May 2019 – Berkeley Lectures Series

Iran and the Christian Missionary Experience in the Safavid Period: Between Tolerance and Refutation, Rudi Matthee, May 23, 2019

Professor Matthee teaches Middle Eastern history, with a research focus on early modern Iran and the Persian Gulf. He received his Ph.D. in 1991 from the University of California, Los Angeles. He wrote The Politics of Trade in Safavid Iran: Silk for Silver, 1600-1730 (1999), and The Pursuit of Pleasure: Drugs and Stimulants in Iranian History, 1500-1900, (2005); co-edited, with Beth Baron, Iran and Beyond: Essays in Honor of Nikki R. Keddie (2000); and co-edited, with Nikki Keddie, Iran, and the Surrounding World, 1501-2001: Interactions in Culture and Cultural Politics (2002).

Shahrokh Meskoob’s views on Nationality and Language, May 16, 2019

Reza Mahmoudi, born in Mashhad, received his Bachelor’s degree in History from Ferdowsi University, Master’s degree in History from University of Houston, and PhD in Political Science from University of Texas, Austin. He was an active member of the Confederation of Iranian Students in the US. He taught at University in Iran, was a political activist, and left for the United States in 1983.