"The Iranian Passion Drama (Ta'ziyeh) and Iranian Political Culture"

Speaker:

Dr. William O. Beeman (Brown University, Professor of Anthropology, and Theatre, Speech and Dance)

Date&Time:

16:00-18:00, July 28 (Fri), 2006

Venue:

Commons Building, CSEAS 3th floor seminar room

The central historical event in the history of the Shi'a Muslim world is the martyrdom of Imam Hossein, grandson of the Prophet Mohammad. This is embodied in the passion drama, ta'ziyeh, which is performed on a regular basis in Iran. The figures of ta'ziyeh are mythologized and serve as archetypes for many aspects of Iranian culture. This lecture will explore the use of the symbolism of ta'ziyeh and the Hossein martyrdom in Iran's contemporary political rhetoric to mobilize its citizenry against Western powers.