Read on Twitter
a bunch of folks are taking the exam so I'm going to be checking the chat a bunch
which might make today's #NUglobalrel #LectureThread kind of anemic
then again, the slideshow is BEEFY so y'all probably don't mind
which might make today's #NUglobalrel #LectureThread kind of anemic
then again, the slideshow is BEEFY so y'all probably don't mind
Broad strokes, #NUglobalrel: Zoroastrianism is possibly the world's oldest monotheistic religion
Ahura Mazda, the Wise Lord, eventually wins out against Angra Mainyu, the Spirit of Destruction
tradition is named after Zarathustra / Zoroaster, its founder (thanks, Europeans)
Ahura Mazda, the Wise Lord, eventually wins out against Angra Mainyu, the Spirit of Destruction
tradition is named after Zarathustra / Zoroaster, its founder (thanks, Europeans)
#NUglobalrel, remember how we talked about religion and colonialism holding one another's terrible hands? And showing up in non-euro places asking folks what their religion was and who founded it and what their special book was
that's what happened here
that's what happened here
BUT Zoroastrians now also use this term themselves
Many Indian Zoroastrians also call themselves Parsis (and, as we learned, most of the world's Zoroastrians currently live in India)
#NUglobalrel
Many Indian Zoroastrians also call themselves Parsis (and, as we learned, most of the world's Zoroastrians currently live in India)
#NUglobalrel
the struggle for good (good thoughts, good words, and good deeds) is central in Zoroastrianism and symbolized in the faravahar, or Divine Glory
this is NOT: God
this IS: a pictorial representation of moral dualism
#NUglobalrel
this is NOT: God
this IS: a pictorial representation of moral dualism
#NUglobalrel
our Where in the World segment showed that while most Zoroastrians live in India and Iran (makes sense, as the religion gets started in Persia), there are also significant populations in Canada, the US, the UK, Australia, and NZ
why would this be?
#NUglobalrel
why would this be?
#NUglobalrel
did you say colonialism, #NUglobalrel?
I bet you did
bc the answer is almost always colonialism
YES: British imperialism in India = migration along British trade routes = Zoroastrians in other former British countries & the UK
I bet you did
bc the answer is almost always colonialism
YES: British imperialism in India = migration along British trade routes = Zoroastrians in other former British countries & the UK
we read Amy DePaul's piece on "The Rise of Zoroastrianism in North America"
and learned that while there's a lot of anxiety about shrinking populations globally, North American Zoroastrians doubled in the past 15 year
#NUglobalrel http://wsj.com/articles/zoroastrianism-rises-in-north-america-11593126830
and learned that while there's a lot of anxiety about shrinking populations globally, North American Zoroastrians doubled in the past 15 year
#NUglobalrel http://wsj.com/articles/zoroastrianism-rises-in-north-america-11593126830
#NUglobalrel
this is in part bc North American Zoroastrian communities tend to be more chill about "mixed" marriages and conversions
we also learned that Zoroastrians start arriving in the US in 1965 & I made you promise to remember that the 1965 immigration act is important
this is in part bc North American Zoroastrian communities tend to be more chill about "mixed" marriages and conversions
we also learned that Zoroastrians start arriving in the US in 1965 & I made you promise to remember that the 1965 immigration act is important
#NUglobalrel you also read "Judgment of the Soul on the Chinvat Bridge" on Zoroastrians' afterlife
- good thoughts/words/deeds = good place
- bad thoughts/words/deeds = bad place (for now)
everybody *eventually* winds up in the good place
https://college.cengage.com/geyser/vanvoorst_9781285434681/VV2e_Ch9_Quiz_7.pdf
- good thoughts/words/deeds = good place
- bad thoughts/words/deeds = bad place (for now)
everybody *eventually* winds up in the good place
https://college.cengage.com/geyser/vanvoorst_9781285434681/VV2e_Ch9_Quiz_7.pdf
because eventually good prevails over evil
*I* also realized we should have done Hinduism first, bc
- this story rejects reincarnation: you get one shot
- this story rejects karma: your deeds in this life immediately dictate your non-corporeal afterlife
#NUglobalrel
*I* also realized we should have done Hinduism first, bc
- this story rejects reincarnation: you get one shot
- this story rejects karma: your deeds in this life immediately dictate your non-corporeal afterlife
#NUglobalrel
a solid third of #NUglobalrel is either Hinduism or religions that reject/nuance Hindu concepts tbh
so keep an eye out for a LOT of disagreements on why life is hard, how we should make life better, and what happens after we die
so keep an eye out for a LOT of disagreements on why life is hard, how we should make life better, and what happens after we die
#NUglobalrel closed with Zoroastrianism in pop culture and global politics
pop culture-wise, I already told you about Freddie Mercury
I also mentioned _Darius the Great Is Not Okay_, a really sweet book about a US Zoroastrian kid visiting family in Iran https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/573023/darius-the-great-is-not-okay-by-adib-khorram/
pop culture-wise, I already told you about Freddie Mercury
I also mentioned _Darius the Great Is Not Okay_, a really sweet book about a US Zoroastrian kid visiting family in Iran https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/573023/darius-the-great-is-not-okay-by-adib-khorram/
(thanks to @ProfIRMF for recommending it!)
#NUglobalrel also looked at Shaun Walker's "Last of the Zoroastrians," a first-hand account of visiting important Zoroastrian sites as an insider/outsider https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/06/last-of-the-zoroastrians-parsis-mumbai-india-ancient-religion
this piece does a great job of showing that the Zoroastrian community isn't a monolith
people disagree about who should be included and how this religion should be practiced
the author also points out that large Zoroastrian businesses have supported Modi
#NUglobalrel
people disagree about who should be included and how this religion should be practiced
the author also points out that large Zoroastrian businesses have supported Modi
#NUglobalrel
who we're ALSO talking about on Friday as part of #NUglobalrel's discussion of religious nationalism https://keepingit101.buzzsprout.com/810974/4281041-smart-grrl-summer-religious-nationalism
I did NOT assign this piece, but I am here for priestesses pretty much always
#NUglobalrel https://www.middleeasteye.net/features/zoroastrian-priestesses-iran
#NUglobalrel https://www.middleeasteye.net/features/zoroastrian-priestesses-iran
and we finished by watching @kainazamaria's short film on Parsis
#NUglobalrel https://vimeo.com/65067357
#NUglobalrel https://vimeo.com/65067357
and thinking about how religious communities and leaders are adapting during quarantine https://twitter.com/kainazamaria/status/1249382468874129411
I gave you SO many keywords, #NUglobalrel -- Exam 2 is going to have more fill-in-the-blanks and fewer short answers, can you tell?
see you Friday for Hinduism!
see you Friday for Hinduism!
oh PS I noticed that for a paper that does very little religious coverage, the Wall Street Journal does a surprising number of stories on Zoroastrianism
which speaks to the influence/impact of Zoroastrian businesses on global markets, I suspect
#NUglobalrel
which speaks to the influence/impact of Zoroastrian businesses on global markets, I suspect
#NUglobalrel
