Over the few years that led to the creation of the constitutional law of the Islamic republic of Iran, I (the author) noticed a series of ambiguous and often contradictory points in its contents. Discovering the roots and the causes of such contradictions became my priority. After the Iranian Revolution (1979) intellectuals were confronted with very new experiences. For example, Shi'ah has always been a minority in the history of Islam. Therefore, Shi 'ah Fuqaha never experienced direct rule over people. Direct pressures from this new experience brought about the desire and the need for a shift in certain interpretations of the Shi'ah tradition. It became evident that religious laws did not have in them the power and the wisdom to provide answers to the issues and dilemmas of the modern times, hence the need for a fresh approach. One such issue was the discussion of legitimacy of power. 18 years on, the heated debate is still ongoing. Traditional Shi'ah theorists believed that all rulers are illegitimate except the one that represents the 12th Imam who has been absent for the last 1000 years. According to Shi'ah, this representation can only be made by elite clergy who have the ability to understand, fully, the history of Islam and Shi'ah. They also claim that Shari 'ah laws must be implemented in their entirety and according to the teachings of Qur'an and the 12 Infallible Imam. They further argue that the people as a whole have no role in determining the legitimacy of the ruler, as He has been appointed to implement divine laws and people must obey. With time, though, such attitudes were modified. Especially after the Islamic revolution in Iran (1979), new interpretations began to surface. Discussion of three fundamental elements relating to the shift of the Islamic viewpoints during the last 100 years and in particular after the Iranian revolution (1979) forms the main body of this thesis. These are: " Divine law " Divine Ruler " Role of the People The hypothesis of the thesis is that fundamental philosophical positions on all of the above three issues have been the subject of change and modification, to some extent and according to "time" and "place". This change does not reflect the abandoning of the Islamic faith by Muslims, but rather indicates the ability of this dynamic religion to modify itself with time'. These changes have also been associated with varying degrees of ambiguity and contradiction, which will be the subject of detailed discussions in this work. Viewpoints of other outstanding scholars who tried to address these issues will also be presented. Two theories have been expressed in relation to the shift in the Shi'ah political thinking; " Islam's ability to adapt with "time" and "place" and new issues " "Change", in itself, defies the very existence of religion Both theories have been the subject of extensive debates. Traditional Muslims and Non-Muslims criticise Islam for supporting the latter view, whereas revivalists sympathise with the former. It must be mentioned also that reference throughout 1 Iqbal. Enayat. Lambton II this work is only made to those scholars who have used Islamic sources for their reasoning, i. e., not to many others who have engaged in these discussions as independent figures. Also discussed- will be the traditional Islam represented by the majority of the Assembly of the Islamic Experts (Majles-i Khobregan) which in effect was the main creator of the Iranian Constitution.

The present study provides a description of the standardization process of Persian orthography since the introduction of the Arabic alphabet, with a focus on this process in modern times (1850-2000). Using theories related to orthography standardization as its background, this work seeks an explanation for the prolonged standardization process of Persian orthography, and presents the frameworks within which this standardization has been carried out. The most recent state of Persian orthography is presented through an investigation of the current attitudes towards the problems of Persian orthography and possible frameworks for a potential reform, as well as through an investigation of the current tendencies in the manner of presenting different orthographic parameters within Persian contemporary texts. How and by whom the orthography of today’s Persian texts is governed is another aspect to be examined here. The most important conclusion to be drawn from the present study is that there is a strong tendency towards approving reform proposals that can be integrated with the present orthography, and maintain the present appearance of Persian orthography as much as possible. One of the main reasons behind this tendency is the concern of an interruption in cultural continuity in the event of an alphabet reform or any other drastic change in the present appearance of the orthography. This concern takes into account the political, social, cultural, structural, and economic conditions in Iran, as well as the complexity of language planning projects.

