Center for Middle East Studies

Mehrdad Babadi is a cultural anthropologist specializing in marriage and gender, modern
intimacies, the transition to adulthood, and masculinities in Iran and the broader Middle East. He
earned his Ph.D. from the Department of Anthropology at Boston University in May 2023. His
dissertation, “Marriage Postponed: The Transformation of Intimacy in Contemporary Iran,” utilized
ethnographic and interview-based data to explore new patterns of youth intimacy, the evolution of
young people’s perspectives on premarital relationships, and the reasons behind the widespread
delay in marriage among university-educated young Iranians. Babadi integrates sociocultural,
psychological, and moral perspectives to explain the primary reasons for the delay in marriage. His
research concludes that the postponement of marriage, along with the rise of premarital and non-
marriage practices such as dating and cohabitation, has transformed intimacy in contemporary Iran,
leading to significant changes in gender relations and family structure.

Babadi’s work has been published in Waithood (edited by Marcia Inhorn and Nancy Smith-Hefner)
and Zanan-e Emrooz, the leading feminist journal in Iran. He is currently preparing the manuscript of
an article titled “Rhyme of Romance: How Persian Poetry Influences the Love Lives of Iranian
Youth.” This article explores the role and impact of classical Persian poetry on the romantic lives of
youth in contemporary Iran, particularly in helping them navigate their moral ambiguities.

At Brown University, Babadi will be working on the publication of his first book manuscript based on
his dissertation research, as well as writing two articles on Iranian cinema. Additionally, he will teach
a course on the Ethics and Politics of Intimacy in the Middle East in the spring of 2024 and another
on the Aesthetics and Politics of Iranian Cinema in the Fall of 2024.