AMES Colloquium: "Iran and Afghanistan: A Connected Literary History"

Contrary to the presumption that literary nationalism in the Global South emerged through contact with Europe alone, Reading Across Borders demonstrates how the cultural forms of Iran and Afghanistan as nation-states arose from their shared Persian heritage and cross-cultural exchange in the 20th century. Voluntary and state-funded associations of readers helped formulate and propagate "literature" as a recognizable notion, adapting and changing Persian concepts to fit this modern idea. The book exposes how nationalism intensified—rather than severed—cultural contact among two Persian-speaking societies. This interconnected history was ultimately forgotten, shaping many of the cultural disputes between Iran and Afghanistan today.

Aria Fani is an assistant professor of Persian and Iranian studies at the University of Washington, Seattle. He currently serves as the deputy editor of Iranian Studies and co-investigator of the Translation Studies Hub at the University of Washington.

This event is in-person.

Supported by The American Institute of Afghanistan Studies.

The AMES Colloquium is a forum for academic research on Asia and/or the Middle East. The Colloquium is free and open to everyone. Sincere thanks for the sponsorship from the Pat Hui Fellowship.