Curriculum Vitae - Dr. Nasrollah Pourjavady

Born:              1943, Tehran
Nationality:    Iranian
Education:

  • Ph. D. in Philosophy, University of Tehran, 1978.
  • Post-graduate studies at the Iranian Academy of Philosophy (studying comparative philosophy and mysticism with Toshihiko Izutsu, and private studies with traditional Islamic philosophers).
  • M. A. in Philosophy, University of Tehran, 1971.
  • B. A. in Philosophy (with a minor in Classics), San Francisco State University, 1967.
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Academic Positions:

  • Visiting Professor, Department of Religious Studies, The University of North Carolina, Spring 2009.
  • Full Professor of Philosophy and Mysticism, Tehran University, 1997- August 2008
  • Visiting Professor, Roshan Institute of Persian Studies, University of Maryland, spring and summer 2008.
  •  Humboldt Foundation Research Scholar at the Free University of Berlin, 2006.
  • Visiting Professor of Islamic Thought at Pontifica Universita Gregoriana, Rome, January 2005.
  • Visiting National Endowments for the Humanities Professor of Islamic Philosophy and Mysticism at Colgate University, Fall 2002.
  • Research Scholar at Utrecht University (The Netherlands), spring 2001.
  • Associate Professor in Philosophy, Tehran University (School of Literature & Humanities) 1985-1997.
  • Assistant Professor in Philosophy, Logic, and Islamic Mysticism. Sharif University of Technology (Iran), 1972-1985.

 Languages:

Persian, English, Arabic, French, some German and some Ancient Greek 

Awards and Prizes:

  • Prize for the book “ The Wine of Love” , Tehran, spring 2008
  • Alexander von Humboldt Research Award, 2005
  • The Academy of Persian Language and Literature Distinguished Scholar of the year 2004 (National Award)
  • Annual Prize for the book Two Renewers of Faith, as the best book on Theology and Philosophy, 2001
  • Annual Prize for the book Ru'yat-e mah dar asman, as a praiseworthy scholarly book, 1997

Publications:

I have authored and edited more than thirty books over one hundred articles in Persian and English. In addition, some of my articles and books have been translated into French, German, Turkish, Urdu, and Japanese.

 English:

Articles

  • “The Concept of Love in Iraqi and Ahmad Ghazzali”, Persica, 2006
  • “Genres of Religious Literature”, in A History of Persian Literature: Introductory Volume. Edited by J.T.P. de Bruijn and Ehsan Yarshater,  London 2008.
  • “The Use of Persian as a Religious Language in the Early Centuries of Islam” ( to be published in the proceedings of a conference held in Copenhagen , 2001)
  • “ The Sufi Way of Love and Peace”, in Voices of Islam, Vol. 2, edited by Vincent Cornell, Westport, Connecticut, 2007.
  • “Stories of Ahmad Ghazzali ‘Laying the witness’ in Tabriz ( Shams-I Tabrizi’s interest in shahidbazi )” Reason and Inspiration in Islam. Theology, Philosophy and Mysticism in Muslim Thought ( Essays in Honour of Hermann Landolt ) , edited by Todd Lawson. London/New York: I.B.Tauris, 2005, pp.200-220.
  • “ Persian Love Mysticism”, Measuring the Effect of Iranian Mysticism on Southeast Asia, edited by Imtiyaz Yusuf, Bangkok,2004.
  • “Shah Nematullah Vali: An Heir to two Mystical Literary Traditions”, Celebrating a Sufi Master, (Proceedings of the Second International Symposium on Shah Nematollah Vali in the University of Leiden), Simorgh Sufi Society 2003.
  • “The Idea of Breath in Hallaj”, Persica 17 (2001)
  • “Historical Background of the Development of Imago Dei in Persian Mystical Poetry” (Proceedings of the First International Symposium On Orthodoxy and Islam, Athens, December 1990) Tehran, 1994.
  • “Opposition to Sufism in Twelver Shiism”, in Islamic Mysticism Contested: Thirteen Centuries of Controversies & Polemics, Frederick de Jong & Bernd Radtke, eds., (Leiden: Brill, 1990).
  •  “Selfhood and Time in the Sufism of Ahmad Ghazzali”, Sophia Perennis 4:2 (1981).
  • “A Sufi Fable”, Studies in Comparative Religion, spring 1976.
  • “The stages of the Soul, by Shah Ni’matullah Wali” (Translated with Commentary) Sophia Prennis, Vol. 1, No.1, spring, 1975.
  • Ismailis and Nimatullahis”, Studia Islamica XLI, 1975.

