{"product_id":"the-zurkhneh-and-its-milieu-a-study-of-traditional-athletics-in-iran-9780674298828","title":"The Zurkh\u0026#257;neh and Its Milieu: A Study of Traditional Athletics in Iran","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe athletes known in Iran as \u003ci\u003epahlavāns\u003c\/i\u003e and the domed structure, the \u003ci\u003ezurkhāneh, \u003c\/i\u003e where they congregate to practice ritualized martial arts, physical culture, and spirituality, are usually presented as the cornerstone of traditional Iranian masculine identity. However, this idealization does not do justice to the complex history of Iranian society. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePhilippe Rochard, who has observed the \u003ci\u003ezurkhāneh\u003c\/i\u003e world for the past thirty years and actually lived in it for over four years, sets out to reveal through his own experience and a reconsideration of the extant historiography the various identities--real or imagined--of the \u003ci\u003ezurkhāneh, \u003c\/i\u003e its role within ancient and contemporary Iranian society, and the intimate mechanisms of the male societies that frequent it, as well as the moral and social values--real or simply proclaimed--that the athletes embody. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis immersive study gives us an opportunity to observe at close quarters the workings of a sporting passion and way of life, and to discover how the forms and norms of the staging of the self and of the group have evolved in Iran.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eRochard, Philippe:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Philippe Rochard is an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Strasbourg and former director of the Institut Français de Recherche en Iran (IFRI) in Tehran.","brand":"Ilex Foundation","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51424400343314,"sku":"9780674298828","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_151c7346-f951-4cd1-a891-8b46264a4247.jpg?v=1751374560","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-zurkhneh-and-its-milieu-a-study-of-traditional-athletics-in-iran-9780674298828","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}