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“An excellent, useful introduction to Iranian culture and customs for people who have never been to Iran.” – Michael Axworthy, author of A History of Iran: Empire of the Mind
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In the wake of the current media focus on Iran’s nuclear technology development and its place in Middle East politics, the West continues its quest to understand this paradoxical nation—its politics, yes, but also its people, their culture, and even the everyday customs and rituals. Among the Iranians presents an inside look at the hidden “rules” that exist among Iranians, from polite behavior and the underlying cultural notion or face to gender roles to the image that every Iranian wants to project to the world. Western readers may be familiar with a stereotyped view of Iran’s unchanging “high culture” in its great mosques and squares and to some extent its classical literature in the poems of Hafez and Khayyam. However, this book aims to convey the nitty-gritty of everyday life in Iran: how to queue for bread, how to get a job done in a government office, dress codes and degrees of piety, marriage as a connection between families, the elaborate system of Persian politeness.
Written with a mix of personal observation and intercultural theory, the goal of Among the Iranians is to open people’s eyes about the fascinating everyday reality of Iran—in short, the book seeks to explain everything you ever wanted to discover about Iran’s culture and customs, but didn’t even know to ask.
Praise for Among the Iranians
“Sofia Koutlaki has opened a window onto ordinary Iranians and their everyday lives. She takes us inside the home, but also out into public spaces, and shows us, with love, an Iran rarely seen by outsiders.” – Ziba Mir-Hosseini, author of Islam and Gender: The Religious Debate in Contemporary Iran, and co-director of the award-winning film Divorce Iranian Style
“A sympathetic and evocative portrait of the Iranian people, their habits, customs and histories….Essential reading.” – Dr. Stephanie Cronin, Oriental Institute, University of Oxford
About the Author
Greek-born Sofia A. Koutlaki is married to an Iranian and recently spent three years living and lecturing in Iran before moving back to the UK; she has since returned to Tehran with her family, maintaining dual residences in Iran and the UK.
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