2023 Election

I was born in Germany to an Iranian mother and an English father, and raised in the UK from the age of 5. My interest in Iran was first sparked in 1979 when my grandmother arrived from Tehran as a refugee fleeing religious persecution. The decade she lived in our home, my grandmother kindled within me a passion for the Iranian side of my heritage that has only grown with age. Though I grew up in the diaspora and was not able to travel to Iran until 2000, over the past two decades I have visited Iran on average once every two years and have developed good working relationships with a diverse group of Iran-based humanities professors and researchers. In addition to these visits to Iran, I have also spent time in Afghanistan and Tajikistan.

A first-generation university graduate, I hold a BA in Arabic with Persian and a DPhil in premodern Persian poetry from Oxford. I am currently Professor of Persian Literature and Iranian Culture in the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oxford where I have taught for the past 10 years. I also hold the position of Senior Research Fellow in Persian at Wadham College. Before returning to Oxford in 2013, I was Assistant Professor of Persian and Comparative Literature at Stanford University, and before that I held Persian Studies teaching positions at the University of Manchester, and at McGill University. At Oxford I have served as both Director of Undergraduate Studies and Director of Undergraduate Admissions for the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, the largest department of its kind in the UK, and one of the largest globally.

I am a literary critic who works across a wide range of Persian genres. My research focuses on three primary areas: i) premodern Persian poetry and prose (with specific reference to patronage, performance, conviviality, sexuality, intertextuality and the relationship between Persian and Arabic imagery and form); ii) early Qajar poetry (with a focus on gender, canonicity, and indigenous literary history); and iii) women poets of twentieth-century Iran and their dialogue with (and disruption of) the male-dominated literary tradition. In addition to these three periods of Persian literary history, I have also published on Iran’s non-Muslim religious minorities.

In 2020, my monograph, Hafiz and His Contemporaries: Poetry, Performance, and Patronage in Fourteenth-century Iran (Bloomsbury, 2019) won the Saidi-Sirjani Book Award. My next monograph will be published in 2025 by University of Michigan Press under the title Center, Periphery, and Gender: Poetic Resurgence in Early Qajar Iran. In addition to these monographs I have published peer-reviewed articles in Iranian Studies, Middle Eastern Literatures, and Iran: the Journal of the British Institute of Persian Studies. I have also edited or co-edited three collections of essays: Forugh Farrokhzad, Poet of Modern Iran:  Iconic Woman and Feminine Pioneer of New Persian Poetry (with Nasrin Rahimieh, I B Tauris, 2010; expanded second edition, 2023); Ruse and Wit: The Humorous in Arabic, Persian, and Turkish Narrative (ILEX/Harvard University Press, 2012); and The Baha’is of Iran: Socio-historical Studies (with Seena B. Fazel, Routledge, 2008). My publications in the field of Persian language learning include Media Persian: An Essential Vocabulary (Edinburgh University Press, 2011) and two volumes co-authored with Pouneh Shabani-Jadidi, The Routledge Introductory Persian Course: Farsi Shirin Ast (Routledge, 2010; revised second edition, 2020) and The Routledge Intermediate Persian Course: Farsi Shirin Ast Book 2 (Routledge, 2012; revised second edition, 2023).
 
I have been an active participant in AIS conferences as speaker, panel organiser and/or chair since the early 2000s. I have previously served on the AIS Council and, from 2004-2014, I served as Assistant Editor for Iranian Studies. I am currently a member of both the Editorial Board of Iranian Studies and the International Advisory Board of Middle Eastern Literatures. In the UK, I previously served as a member of the Governing Council of the British Institute of Persian Studies and, most recently, I have established a new book series with Bloomsbury: I B Tauris Studies in Medieval and Early Modern Persian Literature.     

