by Candace Barrington
On 5 September, Alireza Mahdipour successfully defended his Ph.D. thesis, “Chaucerian Economies: Reading The Canterbury Tales through New Economic Criticism,” at University of Isfahan, Iran. The topic was a fitting one for Dr. Mahdipour to tackle. Not only has he given us the only Farsi translation of The Canterbury Tales, but Isfahan sits on the Silk Road where it has been a major trading center for centuries. This background certainly shaped why he chose to think about Chaucer’s pilgrims and their tales through an economic lens.
I had hoped to attend his defense via video-conferencing (at 1:30am Eastern Time!), but last-minute technological snafus made my virtual presence impossible. In any case, it’s exciting to have a newly credentialed Chaucerian (with long-standing expertise) in Iran.
#gaudete to Dr Mahdipour! Thanks for this post, Candace. This is wonderful news. I’m hoping that, a) since you cite the title in English, the dissertation is also in English and b) it won’t be long before this new and exciting work is available. This is all kinds of wow!
Cheers, Jenna Mead
I appreciate Professor Candace Barrington’s assistance, encouragement, and patience in this project, and I hope, she and other Chaucer scholars of the globe will visit Isfahan, and other cities of Iran. I wish I would play the Host in this pilgrimage!
(alireza.mahdipour@gmail.com)
I think you’d make a fabulous Host, Alireza!