Selected Grants

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 Funded by the Korean National Commission for UNESCO  under the International Joint Research Grants on Transnational Heritage programme, "Heritage-Border Complexes and the Future of Eurasia" is a pilot study that investigates the complex interactions between cultural heritage and borders within Eurasia. It develops the concept of heritage–border complexes as an analytical framework to explore how cultural legacies and territorial demarcations mutually influence each other, particularly in this geopolitically significant region. By examining the roles of various actors—such as intergovernmental organisations and diasporic communities—the project seeks to understand how heritage narratives shape and are shaped by emerging geopolitical landscapes and national boundaries.

The project is directed towards academic outcomes, capacity building, and educational and policy objectives. It has also benefitted from the support of Aarhus University, Denmark, and the University of Southampton, UK.

 This phase of the project was presented to our funding body—the Korean National Commission for UNESCO (KNCU)—and a group of Korean and international experts in early November 2024. Following their assessment of the proposal’s merits and the progress of the pilot, we were subsequently awarded a three-year grant to pursue our lines of inquiry.

Through a generous funding received from the Soudavar Memorial Foundation (£ 4100.00) and co-sponsorship of the Alfred Deakin Institute, this research examines the use of historical collections in the construction and dissemination of an official and ideologically-sanctioned rendition of national identity in Azerbaijani museums. The proposed project is a pilot study, which contributes to a larger project about the official representations of Iranian culture and heritage within Central Asia and Caucasus (broadly, West Asia). The primary focus of the project is on the Independence Museum of Azerbaijan  in Baku.  

This project complements DECRA 2017 by taking a specific focus on the question of nationalism and identity making through heritage (political or otherwise) the past in West Asia. The project serves as a pilot study for larger project focusing on the region. 

One round of field trips was undertaken in 2019, with another round anticipated for 2020. Under the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, this round of fieldwork and data collection is temporarily suspended. 

Having made a preliminary visual and documentary archive for the project, the task of historical and museological analysis is proceeding with a critical heritage studies lens.  

The anticipated output is a scholarly publication focusing on the Independence Museum of Azerbaijan. 

Other outputs thus far include:

• related Paper accepted for presentation at the Association of Iranian Studies conference 2020 in Spain. 
• Panel and paper accepted for presentation at the Association of Critical Heritage Studies conference 2020, London

The project has transformed and expanded in scope. The initial findings fed into a number of papers and have formed the empirical background to the concept of Heritage-Border Complexes.  

This project aims to examine pre-Islamic heritage as a potential contributor to a more stable Middle East by studying its role in an emergent Iranian zone of cultural influence in the Middle East. Understanding contributing factors to stability in the Middle East is crucial to managing Australia’s cultural, economic, and security concerns. The project will develop a situated, multi-scalar method of analysis to establish the function of pre-Islamic heritage using the Parsa-Pasargadae region as an illustrative example. The project expects to deliver insights into the culture and collective identity formation within Muslim societies and provide a platform for comparative research in the Middle East. 

In light of political developments in Iran and in response to ensuing security concerns, the scope and focus of the project had to be adjusted after a few months from the start of the project. As a result, the project shifted focus to South Caucasus and  Central Asia. 

During the first few months, however, research on aspects of heritage in Iran continued as reflected in project outcomes. 

Having produced some analysis in Iran, the project is currently examining the formation of national(ist) representations in heritage in Azerbaijan. 

This is primarily done through the analysis of representational sites such as (chiefly) the Independence Museum of Azerbaijan. 

Books | Edited Volumes

• Mozaffari, A., & Jones, T. (Eds.). (2020). Heritage Movements in Asia: Cultural Heritage Activism, Politics, and Identity (Vol. 2). Berghahn Books. 

Book Chapters

• Mozaffari, A., and Jones, T. (2020). Negotiation, Strategic Action and the Production of Heritage. Heritage Movements in Asia: Cultural Heritage Activism, Politics, and Identity, 2, 1-31.
• Jones, T., Mozaffari, A., & Jasper, J. M. (2020). Understanding Heritage Activism. Heritage Movements in Asia: Cultural Heritage Activism, Politics, and Identity, 2, 32–55. 
• Mozaffari, A. (2020). Heritage Activism and the Media (Framing) in Iran, 2005–2013. Heritage Movements in Asia: Cultural Heritage Activism, Politics, and Identity, 2, 170-196. 
• Mozaffari, A., Karimian, R., & Mousavi, S. (2017). The return of the ‘Idea of Iran(2005–2015). Tourism and political change, 186–199.
• Mozaffari, A., & Westbrook, N. (2017). Reclaiming Heritage Through the Image of Traditional Habitat. In The Making of Islamic Heritage (pp. 47–65),. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. 

Journal Articles

• Mozaffari, A., & Westbrook, N. (2018). Designing a revolutionary habitat: tradition, heritage and housing in the immediate aftermath of the Iranian Revolution—continuities and disruptions. Fabrications, 28(2), 185-211. 
• Clarke, A., Dewi, C., Greenop, K., Mozaffari, A., Salma, K., Westbrook, N., & Winter, T. (2018). Reflecting on the Politics of Patrimony. Fabrications, 28(2), 256-271. 
• Mozaffari, A. (2017). Picturing Pasargadae: Visual representation and the ambiguities of heritage in Iran. Iranian Studies, 50(4), 601-634. 
• Jones, T., Mozaffari, A., & Jasper, J. M. (2017). Heritage contests: What can we learn from social movements?. Heritage & Society, 10(1), 1–25. 

Other Publications

•  Far From A Rallying Cry, Death Of Divisive Soleimani Foreshadows Iran’s Decline Commentary after the assassination of Qasem Soleimani. Radio Farda (English Website). January 2020. 

Heritage in West Asia: Stability or Conflict 

Public film screening:  Taq Kasra: Wonder of Architecture. Screened in National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne,  Wednesday, 30 January 2019. 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm AEDT
See trailer.

Broad theoretical outcomes and provocations, coming soon.