Ali Mozaffari

Ali Mozaffari

Ali Mozaffari (1969) obtained his MArch (master of Architecture Degree) in Tehran University in 1995. He practiced as an Architect in Iran in the fields of architecture, Urban Design, and Regional Planning. In 1999 he immigrated to Australia where he practiced in architectural firms and tutored and coordinated design studios in UWA. In 2003, Ali was awarded an APA to conduct his research on the contemporary meaning of heritage in Iran.

Ali’s research related activities to date include publications (conference proceedings and forthcoming book chapters), presentation in international conferences, active participation and key role in a successful UWA small grant for research on theory of heritage in Iran (ongoing), forging an ongoing collaborative link with high-level officials in the Iranian Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (ICHTO), establishing links with other international bodies and organizations interested in Iranian studies.

His latest research related activity includes articipation in and contribution to organization of a panel presentation on the topic of East-West exchange in the context of (Society of Architectural Historians of Australia and New Zealand) SAHANZ 2006. This panel includes members from UWA (Nigel Westbrook, Ali Mozaffari, and Cyrus Menasseh) and two other members from Israel (Professor Rudolf Klein) and Iran (Dr. Mohammad-Hassan Talebian). For further information please visit: http://sahanz.curtin.edu.au/

His doctoral research, The contemporary meaning of heritage in Iran (working title), concerns the analysis of spaces of narration, representation, and dissemination of Iranian national identity through heritage. He focuses on especially a number of museums and monuments in that country Iran. He approaches this goal through the examination of the relationship between heritage and tradition as sources for the construction of religious and national identities.

The research is comparative and draws on aspects of East-West exchanges to inform and construct a context for discussion on Iran. Through the use of case studies and tangible examples this cross-disciplinary and theoretical research addresses theoretical themes such as the dialectic of tradition – informed by Shiism – and modernization in Iran and the emergence and construction of contemporary national identity. Museums (and heritage) and their architecture in Iran are analysed via these themes.