Theses and Dissertations from UMD
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New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a give thesis/dissertation in DRUM
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Item The Development of Theater in Post-Revolutionary Iran from 1979 to 1997(2022) Ahmadian , Nahid; Keshavarz-Karamustafa, Fatemeh; English Language and Literature; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This research studies the development of Iranian dramatic literature and theater in post-revolutionary Iran. In a historical survey from the 1979 revolution to the beginning of the Reform Era, it explores the connection of the dramatic literature and their productions to their cultural contexts and studies the ways these contexts impact the function and formation of Iranian theater. In a chronological survey, this research examines the ways Iranian theater developed new theatrical forms to meet and reflect on the political, social, and cultural demands of an important phase in Iranian history. This research benefits from the methods of postpositivist theater historiography to advance a revisionist historical narrative based on the dynamic dialectics between Iranian theater and its cultural setting. This is summative, analytical, and archival research. Based on archival research grounded in nearly 2000 documents, and 200 plays it also provides resources on Iranian theater history and historiography. By bringing together the list of scholarship, theatrical productions, and historical documents of the 1980s and 1990s, it provides a resource on Iranian post-revolutionary history in one of the most transformative periods in Iranian contemporary history.Item VIOLA FROM IRAN: CONTINUING AND EXPANDING THE TRAJECTORY OF A RICH CULTURAL HISTORY(2019) Hesabi Amnieh, Kimia; Murdock, Katherine; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The Middle Eastern country of Iran has been home to thousands of years of art, poetry, and music. The history of classical music of Iran can be traced back to 3000 BCE. This rich history has inspired the composition of a vast variety of music in different genres and styles. While there has been some scholarly research on the topic of Iranian classical music, the contemporary music of Iran largely remains an unknown territory to Western audiences. In the current social and political climate in the United States, there is an urgent need to open a new window into Iran through the arts. Most news in the U.S. regarding Iran appears to create a negative image, portraying it as a country that lacks culture, stability, and the desire for peace. Additionally, there is a gap in knowledge about Iran specifically when discussing the arts. This gap exists not only in an academic setting through scholarly work, but also with regard to performing and displaying works by Iranian artists. This dissertation introduces works composed for viola by Iranian contemporary composers and aims to display a wide range of styles and approaches in contemporary Iranian music. These works include commissions, U.S. premieres and world premieres; some were performed on a recital and some were included in a recording project. Each chapter of this document highlights one composer and their represented work in this project. The recital and the recording project can be found in the Digital Repository at the University of Maryland (DRUM).Item TWO STRIKES AND YOU’RE OUT: THE CONVERGENCE OF COLD WAR POLITICS, LABOR, AND ETHNIC TENSIONS IN THE JULY 1946 STRIKES AT KIRKUK AND ABADAN(2019) Hobson, Tiffany Claire; Wien, Peter; History/Library & Information Systems; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This thesis explores the convergence of Cold War politics, labor issues, and ethnic conflict on the local scale during the labor strikes which occurred in July 1946 at the oil refineries in Kirkuk, Iraq and Abadan, Iran. The roles of the local communist parties in leading the strikes are weighed against the workers' economic concerns to determine that the workers’ motivations for striking extended beyond political support for any particular party, and claims that the violence which ended the strikes was the result of inherent ethnic conflicts are debunked through examination of both regions’ ethnic histories.Item GOZAR( Iranian Cultural Park)(2016) Naser, Zara; Simon, Madlen; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The severed relationship between Iran and the United States is encapsulated within the abandoned architecture of the former Iranian Embassy. In essence, architecture has become the physical manifestation of a problem. This thesis will investigate how architecture can embody cultural healing by revitalizing the abandoned site of the former Iranian embassy. Indeed, architecture has the presence and authority necessary to begin to mend severed ties between two major global entities. Ultimately, the project proposes a Gozar—an arrangement of architectural interventions within a cultural park which reveals the true culture: the food, music, costume, language—of Iran, as a way of combating the stereotypes about Iran that have prevailed throughout the United States. The proposed cultural park seeks to bring hope and vibrant interaction within this