The thesis offers an analysis of the Reza Sah period in terms of the balance between religion and politics and their societal and institutional power, the discussion of which is located within a historical framework. The relationship between religion and politics and their related effect on the 'legitimacy' of the structure of domination are considered within Weber's tripartite typology of domination. Whilst acknowledging the overall implications of the feasibility of adopting a Weberian framework and criticisms concerning the lack of accuracy of Weber's study of Islam, the thesis proposes that it is nevertheless possible to use a Weberian perspective in the study of Iranian Shi'ism. The changes introduced in the period are examined through an analysis of institutional changes deemed necessary for the process of modernization and secularization. An adequate understanding of this period is proposed to be critically dependent upon an understanding of the nature of the secularization process in Iran. This thesis is therefore concerned with two interconnected themes, one theoretical and the other historical. The theoretical theme, namely, the nature of the secularization process, arguably forms the core of the thesis in terms of its applicability to the period under study. It is the centrality of the secularization process which necessitates the analysis of a subsidiary argument concerning the limitations arising from Western (including Weberian) understanding of secularization, in particular with regard to Iran during the stated period. The historical theme - the analysis of the events between 1921 and 1941 - is considered for its own importance as a period of structural and institutional change and as a testing ground for the secularization thesis.

Pour comprendre l'Iran d'aujourd'hui il faut poser son regard sur la Perse antique, terre de nomades, de marchands et de voyageurs mais aussi de champs de bataille sur lesquels ont été érigés les fondements d'une société raffinée tant aimée par les scientifiques, les artistes, les poètes et surtout par les voyageurs. Au fil des siècles, beaucoup d'italiens l'ont traversée ou y ont séjourné et il est impossible de parler de l'Iran sans prendre en considération son passé de Grand Empire, sa transformation religieuse du polythéisme à l'Islam en passant par le Mazdéisme, et ses bouleversement socio-culturels survenus lors de la transition entre la monarchie de Pahlavi et la République islamique d'Iran instaurée en 1979 à la suite de la révolution. A travers l'analyse et la comparaison de divers reportages de voyages, cette étude socio-culturelle tentera donc de mettre en évidence la façon à travers laquelle la vision de l'Iran, que certains voyageurs italiens possédaient, s'est modifiée et de quelle manière le voyage en Iran, entre le sacré et le profane, a influé sur la personnalité de ces derniers. D'après les textes des journalistes, des touristes, des littéraires et des aventuriers examinés, il est possible d'affirmer que tous ces gens sont tous partis en Iran avec beaucoup de craintes et un bagage de préjugés assez important. Cependant le voyage les a tellement surpris qu'ils ont rapidement reconnu leur erreur de jugement. La magnificence des lieux et la gentillesse de la population les ont amenés à aimer chaque pierre, chaque légende, et chaque personne rencontrée jusqu'à en arriver à se sentir comme à la maison malgré les nombreux kilomètres qui séparent la République islamique d'Iran de leur propre patrie. Lorsqu'il se rend en Iran, le voyageur prend conscience de se trouver dans un État théocratique qui impose des règles strictes mais qui entretient pourtant la pureté d'âme parfois perdue en Occident. Il s'agit d'un État dans lequel les Gardiens de la révolution intimident régulièrement les femmes en contrôlant leurs habits, en les obligeant à vivre selon les lois de la Charia, mais c'est dans ce même pays que les hommes sont toujours gentils et respectueux. C'est un lieux où le chant du Muezzin invite à la prière à l'aube, à midi et au coucher du soleil et où des ombres silencieuses, enroulées dans leurs tchadors obligent à réfléchir sur un pays où cohabitent des femmes résignées et tristes avec d'autres, bien courageuses, à la tête couverte dans toute sorte de tissus et prêtes à défier leurs familles et la société en découvrant de plus en plus leurs têtes enroulées dans des rusari colorés. L'Iran est un lieu où les fidèles chiites prient le même Dieu que leurs frères ennemis sunnites, toujours prêts à réitérer les événements de Kerbala. Et c’est un endroit où, pendant le Noruz zoroastrien, l’âme sombre de l’Ashura cède la place à l’espoir d’une meilleure année. / To understand the Iran of today we must look at ancient Persia, land of nomads, merchants and travelers but also battlefield on which have been erected the foundations of a refined society so loved by scientists, artists, poets and especially by travelers. Over the centuries, many Italians have crossed or stayed there, and it is impossible to talk about Iran without taking into consideration its past of the Great Empire, its religious transformation from polytheism to Islam via the Mazdaism, and its socio-cultural upheaval occurred during the transition from the Pahlavi monarchy to the Islamic Republic of Iran established in 1979 following the revolution. Through the analysis and comparison of various travel reports, this socio-cultural study will try to highlight how the vision of Iran, that some Italian travelers had, has changed and in which way the trip to Iran, between the sacred and the profane, has influenced the personality of this travelers. According to the texts of the journalists, the tourists, the literary people and the adventurers examined, it is possible to affirm that all these people have all reached Iran with a lot of fears and a baggage of prejudices quite important. However, the trip surprised them so much that they quickly recognized their misjudgment. The magnificence of the place and the kindness of the people, led them to love every stone, every legend, and every person they met, they made them feel at home despite the many kilometers that separate the Islamic Republic of Iran from their own homeland. When traveling to Iran, the traveler becomes aware of being in a theocratic state which imposes strict rules, but whose people maintains the purity of soul, sometimes lost in the West. This is a state in which Revolutionary Guards routinely bully women by controlling their clothes, forcing them to live by Shari'a law, but it is in that same country that men are always kind and respectful. It is a place where the song of Muezzin invites to prayer at dawn, at noon and at sunset and where silent shadows, rolled up in their chadors, make you think about a country where resigned and sad women live together with others brave, with their heads covered in all sorts of fabrics and ready to challenge their families and society by discovering more and more their heads wrapped in colorful rusari. Iran is a place where Shiite worshipers pray to the same God as their Sunni enemy brethren, always ready to reiterate the events of Kerbala. And is a place where during the Zoroastrian Noruz, the dark soul of Ashura gives way to the hope of a better new year.

