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Tracing Records and Views of European Literature on Zoroastrians of Iran in the Late Modern Age

Project description

Reconstructing the Zoroastrian community’s history in Iran (1773-1854)

Research on the Middle and Modern Ages has been underexplored due to the scarcity of sources. During this time, Iranian Zoroastrians lost official contact with their Indian counterparts and faced persecution. Nevertheless, heightened European interest in the Middle East led many travellers to document their journeys through Iran, providing valuable insights into the Zoroastrian community. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the TRAVELS project will reconstruct the history of the Zoroastrian community in Iran from 1773 to 1854 by analysing 52 travel diaries. It will explore community traditions, geography, and European perceptions, while also examining Parsi records and Iranian literature. It will also draw on the experiences of contemporary Zoroastrians in Canada and Britain.

Objective

The TRAVELS project addresses a critical gap in Zoroastrian studies by reconstructing the history of the Zoroastrian community in Iran from 1773 to 1854. While research has typically focused on Antiquity or the Contemporary Age, the Middle and Modern Ages remain underexplored due to a lack of sources, and this period is particularly obscure as Iranian Zoroastrians ceased official contact with their Indian brethren and faced persecution. However, this era coincides with heightened European interest in the Middle East. Consequently, dozens of European travellers meticulously documented their journeys through Iran, providing crucial insights into the Zoroastrian community.
Through an innovative multidisciplinary approach - integrating history, religious studies, gender studies, anthropology, and both Iranian and European studies - TRAVELS seeks to bridge this gap by analysing 52 diaries to uncover crucial details about community’s geography, traditions, and interactions, as well as European perceptions of this minority. To balance the Eurocentric standpoint, TRAVELS will consider Parsi records and the scant Zoroastrian Iranian literature of the time. Indeed, despite the halt in official ties, Iranian Zoroastrians initiated a new wave of migration abroad due to oppression, a trend that continues today with Zoroastrians moving to Western countries. TRAVELS also aims to link the Modern Age with the contemporary world, by incorporating narratives of today’s Canadian and British Zoroastrian communities into the historical discourse through interviews and archival research.
The immediate outcome will be a reconstruction of the history of Zoroastrians in Iran, attentive to internal diversity, such as gender and social disparities, and placing this history within a global context. From a long-term perspective, by leveraging European sources and a multidisciplinary approach, TRAVELS aims to introduce innovative methodologies and research lines into Zoroastrian studies.

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HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-GF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships

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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01

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Coordinator

UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI ROMA LA SAPIENZA
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 341 683,08
Address
Piazzale Aldo Moro 5
00185 Roma
Italy

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Region
Centro (IT) Lazio Roma
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

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