BERT FRAGNER MEMORIAL LECTURE 2022 - Florian Schwarz & Hessam Habibi Doroh

BETWEEN GREATER KHOROSAN AND THE KHOROSAN PROVINCE

The continuity of Greater Khorasan in the social identity of Iranian Sunnis in Khorasan province

The Persian-speaking Iranian Sunnis of the Khorasan province feel a  deep collective resonance with the historical roots of Greater Khorasan  in their social identity. Even today, they continue to praise and  illustrate the glorious Islamic past through their narratives. This is  in contrast to most Iranian Sunnis with a non-Persian-speaking ethnic  identity.

Historically Khorasan has long been recognized as the center of Sunni  education. This dates back to the Seljuk period and the establishment  of Sunni educational institutions such as Nizamiyyeh of Niyshabur.  However, the central status of this eastern region of the Islamic world  was diminished following the 15th century – in particular, due to the early 16th-century  expansion of Shiʿi Islam under the Safavids. Yet the sense or idea of  centrality has continued like a thread weaving through the social  identity of the Iranian Sunnis in Khorasan and remains reflected in  their religious and historical narrations today. This lecture explores  this continuity of Greater Khorasan, shows how the historical roots of  Khorasan shaped the social identity of Sunnis in the Khorasan province,  and investigates transnational identity within the local social  identity.

BERT FRAGNER MEMORIAL LECTURE 2022

The Bert Fragner Lectures highlight current developments in Iran and  establish connections between historical classification and contemporary  challenges. Inspired by the life’s work of the eminent Austrian Iranist  Professor Bert Fragner (1941-2021), they offer a forum for exchange  with established and – in the spirit of Bert Fragner’s tireless  promotion of young scholars – younger researchers.