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Zoroastrianism in India and Iran by Alexandra Buhler
A book launch hosted by SSPIZS
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Thursday 21 November 2024 @ 6.30 pm
BG01- Brunei Gallery building within SOAS campusRegistration is mandatory for in-person attendance and over Zoom. Please click the button above to register.
About the launch
SSPIZS is pleased to announce its first book launch of the year, with author Alexandra Buhler speaking on her volume. The book examines the cultural, religious, and political ties between the Zoroastrian communities of Iran and the Zoroastrian communities of India during the late Qajar and early Pahlavi periods. A major theme is the increase in philanthropy directed to the Zoroastrians of Iran by the Parsis and the involvement of the British in encouraging Parsi feelings of patriotism towards Iran. Not only were Parsis affected by events taking place in Iran, they also contributed to the broader change in attitudes towards Zoroastrians in that country.Using a variety of original sources from Britain, India and Iran, this book examines the political, legal, and social position of Zoroastrians in Iran and how different events impacted their attitudes as well as the attitudes of Parsis towards their ancestral homeland. Of particular significance were the seminal years of the Iranian Constitutional Revolution (1906-11) and the rise in the glorification of the pre-Islamic past, culminating in the state nationalism expounded by Reza Shah.Speaker Biography
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After completing a BA in Theology at Oxford University, Alexandra Buhler studied at SOAS, where she also taught courses about Zoroastrianism and Iranian history. Her PhD focused on the involvement of Zoroastrians in the Iranian Constitutional Revolution, and the impact the revolution had on members of the community. Alexandra now works in Libraries and Collections at King’s College London. She is also an artist and is part of the team at the non-for-profit collective, ‘It’s Not Your Birthday But…’.
Image Caption
Plate 2 Afghan-Persian Parsis. “Dina – The Amir is coming and there will be a reception at Government House. Another opportunity of shining. Goolcher – Or of cooling heels at the door-stop. There will be such a crush. Dina – But we’ll claim priority as Afghan Parsis! The Zoroastrian Association will vouch for us!”
© British Library Board (Asia, Pacific & Africa SV 576, Hindi Punch, 27 January 1907, 23).
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| All events this Autumn
This is a reminder that the Pallonji Shapoorji Mistry Memorial Lecture (with the key address given by Professor Daniel J. Sheffield) will take place in KLT of SOAS main building, at 5.30 pm on the 28th of October. “Picturing Paradise: An Introduction to Art of the Zoroastrian Book” can also be watched on Zoom, you can follow the link here to register. For those wishing to sign up for the Zoroastrianism library tour at 3 pm, please email sspizs@soas.ac.uk at your earliest convenience.
Pejman Akbarzadeh will kindly join the Institute again for the UK premiere of his film “Derbent: What Persia Left Behind” at SOAS on the 26th of November at 7 pm. More details to follow. |
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