Remembering the Past in Iranian Societies

The study of culture in non-Western civilisations, moving away from the traditional approaches of ‘Orientalism’, is turning towards more sophisticated and objective ways to gain an understanding of these cultures. As part of this process, the concept of ‘memory’ and the various ways this affects communal discourse - and therefore societies as a whole - has become a key object of study. Remembering the Past in Iranian Societies contains articles by leading students of memory in Iranian societies today, and represents a range of different approaches to the study of memory in these societies, both ancient and modern. The definition of ‘Iranian societies’ has been kept ‘deliberately fuzzy’, and the work includes discussions of relevant topics in surrounding cultures. The emphasis is on modern Iranian, Kurdish, Afghan and Tajik culture, with further discussions of pre-Islamic constructions of history, Armenian lullabies, and the way Kurds were described for posterity by the Ottoman Turks. Together these articles are a representative collection of contemporary approaches to the study of Memory in Iranian societies.