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The Karbala paradigm in Iranian Shi'ite memory : questions on tradition, narrative, ritual, and performance

Boland, Soba M.G.

Abstract Details

2003, Master of Arts, Ohio State University, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures.

The Battle of Karbala has been constructed, in primary and secondary historical sources, as the watershed event in the narratives of Shi'ite Islam. This project has sought to inquire about and raise questions regarding the role of this battle and its narrative in the Shi'ite collective memory of Iran, which has today the largest Shi'ite population of any Islamic country.

In this project, I have attempted mainly to ask questions about two paradigms in relation to the Karbala Legend: first, the question of continuities in folklore and mythology, and second, the question of the role, if any, of the Karbala Legend in historical and collective memory.

The definition of myth and mythic time has been central to this project. I have construed the term myth to apply to a narrative which occurs in mythic time - a time outside of or parallel to ordinary time and everyday life. This project has also addressed questions related to verbal art, performance, and performativity.

The concept of performance might be one useful approach to the study of verbal art, with the implied assumption that all verbal art is delivered as performance, despite the fact that scholars often encounter verbal art forms as texts. This project has also dealt with the historical development of the Karbala narrative. Questions of oral tradition and primary historical writings are addressed.

Throughout its history, ta 'ziya, mourning for the martyrs of Karbala, has held different connotations of performance, which are addressed here. Other performance forms, such as rowza, are also discussed. I began this project with questions about the place and role of performance in society, and more specifically, about the socio-politically subversive roles that performance might play. I chose the Karbala Legend because it seemed to be an obvious choice of a narrative which could be approached as a social text.

Margaret A. Mills (Advisor)
Parvaneh Pourshariati (Committee Member)
86 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Boland, S. M.G. (2003). The Karbala paradigm in Iranian Shi'ite memory : questions on tradition, narrative, ritual, and performance [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1232645377

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Boland, Soba. The Karbala paradigm in Iranian Shi'ite memory : questions on tradition, narrative, ritual, and performance. 2003. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1232645377.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Boland, Soba. "The Karbala paradigm in Iranian Shi'ite memory : questions on tradition, narrative, ritual, and performance." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2003. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1232645377

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)