Aroosi
150 Years of Iranian Wedding Traditions
AROOSI
150 Years of Iranian Wedding Traditions
with Dr. Pedram Khosronejad
Adjunct Professor at Western Sydney University and Curator of Persian Arts at Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum
Within its great ethnical diversity, religious plurality, and cultural differences, the Iranian society considers the wedding ritual and its related ceremonies and customs as one of the most important pillars of Persian culture. Iranian families within Iran and in the Diaspora celebrate the weddings of their loved ones with great joy and happiness.
The preparation of a traditional wedding may begin a year in advance with great joy. During this period, parents and family members of the bride and groom work closely together on all parts of the planning and preparation, such as the dowry list and bridal gifts, the wedding spread, and the wedding dress.
This talk will provides a highlight of cultural insight through fascinating visual art and material culture of the Iranian wedding since the reign of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar (r. 1848-1896).
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About Dr. Pedram Khosronejad
Professor Pedram Khosronejad obtained his Ph.D. at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) in Paris and currently is an Adjunct Professor at Religion and Society Research Cluster at the Western Sydney University, a Fellow at the Department of Anthropology, Harvard University and Curator of Persian Art and Material Culture at the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney.
Prior to this position, he worked as the Associate Director of Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies at the Oklahoma State University in the United States (2015-2019) and The Goli Rais Larizadeh Chair of the Iran Heritage Foundation for the Anthropology of Iran in the Department of Social Anthropology at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland (2007-2015).
His research interests include cultural and social anthropology, visual anthropology, and ethnographic film, covering topics such as visual piety, devotional artifacts, and religious material culture, with a particular interest in Iran, Persianate societies, and the Islamic world.
Prof. Khosronejad is well-known internationally for his innovative visual anthropology research project on Photography of African Slavery in the Qajar era Iran (1850-1925).
Since August 2019, Prof. Khosronejad has been working on a ground-breaking interdisciplinary research project regarding the German Civilian Expatriates of Persia (Iran), Australians who had been detained with their parents in Iran in 1941 after the country's invasion by the British and Soviet Armies during the Second World War.
He is the founder-editor of the Anthropology of the Contemporary Middle East and Central Eurasia (ACME).
