ASPS Newsletter

Members are urged to forward announcements and items of professional interest to the Editor, at the address, fax number or email address, below. The deadline for the next issue is 14 March 2003. (Calls for papers and other time-sensitive news of professional meetings, if submitted promptly, will be posted on the Web site.)


Suggestions for future panels and programs to be sponsored by ASPS may be sent at any time to either of the following:
Dr. Alice Hunsberger (alicehunsberger@hotmail.com)
Dr. Rudi Matthee (matthee@juno.com).

ASPS thanks the Dean of the Division of the Humanities at the University of Chicago for allocating storage space for our Web site on the Division's server. We are also grateful to the University's Center for Middle Eastern Studies (Director, John Woods) for its continuing support with printing and postage costs of the Newsletter.


John R. Perry
Editor, ASPS Newsletter
The University of Chicago
Center for Middle Eastern Studies
5828 S. University Avenue
Chicago IL 60637, USA
Fax: 773 702-2587
e-mail: j-perry@uchicago.edu

ASPS in Tajikistan
Dr. Bahriddin Aliev, Secretary of ASPS, Tajikistan, reports the publication of the first issue of its Pazhuheshnoma earlier this year. It contains the following articles: (Kindly to be supplied by Jo-Ann who can read the cirylic)

ASPS in Armenia
Professor Garnik Asatrian, Director:of the Caucasian Centre for Iranian Studies, Yerevan, reports that the recently inaugu-rated Armenian Branch of ASPS has thirty members, special-izing in fields of teaching and research that range from ancient Iranian religions through Pashto, Baluchi and Ossetic lan-guages to Yezidi folklore and Qajar painting. We hope to see more of our colleagues in the Caucasus at future international meetings.

2002 Election of Officers
In accordance with ASPS Bylaws, we call upon our members to select a new President whose term will be for three years and one member of the ASPS Board of Directors, whose term will also be for three years. Candidate biographies (supplied by the candidates) follow. The ballot is part of the envelope inserted in this Newsletter. IMPORTANT: You must write your name and return address on the outside front of the enve-lope, NOT ON THE FLAP. Ballots received by November 5, 2002 will be counted. A special note for this year from Alice Hunsberger, Chair of the Nominating Committee: ASPS Bylaws allow only former Board members to run for the office of President. While ASPS fully subscribes to principles of democracy, the fact remains that ASPS is a very young organization (this is the second election) and therefore does not have many former Board members. For these few, exceptional changes in their professional lives in the coming year have caused many of them to decline to run for President. The Nominating Com-mittee is extremely grateful, therefore, to the candidate bold enough to agree to stand for the position.

Candidate for President of ASPS
Rudi Matthee
Associate Professor of Middle Eastern History at the University of Delaware. BA and MA in Arabic and Persian Language and Literature from the University of Utrecht, The Netherlands; studied in Iran, 1976-77, and Egypt, 1981-83; Ph.D. in Islamic Studies from UCLA, 1991. Professor Mathee has taught at the University of Denver, 1991-93, and since 1993 at the University of Delaware. He is the author of The Politics of Trade in Safavid Iran: Silk for Silver, 1600-1730 , Cambridge University Press, 1999 (recipient of the prize for best non-Persian language book on Iranian history, 1999, awarded by the Iranian Ministry of Culture; honorable mention for best book on the Middle East published in Britain, 1999). He is co-editor (with Beth Baron), of Iran and Beyond: Essays in Honor of Nikki R. Keddie, Mazda, 2000; and (with Nikki Keddie) of Iran and the Surrounding World: Interactions in Culture and Cultural Politics, University of Washington Press, 2002. He has published some 25 articles on Safavid and Qajar Iran (16th-19th centuries) dealing with issues of political, socio-economic and material history, in the Journal of World History, Journal of Early Modern History, Itinerario, Modern Asian Studies, JESHO, IJMES, Iranian Studies, and as book chapters. He is book review editor for Iranian Studies; board member, ASPS; Fellow of the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, 2002-3.

