To revive and promote the noble and ancient art of story-telling, a national conference of narrative heritage is to be held on March 8 and 9.
Over 90 essays and articles have been sent to the secretariat of the conference, said the head of anthropology research center at Cultural Heritage and Tourism Research Center, Alireza Hassanzadeh.
The complete versions of the selected articles for the conference will be published in summer.
Iranian scholars and researchers in the field of humanities have warmly welcomed the conference. “That is an indication that they are truly familiar with the significance of narrative as an important part of the country’s civilization and cultural heritage”, he added.
It is vital to provide grounds for better planning and policy making in cultural areas through production and collection of knowledge and science, Hassanzadeh stressed.
Older variations of this ancient Iranian art-tradition will be also presented. A painting exhibition themed “Legends Told Through Painting” is among the additional programs.
Narratives are reinterpreted and recreated in a sustained process and have a notable place in the minds and culture of the public. “We face new narrative structures, both in our traditional oral lore and modern urban oral culture, part of which represent itself in dialogues using the ancient models and methods of narration”, stated Hassanzadeh, who himself is an anthropologist.
The Public Culture Council of Iran and the research center of Iran Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism (ICHHTO) will jointly host the conference. A memorandum of understanding (MOU) will be signed in the near future between heads of the council and the ICHHTO research center to promote joint scientific research projects.
