellowship for Excellence in Persian Studies for the completion of his dissertation in academic year 2016-2017. Mr. Boylston is currently in his final year of doctoral studies in the Department of Theological and Religious Studies at Georgetown University, where he is working under the direction of his advisor, Professor Paul Heck. His dissertation entitled, “Writing the Kaleidoscope of Reality, the Significance of Diversity in 6th-12th century Persian Metaphysical Literature: Sana’i, ‘Attar and ‘Ayn al-Qudat Hamadani,” argues that the pluralist and perspectivist characteristics of the writings of these three Persian authors result from their conscious and original synthetic engagements with diverse discourses of their era, and that their works are best read holistically.
Mr. Boylston’s area of specialization is Persian literature and Islamic intellectual history through the lenses of religious, intellectual and literary pluralism. He was Preceptor of Persian in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University for academic year 2014-2015. Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute would like to commend Mr. Boylston for his contributions to Persian Studies scholarship and extends its best wishes for a successful year.
