Eden Naby
Encyclopedia
Eden Naby is an Assyrian
cultural historian of Central Asia
and the Middle East. She was born in the once important Assyrian
village of Golpashan
, located outside Urmia
in Iran
. Eden Naby has conducted research, taught and published on minority issues in countries from Turkey
to Tajikistan
. Her work on Afghanistan
and on the Assyrians
stands out in the field of cultural survival. She is married to Richard Frye and they have one son, Nels Frye.
After attending Temple University
in 1964 for her undergraduate degree
, she served in the Peace Corps
in Afghanistan, and after receiving her PhD
(1975, Columbia University
) she taught in Iran. In 1980 she led a CBS
60 Minutes
team for the first ever filming of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. She was featured in Charlie Wilson's War
(2008) with Dan Rather
.
Naby has devoted her time since 1979 to establishing endowments at United States universities to promote the preservation of Assyrian archives, publishing, and lectures. While limited in principle, these endowments, especially at Harvard University
, lay the basis for the preservation of research materials, especially in diaspora.
Among her writings are many articles in the Assyrian Star (2001–2007) aimed at the of eliciting knowledge about Assyrian culture
from knowledgeable members of the community. She has also mounted three exhibits (Harvard, 1998, 1999, Boston Public Library 2005) using Assyrian family photographs and the Harvard archives to illustrate 19th-20th century Assyrian history. As contributing editor on modern Assyrians for the Encyclopædia Iranica
, she is responsible for hundreds of entries on the Assyrians.
Assyrian people
The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...
cultural historian of Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
and the Middle East. She was born in the once important Assyrian
Assyrian people
The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...
village of Golpashan
Golpashan
The Assyrian Christian village of Golpashan is located in the Western Azerbaijan province in Iran. It is located on the western shore of Lake Urmia....
, located outside Urmia
Urmia
- Demographics :According to official census of 2006, the population of Urmia is about 871,204.- Language :The population of Urmia is mainly Azerbaijani people, with Kurdish, Assyrian Christian, and Armenian minorities...
in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. Eden Naby has conducted research, taught and published on minority issues in countries from Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
to Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
. Her work on Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and on the Assyrians
Assyrian people
The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...
stands out in the field of cultural survival. She is married to Richard Frye and they have one son, Nels Frye.
After attending Temple University
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
in 1964 for her undergraduate degree
Undergraduate degree
An undergraduate degree is a colloquial term for an academic degree taken by a person who has completed undergraduate courses. It is usually offered at an institution of higher education, such as a university...
, she served in the Peace Corps
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
in Afghanistan, and after receiving her PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
(1975, Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
) she taught in Iran. In 1980 she led a CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
team for the first ever filming of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. She was featured in Charlie Wilson's War
Charlie Wilson's War
Charlie Wilson's War is a 2007 American biographical comedy drama film recounting the true story of U.S. Congressman Charlie Wilson who partnered with "bare knuckle attitude" CIA operative Gust Avrakotos to launch Operation Cyclone, a program to organize and support the Afghan mujahideen in their...
(2008) with Dan Rather
Dan Rather
Daniel Irvin "Dan" Rather, Jr. is an American journalist and the former news anchor for the CBS Evening News. He is now managing editor and anchor of the television news magazine Dan Rather Reports on the cable channel HDNet. Rather was anchor of the CBS Evening News for 24 years, from March 9,...
.
Naby has devoted her time since 1979 to establishing endowments at United States universities to promote the preservation of Assyrian archives, publishing, and lectures. While limited in principle, these endowments, especially at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, lay the basis for the preservation of research materials, especially in diaspora.
Among her writings are many articles in the Assyrian Star (2001–2007) aimed at the of eliciting knowledge about Assyrian culture
Assyrian culture
-Celebrations:Throughout the years, Assyrians celebrate many different kinds of traditions within their communities, with the majority of the traditions being tied to religion some way...
from knowledgeable members of the community. She has also mounted three exhibits (Harvard, 1998, 1999, Boston Public Library 2005) using Assyrian family photographs and the Harvard archives to illustrate 19th-20th century Assyrian history. As contributing editor on modern Assyrians for the Encyclopædia Iranica
Encyclopædia Iranica
Encyclopædia Iranica is a project whose goal is to create a comprehensive and authoritative English language encyclopedia about the history, culture, and civilization of Iranian peoples from prehistory to modern times...
, she is responsible for hundreds of entries on the Assyrians.
Select bibliography
- "The End of Christianity in the Middle East?" by Eden Naby and Jamsheed K. Choksy. Foreign PolicyForeign PolicyForeign Policy is a bimonthly American magazine founded in 1970 by Samuel P. Huntington and Warren Demian Manshel.Originally, the magazine was a quarterly...
. November 2, 2010. - "Foreword to Walking the Precipice: Witness to the Rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan" by Barbara Bick. New York, The Feminist Press, 2008
- "Theater, Language and Inter-Ethnic Exchange: Assyrian Performance before World War I." Iranian Studies, Volume 40, Issue 4 September 2007, pages 501 - 51
- "The First Kurdish Periodical in Iran", International Journal of Kurdish Studies Vol. 20, nos. 1&2 (2006) pp. 215–233
- "The Plight of Christians in Iraq," The New York Review of Books, Volume 53, Number 19 November 30, 2006
- "Ishtar: Documenting the Crisis in the Assyrian Iranian Community", Middle East Review of International Affairs, Vol. 10, no. 4, (December 2006), pp 92–102
- "Honey and Vinegar: Attitudes toward Iran's Assyrian Christians". 2006.
- Introduction The Well of Ararat by Emmanuel Varandyan. Belmont, Massachusetts : Armenian Heritage Press/National Association for Armenian Studies and Research, c2005
- "Almost Family: Assyrians and Armenians in Massachusetts," Armenians of New England : celebrating a culture and preserving a heritage ed. Marc A. Mamigonian. (Belmont, Massachusetts : Armenian Heritage Press, 2004), p. 43-52.
Selected book titles
- (with Michael E. Hopper) The Assyrian experience : sources for the study of the 19th and 20th centuries : from the holdings of the Harvard University Libraries (with a selected bibliography). .Cambridge, Massachusetts : Harvard College Library, 1999.
- (with Ralph Magnus) Afghanistan : mullah, Marx, and mujahid. Boulder, Colo. : Westview Press, 1998, rpt. 2002.