The Zurkhneh and Its Milieu (Paperback)

Philippe Rochard

ISBN 10: 0674298829 / ISBN 13: 9780674298828

Published by Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass, 2025

About this Item

Paperback. The athletes known in Iran as pahlavāns and the domed structure, the zurkhāneh, where they congregate to practice ritualized martial arts, physical culture, and spirituality, are usually presented as the cornerstone of traditional Iranian masculine identity. However, this idealization does not do justice to the complex history of Iranian society. Philippe Rochard, who has observed the zurkhāneh world for the past thirty years and actually lived in it for over four years, sets out to reveal through his own experience and a reconsideration of the extant historiography the various identities-real or imagined-of the zurkhāneh, its role within ancient and contemporary Iranian society, and the intimate mechanisms of the male societies that frequent it, as well as the moral and social values-real or simply proclaimed-that the athletes embody. This immersive study gives us an opportunity to observe at close quarters the workings of a sporting passion and way of life, and to discover how the forms and norms of the staging of the self and of the group have evolved in Iran. The athletes, pahlavans, and the zurkhaneh, where they practice martial arts and spirituality, are often presented as the cornerstone of traditional Iranian masculine identity. Philippe Rochards immersive study allows us to observe a sporting passion and way of life and to discover how the staging of the self and of the group have evolved in Iran. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9780674298828

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Zurkhneh and Its Milieu (Paperback)
• Publisher: Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass
• Publication Date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0674298829
• ISBN 13: 9780674298828
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

The athletes known in Iran as pahlavāns and the domed structure, the zurkhāneh, where they congregate to practice ritualized martial arts, physical culture, and spirituality, are usually presented as the cornerstone of traditional Iranian masculine identity. However, this idealization does not do justice to the complex history of Iranian society.

Philippe Rochard, who has observed the zurkhāneh world for the past thirty years and actually lived in it for over four years, sets out to reveal through his own experience and a reconsideration of the extant historiography the various identities―real or imagined―of the zurkhāneh, its role within ancient and contemporary Iranian society, and the intimate mechanisms of the male societies that frequent it, as well as the moral and social values―real or simply proclaimed―that the athletes embody.

This immersive study gives us an opportunity to observe at close quarters the workings of a sporting passion and way of life, and to discover how the forms and norms of the staging of the self and of the group have evolved in Iran.

About the Author

Philippe Rochard is an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Strasbourg and former director of the Institut Français de Recherche en Iran (IFRI) in Tehran.