Candidates for Board Member of ASPS
Manouchehr Kasheff
Lecturer in Persian at Columbia University for nearly thirty years. Senior Assistant Editor of Encyclopaedia Iranica, Columbia University; member of the Editorial Board of Studies on Persianate Societies.

Elena Andreeva
Assistant Professor of History, Virginia Military Institute, since 2000. Ph.D. in Middle East Studies, NYU; BA and MA from Moscow State University, Russia. Has published articles on Russian Orientalism and Russian travelers to Iran in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Her book, Looking Down at Persia from the Mountains of the Caucasus: Russian Travelogues about Iran in the 19th and early 20th centuries, is scheduled for publication in 2003 by I. B. Tauris.

Amendment to the Bylaws
In response to an unforeseen tie for one of the positions in a previous election, the ASPS Board of Directors proposes the following amendment to the Bylaws as an addition the second paragraph of Article VI. Officers, Section 2. Election of Officers: A plurality of the votes cast shall be required for election. Any tie in the election shall be resolved by a majority vote of the Board.

Conference News

The First Biennial Convention of ASPS took place in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, 15-18 September, 2002, with the cooperation of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tajikistan, the Rudaki Institute of Language and Literature, and the National Commission of UNESCO, Tajikistan. Over 60 participants from Armenia, China, India, Iran, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and the USA presented papers covering a broad range of topics that included folklore and oral studies, pre-Islamic culture, literature, Sufism, social change and cultural development, economic history, historiography, modernity and its challenges, historical linguistics, and art and architecture. The Tajik Organizing Committee did an outstanding job of coordinating the conference in Dushanbe, and we are especially grateful to Dr. Dodikhudo Saimiddinov, Director of the Rudaki Institute of Language and Literature and to Dr. Bahriddin Aliev, Secretary-Treasurer of ASPS Tajikistan. We are also very appreciative of the generous support of the Central Eurasia Project and the East-East Program of the Open Society Institute, and its Tajikistan branch. The convention was an extraordinary gathering of scholars whose work concerns the history, culture, politics, language, and literature of Persianate societies, and it marks a new phase in the activities of ASPS, as members begin to actively establish an international network of contacts and exchange of ideas. During the course of the Convention, Dr. Said Arjomand, ASPS President, presented the Presidential Address, “Social Sciences and the Appropriation of Persianate Historical Memory.” During the course of the Convention, participants had the opportunity to visit the manuscript collection of the Institute of Oriental Studies, the Institute of Language and Literature, and the Archaeology Museum. Following the conference, members made various excursions to Varzob, Hisor, Khojand, and Kulob. The first meeting of the representatives of the Regional Councils of ASPS also took place on 18 September, and was attended by Dr. Said Arjomand, ASPS President; Dr. Jo-Ann Gross, ASPS Secretary-Treasurer; Dr. Devin DeWeese, ASPS Board of Directors; Dr. Garnick Asatrian, ASPS Armenia; Dr. Philip Kreyenbroek, Dr. O. F. Akimushkin, Dr. Vladimir Ivanov, Dr. Anna Krasnowolska, ASPS Council for Europe; Dr. Ishtiyaq Ahmad Zilli and Dr. A. W. Azhar Dehlvi, IASPS India; Dr. Gholam-Abbas Tavassoli, IASPS, Iran; Dr. Dodikhudo Saimiddinov and Dr. Bahriddin Aliev, ASPS Tajikistan. In addition to discussing activities for 2002-03, plans for the next Biennial Convention in 2004 were considered. Four offers for sponsoring the next meeting were brought to the Council. Dr. Garnik Asatrian proposed that the Convention be held in Yerevan, Armenia, in March, 2004; this proposal was seconded by Philip Kreyenbroek, ASPS Europe, and by A.W. Azhar Dehlavi, IASPS, India. Dr. Tavassoli of IASPS, Iran also endorsed the proposal. The Council agreed to hold the ASPS Biennial Convention alternately in Persian-speaking and Persianate societies. Based on that agreement, serious consideration was given to holding the 2006 conference in Shiraz, and the 2008 convention in India, subject to suitable conditions.

