Orientalistics: Podcast on Language, Religion and Culture

Farshid Delshad
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I am a linguist and scholar of Middle Eastern studies by profession, and in this podcast I offer a wide range of topics with a particular focus and historical linguistics, culture, religion and languages of the Middle East and the world of Islam. However, you might find here also philological subjects on Indo-European linguistics and Caucasian studies.

  1. ON DECEPTIVE NARRATIVE BALKANIZATION OF IRAN

    MAR 9

    ON DECEPTIVE NARRATIVE BALKANIZATION OF IRAN

    ON DECEPTIVE NARRATIVE BALKANIZATION OF IRAN The Contribution is in German

    15 min
  2. Pathology of a Revolution (in English)

    MAR 8

    Pathology of a Revolution (in English)

    Pathology of a Revolution In this episode of Orientalistics: Podcast on Language, Culture & Religion, we examine the deeper structural dynamics of the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the Islamic Republic that emerged from it. Moving beyond simple narratives of regime change, the episode explores the political, social, and intellectual forces that produced the revolution and the systemic contradictions that continue to shape the Iranian state today. From authoritarian modernisation under the Pahlavi monarchy to the rise of revolutionary Shi‘i ideology, the discussion traces how questions of legitimacy, identity, and geopolitical confrontation have defined the trajectory of the Islamic Republic. The episode also reflects on the present moment, in which escalating regional tensions and mounting internal pressures raise profound questions about the future of the revolutionary system established in 1979. 🎧 If you would like to listen to the same topic in Persian, you can access the Persian episode here:(link)

    53 min
  3. جمهوری اسلامی ایران، آسیب شناسی یک انقلاب

    MAR 7

    جمهوری اسلامی ایران، آسیب شناسی یک انقلاب

    جمهوری اسلامی ایران، آسیب شناسی یک انقلاب The 1979 Iranian Revolution and the emergenceof the Islamic Republic are best understood not as a simple regime change, but as the outcome of a deep “civilisational identity crisis” and a widening gap between state and society in twentieth‑century Iran. Rapid, top‑downmodernisation under the Pahlavi monarchy – funded by oil, driven by urbanisation and higher education, and enforced by an expanding security apparatus – created new social groups and expectations without opening up meaningful channels of political participation. The 1953 coup and the Shah’s security dependence on the United States structurally damaged the monarchy’s legitimacy and inscribed a sense of foreign interference and humiliation into Iran’s political memory. Against this background, intellectual currents such as Jalal Al‑e Ahmad’s “Westoxification” and Ali Shariati’s revolutionary Islam fused religious identity, social anger and anti‑imperialist sentiment into a shared language of protest. Dense clerical and mosque networks, amplified by Khomeini’s taped sermons and media exposure from exile, provided the organisational infrastructure that allowed Islamists to dominate and then appropriate the revolution. The new constitution institutionalised a dual system, combining republican institutions with the doctrine of velayat‑e faqih (Guardianship of the Jurist). This produced a hybrid order in which elected bodies operate under the shadow of powerful unelected institutions, enabling a “parallel state”, blurred accountability, and a built‑in tendency to deflect blame. Pathologically, the Islamic Republic behaves less like a normal consolidated state and more like a permanent revolutionary project that needs ongoing crisis and external enemies to sustain its identity. Meanwhile, Iranian society has become more urban, educated and culturally secular, making the structural conflict between a revolutionary theocratic state and a modern, plural society the central tension shaping Iran’s politicalfuture. انقلاب ۱۳۵۷ و پیدایش جمهوری اسلامی را نمی‌توان فقط یک تغییر حکومت دانست، بلکه باید آن را نتیجه یک «بحران هویت تمدنی» و شکاف عمیق میان دولت و جامعه در ایران قرن بیستم دید. این انقلاب در بستری شکل گرفت که در آن، مدرنیزاسیون شتابان و آمرانه حکومتپهلوی – همراه با درآمدهای نفتی، شهرنشینی، گسترش آموزش عالی و گسترش دستگاه امنیتی – بدون گشودن فضای سیاسی و ایجاد نهادهای پایدار نمایندگی، طبقه متوسط جدید و توده‌های شهری را بدون صدای سیاسی رها کرد. کودتای ۱۳۳۲ و وابستگی امنیتی شاه به آمریکا مشروعیت حکومت را از همان ابتدا مخدوش کرد و تجربه تحقیر و مداخله خارجی را در حافظه جمعی و در ناخودآگاه سیاسی ایرانیان نشاند. در این بستر، گفتمان‌هایی مانند «غرب‌زدگی» جلال آل‌احمد و اسلام انقلابی علی شریعتی، ترکیبی از هویت دینی، خشم طبقاتی و احساس وابستگی به غرب را به زبان مشترک اعتراض تبدیل کردند. شبکه‌های مساجد، روحانیت و نوارهای سخنرانی خمینی، زیرساخت سازمانی بسیج را فراهم آوردند و به اسلام‌گرایان امکان دادند انقلاب را پس از پیروزی قبضه کنند. قانون اساسی جدید با ترکیب جمهوریت و ولایت فقیه، ساختاری دوگانه ایجاد کرد: نهادهای انتخابی در کنار نهادهای انتصابی قدرتمند. این دوگانگی به پیدایش «دولت موازی»، مسئولیت‌گریزی ساختاری و نیاز مزمن نظام به بحران و دشمن خارجی انجامید. جمهوری اسلامی بیش از آن‌که از کارآمدی و رفاه مشروعیت بگیرد، خود را «انقلابی دائمی» تعریف کرده و برای حفظ هویت خود به بازتولید تنش داخلی و خارجی نیاز دارد. در مقابل، جامعه ایران به‌تدریج سکولارتر، متکثرتر و مدرن‌تر شده و شکاف میان جامعه و رژیم به مهم‌ترین محور آینده سیاسی ایران تبدیل شده است.

