New Books in Intellectual History Sheiba Kian Kaufman, "Persian Paradigms in Early Modern English Drama" (Oxford UP, 2025)
Jan 15, 2026
Sheiba Kian Kaufman, an Assistant Professor of English, delves into her research on the intersection of Persian culture and early modern English drama. She unpacks how representations of Persian monarchs like Cyrus the Great serve as models of cosmopolitanism and intercultural hospitality in Shakespearean works. Kaufman discusses the concept of 'adab', Persian ethics shaping manners, and reads Edgar in "King Lear" as a uniquely non-threatening figure. Her insights create a rich tapestry linking literature, globality, and personal memory in her scholarly journey.
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Hospitality As Theory And Lived Practice
- Hospitality functions as both ethical theory and lived practice across global faiths, not only a Western concept.
- Sheiba Kian Kaufman emphasizes hospitality's practical staging value for analyzing early modern drama.
Persian Paradigms Beyond Orientalism
- 'Persian paradigms' frames Persia as an analogical lens, not merely an Orientalist stereotype.
- Kaufman traces Persian hospitality and Zoroastrian elements to reveal alternative globalities in early modern thought.
Adab: Manners As Moral Habit
- Adab (refined manners, ethics, courtesy) operates as a cultural competency inseparable from Persian hospitality.
- Kaufman links adab to virtues celebrated in Xenophon's and English representations of Persian rulers.