underutilized space. Temporary, yet timeless, interventions located within the premises of the abandoned Iranian Embassy will create a place that engages visitors with the customs and history of Iran.Item Turkish Security Policymaking on Nuclear Issues: Conceptualizing Advanced Cooperative Security Strategies(2016) Goren, Nilsu; Gallagher, Nancy W.; Public Policy; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Turkey is a non-nuclear member of a nuclear alliance in a region where nuclear proliferation is of particular concern. As the only North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member that has a border with the Middle East, Turkish officials argue that Turkey cannot solely rely on NATO guarantees in addressing the regional security challenges. However, Turkey has not been able to formulate a security policy that reconciles its quest for independence, its NATO membership, the bilateral relationship with the United States, and regional engagement in the Middle East. This dissertation assesses the strategic implications of Turkey’s perceptions of the U.S./NATO nuclear and conventional deterrence on nuclear issues. It explores three case studies by the process tracing of Turkish policymakers’ nuclear-related decisions on U.S. tactical nuclear weapons deployed in Europe, national air and missile defense, and Iran’s nuclear program. The study finds that the principles of Turkish security policymaking do not incorporate a fundamentally different reasoning on nuclear issues than conventional deterrence. Nuclear weapons and their delivery systems do not have a defining role in Turkish security and defense strategy. The decisions are mainly guided by non-nuclear considerations such as Alliance politics, modernization of the domestic defense industry, and regional influence. The dissertation argues that Turkey could formulate more effective and less risky security policies on nuclear issues by emphasizing the cooperative security approaches within the NATO Alliance over confrontational measures. The findings of this dissertation reveal that a major transformation of Turkish security policymaking is required to end the crisis of confidence with NATO, redefinition of the strategic partnership with the US, and a more cautious approach toward the Middle East. The dissertation argues that Turkey should promote proactive measures to reduce, contain, and counter risks before they develop into real threats, as well as contribute to developing consensual confidence-building measures to reduce uncertainty.Item DE-MONOPOLIZING THEATRE: FORMATION OF A SPACE OF AN INDIVIDUAL EXPRESSION IN IRAN(2015) Mesgari-Houshyar, Maryam; Harding, James M.; Theatre; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Since the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979/1357, the organization of theatre, and theatre festivals, in particular, have been subject to the control of the Islamic government. In 2008/1387, however, the Leev theatre group founded the MonoLeev Festival, Iran’s first independent theatre festival authorized by the Dramatic Art Center, the theatre branch of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. The MonoLeev Festival emerged as a result of the cultural transformations started during the Reformists era. In this study, I analyze achievements of the MonoLeev Festival in de-monopolization of the DAC’s dominance over the theatre in Iran. I investigate the scope of this de-monopolization in three main domains: the phenomenon of festival, the theatrical space, and the discourses concerning the notion of personal and political identity. Additionally, I explore how this festival connects the disintegrated spheres of public and private, in Iran.Item Zoned Desires: Prostitution, Family Politics, and Sexual Ideology in 20th Century Iran(2014) Hosseini, Fatemeh; Zilfi, Madeline; History; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This dissertation explores the regulation and representation of prostitution in Iran during the twentieth century, and concerns itself with dominant sexual ideologies during this period. While Tehran's red-light district, Shahr-i Nau, is largely absent from modern Iranian historiography, I argue for the significance of this contested urban space to the understanding of Iranian history and society. Using citizen petition letters, police records, and government memos, I highlight the gradual shift in Pahlavi policy from policies focused on the informal removal or relocation of prostitutes to one focused on systematic regulation, epidemiological surveillance, and the geographic concentration of prostitution. The dissertation also frames the social attitudes towards and the multiple meanings assigned to prostitution and examines efforts to control the meaning and image of prostitution. Using women's magazines and scientific studies, I demonstrate how female reformers considered prostitution a result of outdated modes of family practices. The discourse surrounding the links between family and prostitution, then, contributed to an elite form of women's rights activism in Iran that perpetuated paternalistic frameworks within society. The entertainment industry also concerned itself with prostitution, and a growing number of Iranian movies began representing