ASPS in Bethesda
The Association again co-sponsored the Fourth Biennial Conference on Iranian Studies with the Society for Iranian Studies. We did not have the record number of Travel Fellows we had granted funds to, owing to the near impossibility of obtaining US visas for the Iranians. Despite their traveling abroad to apply at US Consulates and our continuous effort from here on their behalf, the great majority of the colleagues we had expected were turned down. Nevertheless, a few succeeded in coming, and making the conference truly interesting. ASPS supported Karim Emami and Ghazal, who made their presentatins at Plenary Session II, through a grant to the Foundation on Iranian Studies. We also supported the session on Afghanistan, organized by Dr. Ali Banuazizi, through a grant to the Society for Iranian Studies, and a very successful panel on Iranian NGOs organized by Ms Sussan Tahmasebi, with a coda in Persian by one of the participants, Dr. Abbas Edalat, on a project he is directing for bringing computers to Iranian high schools. ASPS also sponsored two very popular exhibitions that brightened the conference: A photography exhibition by Jamshid, and an exhibition of sculpture by Maryam Salour. Our reception in honor of the Travel Fellows in the exhibition hall was very well attended and riotously lively, making up for past years of relative neglect of the annual reception by members. Ostad Davlatmand Khalov played Tajik music on traditional instruments, and the celebrated Afghan poet, Mr. Wasef Bakhtari, also read his poetry at this special event.
—Saïd Amir Arjomand, President

ASPS in Australia
At the XV World Congress of Sociology held in Brisbane, Australia, between 7 and 13 July 2002, the President of ASPS, Dr. Saïd Amir Arjomand, had coordinated two panels. The first of these, “the Persianate World and Social Change,” was organized and chaired by Dr. Arjomand and was discussed by Poopak Taati. The second panel, “Issues in Democratization of Contemporary Iran,” was organized and chaired by Poopak Taati and was discussed by Ali Akbar Mahdi. There were some changes to the program as advertised in the last Newsletter. Participants in the first panel consisted of Dr. Arjomand (State University of New York, USA), who spoke on cultural and civilizational unity of the Persianate world throughout history; Dr. Akbar Mahdi (Ohio Wesleyan University, USA), who focused on the youth movement in Iran; and Dr. Hossein Adibi (Queensland University of Technology, Australia), who illustrated the conditions of the famous Afghan Cameleers when they were first introduced into the Australian Outback in the 19th century. Presenters of the second panel were Dr. Elaheh Koolaee (Tehran University and Tehran representative in Parliament), who addressed the challenges of democratization confronting the Majles; Dr. Shadi-Talab (Tehran University, Iran), who elaborated on the abuses of women in Iranian history; Dr. Poopak Taati (Montgomery College, USA), who explored the challenges to democratic participation of Iranian women’s NGOs; and Dr. Gholam-Abbas Tavassoli (University of Tehran, Iran), who explained “Rational versus emotional thinking” in a democratic reform process. Discussions on the first panel were primarily directed at how the Persianate world and the changes within could best be conceptualized. The discussions of the second panel were focused on how and if specific reforms lead to a meaningful democratization. Both panels were well attended and generated much discussion among the audience. ASPS panel participants held a meeting during a boat tour of Moreton Bay, when it was expected that magnificent whales would approach the boat out of curiosity and playfulness; unfortunately not many showed up in what turned out to be stormy weather!
—Poopak Taati

ASPS has organized and sponsored the following panel for the upcoming MESA meeting in Washington DC, November 23-26, 2002. For information and conference registration, see their website: http://www.mesa.u.arizona.edu

