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Leonard Michael Helfgott
Western Washington University
History Department
Bellingham, Washington, 98225
helfgott@cc.wwu.edu
360-650-3095
Web Site: www.wwu.edu/~helfgott





Employment and Education:

  • Professor of History, Western Washington University
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  • Ph.D., 1972, University of Maryland.



    • Scholarly Grants, External Positions:

  • Visiting Scholar, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard University,1996-1997.


  • Northwest faculty member:, Northwest Intercollegiate Consortium for Study Abroad Program, Siena, Italy, Fall, 1990.


  • Senior Research Fellow, Department of Oriental Studies, University of Pennsylvania, 1988-89.


  • Visiting Associate Professor, History Department and Center for Middle Eastern Studies, University of Washington, 1991, 1987, 1984, 1982.


  • Research Fellow, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard University, 1980-81.


  • 1976-77 - Senior Fulbright Scholar to Israel.


  • 1967-68 - Fulbright Scholar to Iran.


  • Summer Research Grant, Western Washington University, 1987, 1985, 1978; travel grant, summer, 1990, Bureau for Faculty Research.




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    Scholarly Activities:

    | Books | Articles | Film Reviews | Book Reviews | Conference and Scholarly Papers presented | Other Conference Participation | Carpet, Textile, Art Exhibitions | Teaching | General Education Courses | Upper division and graduate courses | Public Lectures since 1980 | Other Professional Activities | University and community service |
    Books:
  • Ties That Bind: A Social History of the Iranian Carpet, Smithsonian Institution Press, Paperback edition , 1996
    • .

  • Ties That Bind: A Social History of the Iranian Carpet. Smithsonian Institution

    • Press, 1994. Nominated for the Albert Hourani Award of the Middle East Studies Association for the best book in Middle East Studies for 1994; nominated for the Eugene M. Kayden Press Book Award of the University of Colorado for the best book in the humanities for 1994.


  • Book Chapter:
    "The Persian Carpet Industry: Production and Trade," in Woven from the Soul, Spun from the Heart: Textile Arts of Safavid and Qajar Iran (16th-19th Centuries) ed., C. Bier, pp. 107-120, Washington, D.C.: Textile Museum, 1987.




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    Articles:

  • "Carpets and Capitalism: Iran's New Proletariat," In proceedings of Symposium, "Carpets from the Islamic World," Allen Art Museum, Oberlin College, September 11, 1993.(under consideration by Brill, 1995).


  • "Carpet Collecting in Iran: Robert Murdoch Smith and the Formation of the Modern Persian Art Carpet Industry," Muqarnas, Volume VII, 1990, pp. 171-181.


  • "Review Essay: The Asiatic Mode of Production, ed. by A. M. Bailey and J. R. Llobera, Routledge, Keagan and Paul, 1981, in Science and Society 47:3 (1983), pp. 367-370.


  • "Tribe and Uymaq in Iran," Iranian Studies 16:1-2 (1983), pp. 73-78.


  • "Historians, Anthropologists and the Concept of Tribe in Iran Studies," Symposium on Interdisciplinary Aspects of Academic Disciplines, ed., V. Milicic, WWU (1983) pp. 69-74.


  • "Structural Foundations of the National Minority Problem in Iran," in The Iranian Revolution in Perspective, ed., F. Kazemi, Iranian Studies 13 (1980), pp. 195-214.


  • "Iran: Capitalist Formation on the Periphery," Review of Iranian Political Economy and History 1 (1977), pp. 3-27.


  • "Tribalism as a Socioeconomic Formation in Iranian History," Iranian Studies 10:1-2 (1977), pp. 36-71.


  • "American-Egyptian Relations," Invited column for Portland Oregonian, February 4, 1987.




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    Film Reviews:

  • "A Door to the Sky" and "The Puppeteer" in American Historical Review, October, 1994.




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    Book Reviews:

    In Middle East Studies Association Bulletin, International Journal of Middle East Studies, MERIP Reports, Science and Society, Iranian Studies, American Historical Review, Middle East Journal

  • Journalism: reports and essays on Israeli politics for "In These Times," 1976-78.



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    Conference and Scholarly Papers presented:

  • "Women and Carpet Production in Iran," American Conference on Oriental Rugs, San Francisco, May, 2000.


  • "The Iranian Cottage Industry and Carpet Production, 1880-1939" Center For Middle East Studies, Harvard University, Nov., 1996
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  • "Pastoral Nomadism and Carpet Production in Iran, 1880-1939", Center for Middle East Studies, Harvard University, April, 1997
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  • "Iran's New Working Class" Center for Middle East Studies, Harvard University, May, 1997
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  • "Carpets and the New Iranian Proletariat," paper presented at the Greater Pacific Northwest Regional Middle East Seminar, Portland, Oregon, April 29, 1995.


