DĀNESH: The OU Undergraduate Journal of Iranian Studies
Welcome to the online repository of DĀNESH: The OU Undergraduate Journal of Iranian Studies. We are grateful to Commons@SHAREOK for hosting the journal’s digital platform.
DĀNESH is a peer-reviewed undergraduate journal, edited by a rotating team of OU students. It is published under the auspices of the University of Oklahoma’s Farzaneh Family Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies and the OU College of International Studies. Since its founding in 2016, DĀNESH has been dedicated to highlighting the research of a growing undergraduate program in Iranian Studies at the University of Oklahoma.
The name of the journal, DĀNESH, comes from the Persian word meaning knowledge, learning, and wisdom. We believe this is a fitting name for a journal that seeks to foster deep and compassionate understanding of one of the world’s most culturally rich and historically complex civilizations
Please feel free to browse through the past issues of the journal by clicking on the individual links below.
For questions about the journal, or to join our editorial team, please contact the journal’s faculty advisor, listed below:
Afshin MarashiDirector, Farzaneh Family Chair in Iranian Studies
amarashi@ou.edu
Farzaneh Family Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies:
http://www.ou.edu/content/cis/sponsored_programs/farzaneh-family-center.html
Recent Submissions
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Danesh : the OU undergraduate journal of Iranian studies. Volume 4, 2019 Undergraduate
(2019-10)From the Editors-in-Chief -
The Alternating Allegiances of the Ulama: Clerical Participation in the Iranian Constitutional Revolution of 1905-11 Undergraduate
(2019-09)In the summer of 1906, a group of theology students and other constitutionalists gathered in Tehran for what was expected to be a peaceful protest in favor of government reforms, a continuation of the nascent Constitutional ... -
Clericalism, Constitutionalism, and Cautiousness: Iran's 1905 Revolution Through the Eyes of Sheikh Fazollah Nuri Undergraduate
(2019-08)The summer of 1909 was a summer of retribution. The first target was Mohammad Ali Shah, the Qajar king who had forcefully opposed constitutionalism and was responsible for the bombardment of the Majlis the year prior. After ... -
Tur and Iraj: Azeri Turks and ‘Persian’ Iran Undergraduate
(2019-07)Despite the prominence of the Middle East and Islamic world in Western news media, it is a region that suffers from severe misunderstanding. Out of the countries in those regions, Iran is perhaps the most poorly understood ... -
Queer Theology: Theological, Theocratic, and Secular Influences on Iran's Relationship with Transgender Bodies Undergraduate
(2019-06)On November 13, 2005, the Iranian daily newspaper Kayhan published a story about the public execution of two young men named Mokhtar and Ali. The charge that brought them to the gallows of Shahid Bahonar Square, alleges ... -
Lingering Effects: U.S. Media and the Case for Nationalism in the Iran Hostage Crisis Undergraduate
(2019-05)In his article on legitimacy and the Iran hostage crisis, R. K. Ramazani makes the claim that the hostility at play in foreign relations between Iran and the U.S. comes as a result of the Iran hostage crisis and the events ... -
Fatwas and Feminism: How Iran's Religious Leadership Obstructs Feminist Reforms Undergraduate
(2019-04)In 2009, a pro-government Basiji militia member shot Neda Agha Soltan in the chest. Neda was a philosophy student who participated in protests against a possibly corrupt election, and her death was the spark that started ... -
Reworking Westoxification: Jalal Al-e Ahmad’s Original Conception of Westoxification and its Post-Revolutionary Reinvention Undergraduate
(2019-03)On October 19th, 2016, the Islamic Republic of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, posted an image on Instagram that depicts Uncle Sam standing in front of what appears to be a club-like entrance blocked off by red ... -
Post-Revolutionary Iranian Cinema: Unveiling the Reality of Iranian Women under the Islamic Republic Undergraduate
(2019-02)In post-revolutionary Iran, cinema became a medium for social critique of the prevailing issues in modern Iranian society. The problems of women under the Islamic Republic became a major focal point in these post-revolutionary ... -
Beneath the Surface: How Censorship in Iranian Music Cultivates Identity Undergraduate
(2019-01)When listening to music, Iranian’s do not tap their feet or dance; they do not smile or wave or give any indication that they are enjoying the music they are listening to because they are not allowed to. Ayatollah Khomeini, ... -
DĀNESH : the OU undergraduate journal of Iranian studies. Volume 3, 2018 Undergraduate
(2018)We are so proud to present to you the third volume of the University of Oklahoma's Undergraduate Journal in Iranian Studies, DĀNESH. Through two editions of the journal we have seen wonderful presentations on varying ... -
Exercising Agency: Contesting Cultural Imperialism in the Depiction of Muslim Women Undergraduate
(2018)In ancient times, the Silk Road brought foreign treasures and precious goods from a distant East to the people of Western Europe, instilling a fascination with the rich and mysterious ‘Orient.’ As colonialism heightened ... -
The Question of Women's Agency in Iranian Cinema Undergraduate
(2018)Trying to pinpoint individual acts of agency within cinema can be difficult. This is especially true within Iranian cinema because agency takes different forms than viewers would assume. The term agency itself is ambiguous. ... -
Iran's Others through Cinema: Ethnicity and the Politics of Representation in Contemporary Iran Undergraduate
(2018)With all the politically issues and social animosity surrounding Iran today, the Islamic Republic has become a focus for international attention and critique, especially if one might watch Fox News on any given evening — ... -
The Value of Virtue: Depictions of Class and Morals in Iranian Cinema Undergraduate
(2018)The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran is no stranger to cinema's ability to encourage values and moral standards in a society. Since its inception, the Islamic Republic has recognized the power of cinema and, in ... -
The Politics of Fashion in the Islamic Republic of Iran Undergraduate
(2018)In the Islamic Republic of Iran, the world's only existing theocracy, the relationship between the state and society cannot exist mutually exclusive of one another, considering that the regime's legitimacy is contingent ... -
The Evolution of Gender Equality in Modern Iran Undergraduate
(2018)Earlier this fall in Iran, there was a bit of uproar as the Iranian football team faced Syria in Iran. While women were initially able to purchase tickets, they were barred from entering the game and left outside to watch ... -
Ritual Impurity and the Decline of the Safavid Dynasty Undergraduate
(2018)The sixteenth and seventeenth centuries saw the rise of the Safavid dynasty and the establishment of Iran as a stronghold of Shi'a Islam. The body of research on these two centuries of Persian history provides us with a ... -
Ideology and Reality: Afghans in Iran Undergraduate
(2018)The Islamic Republic of Iran is a revolutionary state which derives its legitimacy on the basis of revolutionary pan-Islamism. Despite this, as the memory of the revolution recedes into the past, Iranian nationalism and ... -
Zoroastrians: Becoming a Minority in Their Homeland Undergraduate
(2018)It is arguable that no other religion has had more direct and indirect influence on humankind than that of the ancient Zoroastrian faith. This religion, which was the firstborn of the revealed world-religions, existed long ...