Literature in Persian Language Pedagogy: Using ‘Notes’ as a Teaching Resource

The Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali Institute of Iranian Studies in collaboration with the Department of Middle Eastern Studies and the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, University of Chicago  jointly present "Exploring  Persian Language Pedagogy through Sadriddin Ayni’s Literary Lens: Using ‘Notes’ as a Teaching Resource" on Saturday, May 10, 2025, 1 pm (Eastern Time: Canada and US).

Abstract:
This lecture challenges the hegemonic Tehran-centric approach to Persian language pedagogy by proposing a comparative framework centered on Sadriddin Ayni’s “The Notes” (Yāddāshthā). By privileging a Tajiki text as the pedagogical cornerstone, this study deliberately shifts away from the conventional prioritization of Iranian Persian dialects in language instruction. Through close analysis of Ayni’s early 20th-century memoir, written in Tajiki Persian, the research demonstrates how non-Iranian Persian variants can effectively anchor comprehensive language instruction across Persian, Dari, and Tajiki. This methodological intervention not only democratizes Persian language pedagogy but also illuminates the rich linguistic diversity of the Persian-speaking world beyond Iran’s borders. The study examines how Ayni’s documentation of the Bukharan Emirate’s final years provides authentic linguistic material that captures both the classical Persian literary tradition and regional linguistic innovations. By analyzing Ayni’s usage of vocabulary, grammatical structures, and idiomatic expressions against other Persian variants, this research establishes a more inclusive model of Persian language instruction that acknowledges Central Asia’s significant role in the Persian linguistic sphere. The findings suggest that decentering Iranian Persian in favor of a comparative approach based on Tajiki texts enhances learners’ understanding of Persian’s true geographical and cultural breadth while developing critical awareness of power dynamics in language pedagogy.

Bio:
Mehrak Kamali is an Associate Professor of Teaching at the Department of Near Eastern and South Asian Languages and Cultures at the Ohio State University. He has taught Persian language and has served as this department’s Persian Language Program Director since 2014. His area of research is modern Persian literature and the modern history of Iran on which he has published several articles. He translated Kamran Talattof’s book, The Politics of Writing in Iran: A History of Modern Persian Literature, into Persian, published by Namak Publishers in 2016. In addition, he published a book entitled “Sociological Essays about Today’s Persian Fiction” in Persian in 2020.

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