  • "Modernization Theory and Middle Eastern Society," paper presented at the Pacific Northwest Political Science Association Conference, October, 1995.


  • "Carpets and Capitalism: Iran's New Proletariat," Symposium, "Carpets from the Islamic World," Allen Art Museum, Oberlin College, September 11, 1993.


  • "Persian Rugs and Changing World Markets: Timurid Times to the Twentieth Century," College Art Association Annual Conference, Washington, D.C., Feb. 21, 1991.


  • "Kirman area: Carpet Industry and Markets," American Council for the Study of Islamic Societies, Philadelphia, May 21, 1988.


  • "18th Century Merchant Networks, Ethnicity and Tribalism as Underlying Elements in the Emergence of the Modern Persian Carpet Industry," International Conference on Oriental Carpets, Vienna, September, 1986.


  • "Contemporary American-Egyptian Relations," invited paper, World Affairs Council, Portland, Oregon, February 3, 1987.


  • "Turks, Pastoral Nomadism and the Origins of Piled Carpet Weaving," International Conference on Turkish Carpets, Istanbul, October, 1984.


  • "Iranian Anthropology and the Concept of Tribe," Middle East Studies Association Meetings, Seattle, Nov., 1981. Paper presented with Professor Lois Beck, Anthropology Department, Washington University in St. Louis.


  • "National Minorities in Iran," Middle East Seminar, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard University, Nov. 17, 1980.


  • "Tribalism as a Socioeconomic Formation in Iranian History," Middle East Studies Association, Nov., 1977.


  • "Dependency Theory and Iran: an Inquiry," American Political Science Association, 1976.




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    Other Conference Participation:

  • "Gender and Social Conditions in Arab Societies," Panel chair and discussant, Middle East Studies Association meetings, Washington, D.C ., Dec. 7, 1995.


  • "Arts and Crafts in the Middle East," Middle East Studies Association Meetings, Phoenix, November, 1994. Chair and discussant.


  • "The Islamic Republic of Iran," Middle East Studies Association Meetings, Chicago, November, 1984, Chair and discussant.


  • Invited discussant, "The Iranian Revolution and the Islamic Republic," Conference at Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, Smithsonian, May 21-23, 1982.




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    Carpet, Textile, Art Exhibitions:

  • Guest Curator, " The Art of Robert Davidson," Whatcom County Museum of Art and History, November, 1990 - January, 1991.


  • Consultant to Textile Museum Exhibition "Safavid and Post Safavid Carpets and Textiles," Textile Museum, Washington, D.C., September, 1987.


  • Guest Curator, Viking Art Gallery, WWU, exhibition "Rugs and Textiles of the Middle East," May, 1983.


  • Guest Curator, "Qashqa'i Carpets and Textiles," Burke Museum of Anthropology, University of Washington, Nov., 1981.


  • Guest Curator, "The Warp and Weft of Islam," Whatcom County Museum of Art and History," 1978.




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    Teaching:

    Recently developed courses:

  • The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict, History 487c and History 587 (graduate level)


  • The Euro-American Experience, course taught in American Cultural Studies , 1995.


  • Graduate Seminar in World's Fairs and other Spectacles


  • History of the Jews in Italy: course developed for NICSA program in Siena, Fall, 1990
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  • History of Women in the Middle East


  • Film as History: course developed in past eight years to integrate use of film in teaching history; titles have included: "Film and the Third World," "Film and the Holocaust," "Film and Politics," "Communism, Anti-Communism and the American Film" and most recently (2001) War and Peace in the Twentieth Century."




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    General Education Courses:

  • History of Islamic Civilization


  • History of the Jews




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    Upper division and graduate courses:

  • Islamic Middle East to 1800


  • Islamic Middle East from 1800


  • Palestinian-Israeli Conflict


  • Women in Middle Eastern Society


  • Seminars in Middle East and European history


  • Graduate Seminar in World's Fairs and other Public Spectacles




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    Public Lectures since 1980

  • "Orientalism in Nineteenth Century French Art", in "Through Western Eyes: An Interdisciplinary Exploration of European Art," Whatcom Museum of History and Arty, Feb. 9, 2003
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  • "From the Stone Age to the Nuclear Age: Iraq, from the Sumerians to Saddam Hussein," with Steven Garfinkle, Campus Presentation, October 22, 2002.


  • "The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict," Academy for Life Long Learning, Bellingham, Spring, 2002.


