Dr. Claudia Yaghoobi

Office Hours: T 3:30-4:30 & R 11:30-12:30, In-Person/Zoom
Zoom Link
CV

Professional Biography

Claudia Yaghoobi is a professor of Persian Studies and serves as the director of the Center for the Middle East and Islamic Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Yaghoobi is a scholar of Iranian cultural studies, and gender and sexuality studies with a focus on the members of sexual, ethnic, and religious minoritized populations. Yaghoobi earned her Ph.D. in Comparative Literature and Feminist Studies from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 2013. Leveraging her extensive knowledge and expertise, she teaches diverse courses encompassing Iranian literature and culture, Middle Eastern literature, gender and sexuality, diaspora studies, and human rights. A true embodiment of her multifaced identity, Yaghoobi identifies as an Iranian Armenian American. Her research encapsulates the literary landscape of the Middle East, with an acute emphasis on Persian and Armenian literature. Particularly, she hones on the experiences of those who belong to sexual, ethnic, and religious minority groups, often positioned at the periphery of normative society. Through her academic inquiry, she delves into the nuanced intersections of liminality as they are expressed by authors, artists, and directors, who valiantly challenge and deconstruct prevailing social hegemonies.

Research

Yaghoobi’s body of work includes several impactful publications. She is the author of Transnational Culture in the Iranian Armenian Diaspora (Edinburgh UP 2023), Temporary Marriage in Iran: Gender and Body Politics in Modern Persian Literature and Film (Cambridge UP 2020), and Subjectivity in ‘Attar, Persian Sufism, and European Mysticism (Purdue UP 2017). Additionally, she is the editor of a volume titled, The #MeToo Movement in Iran: Reporting Sexual Violence and Harassment (IB Tauris/Bloomsbury Press, 2023).

Yaghoobi is currently working on her fourth monograph and second edited volume. Her monograph titled tentatively, Voices from Margins, explores the hidden stories of Iranian Armenian women, a demographic marginalized both in Iran and the U.S. Armenian women face gender marginalization in Iran, in addition to discrimination as an ethno-religious minority. Upon migrating to the U.S., they become part of racially minoritized groups, facing Islamophobia and racism. Through oral history interviews and autoethnography, the project transcends geographical boundaries to examine global concepts in ethnic and gender studies. Yaghoobi’s edited volume tentatively titled, Iranian Women in Academia, gathers the experiences of Iranian women in academic spaces, highlighting their triumphs and challenges with racism and sexism in Iranian and Western institutions. The volume aims to redefine these experiences and propose strategies for more inclusive academic environments.

Awards

2024                  Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Grant, College of Arts and Humanities, UNC-Chapel Hill
2022, 2023      Arts and Humanities Research Grant, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research & Institute for the Arts and Humanities, UNC-Chapel Hill
2022                  Institute for the Arts and Humanities Publication Grant, UNC-Chapel Hill
2022, 2021      Collaborative Online International Learning Grant, UNC Global Center.
2021                  Institute for the Arts and Humanities Faculty Fellowship, UNC-Chapel Hill
2021                  Faculty of Color and Indigenous Faculty Group Grant, Institute for the Arts and Humanities, UNC-Chapel Hill
2020, 2021      UNC Collaborative Online International Learning Grant, Center of the Middle East and Islamic Studies.
2020, 2021      UNC Office of Research Development Publication Grant
2020                  The Carlyle Sitterson Award for Teaching First-Year Students, UNC-Chapel Hill
2019, 2020      UNC QEP Integration of Making into Courses Grant, BeAM Program
2019, 2020      UNC Research-Related Skills Course Development, Office of Undergraduate Research
2019                  UNC Summer School Online Course Conversion Grant
2019                  Carolina Asia Center Course Development Grant
2019                  UNC Summer School Teaching with Technology Mini-Grant
2019                  American Institute of Iranian Studies, conference grant
2019                  Dean of Arts and Sciences funds, conference organization
2019                  Associate Provost for Global Affairs and Interim Chief Global Officer, conference organization
2018                  Institute for the Arts and Humanities Schwab Academic Excellence Award, UNC-Chapel Hill
2017                  UNC University Research Council Grant
2017                  UNC First Year Seminar Course Development Grant
2017                  NYU-AD Institute Conference Organization Grant
2016                  UNC University Research Council Publication Grant
2016                  Reynolds Junior Faculty Development Award, UNC-Chapel Hill
2015                  GCSU Faculty Research Grant, Georgia College
2014                  Hammed Shahidian Critical Feminist Paper Award: “The Iranian Women’s Studies Foundation”

Publications

Peer Reviewed Monographs

2023, Transnational Culture in the Iranian Armenian Diaspora. Islamic and Middle East Studies: Diaspora and Transnationalism Series. Edinburgh University Press.

2020, Temporary Marriage in Iran: Gender and Body Politics in Modern Persian Literature and Film. Global Middle East Series. Cambridge University Press.

2017, Subjectivity in ‘Attar, Persian Sufism, and European Mysticism. Comparative Cultural Studies Series. Purdue University Press. (translated into Persian, 2021)

Peer Reviewed Edited Volume

2023, The #MeToo Movement in Iran: Reporting Sexual Violence and Harassment. edited Volume. Sex, Marriage and the Family in the Middle East series. IB Tauris/Bloomsbury Press.