Master of Science / Department of Apparel, Textiles, and Interior Design / Kim Hiller Connell / Acculturation can be a difficult process for many immigrants, and because there is a large number of Iranian immigrants living in the United States (over one million), the focus of this study is to understand how women cope with moving from a country with conservative standards to a more liberal country and the role dress plays in their acculturation process. Specifically, the purpose of this study is to: 1) explore Iranian dress standards and the effect these standards have on Iranian-American women’s lives; 2) gain understanding of the role of dress in women’s transition from Iranians to Iranian-Americans; 3) apply Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs motivational model to the women's acculturation process; and 4) compare two distinct generations of women—women born before the 1979 Islamic Revolution and women born after the Revolution. This study utilized a qualitative approach and collected data through semi-structured interviews with 11 women. The women did not express any traumatic psychological effects caused by the conservative dress standards in Iran. The main impact of the dress standards was the physical discomfort caused by wearing the hijab in hot weather. Dress played a significant role in the women's transitions process. More freedom in dress in the United States has allowed the women to express themselves much more than when they lived in Iran, leading to higher self-esteem and confidence levels. The women expressed a desire to sustain their Iranian heritage, and both generations shared similar perceptions of American dress standards prior to immigrating to the United States. Differences included higher consumption levels by the younger generation and their higher knowledge about the fashion industry and trends. The findings can be useful for Iranian women as they transition to an Iranian-American lifestyle. Additionally, it can also be beneficial to women from other countries who share similar experiences. Furthermore, the results may assist in aiding different organizations which help Iranian women integrate into the U.S. culture. Finally, retailers with target markets similar to the women of this study can use the findings to better understand the habits, needs, motives, and overall consumer behaviors of their clientele.

A presente dissertação atém-se, ao fazer uso do método de abordagem comparativista, à experiência da cumplicidade entre os irmãos protagonistas do conto de fadas João e Maria (versão de Jacob e Wilhelm Grimm) e do filme iraniano Filhos do paraíso (direção de Majid Majidí [1998]). Apesar de estarem situados em diferentes contextos histórico-político-culturais, os casais de irmãos apresentados no conto e no longa-metragem superam a situação de extrema pobreza material em que vivem, bem como as adversidades a eles impostas pelos adultos. Para a realização da pesquisa, realizou-se um estudo acerca da poética e do alcance de trabalho dos irmãos Grimm e de Majid Majidí. As narrativas literária e cinematográfica ganham ora análises isoladas ora conjugadas, a fim de se observar, nesta correlação, as especificidades e as similaridades no tocante aos vínculos construídos pelos protagonistas das duas obras. Inúmeras são as adaptações literárias, em língua portuguesa, para \"João e Maria\", as quais atestam a relevância do clássico na perene formação do imaginário da criança, ao mesmo tempo em que abarcam o tema conflituoso da separação e do abandono no seio familiar; as produções de Majidí e demais cineastas iranianos que retrataram o lugar cultural das crianças no Oriente Médio manifestam, em meio à severa censura do regime político, a restrição econômica em consórcio com a inocência e os prematuros compromissos na fase da infância. Dentre os pressupostos teóricos e aportes críticos evocados no curso da dissertação, estão os de Vladimir Propp, Nelly Novaes Coelho e Maria Tatar, na área de literatura, e os de Jacques Aumont, Alessandra Meleiro e Marcel Martin na área do cinema. / The present dissertation aims at comparing the experience of complicity between the protagonists siblings of the fairy tale John and Mary (Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm version) and the Iranian film Children of Heaven(directed by Majid Majidí [1998]). In spite of being situated in different historical-political-cultural contexts, both sibling couples , in the story and in the film, are able to overcome the situation of extreme material poverty in which they live, as well as the adversities imposed on them by adults. In order to carry out this research, a study was conducted on the poetic resourges and the scope of work of the brothers Grimm and Majid Majidí. The literary and cinematographic narratives gain either isolated analyses or a conjugated one, in order to observe, in this correlation, the specific details and the similarities regarding the bonds created by the protagonists of the two pieces of work. There are countless literary adaptations in Portuguese language for \"John and Mary,\" which show the relevance of the classic in the perennial formation of the imagination in children, at the same time it tackles the conflicting issue of separation and abandonment of the family; the productions of Majidí and other Iranian filmmakers who portrayed the cultural place of children in the Middle East manifest, the economic restriction together with the innocence and the premature commitments in chidhood at the time of severe censorhip of the political regime. Among the theoretical assumptions and critical contributions evoked in the course of the dissertation are those of Vladimir Propp, Nelly Novaes Coelho and Maria Tatar, in the area of literature, and those of Jacques Aumont, Alessandra Meleiro and Marcel Martin in the film area.

