DĀNESH: The OU Undergraduate Journal of Iranian Studies

Permanent URI for this collection

https://hdl.handle.net/11244/329109

Welcome to the online repository of DĀNESH: The OU Undergraduate Journal of Iranian Studies. We are grateful to Commons@SHAREOK for hosting the journal’s digital platform.

DĀNESH is a peer-reviewed undergraduate journal, edited by a rotating team of OU students. It is published under the auspices of the University of Oklahoma’s Farzaneh Family Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies and the OU College of International Studies. Since its founding in 2016, DĀNESH has been dedicated to highlighting the research of a growing undergraduate program in Iranian Studies at the University of Oklahoma.

The name of the journal, DĀNESH, comes from the Persian word meaning knowledge, learning, and wisdom. We believe this is a fitting name for a journal that seeks to foster deep and compassionate understanding of one of the world’s most culturally rich and historically complex civilizations

Please feel free to browse through the past issues of the journal by clicking on the individual links below.

For questions about the journal, or to join our editorial team, please contact the journal’s faculty advisor, listed below:

Afshin Marashi

Director, Farzaneh Family Chair in Iranian Studies

amarashi@ou.edu

Farzaneh Family Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies:

http://www.ou.edu/content/cis/sponsored_programs/farzaneh-family-center.html

Browse

Now showing 1 - 13 of 13

Open Access
Beneath the Surface: How Censorship in Iranian Music Cultivates Identity
(2019-01) Pierri, Kristen; Kuyon, Kayleigh; Standley, Corey; Oberlitner, Adam; Nazar, Jessamine; Progler, Chris; Albrecht, Emma; Kayali, Sarah; Ashbaker, Bailey; Keaton, Joni; Farzaneh Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies; University of Oklahoma. College of International Studies; University of Oklahoma. College of International Studies. Department of International and Area Studies
When listening to music, Iranian’s do not tap their feet or dance; they do not smile or wave or give any indication that they are enjoying the music they are listening to because they are not allowed to. Ayatollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic, compared music to drugs that ruin the realm of seriousness that comes with Islamic culture. He neglected music’s cultural significance outside of the realm of religion, and banned the citizens of Iran from listening to music that provided them excitement. Controlling such personal reactions and behaviors required strict enforcement by the Cultural Revolution Headquarters established in 1981. On top of that, the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance was established to control cultural production, making it very difficult to get music produced that did not fit the criteria established by the Islamic Republic.
Open Access
Clericalism, Constitutionalism, and Cautiousness: Iran's 1905 Revolution Through the Eyes of Sheikh Fazollah Nuri
(2019-08) Waugh, Jake; Kuyon, Kayleigh; Standley, Corey; Oberlitner, Adam; Nazar, Jessamine; Progler, Chris; Albrecht, Emma; Kayali, Sarah; Ashbaker, Bailey; Keaton, Joni; Farzaneh Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies
The summer of 1909 was a summer of retribution. The first target was Mohammad Ali Shah, the Qajar king who had forcefully opposed constitutionalism and was responsible for the bombardment of the Majlis the year prior. After being replaced by his young son and forced to cede much of his property to the government, Mohammad Ali Shah was exiled to Russia in September. Another prominent target was Sheikh Fazollah Nuri, a senior cleric and the monarchy's chief ally among the ulama, whose shared opposition to constitutionalism earned him a swift execution in July of the same year.
Open Access
Dānesh : the OU undergraduate journal of Iranian studies. Volume 1, 2016
(The University of Oklahoma, 2016) Marashi, Afshin; Akhlaghi, Andrew; Gharipour, Elena T.; Bednarek, Ellie; Gellman, Jonah; McCann, Samuel; Siddiqui, Wajeeha; Yoo, Jiyoun; Farzaneh Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies; University of Oklahoma. College of International Studies; University of Oklahoma. College of International Studies. Department of International and Area Studies
It is with great pleasure that I introduce this inaugural issue of DĀNESH: The OU Undergraduate Journal of Iranian Studies. The initiative for this journal grew from the hard work and dedication of undergraduate students in the University of Oklahoma’s Iranian Studies Program. In particular, I would like to acknowledge Andrew Akhlaghi (MA 2016) and Elena Gharipour (BA 2016) for their tireless effort in leading this project from its inception, in the spring of 2015, to the publication of this inaugural issue .
Open Access
Dānesh : the OU undergraduate journal of Iranian studies. Volume 2, 2017
Ennenga, Elizabeth; Hackett, Molly; Shelden, John; Hudayar, Salih; Kahoe, Cooper; Standley, Corey; Holsten, Brittany; Kuyon, Kayleigh; Farzaneh Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies; University of Oklahoma. College of International Studies; University of Oklahoma. College of International Studies. Department of International and Area Studies
Open Access
DĀNESH : the OU undergraduate journal of Iranian studies. Volume 3, 2018
(2018) University of Oklahoma. College of International Studies. Department of International and Area Studies. Farzaneh Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies.; Standley, Corey; Kuyon, Kayleigh; Ball, Caleb; Hare, Jesse; Nazari, Jessamine; Pugh, Michael; Stafford, Ciera; Warrington, Sydney; Afshin, Marashi; Manata, Hashemi; Farzaneh Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies
