Overview

Exploring the social, political, cultural, artistic, and religious significance of Muharram rituals for millions of global observers. Over the centuries, observances of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, have traveled far from their origins at Karbala—a windswept desert plain that is now a town in present-day Iraq—where, according to tradition, Hussein, the beloved grandson of Prophet Muhammad, was brutally put to death together with seventy-two of his male companions on the tenth day of the month. For this reason, Muharram is synonymous with both the first month and the tenth day. Hussein's passion and death are considered the ultimate example of sacrifice for Shia Muslims and scores of rituals devoted to Muharram have developed during the last thirteen centuries, especially in Iran where Twelver Shi'ism became the state religion in the sixteenth century. As the essays describe in Eternal Performance, many of these rituals were exported to other lands over time. They crossed boundaries and cultures from Iran and Iraq to Lebanon, the Indian subcontinent, North America, and the Caribbean. Yet all Muharram rituals, no matter where or how they are performed, have their origins in Karbala. The transformation and transmission of these observances to their present-day forms around the world are the result of the intersection of multiple races, religions, and artistic traditions. Eternal Performance explores the social, political, cultural, artistic, and religious significance of Muharram rituals for millions of global observers.

Full Product Details

Author:   Peter J. Chelkowski
Publisher:   Seagull Books London Ltd
Imprint:   Seagull Books London Ltd
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.80cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.626kg
ISBN:  

9781803094458

ISBN 10:   1803094451
Pages:   432
Publication Date:   08 October 2024
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Out of stock  
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Table of Contents

Editor's Acknowledgements Editor's Introduction Editor's Note on Transliteration Time Out of Memory: Ta'ziyeh, the Total Drama     by Peter J. Chelkowski The Ta'ziyeh of the Martyrdom of Hussein     translated and with an introduction by Rebecca Ansary Pettys The Origins of the Sunnite-Shiite Divide and the Emergence of the Ta'ziyeh Tradition     by Kamran Scot Aghaie Muharram Ceremonies observed in Tehran by Ilya Nicolaevich Berezin (1843)      by Jean and Jacqueline Calmard Acting Styles and Actor Training in Ta'ziyeh     by William O. Beeman and Mohammad B. Ghaffari Identification and Analysis of the Scenic Space in Traditional Iranian Theater     by Mohammad Reza Khaki; translated by Iraj Anvar Peripheral Ta'ziyeh: The Transformation of Ta'ziyeh from Muharram Mourning Ritual to Secular and Comical Theatre     by Iraj Anvar A View from the Inside: The Anatomy of the Persian Ta'ziyeh Plays     by Sadegh Homayouni Garden of the Brave in War: Recollections of Iran     by Terence O'Donnell Karbala Drag Kings and Queens     by Negar Mottahedeh Compelling Reasons to Sing: The Music of Ta'ziyeh     by Stephen Blum Ta'ziyeh as Theatre of Protest     by Hamid Dabashi Shi'ite Narratives of Karbala and Christian Rites of Penance: Michel Foucault and the Culture of the Iranian Revolution, 1978–79     by Janet Afary Moses and the Wandering Dervish: Ta'ziyeh at Trinity College     by Milla Cozart Riggio Mohammad B. Ghaffari, Ta'ziyeh Director: an interview with Peter J. Chelkowski Presenting Ta'ziyeh at Lincoln Center     by Nigel Redden Ta'ziyeh in France: The Ritual of Renewal at the Festival d'Automne     by Alain Crombecque Ta'ziyeh in Parma     by Anna Vanzan Remembering Ta'ziyeh in Iraq     by Elizabeth Fernea Ritual, Blood, and Shiite Identity: Ashura in Nabatiyya, Lebanon     by Augustus Richard Norton Shiite Theater in South Lebanon: Some Notes on The Karbala Drama and the Sabaya     by Sabrina Mervin Flagellation and Fundamentalism: (Trans)forming Meaning, Identity, and Gender though Pakistani Women's Rituals of Mourning     By Mary Elaine Hegland The Heart of Lament: Pakistani-American Muslim Women's Azadari Rituals     by Bridget Blomfield From the Sun-Scorched Desert of Iran to the Beaches of Trinidad: Ta'ziyeh's Journey from Asia to the Caribbean     by Peter J. Chelkowski List of Contributors

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Author Information

Peter J. Chelkowski is professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic studies at New York University. He is the author of Mirror of the Invisible World and Ta’ziyeh: Ritual and Drama in Iran, among other works.  He has been the recipient of awards and fellowships from the American Association of University Presses; the Smithsonian Institute; the Hoover Institute on War, Revolution, and Peace Fellowship; and the Social Science Research Council.

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