This dissertation is based on the study that has been conducted in the form of an ethnographic field research in Nardaran, an ancient Azeri village of Absheron peninsula, Baku, Azerbaijan. As a result of many historical and political reasons it can be argued that the two nation states, Azerbaijan and Iran, have not been overly friendly throughout the history. However, interestingly enough, Nardarani villagers, unlike the broader Azeri society, are tightly linked to Iran. Therefore, the primary goal of this dissertation is to investigate the prominent reasons, which rendered these villagers Iranian proponents. By adopting the concept of ‘hegemony’ as primary theoretical approach, the dissertation primarily investigates the hegemonic efforts of Iran upon Nardaran to account for the current situation and the future of the village. After looking at the broader Azerbaijan and the rural communities of the region and providing a selective historical sketch, it is the aim of the study to provide the reader with the opportunity to make comparisons and to locate Nardaran within the broader picture. In what follows, it presents the Iranian hegemonic consequences upon the village and seeks to identify the implications of the concept of change over Nardaran. Finally, the study investigates the underlying reasons and the processes that led to the aferomentioned situation under the title of ‘hegemony and peaceful mechanisms of change’. Since the study is the only anthropological one that specifically handles Nardaran, the researcher tried to conduct the research in the form of an anthropological community study. Accordingly, the dissertation attempts to take an overall picture of the village. This manner, namely adopting a holistic approach, was not only useful but also necessary in terms of answering the research questions. In other words, looking at the history, geography, economy, material culture, environmental design and so forth, seem to be essential in terms of understanding the case of Nardaran.

A Research Report submitted towards a MAAD by Course Work and Research Report / This is an auto ethnographic project in which I explore how my personal and cultural narratives can be used for healing and transformation through a theatre making process. I look at performance as an object of making meaning while placing myself at the centre of the study as the subject of this research. During this process, I was looking at discovering a personal theatre making language with an aim of finding my voice. The outcome of my journey was an experimental creative project titled Eenganga which was performed in an alternative and nontraditional form in terms of space, text and the overall theatre making process. This study is an account of a journey that initially began as a performance ethnography project which collected cultural narratives of black urban traditional healers from Katutura, Windhoek, Namibia. There was an internal and an external data collection process. My body as a site of knowledge was the main research instrument.