No description available.

The object of this thesis is, from a study of the contemporary Persian sources, to determine the broad outlines of the development of the early Safawid state, and in particular to describe the evolution of the principal offices of state. As the reforms of 'Abbais I (1587-1629) had a profound effect on the structure and organization of the Safawid state, the accession of 'Abbas I forms a convenient point at which to terminate this thesis, which therefore relates in the main to the reigns of Isma'il I (1501/2-1524) and Tahmasp I (1524-76). An attempt has been made to show how the fundamental dichotomy between Turk and Persian, the lack of any precise definition of the functions of the chief dignitaries, and the absence of any clear differentiation between the classes, affected the development of the Safawid state during this period. It should be noted that this thesis deals only with the most important offices of state, and does not purport to be in any way a complete description of the early Safawid administrative system. An attempt has also been made to determine the factors which enabled the Safawids to impose Shi'ism as the orthodox religion of the Safawid state. In writing the historical background to this thesis, I have endeavoured, on the one hand, to give the shortest account of events consonant with a proper understanding of the period, and, on the other hand, to give a rather fuller picture of events in Khurasan, 'Iraq-i 'Ajam and Fars, during the hundred years between the death of Timur and the accession of Isma'il, than is to be found elsewhere.

Das Werk widmet sich der Aufgabe, die Herausbildung des ersten Staates auf dem Territorium des heutigen Iran aufzuhellen. Es umfasst dabei einen Zeitraum etwa vom 8. Jahrtausend bis ins 1. Jahrtausend v. Chr., nämlich von den ursprünglichen, egalitären Gesellschaftsformen menschlichen Zusammenlebens bis zur Entstehung des Achämenidenreiches. Einen breiten Raum nimmt dabei die Darstellung des Übergangs von den ersten, auf Blutsverwandtschaft gegründeten primitiven Kommunen über Matriarchatsordnungen bis hin zu patriarchalisch organisierten Gemeinschaften ein. Einen weiteren Schwerpunkt bildet die Beschreibung der Herausbildung einzelner gesellschaftlicher und sozialer Klassen und Schichten, die letztlich zur Entstehung des achämenidischen Staates als dem ersten Staat auf iranischem Boden führten. Besonderes Augenmerk legt der Autor auf das Sichtbarmachen der ökonomischen und soziologischen Faktoren, die die jeweiligen Entwicklungen auslösten oder beförderten, und dies basierend auf einer detailreichen Analyse einer Vielzahl von Ergebnissen der archäologischen Forschung sowie entsprechender Literaturreferenzen, soweit sie bis zur Herausgabe des Werkes (1983) vorlagen.

No description available.

Manuskripte und Menschen unterwegs zueinander – diese Ausstellung ist das Ergebnis eines Experiments: Was passiert, wenn zwei junge Künstler*innen aus dem Iran auf persische Handschriften in der Universitätsbibliothek Leipzig treffen? 228 Handschriften in persischer Sprache bewahrt die UBL unter ihren rund 3.500 außereuropäischen Manuskripten. Sie sind Produkte einer Blütezeit der Kultur und Gelehrsamkeit in einem Raum, der sich vom heutigen Irak bis nach Indien erstreckte. Mahshid Mahboubifar und Pooya Sedighi Mournani, beide Studierende an der Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst (HGB), haben sich über mehrere Monate mit der Leipziger Sammlung auseinandergesetzt. Das Ergebnis ihres kreativen Prozesses präsentiert nun die UBL: fotografische Arbeiten und eine Videoarbeit – in einem Assoziationsraum zusammen mit den Manuskripten, von denen die beiden Künstler*innen berührt wurden, auf die sie reagiert haben. Die Ausstellung gibt damit auch einen Einblick in sechs Jahrhunderte persischer Manuskriptkultur. Einen ganz subjektiven Einblick. Wir schauen mit den Augen zweier Menschen aus dem Iran auf Kulturzeugnisse ihres Herkunftslands: auf die Materialität der Objekte, auf Buchseiten mit einem kunstvollen Gewebe aus Schrift, Layout und Bild, auf die Werke berühmter Dichter. Und immer wieder mit der kritischen Frage, warum diese Handschriften heute in Leipzig sind. Was waren ihre Wege? ‚Exit allowed‘ lautet übersetzt ein iranischer Ausfuhrgenehmigungsstempel, den eine Gruppe von Handschriften gemeinsam hat. Die Ausstellung fügt ein Fragezeichen an.

