Papers by Ehsan Sheikholharam Mashhadi
Volume 6, Number 2, Summer 2021, 2021
Ehsan Sheikholharam is a teaching fellow and a PhD candidate in the Department of Religious Studi... more Ehsan Sheikholharam is a teaching fellow and a PhD candidate in the Department of Religious Studies at UNC Chapel Hill. Situated at the intersection of architecture and religion, his work examines the religiosity of non-religious architecture. Beyond his primary focus on the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, his research spans interrogations of ideologies of public space, spatial motifs in cinema, and theories of subjectivity. He has received recognition from institutions such as the University of Miami, Dumbarton Oaks' Mellon Initiative, and the Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute. His work has been published in the American Academy of Religion's Reading Religion, Maydan, CLOG, and WIT Press.
International journal of religion, Dec 22, 2022
Cultural assimilation of "Muslim" immigrants in Europe poses a foundational question to political... more Cultural assimilation of "Muslim" immigrants in Europe poses a foundational question to political philosophy: is assimilation a prerequisite for socioeconomic integration? What is often interpreted as the symptom of failed integration is the proliferation of ethnic enclaves in European metropolises. Non-white immigrants who experience discrimination and marginalization withdraw into isolated zones, creating internal borders within cities. These spaces are susceptible to a host of social problems and often become a fertile ground for radicalization. The State turns to design techniques to break open these ghettoized zones. This paper analyzes an urban renewal project that was conceived to address marginality in one such neighborhood in Copenhagen. Despite the façade of inclusivity and democratic participation, the design creates a parody of Muslim cultures by remixing culturally-significant symbols. In representing immigrants' cultures as "Other," the ideology of design mirrors the exclusionary preferences of the politics of the border.
Eco-Architecture V, 2014
Ostensibly unprecedented pieces of architecture, the Seed Cathedral in the Shanghai World Expo an... more Ostensibly unprecedented pieces of architecture, the Seed Cathedral in the Shanghai World Expo and Isfahan's Pigeon Towers in Iran, are two instances where celebrating nature has been formally manifested. In addition to their immediate functions-the former is an exhibition space and the latter a facility which collects birds' droppings as natural fertilizer-they have transcendental intentions: through the formal glorification of the natural, both projects connote the perpetual and timeless interdependencies between the human and nature. By comparing these two buildings, the paper will demonstrate how the same desire has been resurrected into distinct architectural types across time and place. Beyond their similar ecological intentions, the tectonic logic rooted in the agglomeration of an irreducible unit-the dimension of which is based on the bodily proportions of the organism it accommodates-allows these two artifacts to relate in an intricate way. By focusing on the ecological and sustainable features of the Pigeon Towers, the paper will reiterate architecture's capacity to operate simultaneously in two extreme domains: overlaying the maximum efficiency and the aesthetic perfection. To substantiate the analogy, the paper utilizes Synonymity in Architecture as an operative theory of design to reveal the identical underpinning formation of the two projects. It explains how two ostensibly contrasting artifacts are essentially interrelated.
ABSTRACT The flawed transformation of many old cities in response to contemporary emerging condit... more ABSTRACT The flawed transformation of many old cities in response to contemporary emerging conditions has created incongruities which have drastically reduced their initial sustainable performance. There are examples however, where the inevitable and necessary transitions have adopted the promising qualities of traditional typologies and urban morphologies. From the very beginning Mashhad -Iran's second most populous metropolis -has developed a unique character. Not confined to Islamic, semi-medieval urban morphology neither to axial or purely gridded configuration, it has sustained a symbiotic equilibrium between two opposing systems. Purported to be a religious city, the other aspect has never been clearly discussed. Indeed, while the hegemony of religious ideology has never allowed the annunciation of the city's liberal interests, its overall configuration and civic character has been the expression of tension between two contrasting themes. A sacred event established a thriving center. The locus of all religious views generated a complex centripetal and radial configuration. The contest to remain as close as possible to the center, has been resulted in a congested and irregular fabric. The axis on the contrary, disassociated from the former theme, provides movements outward and evokes a mental and physical freedom which yields to linear and gridded patterns. The inclination toward a liberated expansion has been conducive to the formation of ample open and green spaces, scattered throughout the city. Hence, the dichotomy of two doctrines has been reflected into their urban manifestations. Their correspondence and simultaneity in time and space, have been the underlying principle for the city's fascinating status. By analysing the key historical moments in the evolution of the city, this paper will
Conference Presentations by Ehsan Sheikholharam Mashhadi
This paper analyzes the reactions to when Kathy Griffin released an image of herself holding a mo... more This paper analyzes the reactions to when Kathy Griffin released an image of herself holding a mock-up of Donald Trump’s decapitated head. Presented at North Carolina Religious Studies Association, 2018.
This paper considers the question of what psychedelics and religion might have to say to one anot... more This paper considers the question of what psychedelics and religion might have to say to one another and, more broadly, what this conjunction might suggest for a metaphysics of medicine. Presented at Religious Studies Association, 2018.
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Papers by Ehsan Sheikholharam Mashhadi
Conference Presentations by Ehsan Sheikholharam Mashhadi