Bahram Beyzaie, né en 1938 en Iran, est considéré comme un très grand cinéaste et auteur dramatique de sa génération. Si certains de ses films sont bien connus, son théâtre est moins célèbre à l’étranger parce qu’il a été peu traduit et peu joué. Pour lui le théâtre est le lieu par excellence où renouer avec les formes traditionnelles de spectacle non pas pour les reconstituer mais pour parler au public d’aujourd’hui et lutter contre l’amnésie. Il nourrit donc ses pièces de théâtre, ses films, ses contes et ses narrations de l’héritage culturel oublié de son pays. Cette thèse propose d’examiner l’influence, dans son oeuvre dramatique, des spectacles traditionnels d’Iran tels que le Ta’zieh, le Naghâli ou l’Art du conteur, les marionnettes, la farce du Siyâh Bâzi, ainsi que la trace des mythes et de l’histoire de l’Iran. Dans tout ce qu’il écrit, une importance extrême est accordée à la langue perse utilisée avec virtuosité. De nombreux extraits d’ouvrages de recherche et de pièces sont proposés ici en traduction française. Une importante iconographie accompagne cette étude et rend compte des spectacles que Bahram Beyzaie a mis en scène. Il continue son travail artistique en Californie car il est actuellement un auteur en exil. / Born in 1938 in Iran, Bahram Beyzaie is considered as a great filmmaker and playwright of his generation. While some of his films are well known, his theater is less famous abroad because it has been little translated or performed. For him theater is the place where to keep in touch with tradition, not to just preserve it, but to reach today’s public and fight against amnesia. He thus feeds his plays, his films, his tales and his narrations of the forgotten dramatic legacy of his country. This thesis proposes to examine the influence, in his dramatic work, of traditional Iranian performances such as Ta'zieh, Naghali or the Art of Storytelling, Puppet Theater and Siyâh Bâzi or Farce, as well as the traces of the myths and history of Iran. In everything he writes, a prominent place is dedicated to the Persian language used with utmost virtuosity. Many excerpts of texts on the theater and plays are here translated for the first time into French. A very rich iconography, mainly of his own staging of his plays, illustrates the study. Beyzaie continues his artistic work in California where he is presently an author in exile.

This thesis examines the twenty-first-century intercultural performance of Shakespeare in Kerala, India. The thesis highlights Shakespeare’s function in invigorating local performing arts traditions that navigate tensions between paradigms of former feudalism, post-Independence democracy and capitalist globalisation. Throughout, individual artistic perspectives in interview illustrate local productions of \(Macbeth\) for indigenous Keralan performing art forms, ranging from the two-thousand-year old kutiyattam to contemporary postmodern Malayalam-language drama. My introduction contextualises these hybrid productions in their global, national, and local historiography, exploring intersections of the sacred, supernatural, and secular; postmodernism and rasa theory; intercultural Shakespeares and Keralan performing arts; and Shakespearean works with Indian literary and theatrical traditions from the colonial to the postmillennial era. Chapter One highlights cultural translation, focusing on kutiyattam artist Margi Madhu’s 2011 \(Macbeth\); Chapter Two discusses cultural collaboration, studying kathakali artist Ettumanoor P. Kannan’s \(Macbeth\) \(Cholliyattam\), 2013; Chapter Three considers cultural fusion, profiling Abhinaya Theatre’s experimental local-language production of \(Macbeth\), 2011. In closing, the thesis underscores the importance of giving a voice to Keralan theatre artists on Shakespeare, recognising the hitherto critically unexamined potential for the meeting point of two great dramatic cultural traditions as a forum, underpinned by residual colonial and Communist legacies, for intercultural discourse.