Dieser Leitfaden ist ein Ergebnis des Forschungs- und Entwicklungsvorhabens BiKliTour: „Tourismusregionen als Modellregionen zur Entwicklung von Anpassungsstrategien im Kontext Biologische Vielfalt, Tourismus und Klimawandel“. Ziel des Projekts war es, Handlungsempfehlungen zu erarbeiten, wie trotz diverser Gefährdungspotenziale durch den Klimawandel die touristische Nutzung und die biologische Vielfalt nachhaltig gesichert werden können. Die Ergebnisse des o. g. Vorhabens wurden für die Praxis aufbereitet und in Form dieses Leitfadens der Öffentlichkeit zur Verfügung gestellt.

This thesis deals primarily with the eastern Islamic world during the period 1000-40. It attempts to delineate the structure of the Ghaznavid empire, its personal and administrative aspect (Part I) and its military aspect (Part II). The material used in Part II has already appeared in substantially similar form as "Ghaznevid military organisation" in Der Islam, XXXVI, 1960, 37-77. Against this background, the province of Khurasan under Ghaznavid rule, and in particular, the city of Nishapur, are described (Part III). The irruption of the Seljuqs is treated in Part V. However, a survey of what is known of the Oghuz before these migrations is prefixed to this (Part IV). It summarises presently-held views, attempting to synthesise the work of Central Asian specialists, Turcologists, historians and archaeologists, who alone are competent to investigate at first hand this difficult subject. The scope of the thesis is therefore that of the decline of Ghaznavid power in the west, and it is this aspect which has been concentrated upon, for the early years of the Great Seljuq dynasty have already been extensively covered by such scholars as Cl. Cahen, I. Kafesoğlu and M.A. Köymen, and the administrative system of the Seljuqs has been examined by A.K.S. Lambton in her London University thesis on Seljuq institutions. This thesis has been prepared under the joint supervision of the Rev. Dr. W. Montgomery Watt and Mr. J.R. Walsh, to whom I am greatly indebted for help and encouragement; from the latter, in particular, I have enjoyed much stimulating conversation and judicious guidance through the literature of the period.

Information systems literature calls for websites providing a site architecture that is as close as possible to the mental model of the user. To assure that users will be satisfied, website designers need to be aware that users interpret elements offered on a website based on their physiological and psychological factors. Creating a compelling online experience for diverse groups of e-customers is a challenge and of utmost importance for a website's success. However, in the field of tourism literature that discriminates between requirements based on motivational or cognitive aspects of certain user-groups is scarce. Therefore, the hypothesis examined in this dissertation is that there are differences between a priori defined user-groups regarding their satisfaction with web 2.0 websites. Further, this research is aimed at not only taking the demand side into account but also the supply side by asking whether the supply side is aware of the increasing importance of web 2.0 contents and its potentials for information presentation and market research. To bring the project into a coherent framework three more aspects are tackled. First, due to the fact that there is no existing typology for travel-blogs this dissertation tries to fill this gap by means of a qualitative approach. Second, an alternative, more parsimonious measurement approach for website performance is proposed. Finally, a study on measuring emotional mental models, a topic which seems to be neglected in information systems literature as well as in the field of tourism, is included. In order to investigate all these issues nine empirical studies are conducted. The approaches used include online surveys, content analysis, and quasi-experimental design. For data analysis methods such as Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling, Covariance Based Structural Equation Modeling, and Artificial Neural Network Analysis are applied. The results indicate that there are differences between a priori defined user groups regarding their satisfaction with web 2.0 websites. For instance, the influence of motivational factors on the importance of website features differs between travelers who seek relaxation and those who seek adventure. Moreover, the main drivers for value and satisfaction for a goal-directed search are content quality followed by usefulness. These effects are attenuated for the experiential search. The study focusing on communication modes suggests that for verbalizers content is most essential while for visualizers the most important aspect is design. A further study, investigating the influence of hotel guest reviews on customer hotel preferences, reveals that in certain instances the subjects' willingness to pay is significantly higher than their reference price. Additionally, the findings indicate that people who read consumer reviews online do not belong to only one homogeneous group but perceive the importance of review categories differently. Pertaining to the supply side findings show that managers in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland assess user generated content as highly important and that managers have a rather positive attitude towards negative reviews. However, there is evidence that hotels and museums are not seizing opportunities the Internet provides in terms of information presentation. Concerning the formative measurement developed for website performance cross validation proved that the index works well. The last study sheds light on measuring emotional models and gives insights into changes of users' emotional mental models before and after their visitation of a virtual world. The final chapter "Discussion and conclusions" critically discusses the results of the nine studies from a theoretical point of view, debates the approaches used and methods applied, and gives managerial implications and suggestions for future research. (author's abstract)