SUNDAY, November 24, 2:00-4:00 pm
CIVIL RIGHTS IN IRAN
Chair: Alice C. Hunsberger, American Iranian Council
Majid Mohammadi, SUNY-Stony Brook
The Civil Rights Movement in Iran: 1996-2002
Ali-Reza Alavitabar, Bonyan Daily
Political Parties after Khordad 2
Elahe Sharifpour-Hicks, Human Rights Watch
Challenges to Human Rights Monitoring in Iran
Mohsen Kadivar, AFTAB Monthly
The Velayat-e Faqih and Democracy

The ASPS Board Meeting will take place Saturday, November 23, 3:00-5:00 pm, followed immediately by the Business Meeting, 5:00-6:00 pm. Please check the MESA schedule or postings for locations.

DON’T MISS the ASPS Reception in honor of our Travel Fellows: Saturday, November 23, 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm—please check MESA postings for the room.

Travel Fellowship Program

The Program will be continued for yet another year with the generous support of the Open Society Institute:
The Association for the Study of Persianate Societies is pleased to announce the continuation of our Travel Fellowship Program, through the generosity of the Open Society Institute. Travel Fellowships are available for scholars and researchers from Iran to take part in academic and cultural conferences and conventions in the United States. Each Travel Fellowship covers all travel and lodging expenses of the recipient subject to a limit of $3000. The conditions for eligibility are engagement in teaching or research in the humanities or social sciences and an invitation or acceptance of a paper from the sponsors of the conference. No special application form is required. Applications must be received as far ahead of the time of travel as possible, and no later than three months before the conference to be attended. Those interested should submit a letter of application, together with a curriculum vitae and the letter of acceptance from the appropriate convention, to:

Professor Hamid Dabashi
MELAC
Kent Hall
Columbia University
New York, New York 10027 Fax 212 854-2566
hd14@columbia.edu

Conference sponsors may also apply on behalf of participants by submitting the same documentation.

Member News and Announcements

The Global Development Network: Research and Resources
The Global Development Network (GDN) is an organization dedicated to generating, sharing, and applying knowledge about development. In addition to providing a forum for exchange of data, knowledge, and research, the GDN provides financial support to policy researchers in developing countries, and promotes collaboration between research institutes in developed and developing countries. Competitive grants are offered for individual research, multidisciplinary collaborations, and knowledge distribution through regional conferences. GDN is in partnerships with one institution from each of seven regions of the world, organizes an annual Global Development Conference, publishes a monthly e-mail newsletter, and has a very rich web site. Previous conferences were held in Bonn (1999), Tokyo (2000), and Rio de Janeiro (2002). The next annual GDN conference, on “Globalization and Equity,” will be held in Cairo, January 19-21, 2003. The GDN site (http://www.gdnet.org) is extremely resourceful and contains data resources, a list of funding opportunities for development researches, an on-line interdisciplinary directory of development resources, a comprehensive directory of the world's leading development research organizations and their work, a list and abstracts of 358 publications (some with full text) by GDN members (including many in Persianate societies), and a forum for on-line discussion amongst the GDN community.
—Akbar Mahdi, Ohio Wesleyan University

Qamar-ul Huda, Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies and Comparative Theology at Boston College, has published Stiriving for Divine Union: Spiritual Exercises for Suhra-wardî Sufis, Routledge Curzon, 2002. The book examines the interpretation of sacred texts by adepts of the Suhrawardi Order (13th-15th centuries) and discusses new ways of thinking about the Sufi hermeneutics of the Qur’ân and its contribution to Islamic intellectual and spiritual life.

National Security Education Program:
The Academy for Educational Development (AED) invites applications for the 2003 NSEP David L. Boren Graduate Fellowships competition. These grants enable U.S. graduate students to pursue specialization in area and language studies through overseas study in world regions deemed critical to U.S. national security. Applications must be postmarked by January 31, 2003. Guidelines and application forms may be obtained from the AED Web site at http://www.aed.org/nsep or by telephone (800-498-9360) or email (nsep@aed.org).

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