Theater State and the Formation of Early Modern Public Sphere in Iran ─ Studies on Safavid Muharram Rituals, 1590-1641 CE

The author identifies two aims in his introduction: "...to offer a multifaceted conception of Muharram rituality by demonstrating how various performative practices intricately interrelate with both devotional and carnivalesque patterns to render a public space a site of ambiguous interaction...[and second] to fuse the language of ritual action with the discourse of public sphere and demonstrate how in the case of an early modern Shi'I Muslim public we can identify the possible crystallization of a non-Western form of public sphere with distinct Iranian cultural traits." Rahimi (Iranian and Islamic studies, U. of California, San Diego) has researched this work over the course of 10 years; it is a development and refinement of his doctoral thesis. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Babak Rahimi, Ph.D. (2004) in cultural and historical sociology, European University Institute, is assistant Professor of Iranian and Islamic Studies at the University of California, San Diego. He has published cultural and historical studies on early modern and contemporary Iran.