We are so proud to present to you the third volume of the University of Oklahoma's Undergraduate Journal in Iranian Studies, DĀNESH. Through two editions of the journal we have seen wonderful presentations on varying regional topics, spanning the breadth of history and social strata. In the tradition of the meaning of DĀNESH, or knowledge, we present these articles as an offering to expand the collective dialogue on the understanding of the Iranian and Persian state. We are pleased to have worked on this edition with a group of driven authors to present an edition comprising of submissions focusing on the traditional roots of religion in Iranian society and contemporary issues that Iranians are currently facing.
Open Access
Danesh : the OU undergraduate journal of Iranian studies. Volume 4, 2019
(2019-10) University of Oklahoma. College of International Studies. Department of International and Area Studies. Farzaneh Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies.; Kuyon, Kayleigh; Standley, Corey; Oberlitner, Adam; Nazar, Jessamine; Progler, Chris; Albrecht, Emma; Kayali, Sarah; Ashbaker, Bailey; Keaton, Joni; Farzaneh Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies
From the Editors-in-Chief
Open Access
Fatwas and Feminism: How Iran's Religious Leadership Obstructs Feminist Reforms
(2019-04) Asokan, Anu S.; Kuyon, Kayleigh; Standley, Corey; Oberlitner, Adam; Nazar, Jessamine; Progler, Chris; Albrecht, Emma; Kayali, Sarah; Ashbaker, Bailey; Keaton, Joni; Farzaneh Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies
In 2009, a pro-government Basiji militia member shot Neda Agha Soltan in the chest. Neda was a philosophy student who participated in protests against a possibly corrupt election, and her death was the spark that started the Green Movement and increasing protests. As the video of her murder became viral, the foreign media was expelled from Iran. Over 150 well-known reformists and journalists, as well as thousands of demonstrators, were arrested. Throughout the protests, the repercussions, and the government's eventual crushing of the Green Movement, women were at the forefront of activism.
Open Access
Lingering Effects: U.S. Media and the Case for Nationalism in the Iran Hostage Crisis
(2019-05) Eisenmann, Lindsey T.; Kuyon, Kayleigh; Standley, Corey; Oberlitner, Adam; Nazar, Jessamine; Progler, Chris; Albrecht, Emma; Kayali, Sarah; Ashbaker, Bailey; Keaton, Joni; Farzaneh Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies
In his article on legitimacy and the Iran hostage crisis, R. K. Ramazani makes the claim that the hostility at play in foreign relations between Iran and the U.S. comes as a result of the Iran hostage crisis and the events that unfolded between 1979-1981. In 1978 Ayatollah Khomeini, an exiled Iranian Muslim leader, blamed President Carter for the “murderous regime” of Iran's leader, Mohammad Reza Shah. He argued that, in spite of claiming to support freedom, America evidently supported repression. Khomeini also spoke of the Shah as being a puppet of the U.S., which both demonized the U.S. and weakened the Shah at a time when his power was quickly dwindling in Iran. Iranians lived through the oppressive regime of the Shah for years, and the revolution came as people grew tired of the Shah and were eager to see a change in the leadership of Iran. Soon enough, protests began erupting throughout Iran in opposition to the Shah, and the revolution was underway. Khomeini and his followers vied for “freedom from American domination,” which Khomeini believed would occur as a result of the revolution. On January 16, 1979, after months of protests and with no end in sight, the Shah fled Iran, and shortly after on February 1, Ayatollah Khomeini returned from exile to lead the Islamic Revolution and create an Islamic state in Iran.
Open Access
Post-Revolutionary Iranian Cinema: Unveiling the Reality of Iranian Women under the Islamic Republic
(2019-02) Viviani, Jocelyn; Kuyon, Kayleigh; Standley, Corey; Oberlitner, Adam; Nazar, Jessamine; Progler, Chris; Albrecht, Emma; Kayali, Sarah; Ashbaker, Bailey; Keaton, Joni; Farzaneh Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies
In post-revolutionary Iran, cinema became a medium for social critique of the prevailing issues in modern Iranian society. The problems of women under the Islamic Republic became a major focal point in these post-revolutionary Iranian films. After the revolution of 1979, Shi’a Islam reshaped the political and social landscape of Iran. At this critical juncture, the Islamic Republic under the religious authority and guidance of Ayatollah Khomeini was able to consolidate its power through the concept of velayat-e faqih, meaning the “the guardianship of the jurist.” By implementing the concept of velayat-e faqih in its system of government, the regime was able to enforce a political ideology based on its interpretation of Shi’a Islam. As a consequence, the regime’s ideology reshaped the fabric of Iranian society, particularly when it came to the position of women. This political ideology subjected women to the traditional roles of wives and mothers, and further Islamized the image of women through enforced veiling and cultural norms. As the Republic’s ideology began to shape every aspect of Iranian society, the problems of women became more apparent. The topic of women’s issues is significant in that women play an integral role in the social and political trajectory of Iran under the Islamic Republic. Without discussing and contesting the issues of women, political and social change for women in Iran becomes harder to obtain.