    53 min
  4. Islamist Antisemitism

    MAR 2

    Islamist Antisemitism

    Islamist Antisemitism In this episode (a part of my college lectures in California), I( explore how contemporary Islamist antisemitism in Europe and the United States functions less as a simple religious prejudice and more as a strategic entry point into a broader jihadist project against liberal‑democratic order. Drawing on the ideological legacy of the Muslim Brotherhood and the post‑1979 doctrine of “exporting the Islamic Revolution” in Iran, the conversation shows how anti‑Jewish and ostensibly “anti‑Zionist” movements have been cultivated as instruments to erode trust in Western institutions, polarize societies, and normalise revolutionary Islamist worldviews. We discuss the rise of Islamist networks, proxy organizations, and propaganda infrastructures since the late 1970s, highlighting the central role of the Iranian regime and its allies (such as Hezbollah) in fusing antisemitic narratives with a systematic assault on secularism, pluralism, and constitutional democracy in the West. keywords #islamistantisemitism; #muslimbrotherhood; #iran1979;#exportofrevolution; #jihadistpropaganda; #westerndemocracy;#liberalorderunderattack; #politicalislam; #hezbollah; #radicalizationineurope;#usandeurope; #antizionism; #redgreenalliance; #ideologicalwarfare;#post1970shistory; #iranianregime; #proxygroups; #criticaltheory;#middleeastpolitics; #geopolitics;

    54 min
  5. JEWISH SYMBOLES

    MAR 2

    JEWISH SYMBOLES

    JEWISH SYMBOLES Three core Jewish symbols express a deep philosophical worldview: the Star of David as balance between heaven and earth, the Menorah as the enduring light of wisdom, and the Wailing Wall as living memory born from loss and hope. Together, they form a language of identity, continuity, and spiritual resilience.سه نشانِ بنیادینِ یهودیت—ستارهٔ داوود، منورا و دیوار ندبه—بازتاب تاریخ، اندیشه و روانِ جمعی یک فرهنگ‌اند. ستارهٔ داوود نماد توازن میان زمین و آسمان است، منورا فروغِ پایدارِ خرد را یادآوری می‌کند، و دیوار ندبه پیوند زنده با حافظه و امید را نگاه می‌دارد. این نمادها زبان خاموشِ پایداری و هویت‌اند.#judaism #jewishsymbols #starofdavid #magendavid #menorah #wailingwalljerusalem #westernwall #jewishphilosophy #religioussymbols #sacredlight #memoryandidentity #ancienttraditions #culturalheritage

    2 min
  6. Iran and New World Order (in Persian)

    FEB 28

    Iran and New World Order (in Persian)

    Iran and New World Order This episode explores three grand strategies of power inmodern geopolitics: isolation, the pursuit of radical independence, and becoming strong by making others dependent on you. It then examines where the Islamic Republic of Iran sits within this triangle since 1979: not as a purely isolated state, nor simply self‑reliant, but as a revolutionary project that combines Islamic‑Shi‘i ideology, structural independence from global powers,and a regional network of allies known as the “axis of resistance”. In this mosaic, Israel appears as Iran’s primary ideological and strategic rival, embodying a competing security doctrine and a rival vision of regional order. در این اپیزود سه راهبرد کلانِ قدرت در جهان معاصر بررسی می‌شود: انزوا، استقلال‌طلبیِ حداکثری و نیرومندی از راه وابسته‌سازی دیگران.سپس جایگاه جمهوری اسلامی ایران از ۱۳۵۷ به بعد در این مثلث واشکافی می‌شود؛ نه به‌عنوان یک کشور کاملاً منزوی، بلکه به‌مثابه پروژه‌ای انقلابی که ایدئولوژی اسلامی- شیعی، استقلال ساختاری از قدرت‌های بزرگ و شبکه‌ای منطقه‌ای از هم‌پیمانان موسوم به«محور مقاومت» را در هم می‌آمیزد. در این تصویر، اسرائیل به‌عنوان رقیب اصلی ایدئولوژیک و راهبردی ایران ظاهر می‌شود و نماینده دکترینی متفاوت برای نظم و امنیت خاورمیانه است.

    45 min
  7. Islam and Islamism

    FEB 23

    Islam and Islamism

    Islam and IslamismLet's examine whether the term “Islamism” actually exists within Islamic languages such as Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Kurdish, Urdu, or Pashto. It argues that “Islamism” is a Western political construct rather than an indigenous Islamic concept, functioning as a semantic tool to separate Islam from its political expressions and to appease Western discourse rather than reflect internal Islamic categories.#Islamism #politicalislam #islamiclanguages #arabic #persian #turkish #urdu #pashto #kurdish #politicaltheoryassociation #epistemology

    3 min
  8. On Humanity

    FEB 23

    On Humanity

    This video reflects on the meaning of humanity as a serious philosophical concept rather than a hollow slogan. Sparked by a conversation with a pro–Islamic Republic supporter who could not define the word he frequently used, the text exposes how language is often emptied of meaning to avoid moral responsibility. Drawing on Kant and Aristotle, humanity is defined as moral autonomy, reason, speech, and accountability. A system that silences dialogue, instrumentalises human life, and replaces reason with force cannot claim humanity. The refusal to define humanity is therefore not ignorance, but a conscious evasion of ethical truth!

    3 min
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About

I am a linguist and scholar of Middle Eastern studies by profession, and in this podcast I offer a wide range of topics with a particular focus and historical linguistics, culture, religion and languages of the Middle East and the world of Islam. However, you might find here also philological subjects on Indo-European linguistics and Caucasian studies.

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