 Monographs

  • The Splendour of Iran, general editor. (London: Booth-Clibborn, 2001).
  • The Light of Sakina in Suhrawardi’s Philosophy of Illumination. (Binghamton: Institute of Global Cultural Studies, 1998).
  • The Drunken Universe: An Anthology of Persian Sufi Poetry. Co-author: Peter Wilson, (Grand Rapids: Phanes Press, 1987)
  • Sawanih: Inspirations from the World of Pure Spirits. Translated from the Persian with a commentary and notes by Nasrollah Pourjavady. (London: KPI, 1986)
  • Kings of Love: The Poetry and History of the Ni‘matullahi Sufi Order of Iran. Co-author: Peter L.Wilson, (Tehran: The Imperial Iranian Academy of Philosophy, 1978)


Encyclopedia Articles

  • Kamali Bukhara’i” , Encyclopedia Iranica
  • “Ghazali, Ahmad”, Encyclopedia Iranica, Vol. X, Fasicule 4, pp.377-380.
  • “Ghzali, Abu Hamid/ iv.Minor Persian Works”, Encyclopedia Iranica, Vol. X, Fasicule 4, pp. 369-372.
  • Articles on “ Abu’l Qasim Hajj Bulah”, “ Abu Mansur Isfahani”, “ Auhad al-Din al-Razi” For Encyclopedia of Islam, 3rd edition.

    French Publications:

  Articles 

  • “Ahmad et Muhammad al-Ghazâlî: influence réciproque”, Ghazälî: La raison et le miracle. Table Ronde UNESCO (9-10 decembre 1985), Paris 1987.
  • “Importance de la connaissance de Massignon pour les Iraniens”, Louis Massingnon et l’Iran, Eve Pierunek et Yann Richrd (éds.) Leuven:Peeters,2000.
  • Massignon et la notion Hallagienne de l’amour essentiel en Mystique Persane: Examen critique” Au Coeur de L’Orient: Relectures contemporaines de l’oeuvre de Louis Massingnon, Le Caire 13-15 mars 1999.

 Monographs 

  • Science, Techniques et instruments dand le Monde Iranien. Actes du colloque à l’Université de Téhéran (7-9 juin 1998) par N. Pourjavady et ±. Vesel ( Tehran: Presses Universites d’Iran et Institut Français de Recherche en Iran, 2004)
  • Nasir al-Din Tusi: Philosophe et Savant Du XIIIe  Siècle. Études réunites et présentées par N. Pourjavady et Z. Vesel. (Tehran: Institut Français de Recherche en Iran, 2000).
  • Mélanges litéraires et mystiques. (Tehran: Iran University Press, 1998).

    Italian Publication:

         Monograph        

  • Shihsb al-Din Yahya Suhrawardi, IL FRUSCIO DELLE ALI DI GABRIELE, Introduzione e note di Nasrollah Pourjavady, traduzione di Sergio Foti. (Milano: Mondadori, 2008.

    Persian Publication:

         Articles 

  • Approximately 200 individual articles and book reviews on various aspects of Islamic Philosophy, Mysticism, and Persian literature in various academic journals.

