Occasional musings on Shi‘ism, Sufism, Persian literature, Indo-Persian culture, and other topics related to the study of Iran, India, and the Islamic world. Slow takes in a fast world.
Finding #girldads where you may not expect them
It may surprise those who think of the religion as inherently oppressive toward women, but Islam has a fairly robust tradition of #girldads, beginning with the Prophet Muhammad himself in seventh-century Mecca and Medina.
Preorders available of Gender and Succession in Medieval and Early Modern Islam
I am very pleased to announce that my new book, Gender and Succession in Medieval and Early Modern Islam: Bilateral Descent and the Legacy of Fatima, is available for pre-order through I.B. Tauris/Bloomsbury (2020).
Who Killed Siyavash? A Doomed Prince, a Modern Lesson
Lessons from the story of Siyavash, the doomed prince in the Shahnameh, the Persian epic by the great tenth-century author Abul-Qasem Ferdowsi.
Stop and Smell the Poetry: Revisiting “The Wind Will Carry Us”
Revisiting a film by Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami on its twentieth anniversary. “The Wind Will Carry Us” weaves together several unlikely characters and explores their identities through a poetic lens.
Communing with a 700+-year-old Companion: Amir Khusraw and Me
Reflecting on the emotive, witty and compassionate writings of Amir Khusraw through 15+ years of academic study.