If elected to the AIS Presidency, I would seek to lead through close consultation and collaboration with the members of the Council. I am a strong believer in the power of dialogue and debate, and I would look to bring more of both to decision-making within AIS. Any academic association is only as strong as its members and I would continue the concerted efforts of previous presidents to both grow and diversify our membership. As someone who has lived and worked in the UK, Canada, and the US, I am well-placed to foster greater cohesion between Iranian Studies scholars across these three countries. To date, the AIS presidency has been dominated by North America-based academics. With a UK-based presidency, I believe there would be greater scope for closer collaboration with our colleagues in Europe, the Middle East, and beyond. Almost all past AIS presidents have been Iran-born historians or other social scientists. As a literary scholar born outside of Iran, I feel I would bring a different approach to positioning AIS in the international academic community.

Beyond cultivating a closer relationship between our members in the Eastern and Western Hemispheres, as president I would focus my energies on two key areas: 1) forging deeper engagement with our membership in Iran and 2) increasing AIS efforts to raise awareness both in academia and the wider public around the ever-increasing violation of academic freedom in Iran and Afghanistan. Whilst maintaining a focus on universities, I would like AIS to do more to protest against the detention of high school teachers and informal educators, in particular those from ethnic and religious minorities. Though primarily an association for researchers and students at the tertiary level, I believe AIS also has a duty to speak out against government intimidation and discrimination at the primary and secondary levels.               

I obtained my Ph.D. from the MIT School of Architecture and Planning in 2009. Currently, I serve as a Professor of History of Art and Architecture at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, with my research predominantly centered around the intersection of art, architecture, and societal dynamics in Iran. I am the author of Domesticity and Consumer Culture in Iran (Routledge, 2013) and Alternative Iran: Contemporary Art and Critical Spatial Practice (Stanford University Press, 2022). The latter secured support from an Iran Heritage Foundation Fellowship at SOAS and was awarded the Millard Meiss and Graham Foundation awards.

Since the onset of the 'Woman, Life, Freedom' uprising, I have consistently contributed articles and lectures that underscore art's pivotal role in this transformative movement. I am now in the process of finalizing a book that explores the impact of art, imagery, and performative activism on the women's liberation movements in Iran. Beyond contemporary art and material culture in Iran, my exploration delves into the intricate relationship between architecture and today's pressing environmental challenges. With the backing of an NEH grant and fellowships from Princeton University and the University of Heidelberg, I am drafting a monograph, provisionally titled “Survival by Design: Desert Architecture at the End of the World.” This study exemplifies my dedication to addressing grave environmental challenges through examining architectural developments in the arid lands of the Middle East and North Africa.

Since embarking on my full-time academic career in 2010, my leadership roles have expanded, encompassing the co-founding and chairing of major academic collaborations and the direction of various initiatives. At my home institution, where I was honored with the Manning Prize for Excellence in Teaching in 2018, I serve as the director of the Office of Undergraduate Research and Community Engagement Initiatives. My involvement in co-founding the Aggregate Architectural History Collaborative and participating on the editorial and scholarly boards of the Thresholds Journal (MIT Press) and the Association of Modern and Contemporary Art of the Arab World, Iran, and Turkey epitomizes my firm commitment to leadership and collaboration. A grant from the Connecting Art Histories Initiative at the Getty Foundation recently enabled me to undertake comprehensive research across Iran on art history, architectural studies, and archaeology within higher education institutions. As demonstrated by this Getty-funded project, my academic outreach extends to Iran-based venues, including public and private institutions, podcasts, journals, and newspapers. Through my engagement with these platforms, I maintain robust ties with Iran-based intellectuals and creative agents, engaging actively in discussions and reviews concerning humanities disciplines as well as the fields of art and architecture as practiced within Iran. Similarly, I enthusiastically champion the growth of Iranian Studies in diasporic academic institutions. Additionally, I believe in broadening its reach by showcasing it in exhibition and museum platforms and collaborating with off-campus non-profit organizations.

A devoted member of the Association of Iranian Studies (AIS) since 2001, I've fulfilled various roles and am keenly positioned to make substantial contributions to AIS’s programs. My vision for AIS involves strengthening academic bonds between Iran and its diaspora, enhancing inter-institutional partnerships, and expanding AIS's digital presence to better serve the next generation of researchers. Additionally, I place a significant emphasis on broadening our discipline by venturing into pressing issues of our time and within less explored areas, particularly environmental studies. Above all, I am deeply committed to elevating the visibility of ethnic minorities and female scholars, educators, and creatives inside Iran who have long been marginalized.

