Folktales and Storytellers of Iran

What are the myths and stories that penetrate a society's everyday practices? What are the un-questioned 'truths' that hold the keys to understanding both the concept of self-perception and group identity? Here, Erika Friedl highlights the role of the fairytale and folklore in the creation, transmission and manipulation of regional and national identities. Having carried out anthropological research in Iran since 1965, Friedl is uniquely placed to analyse the ways in which the folklore and fairy tales - both the stories themselves and the telling of the stories - have an impact on the idea of what it means to be 'Iranian'. Friedl approaches the relationship between nation and mythology at an ethnographic level, attempting to unite folktale texts with life as lived by the storytellers and listeners. This approach grounded in lived experience allows Friedl to detail the ways in which Iranians think about their lives and their culture by investigating the folktales that articulate,