This talk examines two contemporary documentaries on the ancient Persian tradition of blackface comedy (sīyāh bāzī). Together, Maryam Khakipour’s 2004 The Joymakers and her 2008 Shadi form an exemplary site for examining the tradition's proliferating disseminations and translations across time and space. Through engagement with Persian commentary on sīyāh bāzī’s convoluted lineage as it is evoked by Khakipour’s films, this talk suggests that sīyāh bāzī’s tramsmediality reveals a universal familiarity inherent in the practice of blackface comedy that revises our commonplace assumptions about its geographical and historical itinerary.
When: Wednesday, February 12 at 4:00pm
Where: Library North, 2200 (Alpern Room)
Light refreshments will be served.
Sponsored by the Middle East and North Africa Studies Program at Binghamton University