I am profoundly grateful for this nomination. If elected, I pledge to not only maintain but amplify the initiatives and activities of the organization, building upon the foundation laid by past and current leadership.

I am pleased to have the opportunity to stand for election to join the Association for Iranian Studies Council. I am an Associate Professor of History at the University of St. Thomas, a Catholic school in St. Paul, Minnesota. I am a social historian of Iran, especially concerned with immigration between Iran and Iraq.

In the five years since I arrived at the University of St. Thomas, I published peer-reviewed articles based on primary sources in five major journals of the field, including Iranian Studies, the International Journal of Middle East Studies, and the Journal of Middle East Women’s Studies. The topics I examine include immigration, race, boyhood, and medicine. My book, Bordering on War: A Transnational Social and Political History of Khuzistan, which will be published in the winter of 2024, interrogates the experience of nationality among geographically peripheral Arab populations in the Iran-Iraq borderland.

As a result of my strong publishing record and relationship with students, I was awarded tenure early. I have benefited from the teacher-scholar model and intentionally invest in mentorship opportunities. I advise graduate students, grant recipients, and our university’s chapter of an undergraduate history honors society. I also serve on our university’s grant-awarding body for research projects and invite student interests to influence my own research. My second book manuscript, for instance, complements my work on the Iranian diaspora while accounting for a growing fascination in the wider culture, including among students, with food and dining.

This year, I became the director of our university’s women’s center (the Luann Dummer Center for Women). This is a unique women’s center, created by an endowment, with commitments both on and off our campus. The directorship has offered me the opportunity to manage a significant budget as well as plan and market major academic events that appeal to diverse audiences. These duties, which require an investment in the community to motivate engagement and interaction, make me a strong candidate for the AIS Council. I believe I am poised to contribute to the professional and intellectual life of AIS, not only due to my research commitments but also my service experience and prioritization of mentorship.

Nahal Akbari is a Clinical Associate Professor and the Director of the Persian Undergraduate Language Program at the Roshan Institute for Persian Studies, within the School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures at the University of Maryland. She is the Director of the nationally known Persian Flagship Program at the University of Maryland, and the Intensive Summer Language Institute on campus which brings a large group of graduate students, undergraduate students and working professionals from across the US to the University of Maryland every summer to engage in intensive study of Persian language, paired with interactive sessions, workshops and expert presentations on the culture, art, history and literature. Nahal has a PhD in Second Language Teaching and Learning from the University of Ottawa, Canada. She has been leading and contributing to numerous teacher training workshops and collaborative projects on curriculum design, instructional materials development, testing and assessment, and program evaluation for Persian and other languages at different institutions of higher education across the US and internationally. She has published articles and book chapters on Persian teaching and learning, second language writing, and discourse analysis. Her research interests include intercultural rhetoric, second language writing and literacy, and teacher education.

Nahal is currently serving as the President of the American Association of Teachers of Persian.

As an AIS Council Member nominee
I am honored to be considered as a nominee for the AIS Council Member. Because of my background in the field of Applied Linguistics and Second Language Education, I have been more actively involved in research, academic conferences and professional organizations outside of Iranian Studies, but I have been a member of AIS for several years, organized or contributed to panels and roundtables at some of the AIS annual conferences (including AIS 2023), and now in my role as the president of the American Association of Teachers of Persian (AATP) I am looking forward to the opportunity to have a more active role at AIS as a Council member. I will bring in the perspective of a language teacher/researcher/ program developer who believes that the teaching of the Persian language is a pillar of having thriving and robust Persian and Iranian Studies departments at academic institutions around the world, and heritage languages (in our case not only Persian, but also other languages of Iran) are key asset that the Iranian diaspora community needs more professional support to preserve and protect across generations. Exchanging ideas and collaborating with colleagues on building greater disciplinary connections within AIS, and more engagement with the large community of language education scholars, researchers and practitioners around the world is a voice that I hope I can represent.