Open Access
Queer Theology: Theological, Theocratic, and Secular Influences on Iran's Relationship with Transgender Bodies
(2019-06) Oberlitner, Adam; Kuyon, Kayleigh; Standley, Corey; Oberlitner, Adam; Nazar, Jessamine; Progler, Chris; Albrecht, Emma; Kayali, Sarah; Ashbaker, Bailey; Keaton, Joni; Farzaneh Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies
On November 13, 2005, the Iranian daily newspaper Kayhan published a story about the public execution of two young men named Mokhtar and Ali. The charge that brought them to the gallows of Shahid Bahonar Square, alleges international advocacy organization Human Rights Watch (HRW), was lavat, a word loosely translated by many as “sodomy,” which refers to criminalized sexual acts between men. As is often the case, the hangings provoked condemnations from such human rights organizations as HRW, but the agitation over these hangings, and several other such cases that year, effected no marked change in policy, neither immediately nor over the course of the following years. There is a widespread Western perception of Iran as viciously anti-queer and without reservation in its anti-queerness—a reputation it continues to cultivate, one might argue, as Amnesty International's 2017-2018 report on the country concludes with “some same-sex conduct [remains] punishable by death.” However, keeping this in mind so as not to trivialize the state-sanctioned violence faced by gay Iranian men and women, this all-encompassing conclusion is short-sighted.
Open Access
Reworking Westoxification: Jalal Al-e Ahmad’s Original Conception of Westoxification and its Post-Revolutionary Reinvention
(2019-03) Crynes, Aubrey; Kuyon, Kayleigh; Standley, Corey; Oberlitner, Adam; Nazar, Jessamine; Progler, Chris; Albrecht, Emma; Kayali, Sarah; Ashbaker, Bailey; Keaton, Joni; Farzaneh Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies
On October 19th, 2016, the Islamic Republic of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, posted an image on Instagram that depicts Uncle Sam standing in front of what appears to be a club-like entrance blocked off by red rope with “globalization” scrawled across a sign overhead. The caricature looks harmless enough, until the viewer notices the signs by the door banning the atomic symbol as well as a stylized version of “Allah,” which fit right into Khamenei's (or whichever intern writes his Instagram posts) scathing caption: “Becoming global means giving in to the culture that has been imposed on the economy, politics and security of the world by a few big powers. This is the same as dependence without any difference!” The idea that globalization equates to dependence on larger Western nations is not Khamenei's own. Dependency theorists around the globe have echoed this same warning countless times. In the Persian language, this specific kind of Western- led dependence is often called ‘Gharbzadegi’, which can be translated as weststruck or westoxified.
Open Access
The Alternating Allegiances of the Ulama: Clerical Participation in the Iranian Constitutional Revolution of 1905-11
(2019-09) Bray, Mathew; Kuyon, Kayleigh; Standley, Corey; Oberlitner, Adam; Nazar, Jessamine; Progler, Chris; Albrecht, Emma; Kayali, Sarah; Ashbaker, Bailey; Keaton, Joni; Farzaneh Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies
In the summer of 1906, a group of theology students and other constitutionalists gathered in Tehran for what was expected to be a peaceful protest in favor of government reforms, a continuation of the nascent Constitutional Revolution. By the end of the first day's protests, a respected sayyed had been shot by police. In response, an even larger crowd of protesters gathered the next day, only for twenty-two of them to be killed in an attack by the Cossacks. Following these gruesome events, almost all of the ulama turned immediately against the Qajar government. Even for those who had been uncertain about Constitutionalism, this direct and inhuman affront to the clerical estate was more than enough to make the current government an enemy. Within days, many of the ulama and their followers had migrated to Qum, leaving the capital without religious leadership and clearly defining their stance on the revolution. In the years to follow members of the secular intelligentsia, merchants, and other reformers would continue to push for constitutional reforms with varying degrees of success; ultimately, though, support from the ulama began to waver as time went on.
Open Access
Tur and Iraj: Azeri Turks and ‘Persian’ Iran
(2019-07) McAbee, Daniel; Kuyon, Kayleigh; Standley, Corey; Oberlitner, Adam; Nazar, Jessamine; Progler, Chris; Albrecht, Emma; Kayali, Sarah; Ashbaker, Bailey; Keaton, Joni; Farzaneh Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies
Despite the prominence of the Middle East and Islamic world in Western news media, it is a region that suffers from severe misunderstanding. Out of the countries in those regions, Iran is perhaps the most poorly understood of all. This ignorance extends beyond popular misunderstanding to include policy and scholarly circles. This is evident in Western discussion of ethnicities in Iran, which often results in an inaccurate understanding of the matter. While some of this misunderstanding can be attributed to faults in the West—to Orientalism, to natural hatred and misunderstanding that develop between mutual enemies, and to the inaccurate universalization of Western cultural and social paradigms—Iran's unique history certainly complicates Western perceptions and understandings.