 Monographs &Edition of Texts 

  • In progress: Studies on Abu Mansur Isfahani, the 10th century Hanbali Sufi. (Nine essays so far have been published, including critical editions of his works. Three of these essays have been translated and published in French, and one has been translated into German by Annemarie Schimmel).
  • Badeh-e Eshq (The Wine of Love), ( a historical analysis of the concept of love and the use of the metaphor wine for it in Persian mystical literature) Tehran 1387/2008.
  • Lughat-e muran (The Dialog of the Ants), by Shehabuddin Sohravardi, critical edition with notes and introductions in Persian and English, Tehran 1386/2007.
  • Zaban-e hal ( a Survey of the history of Persian literature from the point of view of the use of a literary device in which fabulous narrative is used) Tehran 1386/ 2007.
  • Ruz o shab( a literary debate between day and night, composed by Nezari-e qohestani, in 699/1300) , edited with an introduction in Persian and a reface in Englsih. Tehran: Ney Publication, 2006.
  • Pazhouhesh-haye ÝirfÁni, ( Studies in early Persian mysticism), Tehran: Ney Publication, 2005.
  • Hakim Nama, by Awhaduddin Razi. Edited with introductions in Persian and English. Tehran 2005.
  • Two Renewers of Faith: Studies on Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazzali and Fakhr al-Din Razi, with an English preface by Hermann Landolt. (Tehran: Iran University Press, 2002).
  • The Pure Wine of Divine Realization: A Mystical Mathnavi composed in 584/1188, by Fakhruddin Mubarakshah Marvirudi, edited with notes and introductions in Persian and English, (Tehran: Iran University Press, 2002).
  • A Philosophical Anthology from Maraghah: Facsimile Edition with Introductions in Persian and English by Nasrollah Pourjavady. (Tehran: Iran University Press, 2002).
  • Illuminationist Philosophy and Philosophical Mysticism (Ishraq va Irfan). (Tehran: Iran University Press, 2001).
  • “Vision of the Moon in the Sky”: A Historical Examination of the Debates on the Possibility of Beatific Vision in Islamic Theology and Mysticism. With a French introduction by Professor Ch-H. de Fouchecour, and a German preface by the late Professor Fritz Meier. (Tehran: Iran University Press, 1996). [Also available in Turkish translation].
  • Poetry and Islamic Law. (Tehran: Iran University Press, 1995).
  • Ayn al-Quzat Hamadani.  (Tehran: Iran University Press, 1995).
  • Fragrance of the Soul: Collection of Essays on the Hermeneutics of Persian Mystical Poetry. (Tehran: Iran University Press, 1993) [Also available in Turkish translation].
  • The Collected Works of Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman Sulami. (Tehran: Iran University Press, 1990).
  • Life & Works of Abul Hasan Busti, (Tehran, 1980).
  • Sultan-e Tariqat, on the Life & Works of Ahmad Ghazzali,(Tehran, 1978).
  • The Allegory of the Birds, by Ahmad Ghazzali, edited and introduced in Persian and English by Nasrollah Pourjavady, (Tehran: Imperial Academy of Iranian Philosophy, 1978).
  • An Introduction to Plotinus. (Tehran: Imperial Academy of Iranian Philosophy, 1976; reprint, Tehran: Iran University Press, 2000).

Other Professional Activities:

  • Founding Director of Iran University Press (Markaz-e Nashr-e Daneshgahi), 1980-Spring 2004.
  • Editor of two academic Persian journals on Islamic Philosophy, Mysticism, and Literature: Nashr-i Danesh and Ma’arif.
  • Organizer of four international conferences on Persian language, Tehran, 1982, 1984, 1986 and 1991.
  • Organizer of the First International Book Fair in Iran, 1984.
  • Organizer of the colloquium on “The Scientific and Philosophical works of Nasir al-Din Tusi”, University of Tehran, (March 6-9, 1997).
  • Director of General Education Center, Sharif University, 1978-1980
  • Director of Sharif University Press, 1979-1980.
  • Member of the Academy of Persian Language & Literature.
  • Director of the Islamic Encyclopedia Foundation 1985-1991.