  • "Islam and the Politics of the Twenty First Century," WWU Retirement Organization, February, 2002
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  • Panel participant, Terrorism and September 11, WWU, November, 2001.


  • "Islam and the Politics of the Twenty First Century," WWU, Campus Presentation, October, 2001.


  • "The Iranian Carpet Industry: A History," Seattle Textile and Rug Society, March, 1999.


  • "Women and Carpet Making in Iran," Calgary Textile Society, Calgary, , May, 1999.


  • "Carpets and Capitalism in Iran," Armenian Historical Association and New England Rug Society, Jan., 1997.


  • "On Freedom of the Arts," Speech at Mayors Arts Awards, April, 1995, reprinted in Bellingham Herald.


  • "Carpet Weaving in Iran," Friends of the Fairhaven Library, February, 1995.


  • "Women and Carpet Weaving in Iran," Phi Alpha Theta, History Department, WWU, November 8, 1994.


  • "The U.S.-Iraq War: Long Range Perspectives," Social Science Forum sponsored by Political Science Department, W.W.U., 4 Feb., 1991.


  • "The U.S. Iraq War," Panel on war sponsored by WWU administration, Jan. 1991.


  • "Carpets as Mirrors of Middle Eastern Societies," Whatcom County Museum of Art and History," 23 April, 1987.


  • "Lusty, Seamy Undercurrents in Weimar Germany, " Fairhaven College Lecture Series on Bertold Brecht, January, 1987.


  • "History of the Oriental Carpet," Asian Arts Society, Vancouver, B.C., March, 1986.


  • "Goats, Sheep, Wool, Hats and the British East India Company in Persia, 1715-1750," Sigma Xi Lecture Series, Western Washington University, Feb., 1986.


  • "The Lebanon Disaster," Pacific Lutheran University, April, 1985.


  • "Carpet Production in Iran," University of Washington, Middle Eastern Center, Lecture Series "Sights, Smells and tastes of the Middle East," April, 1983. March, 1985.


  • "History of Rug production in Iran," Bellevue Art Museum in conjunction with exhibition "Kings, Heroes and Lovers: The Art and Culture of Iran," September 7, 1984.


  • "City Rugs, Nomadic Rugs, and Village Rugs," Seattle Art Museum Series, "The Environment: Cultural Definitions," March, 1983.


  • "Rug Production in Iran," Viking Art Gallery, Western Washington University, in conjunction with exhibition "Rugs and textiles of the Middle East," May, 1983.


  • "Marx, Marxists and the Third World," Deans Lecture Series, College of Arts and Sciences, W.W.U., February, 1982.


  • "Religious Repression in Islamic Iran," WWU forum on religious repression sponsored by Associate Students, Winter, 1982.


  • "The Conflict in Lebanon ," panel sponsored by Associate Students, WWU, Fall, 1983.


  • "Oppression of Bahais in Iran," to local Bahai community, Bellingham, Wa., Jan., 1982.


  • "The Arab-Israeli Conflict," Lafayette College, April, 1981.


  • "The Islamic Revolution in Iran," Lafayette College, April, 1981.


  • "The Islamic Revolution in Iran," University of Rhode Island, Nov., 1980.




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    Other Professional Activities:

  • Book Review Editor, Bulletin of the Middle East Studies Association, 1985-1988.


  • Middle East Studies Association Meetings, Arrangements Committee, 1981.


  • Manuscript reader, University of Texas Press, 1984, 1987; Smithsonian Institute Press, 1987, 1994, 1996; University of Washington Press, 1989; University of California Press, 1990; Columbia University Press, 1991; Yale University Press, 1993; International Journal of Middle East Studies,1989, 1991.




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    University and community service:

  • Chair, Faculty Senate Grievance Committee, 2001-present.


  • President, Campus AAUP, 1999-present.


  • Graduate Advisor, History Department, 1994-1996.


  • Fulbright advisor, Western Washington University, 1992-1996.


  • University Planning Council, 1986-1988.


  • Graduate Council, 1990-1992; 1986-1988; 1979-1983.


  • Step Extension Committee, College of Arts and Sciences, chairman, 1987; member 1986.


  • University Senate Salary and Welfare Committee, 1982-1985.


  • President, American Federation of Teachers, WWU local 2084, 1978-79.


  • Chairman, University Senate, 1975-76.


  • Chairman, Evaluation Committee for English department Graduate Program, 1982.


  • Chairman, Evaluation Committee for Psychology department Graduate Program, 1992.


  • Member, Bellingham Municipal Arts Council, 1990-1997.


  • Member, Bellingham Municipal Landmarks Review Board-1992-1998.




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    many other departmental and university committees.