The Qajar era was an era of transition in Iranian history. Situated on the cusp between modernity and tradition, Qajar Iran embodied all the stresses this historic position entailed. Among the transitions occurring in this period was the introduction of Western medicinal practices, first at the courts of Fath Ali Shah and the regional court of Abbas Mirza in Tabriz and then continuing at the court of the subsequent shahs and more slowly into the general population. This transition was not always smooth and seamless. Traditional medicine played an important role in society and at the court; the relationship between traditional practices and the religious establishments as guardians of tradition was very strong and often presented a fierce obstacle to the introduction of Western medical practices. This conference will explore both Western and traditional medicine and physicians in Qajar-era Iran in order to highlight both the differences between the two systems and the struggles they faced both at court and in society at large. In addition, we hope to draw attention to the merging of these practices and the results of this symbiosis as it manifested itself in Qajar Iran, ushering the country into the twentieth century.
The conference is sponsored by IQSA and the Institute of Iranian Studies of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, and will be held following the International Society for Iranian Studies conference in Vienna, Austria (August 2-5, 2016).
Location: Institut für Iranistik, Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Apostelgasse 23, 1030 Wien (Vienna/Austria).
Paper proposals will be accepted with the understanding that completed papers will be expected of participants and acceptance of paper and presentation at the conference implies this obligation on the part of the author/presenter.
Please send your paper proposals by January 15th, 2016 to Dr. Nahid Mozaffari: nnm2@nyu.edu The Program Committee will send adjudication responses by February 15th, 2016. Submission Deadline for Completed Papers: April 15th, 2016.
Selected papers will be published in the Journal of the International Qajar Studies Association.