The Houshang Pourshariati Iranian Studies Book Award was established in 2005 to recognize outstanding publishing in Iranian studies. The award was named for Houshang Pourshariati to recognize his long and distinguished career as a journalist and writer. The first Houshang Pourshariati Iranian Studies Book Award was presented at the MESA 2007 Annual Meeting in Montréal November 17-20.

The 2010 Competition

The Middle East Studies Association invites nominations for the 2010 Houshang Pourshariati Iranian Studies Book Award. Nominations can be made by either the publisher or the author. Although there is no limit on the number of titles that authors or publishers may submit, we ask that they exercise discretion in the selection of books nominated. Below is a list of criteria that should be met:

1.   Books must be non-fiction scholarly monographs based on original research published in English* between May 1, 2009, and April 30, 2010. Authors need not be members of MESA.
*Works translated from other languages into English will also be considered, but will be judged by the same rigorous standards as those for works submitted in English.

2.   Subject matter must deal with Iran and the work must seek to advance knowledge and scholarship on Iranian society, culture, and history from ancient times to the present and as addressed by the fields of literature, philosophy, social studies, art, science, and other disciplines. The purview of these works should be clearly that of an Iranist. The works considered should demonstrate substantive understanding of the social and political experiences of the Iranian people and their civilization and their contribution to and influences on the world at large.

3.   Works not eligible include edited collections and compilations, proceedings of symposia, new editions of previously published books, bibliographies, dictionaries, and textbooks.

4.   Nominations must be made by May 10, 2010, with books delivered to the readers by May 14, 2010, or books will not be eligible for the 2010 competition.

The author of the winning book will receive $2000 and a certificate of award. Honorable mentions also receive a certificate of award. Winners will be announced at the Awards Ceremony at the 44th MESA Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA, November 18-21. As well, the results will be announced in the MESA Newsletter and in other publications as deemed appropriate by MESA.

To Nominate a Book

Deadline: MAY 10, 2010

Please include the full title, author’s full name, publisher, and publication date of the book.

1. Send a letter of nomination and one copy of the book to the Awards Coordinator at the MESA Secretariat.

Sara L. Palmer, Award Coordinator
2010 Houshang Pourshariati Iranian Studies Book Award Competition
Middle East Studies Association
1219 N Santa Rita Ave
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona 85721
(520) 626-4753 (direct line)
(520) 626-9095 (fax)
palmers@email.arizona.edu

2. Send one copy of the book(s) to each of the three readers on the Book Award Committee, once assigned (anticipated in early 2010). Books must reach the readers by May 14, 2010.

2009 Award Recipient

Sussan Babaie, Fulbright Regional Scholar, Egypt and Syria, Isfahan and Its Palaces: Statecraft, Shi'ism and the Architecture of Conviviality in Early Modern Iran (Edinburgh University Press)

2008 Award Recipients

Winner
Maria E. Subtelny, University of Toronto, Timurids in Transition: Turko-Persian Politics and Acculturation in Medieval Iran (Brill Publishers)

Honorable Mention
Shafique N. Virani, University of Toronto, The Ismailis in the Middle Ages: A History of Survival, A Search for Salvation (Oxford University Press)

2007 Award Recipients

Winner
Beatrice F. Manz, Tufts University, Power, Politics and Religion in Timurid Iran (Cambridge University Press)

Honorable Mention
Vanessa Martin, University of London, The Qajar Pact: Bargaining, Protest and the State in 19th Century Persia (I.B. Tauris)