On Thursday 5 September Professor Claudia Yaghoobi will be a keynote lecturer at our conference ‘Limits, Boundaries, and Transgression in Literatures and Languages of the Persianate World’.

In her lecture entitled ‘From Tehran to Los Angeles: Armenian Women’s Journey Through Love, Family, and Cultural Expectations’, Professor Yaghoobi will delve into the complex experiences of dating and inter-religious/racial relationships from the viewpoint of Iranian Armenian women in Iran and the United States. Employing oral history and auto-ethnography, she will recount and analyze her journey alongside the stories of other Armenian women navigating identity, culture, and love in both Iran and the U.S. This exploration will uncover the cultural nuances and challenges faced by Iranian Armenian women, as well as the ways they contest traditional norms and or conform to these limitations.

Professor Yaghoobi will demonstrate how socioeconomic status, cultural influences, and gender roles converge to shape romantic decisions and interactions. By addressing familial and communal expectations, the conflict between personal desires and family obligations, and the fortitude required to navigate these intricacies, this lecture highlights common themes and obstacles encountered by women in ethnic and religious minority communities. It examines the balance between tradition and modernity and its influence on the dating experiences of Armenian minorities in Iran and Iranian Armenian immigrants in Los Angeles.

To see the programme of the conference click here.

You are all welcome to join!

Location

Utrecht University, Academy Building (Belle van Zuylen Hall), Domplein 29, Utrecht

Date

Thursday 5 September 2024, from 4.15 – 5.15 pm

Registration

Please register below to attend this conference. The lectures will not be livestreamed and can only be attended on location at Utrecht University. Registration is compulsory as seats are limited. Entrance is free!

Image: painting by Iranian Armenian artist Sato A.