Rosemary Stanfield-Johnson earned her PhD from New York University in Near Eastern Languages and Literatures, in 1993. Prior to joining the University of Minnesota System, Dr. Stanfield-Johnson taught at New York University and Hofstra University as visiting assistant professor and visiting adjunct assistant professor, respectively. Between 1994-2000, she held various travel and research grants, including the American Research Center in Egypt, American Institute of Yemeni Studies, Osmania University, Hyderabad India as a Senior Research Fulbright Scholar, and the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, NJ, in the School of Historical Studies. Since 2000, she has traveled to Iran, Jordan, Armenia, and India with support from the University of Minnesota.
Dr. Stanfield-Johnson's research began with a study of the advent of Shi’ism as the required religion of the realm in Iran under the Safavid house at the turn of the 16th century, emphasizing factional and political popular identity in the transformation of society and gradually turned to early fiction covering the same themes. Her research and publications have frequently engaged unpublished hand-written manuscripts in Persian and Arabic.
Select Publications
“From One Thousand and One Nights to Safavid Iran: A Persian Tawaddud,” Der Islam, 94 (1) 2017: 158-191.
“Yuzbashi-yi Kurd Bacheh and ‘Abd al-Mu’min Khan the Uzbek: A Tale of Revenge in the Dastan of Husayn-I Kurd,” Muraqqa’e Sharqi, Soussie Kerman-Rastegar and Anna Vanzan, (eds), Dogana: AIEP Editore S.r.l., 2007, pp. 165-179.
“The Tabarra’iyan and the Early Safavids,” Iranian Studies, 37 (1), 2004: 47-7. A study of a theology of the street in Safavid Iran.
“The Hyderabad Connection in the Hoseyn-e Kord,” Deccan Studies, 2 (2), 2004:73-85:
“Sunni Survival in Safavid Iran: Anti-Sunni Activities during the Reign of Tahmasp I,” Iranian Studies, 27 (1-4), 1994: 123-133.
Courses
Hist 1027 ~ Introduction to Islam
Hist 3735 ~ Muslim Societies
Hist 3728 ~ Muhammad to the Ottomans
Hist 3720 ~ History of Iran
Hist 3730 ~ Ascetics, Mystics, and Yogis
Hist 3726 ~ Modern Middle East
Hist 4727 ~ Middle Eastern History Through Film
Hist 4999 ~ Capstone Seminar
Hist 3091 ~ Directed Study in Arabic Language 1
Memberships
Member/Advising of the Graduate Faculty of the Center for Medieval Studies, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Member/Advising of the Graduate Faculty of Liberal Studies, University of Minnesota Duluth