The AIAP Lecture Series presents "From the Battlefield to the Harem", by Dr. Rudi Matthee.
Modern scholars typically portray Safavid Iran as having evolved from a wild and free steppe
dispensation of Turko-Mongol provenance toward a more restricted sedentary, urban-based
polity falling under the sway of hard-line clerics in the late 17th century. The role of females is
said to have evolved accordingly, from relative personal freedom, participation in civil life and
decision making, to social marginalization and the seclusion of the harem. This standard
image of Safavid women, much of which is based on the observations of Western travelers,
needs to be revised, or at least a more complex picture should be presented of the changes
they underwent in the course of the 16th and 17th centuries.
hollister

Dr. Rudolph (Rudi) Matthee, Professor of History at the
University of Delaware, teaches Middle Eastern history with a
research focus on early modern Iran and the Persian Gulf. He
received his Ph.D. in 1991 from the University of California,
Los Angeles.

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LOCATION:

Sufi Mediterranean Cuisine
5911 Balboa Ave.
San Diego, CA 92111

If you plan to join us for dinner, please RSVP here:

http://www.aiap.org/rsvp/rsvp.shtml

Dinner Prices:

RSVP Prof. & Family Members: $13
RSVP Non-members: $18
Non-RSVP (Based on Availability)

*Deadline to RSVP is 5 PM Tuesday, May 24