CANCELLED: Representations of Ethnicity in Iranian Young Adult Fiction

Poster design by Farzan Kermani

This talk was cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.

The Alireza Ahmadian Lecture in Iranian and Persianate Studies present: Representations of Ethnicity in Iranian Young Adult Fiction on February 5, 2022.

Iran is a multicultural country with a wide range of ethnic variations. Fars/Persians, Kurds, Turks, Arabs, Lors, Gilaks, Baluches, Torkamans and so on have coexisted over centuries despite their different ideologies and cultures. However, many of the non-Persian ethnic populations, most of whom live in borderline areas of Iran, have sometimes been marginalized by the dominant discourse, for instance through stereotypical representations of them. In all these circumstances, all pertinent tribes, despite their differences, have been under the umbrella of a central government, and literature has served as a voice for all of them and as the meeting place of different ethnicities, races and nationalities. Young Adult story and novel provide unique opportunities for teens to widen their worldviews while also creating relational possibilities through intercultural dialogues. The question is, “What is the place of ethnicity with cultural, social and political implications in Iranian Young Adult literature?” In this lecture, Dr. Farzaneh Aghapour will try to show the representations of Iranian ethnic groups in Persian Young Adult Literature, with a focus on the three categories of “gender,” facing the ”other,” and the concept and value of “adolescence” among ethnicities. In doing so, she will also discuss the representations of customs, ethnic identity, indigenous atmosphere and language within Young Adult narratives.

Guest Speaker

Farzaneh Aghapour, PhD, Assistant Professor of Persian Language and Literature, University of Guilan

Discussant

Soudabeh Shokrollah-Zadeh, PhD, Assistant Professor of Education, Allameh Tabataba’i University