In Iranian Hospitality, Afghan Marginality, Yarbakhsh, an independent scholar, describes the situation of Afghan refugees in Shiraz, a city in southern Iran. The author spent a year living in Shiraz interviewing both Afghan refugees and their Iranian hosts. While Iranians are often noted for their traditions of hospitality toward foreigners, many find the Afghans beneath them and treat them accordingly, as reported here.... This well-written book provides both an introduction to the norms of Iranian hospitality and to the situation currently facing Afghan refugees in Shiraz. Although the book contains some academic jargon, it will be interesting for most readers. Recommended.

Choice Reviews

Iranian Hospitality, Afghan Marginality sets a new standard in the political ethnography of the Middle East. It is written in a way that appeals both to scholars and practitioners interested in migrants' experiences and survival strategies. Based on extensive fieldwork in Iran, Elisabeth Yarbakhsh tells a vivid and compelling story of Afghan refugees in the country and their complex and often baffling interaction with the host society.

Kirill Nourzhanov, The Australian National University

Remarkable for its lucidity, fieldwork, interdisciplinarity, and command of the literature, Elisabeth Yarbakash’s Iranian Hospitality, Afghan Marginality is a timely and authoritative study of the ethics and politics of hospitality in Iran. Yarbakash demonstrates succinctly how hospitality towards Afghan refugees is used to foster a sense of an exclusive nationhood that keeps those perceived as others at its margins. This is essential reading for academics working on refugee studies, sociology, and anthropology of migration in the Global South, and anyone wishing to better understand Iranian society and politics.

Karima Laachir, The Australian National University

In Iran, the ‘guesting’ of Afghan refugees has always been a double-edged sword. Through incisive ethnographic observation, conversation, and conviviality over shared meals, Elisabeth Yarbakhsh prises apart the morally compelling, but fundamentally illusive, promise of hospitality. Working across scale and time, this searching and beautifully written book is at once an engaging tour of the city of Shiraz and centuries of Persian culture, as well as a sensitively attuned reflection on the challenges of life under the terms of a sanctuary that inscribes insecurity and exclusion.

Melinda Hinkson, Deakin University

Iranian Hospitality, Afghan Marginality offers original and thorough insights on the critical topic of Afghan migrants in Iran. Yarbakhsh brilliantly provides a profound and incisive analysis of social and societal identities by focusing on the experience of Afghan migrants in the city of Shiraz, Iran. This multidisciplinary work is a great contribution to the field of Iranian studies and should be highly recommended to anyone interested in examining identity, culture, ethnicity, and migration.

Alam Saleh, Australian National University