Iran and Afghanistan: Toward a Connected (Literary) History
with Aria Fani
Contrary to the presumption that literary nationalism in the Global South emerged solely through contact with Europe, Reading across Borders shows how the cultural forms of Iran and Afghanistan as nation-states arose from a shared Persian heritage and sustained cross-cultural exchange. In this talk, Aria Fani charts the individuals, institutions, and conversations that made this exchange possible, exploring how Afghans and Iranians invented modern selves through new ideas about literature. Fani illustrates how voluntary and state-funded associations of readers helped formulate and spread “literature” as a recognizable concept, adapting older Persian ideas to fit new national imaginaries. Focusing on early twentieth-century periodicals circulated in Afghan and Iranian cities and their diasporas, the book reveals how nationalism intensified—rather than severed—literary contact between the two societies. This once-vibrant history of exchange was ultimately forgotten, shaping many of the cultural and political tensions between Iran and Afghanistan today.
About the speaker:
Aria Fani is an associate professor of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures at the University of Washington, Seattle. At UW, he directs the Middle East Center at the Jackson School for International Studies and co-leads the Translation Studies Hub. Aria’s first book, Reading across Borders: Afghans, Iranians, and Literary Nationalism, the winner of the ACLA’s 2025 René Wellek Prize for the Best Monograph in Comparative Literature, was published by the University of Texas Press in 2024. The book details the dynamic and interconnected ways Afghans and Iranians invented their modern selves through new ideas about literature (adabiyāt). Reading across Borders is available in both Iran (through a Persian translation published by Shirazeh Press) and India (Sanctum Books, New Delhi). Aria is the co-translator of Shape of Extinction, a book-length collection of Bijan Jalali’s poems. In addition to teaching and research, Aria engages in social advocacy for non-citizen Americans, particularly asylum seekers from Central America.