On 28th of September a very special event took place at IISH. The 1917 Russian Revolution is frequently looked at from a Western perspective. Hundred years after the revolution the International Institute of Social History looked at its impact on the southern flank of the Russian Empire: Iran, Central Asia and the Caucasus.
ISH researchers Touraj Atabaki and Gijs Kessler presented archival materials from the Iranian and Russian collections of the institute. This was followed by a storytelling performance by Sahand Sahebdivani of Mezrab cultural centre, recipient of the prize of Storyteller of the Year in 2014.
The afternoon was organised in co-operation with Mezrab cultural centre and the Amsterdam Initiative for Iranian Studies (AIIS). The event was well-publicised, and it was well-visited, both by people from the networks of the three organising institutions, as well as by people from outside, who picked up information on the event from social media. Two groups of people attended the parallel archival presentations, switching half-way, and then joined to listen to Sahand’s story, accompanied by Anastasis Sarakatsanos who played the kanoon.
Following the success of this event, it is the intention of the IISH to organise future public archival presentations on specific topics, which will be announced on the IISH website and its social media outlets.
The event was organised by Margot van der Heide, and supported by the Hofsteestichting.