Community Engagement
Our goal is to promote a community engaged with the world. Learn about community engagement projects at Roshan Institute for Persian Studies.
The Roshan Institute for Persian Studies organizes scholarly lectures and round tables, film screenings, performances, and other events in order to enhance public understanding of Persian art, literature and culture in all its social and geographical iterations.
These virtual and in-person events showcase new research by established and emerging scholars in and outside Iran as well as artwork from the Washington, D.C. area’s growing Iranian-American community. Through these events, we seek to foster new perspectives on Iranian life and culture and encourage discussion of current social and political events, cultural trends, and artistic practices.
Our periodic events include the Mir-Djalali Lecture Series, Ehsan Yarshater bi-annual Speaker Series and the Womens’ Day celebration. These established series ensure the presence of distinguished artist practitioners and academics within our community every year. Deepening the appreciation for classic and contemporary Persian culture, art, and literature across the globe is our goal.
To receive updates about our upcoming events, please join our listserv by emailing roshan@umd.edu.
Past Events
2020-21 Academic Year
- The Mir-Djalali Speaker Series featuring Dr. Touraj Daryaee of the University of California at Irvine: “Mazdak, the Darwishes and Revolution in Iranian Society.”
- The Mir-Djalali Speaker Series featuring Dr. Touraj Daryaee: “The Perfumed Garden of Iran: A Contribution to the History of Smell and Odor.”
- Roshan Institute’s Fall Welcome in partnership with the North American Iranian Friendship Association in Tehran, featuring the Tehran Chamber Orchestra and the IN Series Opera in Washington, D.C. This event can be viewed on YouTube.
- In Memoriam: Maestro Shajarian
- Documentary streaming of Taq Kasra: Wonder of Architecture, followed by a conversation with director Pejman Akbarzadeh.
- Documentary streaming of Dingomaro: Iran’s Black South, followed by a Q&A session with director Kamran Heidari.
- The Roshan Lecture Series featuring Dr. Azita Hamedani: “اندیشه اصلاح و تغییر خط فارسی-عربی”
- International Women’s Day 2021 featuring artist Gita Hashemi in conversation on The Woman I Want, a film about Zandokht Shirazi, an Iranian pioneer in journalism and the women’s rights movement.
- The Yarshater Speaker Series featuring Dr. Shibley Telhami of the University of Maryland and an interorganizational panel of experts: “Iran and the Nuclear Deal: Options and Consequences for Iran’s Upcoming Elections.”
- The Yarshater Speaker Series featuring Dr. Behrooz Ghamari-Tabrizi of Princeton University: “Mystical Modernity: Reading Walter Benjamin through Ali Shariati.”