prostitution. Visibility and space were integral to the understanding of sexuality. For women engaged in the commercial sex industry the consequences of regulation were mixed and often contradictory. Female prostitutes lived in a perpetual state of vulnerability that stemmed from inequalities in the law and social double-standards. Despite this, they strove for their own interests in the context of unequal relations of power. In Iran under the Islamic Republic, the Pahlavi policies adopted to control and maintain sexuality and prostitution have manifested along comparable lines, highlighting cultural continuities that remain intact in the face of substantial political change. I argue that despite the momentous political and social changes that have affected Iran in the twentieth century, a study of prostitution and temporary marriage suggests that sexual attitudes remained similar. In post-Revolutionary Iran, temporary marriage was advertised as the solution to society's sexual concerns. In both cases, deviant sexuality was accepted so long as it was separate and invisible.Item To Whisper in the King's Ear: Economists in Pahlavi and Islamic Iran(2013) Sadr, Ehsanee Ian; Haufler, Virginia A.; Government and Politics; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Who whispers in the King's ear, for how long, and to what effect? The primary hypothesis guiding this study is that economists gain influence when the international resources they can deliver are valued and desired by the country's political leadership; and economists lose influence when those resources are not valued or desired. Alternate hypotheses that consider the role of increasing complexity in international economic relations, epistemic communities, emulation, and economists' political activity are also considered. These hypotheses are evaluated through a study of the experiences of economists in Iran under both the Pahlavi monarchy and the Islamic regime. Results indicate support for the primary hypothesis that economists are desired for their ability to signal competence and gain the trust of the international financial and donor communities. Surprisingly, especially in the Islamic Republic, epistemic communities of economists are also found to have been very successful in using moments of political or economic crisis to influence the worldview and economic policy preferences of political leaders.Item Conscripting the State: Military and Society in Iran, 1921-1941(2011) Bingaman, Lyndon; Zilfi, Madeline C; History; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Reza Shah Pahlavi came to power in an Iranian state on the verge of disintegration and dominated by foreign powers. In order to reverse this decline and protect national sovereignty, Reza sought to build a centralized state and strong national military modeled after those of Europe. The military came to dominate affairs within the country by consuming a large percentage of the national budget and by the favoritism given to its officers. The government also attempted to impose martial order on society by implementing conscription, requiring military instruction for students, and imposing national dress codes for citizens. Reza's elevation of the military, heavy-handed style of governance, and the systemic corruption of his regime made it unpopular with much of Iran's population. This thesis argues that Reza's reforms did much to alter the appearance of Iran and its military but failed to make critical institutional changes.Item Reading Lolita in Tehran: An Opera Based on the Book by Azar Nafisi(2011) Greene, Elisabeth Mehl; Wilson, Mark; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Reading Lolita in Tehran brings Azar Nafisi's bestselling memoir to the stage as a chamber opera, with a cast of eight singers, accompanied by flute, saxophone, piano, and cello. The libretto, co-written with Iranian-American poet Mitra Motlagh, retells Nafisi's experiences teaching Western literature after the Iranian Revolution, first in the classroom, and then in secret to a group of young women students. By reflecting the challenges of her reading group through the prism of Lolita, Gatsby, James, and Austen, Nafisi both paints a picture of the grim realities of Revolutionary Iran and shows how literature provides universal insights into the human condition. Through their experiences of love and loss, belonging and exile, Nafisi and her students find solace in literature; and through imagination the women create spaces denied to them by circumstances. The opera score draws inspiration from a variety of sources, including both the popular and folk music traditions of Iran, as well as music of the literature of Reading Lolita in Tehran, from Jane Austen to The Great Gatsby. Like the blending of past and present literary work in the novel, the music melds sounds from diverse geography and history into the contemporary opera form. The opera focuses on the six students in particular as representatives of the countless kaleidoscope stories of Iranian women seeking freedom. Their songs remind us that the simple liberties of reading and thought, education and identity, are precious and worth fighting for. Though the events take place in Tehran, the truths transcend all boundaries of language and culture.