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Full-Text Articles in History

More Than One Way To Measure: Masculinity In The Zurkaneh Of Safavid Iran, Zachary T. Smith Jun 2016

More Than One Way To Measure: Masculinity In The Zurkaneh Of Safavid Iran, Zachary T. Smith

The Hilltop Review

The zurkhaneh of early modern Safavid Iran was an institution where men undertook physical training, in some ways reminiscent of a modern-day gymn. This paper attempts to theorize the zurkhaneh as a public space in which primarily non-elite men participated in the social economy of early modern Safavid Iran based upon their pursuit of the ideal of javanmardi, or young manliness. To accomplish this, this paper will combine the themes of publicity, the social utility of the body, and the authority of textuality with an examination of the physical culture of the zurkhaneh to theorize the utility, representation, and …


The Heroic Image: The Lives And Times Of Superstars In Two Golden Ages Of Sport, Philip T. Silvia Jr. Jul 1985

The Heroic Image: The Lives And Times Of Superstars In Two Golden Ages Of Sport, Philip T. Silvia Jr.

Bridgewater Review

If the Summer Olympics of 1984 or the yearly Super Bowl extravaganzas are any indication, Americans continue to be sports-obsessed. It has become increasingly important that we reflect about professional athletes and the public's perception of their role in society. I would like to take a subjective, biographical look at four dominant athletes who influenced American civilization during our two Golden Ages of Sport, namely, the 1920s and the late 1960s-1970s.