Book talk: 'Ashura as Submission and Rebellion: An Ethnography on Shia Rituals in Contemporary Iran'
Key information
- Date
- Time
-
7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
- Venue
- Main Building, SOAS
- Room
- Djam Lecture Theatre (DLT)
- Event type
- Seminar
About this event
Ashura as Submission and Rebellion examines Shiʿa rituals in contemporary Iran through ethnographic studies of urban religious gatherings, pilgrimage, and self-flagellation.
The book explores how state regulation, religious authority, and everyday practice intersect, while showing how rituals can exceed the political and religious frameworks intended to govern them.
Registration
This event is free to attend, but registration is required. Seating is allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
Image credit: Mostafa Meraji on Unsplash
About the speaker
Dr Tani Kenichi is the author of the book Ashura as Submission and Rebellion published in 2026 by Brill. He is a Japan Society for Promotion of Science Research Fellow at the National Museum of Ethnology, Japan. He received his PhD in social anthropology from Hitotsubashi University and works on Shiʿan Islam and religious practices in Iran and the wider Azerbaijani-speaking world.
Chair
Ali Alavi (Co-Director, SOAS Centre for Iranian Studies).