Peer Reviewed Journal Articles

2024, “Love on Hold: Social Distancing and Relationships in the Era of Covid-19 in Iran,” Journal of Middle East Women’s Studies.

2022, “Iranian Armenian Poetry: Sonia Balassanian Crossing Borders of Consciousness.” Women Poets Iranica. Encyclopedia Iranica Foundation.

2022, “Seyr-e tahavol-e gofteman-e jensiati dar Iran-e modern.” (The Evolution of Gender Discourse in Modern Iran). Freedom of Thought Journal, 11/1: 77-90.

2022, “Multiple Consciousness and Transnationalism in Iranian Armenian Cultural Productions,” Middle East Critique, 31/1: 81-97.

2021, “Racial Profiling of Armenian Iranians in the U.S.: Omid Fallahazad’s ‘Citizen Vartgez’.” Iran-Namag: A Bilingual Quarterly of Iranian Studies 6/2: 154-172.

2021, Yaghoobi, Claudia, Seyed-Gohrab, Asghar, “Introduction.” Iran-Namag: A Bilingual Quarterly of Iranian Studies, 6/2: 4-12.

2021, “Over 40 Years of Resisting the Compulsory Veiling: Relating Literary Narratives to Text-Based Protests to Cyberactivism.” Journal of Middle East Women’s Studies, 17/2: 220-239.

2021, “The Significance of Armenian Language in Iranian Armenian Diasporic Literature.” The Doha Institute Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies: 1-6.

2021, “Breaking the Silences about Non-hetero Female Sexuality via Blogging in Iran: ‘The ‘not-woman, not-man’ in Saghi Ghahraman’s Poetry.” Journal of Homosexuality, 68/5: 830-848. Online September 2019

2020, “Iranian Armenians in Zoya Pirzad’s Works: Diasporic Transnational Identity.” Persian Media Productions: 1-4.

2019, “Zulaikha’s Displaced Desire in Jami’s ‘Yusuf va Zulaikha’,” Journal of Islamic and Muslim Studies, 4/2: 62-77.

2019, “The Fluidity of Iranian-Armenian Identity in Zoya Pirzad’s Things We Left Unsaid.”  Iranian Minority Women Special Issue of International Journal of Persian Literature 4/1: 103-120.

2019, Rahimieh, Nasrin, Yaghoobi, Claudia, “Introduction.”  Iranian Minority Women Special Issue of International Journal of Persian Literature 4/1: 3-7.

2019, “Selseleh marateb-e mardanegi va mardan-e hamjensgara dar Iran.” (The Hierarchy of Masculinities and Male Homosexuality in Iran). Journal of Freedom of Thought-Iran 7 1: 193-219.

2018, “Pirzad’s Diasporic Transnational Subjects in ‘A Day Before Easter’” International Journal of Persian Literature, 3/1: 110-132.

2018, “Mapping Out Socio-Cultural Decadence on the Female Body: Sadeq Chubak’s Gowhar in Sange-e Sabur.” Frontier: A Journal of Women’s Studies, Mapping Gendered Violence Special Issue 39/2: 206-232.

2018, “The Abject Outsider: “The Story of Two Gay Men.” Iran-Namag: A Bilingual Quarterly of Iranian Studies, Iranian Men and Masculinities Special Issue 3/1: 164-188.

2016, “Socially Peripheral, Symbolically Central: Sima in Behrouz Afkhami’s Shokaran.” Iranian Female Sexuality Special Issue of Asian Cinema Journal, 27/2: 151-163.

2016, “Yusuf’s “Queer” Beauty in Persian Cultural Productions.” The Comparatist, 40/1: 245-266.

2014, “Hamzisti dar Asar-e ‘Attar.” (Co-existence in ‘Attar’s Works) Rahavard Persian/English Journal of Iranian Studies, 105: 142-152.

2014, “Sexual Trauma and Spiritual Experiences: Rabi’a al- ‘A’dawiyya and Margery Kempe.” Persian Literary Studies Journal, 3/4: 73-92.

2014, “Subjectivity in ‘Attar’s Shaykh San’an Story in Conference of the Birds.” CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture, 16/1: 1-9.

2012, “Against the Current: Farid al-Din ‘Attar’s Diverse Voices.” Persian Literary Studies Journal, 1/1: 87-109.

Peer Reviewed Book Chapters

2024, “The Significance of Educator’s Self-actualization in Teaching Gender in Persian Literature.” The Art of Teaching Persian Literature: From Theory to Practice. Eds. Pouneh Shabani-Jadidi, Franklin Lewis, Asghar Seyed-Gohrab.Brill Publishing.

2023, “Introduction: Bodies, Spaces, and Places,” In Yaghoobi, C. (ed.), The #MeToo Movement in Iran: Reporting Sexual Violence and Harassment. Sex, Marriage and the Family in the Middle East series. pp. 1-10 Bloomsbury Press.

2012, “Shifting Sexual Ideology and Women’s Responses: Iran Between 1850-2010,” In Homa Hoodfar and Anissa Lucas-Helie, (eds.), Sexuality in Muslim Contexts: Restrictions and Resistance. pp. 52-80 London: Zed Books.