The Library of Congress and Roshan Institute for Persian Studies at the University of Maryland Present: Inaugural Lecture on the Occasion of the opening of the Library of Congress Exhibition
“A Thousand Years of the Persian Book” Thursday, March 27, 2014 10:30AM - 3:00PM North East Pavilion Thomas Jefferson Building The Library of Congress 10 First Street, S.E. Washington, D.C.
roshan institute for
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Dr. John Renard, Professor, St. Louis University
rofessor Renard received his Ph.D. from Harvard University, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, in 1978. He is a highly distinguished scholar and educator with 18 books and dozens of journal articles and book chapters to his credit. His publications have shed light on the complexity of Near Eastern, specifically Persian, civilization, emphasizing its intellectual significance as well as experiential and artistic dimensions. Ranging from the symbolic image of the prophets in Rumi’s Masnavi, to the tales of “God’s Friends” in literary and visual narratives, Professor Renard’s work offers readers a delightful and rewarding intellectual journey into a rich and dynamic region of history and culture.
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Dr. Amy Landau, Associate Curator of Manuscripts and Islamic Art,The Walters Art Museum
my Landau is Associate Curator of Manuscripts and Islamic Art. Landau received her Ph.D. from the Department of Islamic Art and Archaeology, University of Oxford, in 2007, with a thesis entitled “Farangi-sazi at Isfahan: the Court Painter Muhammad Zaman, the Armenians of New Julfa and Shah Sulayman (1666-1694).” She has held fellowships at the Warburg Institute (University of London), the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, and was awarded grants from the British Institute for Persian Studies, the American Institute of Iranian Studies, and the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) for research in Iran and Armenia. She was previously a visiting scholar at UCLA and Curator of Islamic Art at Shangri La (Doris Duke Foundation). Landau’s work explores shifts in the visual culture of early modern Iran, with particular emphasis on interaction between Safavid Persia and Europe and the Armenian merchant community of New Julfa.
Illustrating the Persian Book: The Happy Marriage of Literary and Visual Narrative Program Schedule: 10:30 - 10:32 a.m.
10:32 - 10:38 a.m.
Mary-Jane Deeb, Chief of the African Middle Eastern Division, Library of Congress Introduces the Associate Librarian, Roberta Shaffer, Library of Congress Welcoming Remarks Roberta Shaffer, Associate Librarian, Library of Congress
10:38 - 10:45 a.m. Fatemeh Keshavarz, Director, Roshan Institute for Persian Studies, University of Maryland Introduces the Persian Book Lecture Series and the Keynote Speaker, John Renard Lecture: Illustrating the Persian Book : The Happy Marriage of Literary and Visual Narrative 10:45 a.m. - Noon Noon - 1:30 p.m.
Professor John Renard, Saint Louis University Luncheon and Curatorial Visits of the Exhibit by Hirad Dinavari, Persian Area Studies Specialist, Library of Congress
Panel Discussion, Moderated by Christopher Murphy, Head of the Near East Section, Library of Congress Panelists: Dr. John Renard, Professor, Saint Louis University Fatemeh Keshavarz, Director, Roshan Institute for Persian Studies, University of Maryland Amy Landau, Associate Curator of Islamic Art and Manuscripts 1:30 - 3:00 p.m.
About Roshan Institute for Persian Studies at the University of Maryland Roshan Institute for Persian Studies at the University of Maryland aspires to be the premier center for the learning, understanding, and appreciation of Persian culture in the United States. The institute is generously supported by—and named in recognition of—Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute, led by its founding Chair and President, Dr. Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali. Academic programs, research, and scholarships in Persian studies at the university have significantly expanded as a result of Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute’s generosity. Named endowments include the following: • Roshan Institute Chair in Persian Studies • Roshan Institute Fellowship for Excellence in Persian Studies • Roshan Institute Scholarship for Excellence in Persian Studies • Roshan Institute Endowment for Persian Programs
Roshan Institute for Persian Studies would like to thank Dr. Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali, Chair and President of Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute, for her generous support in bringing to the Library of Congress today’s presentation as well as in making possible the six-month long academic series related to the exhibition.