Dear AIS members,
Thank you for nominating me as a candidate for the position of council member. I would be delighted to serve this thriving community! My name is Domenico Ingenito, and I am an associate professor of Persian literature at the University of California, Los Angeles, where I also coordinate the Persian language program, in collaboration with my dear colleagues, Ms. Pourzangi and Dr. Shayani. The title of my first monograph is Beholding Beauty: Saʿdi of Shiraz and the Aesthetics of Desire in Medieval Persian Poetry (Brill, 2020, reviews appeared in Iranian Studies, International Journal of Middle East Studies, Middle Eastern Literatures, Oxford Journal of Islamic Studies, Journal of Middle East Studies), in which I focused on the connection between sexuality, philosophy and Sufism in Sa‘di’s lyric poetry.
Even though I grew up in Italy, in my early twenties I decided to dedicate my entire life to the study of Persian language, culture and, above all, literature, both classical and modern.
Before spending almost two years in Iran to complete my Ph.D. in classical Persian poetry (University of Naples, “L’Orientale”; University of Tehran; Dehkhoda Institute), I started teaching myself Persian by translating a short collection of Forugh Farrokhzad’s poetry into Italian. Fifteen years later, I am very proud to announce that my critical Persian edition of all of Forugh Farrokhzad’s collected poems, along with an Italian translation is about to come out (Man az nahayat-e shab harf mizanam / Io parlo dai confini della notte, annotated bilingual edition, Bompiani, October 25, 2023).
I am currently working on an English translation of a selection of Saʿdi’s poems (University of California Press), a monograph on Ghaznavid poetry, and two edited volumes (on the history of Persian literature and new approaches to Nezami Ganjevi’s Khamse). At UCLA, I co-lead the UCLA Scholars at Risk program, which aims to bring to campus scholars and writers who face repression in Iran and Afghanistan.
I believe that academia should be the place where communities of intellects and hearts are formed in order to offer a better service to the societies in which we live, inside and outside of Iran and the Persian-speaking world. As an AIS council member, I would strive to create meaningful connections between different generations of scholars, graduate students, and networks of translators who wish to share the eternal beauty of Persian literature with a variety of audiences around the world.

Thank you for considering me for AIS council membership and reading about my research, teaching, and service.

Currently, I am the director of the Center for the Middle East and Islamic Studies and director of the North Carolina Consortium for the Middle East as well as a Professor of Persian Studies at UNC Chapel Hill. With over 15 years of comparative experience in higher education in Iran and in the U.S., I embody a strong sense of commitment to global education. I am invested in a holistic approach to education, shared governance, diversity, equity, inclusion, and global vision. As an Iranian Armenian from a working-class family and a first-generation college graduate who immigrated to the U.S. seventeen years ago as an international graduate student, I deeply value educational and research opportunities for diverse students and scholars.

As a teacher-scholar with international experience and expertise, global educational trends are constantly on my radar. I have published three monographs (Purdue UP 2017, Cambridge UP 2020, Edinburgh UP, 2023), an edited volume (Bloomsbury/IB Tauris 2023), and two dozen peer-reviewed articles in major venues. My work decenters dominant narratives of Persian-centrism, heterosexism, and/or ethnocentrism. An important contribution to this decentering is my meticulous reading of historical, cultural, and political resources relevant to each literary or artistic work to provide a holistic understanding and representation of the nuances of each minoritized group’s position in Iranian society. While I focus on Iran, I place Iranian literature and culture in conversation with global theoretical and literary discourses. This transdisciplinary and transnational approach bridging Iranian literature with world literature provides an alternative to dichotomizing discourses that pit the East against the West, otherizes Islam and the Middle East, and privileges Western theories and knowledge production. My research and teaching undermine reductive binary concepts, making possible a rich dialogue between cultures that have historically been pitted against one another.

As an administrator, I am interested in strengthening the core of any educational enterprise: the community. As the inaugural director and chair of the Persian Studies program, and as the current director of the Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies, I have devised courses, organized events, promoted speakers, and developed workshops that strengthen the intellectual community on the UNC campus.