<p>This dissertation is an attempt to understand and map the development of Persian writings on music, focusing on their various approaches and variations of topics from the beginning of the 11th century to the end of the 15th century which can be called the classical period of Persian writing on music. </p><p>The rise of Persian musical literature as a part of Persian learned literature was a result of the political and cultural decentralization of the Abbasid Caliphate. Like most other genres of learned literature in Persian, translation and abridgements of and commentaries (<i>šarhs</i>) on Arabic works played a crucial role in the rise and es-tablishment of Persian musical literature.</p><p>The most important conclusions to be drawn from the present study are that we can distinguish between two main approaches in Persian writings on music, viz the religious and non-religious approaches, and that there is a pattern in the development of Persian writings on music which provides us with a periodization of the develop-ment of this literary genre. According to the macro periodization of Persian writings on music which is presented in this study, we can identify five different stages in the development of the genre; 1) the initial period: <i>ca</i> 1000-1110; the first intermezzo: <i>ca</i> 1110 up to 1175; 3) the period of establishment: <i>ca</i> 1175-1299; 4) the first Golden Age of the genre: <i>ca</i> 1300-1435; 5) the second intermezzo: <i>ca</i> 1435-1500.</p>

This dissertation is an attempt to understand and map the development of Persian writings on music, focusing on their various approaches and variations of topics from the beginning of the 11th century to the end of the 15th century which can be called the classical period of Persian writing on music. The rise of Persian musical literature as a part of Persian learned literature was a result of the political and cultural decentralization of the Abbasid Caliphate. Like most other genres of learned literature in Persian, translation and abridgements of and commentaries (šarhs) on Arabic works played a crucial role in the rise and es-tablishment of Persian musical literature. The most important conclusions to be drawn from the present study are that we can distinguish between two main approaches in Persian writings on music, viz the religious and non-religious approaches, and that there is a pattern in the development of Persian writings on music which provides us with a periodization of the develop-ment of this literary genre. According to the macro periodization of Persian writings on music which is presented in this study, we can identify five different stages in the development of the genre; 1) the initial period: ca 1000-1110; the first intermezzo: ca 1110 up to 1175; 3) the period of establishment: ca 1175-1299; 4) the first Golden Age of the genre: ca 1300-1435; 5) the second intermezzo: ca 1435-1500.

This thesis analyzes five selected memoirs by Iranian women written after the Iranian Revolution of 1979 within the framework of the pre and post Revolution Period. These memoirs are thought as constituting a shift within the Iranian Literature by women. The memoir writing tradition in Iran which was absent before the revolution and boomed afterwards is the first topic of discussion with its catalysing factors. These memoirs are handled within the larger framework of Iranian literary tradition. The study mainly analyses the common characteristics and issues in these five memoirs, and the changes in the women&rsquo / s lives after the revolution as depicted within the memoirs.

This thesis analyzes the construction of children of Iranian asylum-seekers&rsquo / national and religious identity who are dwelling in Kayseri provisionally. Identity construction of the children was based on a &lsquo / flexible&rsquo / and &lsquo / malleable&rsquo / ground in the research. The research was conducted through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with a selected group of participants. The participants belong to two different religious cohorts, Shi&rsquo / is and Baha&rsquo / is. Within the scope of the research question, national and religious of the children were investigated profoundly by taking into consideration of related identity theories. In addition, childhood experiences of the children were examined in order to find out if there is any interplay between childhood experiences and national and religious identities. It was determined that ambit of a contested process of identities, national identity enunciated its vigour by far for all the participants. It was also ascertained that while for the Shi&rsquo / i children, religious identity has reduced its strength / religious identity is still potent for the Baha&rsquo / i children in the host society. Moreover, the children&rsquo / s interrupted childhood results from their religious professions and their family&rsquo / s political views reconstructed in Kayseri. The participants&rsquo / interrupted childhood in Iran achieved a relative maintenance in Kayseri without any fragmentation due to relative free environment comparing to Iran.