Farshid Emami

Farshid Emami is an Associate Professor of Art History at Rice University's Department of Art History within the School of Humanities. Specializing in the history of architecture, urbanism, and the arts in the Islamic lands with a focus on early modern period and particularly Safavid Iran, he joined Rice University in 2020 after teaching at Oberlin College for 2.5 years. His academic journey includes a Ph.D. in History of Art and Architecture from Harvard University (2017), a master's degree in Architecture Studies from MIT (2011), an M.A. from the University of Tehran, and a B.A. from Shahid Beheshti University.

Emami's research explores global histories of early modernity, interactions of architecture and literature, social histories of the arts, and artistic exchange in the Persianate lands. His forthcoming book Isfahan: Architecture and Urban Experience in Early Modern Iran (Penn State University Press, Spring 2024) offers a new narrative of seventeenth-century Isfahan through the lens of urban experience. His scholarly work has appeared in prestigious journals including Metropolitan Museum Journal, Journal for Early Modern Cultural Studies, and Muqarnas.

At Rice, Emami teaches introductory survey courses on art history and Islamic art and architecture, as well as specialized courses like the global history of coffeehouses and teahouses. His recent seminars have addressed Persianate Arts of the Book, Architecture and Literature in Islamic Cultures, and Architecture, Trade, and Power in Early Modern Islamic Empires. His publications demonstrate consistent scholarly output across multiple subfields of Islamic art history, with particular emphasis on Safavid Iran, urban spaces, and cross-cultural artistic exchange.

Among his professional honors, Emami was an Andrew M. Mellon Fellow at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (2017-2018), received the Frederick Sheldon Traveling Fellowship from Harvard University (2014-2015), and was a Presidential Scholar Fellow at Harvard (2011-2013).

• Andrew M. Mellon Fellowship, Metropolitan Museum of Art (2017-2018)
• Frederick Sheldon Traveling Fellowship, Harvard University (2014-2015)
• Presidential Scholar Fellowship, Harvard University (2011-2013)

Emami's teaching portfolio demonstrates his commitment to both introductory survey courses and specialized seminars that explore the intersections of architecture, literature, and urban experience in Islamic cultures. His work bridges architectural history with social history, examining how built environments shape and are shaped by human experience, particularly in early modern Iran.