As an AIS Council member, I will continue focusing on the accessibility of diverse research and educational opportunities globally and fostering a connection between Iran and global discourses.

Sincerely,
Claudia Yaghoobi

Behzad Borhan is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at McGill University's Institute of Islamic Studies, having previously earned a Ph.D. in Persian Language and Literature from Tehran University. Before joining McGill, Behzad served as a Visiting Scholar at Yale University in the Department of Religious Studies and as a Fellow in the Iranian Studies Program and NELC. He has a teaching background at Tehran University and is currently engaged as a Persian language lecturer at McGill University. Behzad's research is centered on Persian and Arabic mystical literature, with a particular focus on medieval hagiographical texts and Sufi manuals. He is on the verge of completing his book manuscript on saintly miracles (karāmāt) in Sufi literature. His previous book, the annotated edition of Rumi’s Mathnawi, Laṭayif al-Ma’navi Min Ḥaqayiq al-Mathnavi (2017) was awarded the best student book of the year by The Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology in Iran. Behzad’s research findings have been published in reputable journals, including Iranian Studies, British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, and Adab-e Fārsī.

Candidate Statement

The Association for Iranian Studies has been my academic haven ever since my arrival in the United States back in 2017. I have consistently cherished the biannual meetings as an opportunity to reconnect with colleagues and friends, forge new connection, and engage in the enriching exchange of ideas. If entrusted with the role of Student Council member, I would be wholeheartedly committed to contributing to the continued growth of AIS in the main following areas:

1. Strengthening Educational Initiatives: One of AIS's recent successful endeavors has been the introduction of Presidential Sessions, a testament to the hard work and intelligence of former Student Council members. Personally, I have greatly benefited from these sessions, and I am committed to promoting similar initiatives for graduate students and emerging scholars if elected. This commitment involves advocating for mentorship programs and facilitating access to resources that can empower educators and students who share a passion for Iranian Studies.
2. Facilitate Academic Exchange and Expand International Reach: Over the recent years, I have acquired educational, teaching, and work experiences in Iran, the U.S., and Canada. My familiarity with these diverse academic landscapes has fueled a continuous passion for strengthening connections among them. My aim is not only to engage with scholars in Iran but also to extend these connections to the broader Persianate world. Capitalizing on my diverse experiences, my commitment lies in fostering heightened scholarly exchange, particularly within our international student community. This commitment entails broadening opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaboration, encouraging the active participation of emerging scholars, and facilitating meaningful dialogue among the diverse voices within our field.
3. Enhance AIS Engagement: I will encourage increased participation in AIS events, conferences, and activities, fostering a sense of community and shared purpose among our members.

Ehsan Kashfi is a PhD candidate and instructor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Alberta. His research interests include nationalism, ethnicity, collective memory, and social media. He earned a master’s degree in International Relations of the Middle East from Durham University (UK) and a second master’s degree in Political Science from the University of South Florida (USA). He currently works on discursive and commemorative constructions of national identity in post-revolutionary Iran. His recent publications include “The Politics of Street Names: Reconstructing Iran’s Collective Identity” and “The Politics of Calendars: State Appropriations of the Contested Iranian Past.”

Recognizing the complexities and challenges of transitioning to the academic job market, I believe it is imperative that we offer more targeted support to graduate students on this journey. Establishing oneself in academia is not merely about securing a position but also about understanding the nuances of publication, fostering academic relationships, and navigating institutional dynamics. I envision a structured mentor program where graduate students are mentored by experienced academics, receiving insights into refining their dissertations into publishable works, and provided with opportunities like seminars and workshops to share their experiences. The transition from a PhD program to a teaching or research position in the academic world is nuanced and multi-faceted, and I believe our association can play a pivotal role in smoothing this path.

I acknowledge and commend the efforts of my peers who have already built networks for emerging scholars. Their work lays a strong foundation for us to expand upon. The next step is to integrate more digital platforms and in-person opportunities, ensuring that our members, regardless of their geographic location, have access to these valuable resources. By building on these initiatives, we can ensure that the Association for Iranian Studies remains an invaluable hub for scholars at all stages of their careers.