Iranian studies

Germany historically has one of the more prolific places for research and writings about Iran, outside of Iran itself.[2] Iranian studies (German: Iranistik) in German-speaking countries goes as far back as 1654 AD and the publication of Golestan Saadi with translation by Adam Olearius.^[2] Classical Iranology in German began in the early nineteenth century with the research and writings of Georg Friedrich Grotefend.^[2]

Iran studies programs in Germany are at

France

The emergence of comparative Indo-European linguistics and the translation of the Avesta happened in the late eighteenth century, by French scholar Abraham Hyacinthe Anquetil-Duperron.^[3]

Iranian studies programs in France are at

The earliest recorded Swedish visitors to Iran were in the 17th century, with Bengt Bengtsson Oxenstierna (1591–1643) and Nils Matsson Kiöping [sv] (c. 1621–1680).^[4] However a Swedish gold coin from 1700s was found in an Iranian bazaar, which may indicate earlier contact between the cultures.^[4] Early Swedish scholars of Iranian studies included Nathan Söderblom (1866–1931), Henrik Samuel Nyberg (1889–1974), Geo Widengren (1907–1996), Stig Wikander (1908–1984), and Sven Hartman (1917–1988). Among contemporary Swedish Iranologists are Bo Utas (b. 1938), Carina Jahani (b. 1959), and Ashk Dahlén (b. 1972).^[4]

United Kingdom

A major European scholarly organization devoted to Iranian Studies is the Societas Iranologica Europaea, founded in 1981.^[5] The Iran Heritage Foundation was founded in 1995 and is based in London.^[6] They support Iranian studies at several universities and sponsors a wide range of public cultural events.

Other Iran studies programs in the United Kingdom are at the

Other

There are Iran studies programs in the

Richard N. Frye developed Iranian studies program in the 1950s at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

University of California, Los Angeles

An Iranian studies program was created at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1963 in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures (NELC) that was established by Wolf Leslau a few years before, in 1959. The doctoral program at UCLA is the largest program in North America, and was the home institution of Professor emeritus Hanns-Peter Schmidt who used to read Old Iranian and Old Indic (Indo-Iranistik), and is now led by M. Rahim Shayegan who also specializes in Ancient Iran.

In 2021, UCLA hosted an Indo-Persian Musical Confluence gathering, which spanned several days and was focused on the history between the sitar and setar instruments.^[7]

Other schools

During the Iranian Revolution (1978–1979) the American academic centers in Iran were closed and their assets seized. Over the past three decades since then, lack of funding and the difficulty of research travel to Iran have been major obstacles to Iranian Studies scholars that are based in North America.

Other universities in the United States where Iranian Studies classes are offered include the

The University of Toronto has an Iranian studies program. The Yarshater Lectureship in Avestan and Pahlavi Languages established at the University of Toronto is one of the most prestigious honor in the field.^[8]

In 2021, the University of Toronto partnered with the Encyclopaedia Iranica Foundation for a multiyear partnership to create the Iranian Women Poets and Iranian Cinema digital projects.^[9][10]

Organizations

The American Institute of Iranian Studies (AIIrS) is a nonprofit founded in 1967, formed to promoted Iranian and Persian studies in American educational institutions.^[11][12] The Foundation for Iranian Studies is a nonprofit founded in 1981 in Bethesda, Maryland, and since 1982 they host an oral history program.^[13] The Ilex Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1999 in Boston, Massachusetts, formed to study Mediterranean and Near Eastern civilizations.

The Iran Heritage Foundation (IHF) is a nonprofit founded in 1995 by Ali Ansari in the United Kingdom;^[14] and the parallel organization the Iran Heritage Foundation America is a nonprofit founded in 2010 in New York.

The Societas Iranologica Europaea (SIE) was founded in 1983 in Rome,^[15][16] with members from European and non-European countries. SIE works to promote and support Persian and Iranian philology, linguistics, literature, history, religions, art, archaeology, philosophy, ethnology, geography, human sciences, and jurisprudence.^[16]

Notable scholars

Book series

• Iranian Studies (LIT Verlag)
• The Anthropology of Persianate Societies

Journals and magazines

See also

References