نشریه مطالعات روابط فرهنگی بین المللی
پیاپی 9 (زمستان 1397)

The purpose of this research paper is to throw light on the cultural commonalities of African nations reflected in the poems of certain African poets. Some of the main concerns of these nations that have been dealt with in the works of these poets include seeking freedom and equality and elimination of racial discrimination and corruption. Many of these poets were from among the activists of their civil societies who were educated and had migrated to or taken asylum in the West and were of cultural background, particularly in journalism. The author is of the opinion that concepts such as national identity, love of the motherland and revival of cultural and social traditions that have been reflected in the poems of these poets give rise to feelings of apathy and admiration in the readers. The research is an effort towards highlighting the social messages of some of the contemporary African poets whose message to the future generations has been justice and freedom from colonialism. The methodology used for the purpose of this research paper in descriptive. The sources used by the author mainly include the Persian translation of the works of some of the famous contemporary African poets and writers. The author has also made an effort to highlight the common points shared in these works.

One of the most prominent characteristics of the migration of Iranians to different parts of the world has been the construction of numerous monuments including mosques, palaces, tombs, etc., which in the course of history have become a part of the historical heritage of those lands. These historical sites, side by side other cultural and civilizational elements, reflect upon the impact of the ancient culture on other parts of the world, even in distant places, manifesting the strength of Iranian-Islamic culture and civilization. In this paper the author makes a review of the most important historical sites made by the Iranians in Tanzania as well as the semi-autonomous region of Zanzibar, which were built some 800 to 1000 years ago and have survived till date, on the basis of the available sources and field research. The author endeavors to throw light on the incentives of the Iranians, who had migrated to this country from the Shiraz region of Iran, for the construction of these monuments in Tanzania and the role of these historical sites in the spread of the Iranian-Islamic culture there. The paper also reflects upon the migration of Iranians to Tanzania and their settlement in Tanzanian coastal regions and islands. The methodology used for this paper is descriptive - analytical and the researcher has made his best efforts to provide the readers with first-hand information on these monuments built by the Iranian in this region, in spite of shortage of written sources. That is to say the paper is mainly the outcome of the field research and personal observations during his trips to Tanzania.

Confronting Iranophobia has been one of the most important requirements facing the cultural diplomacy organizations in the past few decades. Keeping in view the project ‘Iranophobia’, aimed at tarnishing the image and prestige of the Islamic Republic of Iran at the international level, Tehran needs to focus on cultural diplomacy for confronting this phenomenon. Iran’s cultural diplomacy may be defined in the form of several patterns. The application of branding as a successful method at the level of domestic policy can be one such pattern. By the same token, at the level of international politics branding in the three fields of political and cultural personalities, tourism and civilizational Islam can play a great role in presenting a positive image of Iran to the international community.As per the guidelines provided by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, concentration on scientific progress and advancement and transformation of Iran into one of the main poles of science and knowledge is of great importance in providing a positive image of Iran to the world and neutralizing the effects of Iranophobia propagation. The authors suggest that being inspirational with regards to religion and religious teachings, in the form of presenting a multiplied identity, can pave the path for attracting great identities of West Asia towards Iran. The authors are also of the view that if and when the mediation is added to inspirational politics and religious democracy, Iran’s cultural diplomacy is bound to defeat the project “Iranophobia”.

As per reliable statistical reports the Kurds form the largest ethnic community in the Middle East after the Arabs, the Persians and the Turks. The 4 million Kurds of Iraq constitute 25 percent of its population and with a population of about 7 million they constitute 15 percent of the total population of Iran. The purpose of this study is to make a review of the various aspects and the extent of intercultural relations between the Kurds of North Iraq and the Iranian Kurdish community. For the purpose of this survey, the authors approached 200 Kurdish speaking citizens of the Kurdistan Province and Kurdish cities of West Azarbayejan Province of Iran as well as 200 Kurdish speaking citizens of the Iraqi Kurdistan (Erbil, Dohuk, Sulaymaniyah and Halabja) by random sampling method who responded by filling the questionnaire given to them. The findings of the research show that the two groups chosen for the purpose of this research speak the same language, enjoy common ethnic identity and follow the same religious school of thought all of which have proved to be effective factors in their intercultural relationship.

International cultural relations have been a major concern for states, governments, and regional and international cultural organizations in the recent decades. In their analysis of the cultural state of different nations the cultural authorities should always seek to discover and manage the reciprocal impact of cultural interactions as well as institutions, groups and organizations. The increasing efforts made by the Saudi state to gain supremacy in the cultural arena of the Muslim world and spread the Wahhabi teachings has prompted the Saudi elites to assume their state to be that of the leader of the Muslim world. The main objective of the Saudis, with respect to their cultural diplomacy, is to make the other Muslim countries surrender to this issue and that any resistance towards the leadership of the Saudis will have its consequences for them. To achieve this objective, the cultural diplomacy of the Saudis has been aimed at undermining the cultural and belief fundaments of the Islamic Revolution of Iran by resorting to different measures and strategies like presenting a distorted image of the conditions of the Sunnis of Iran.Turkey, on the other hand, is another country, which seeks to increase its cultural influence in the countries of the region. At the same time, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been able to meet part of its objectives by utilizing its soft power. By the same token, by improving its soft power and strengthening its certain elements Iran has ensured the protection of its national interests. The present paper is an effort on the part of the authors to examine the existing cultural relations between Islamic countries of Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia by resorting to the authentic sources and applying a descriptive-analytical method and suggesting an effective model of cultural relations between them. The paper also seeks identify the factors contributing to the failure of Islamic governments in promoting stable cultural relations.

During the Safavid era a number of Iranian scholars and artists migrated to neighboring lands, particularly India and the Ottoman Empire, for different reasons and incentives. These migrations served as an important factor in promoting cultural ties between Iran and the said lands. Among these elite migrants there were some historians or scholars who, besides their other scientific activities, engaged in historiography. These scholars contributed to the transfer of the tradition of historiography to the lands to which they had migrated. Moreover, they also contributed to the historiography of these lands, particularly the Ottoman Empire, and yet preserved the pivotal role for the ancient history of Iran in the region. One of these renowned figures was the great Iranian scholar, Muslih al-Din Muhammad Lari, who had his hands on various fields of knowledge and was an outstanding scholar of his times. From among his great works in the field of history mention should be made of the book “Mirat al-Adwar and Mirqat al-Akhbar” (lit. The Mirror of Eras and the Staircase of Events). This book is of great value in the science of historiography, but the most important aspects of it is its role in highlighting the cultural exchange between Iran and the Ottoman Empire. However, what is most interesting is the author’s efforts towards highlighting the history of Iran and giving it a pivotal role in spite of living in the territories of the Ottoman Empire. Unlike his fellow city-man, Fazlullah bin Rouzbehan Khanji Lari - who had migrated to the Uzbek territories during the Safavid era and had expressed a lot of enmity and spite towards the Safavid government in his works, escalating the existing rivalry between the two governments - Muslih al-Din had exercised fairness in his historical reports on the Ottoman and Safavid history. Furthermore, in spite of being the follower of a different school of thought he has not shown any enmity towards the Safavids and apparently had tried to encourage the two governments towards friendship and solidarity in an implicit way. Besides, the book contains certain cultural values that cannot be found in many of historiography works. This is due to the fact that side by side political reports of each period the book also provides cultural reports, particularly on scientific and cultural personalities of his times.