Iranian studies
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From Iranology |
Iranian studies (Persian: ايرانشناسی Īrānšenāsī), also referred to as Iranology and Iranistics, is an interdisciplinary field dealing with the research and study of the civilization, history, literature, art and culture of Iranian peoples. It is a part of the wider field of Oriental studies.
Iranian studies is broader than and distinct from
In medieval Iran
The medieval Persian poet
Persian historiography strictly speaking begins with the
In modern Iran
Among the most prominent scholars of Iranian Studies in Iran during the twentieth century may be counted
In Europe
Germany
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
Sweden
The earliest recorded Swedish visitors to Iran were in the 17th century, with Bengt Bengtsson Oxenstierna (1591–1643) and Nils Matsson Kiöping (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
In North America
United States
Columbia University
Harvard University
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
Canada
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
Journals and magazines
- Abstracta Iranica
- Acta Iranica
- Analytica Iranica
- Archäologische Mitteilungen aus Iran und Turan
- Ars Orientalis, from the Freer Gallery of Art and the University of Michigan
- Bukhara magazine[17]
- DABIR
- Farhang-i Kerman
- Critique: Critical Middle Eastern Studies
- Indo-Iranica
- Indo-Iranian Journal
- Iran: Journal of the British Institute of Persian Studies
- Iran Analysis Quarterly (ISG Journal)
- Iranica Antiquaedited by Department of Near Eastern Studies of Gent University
- Iran and the Caucasus journal
- Iranian Studies journal
- Iran-nameh: Armenian Journal of Oriental Studies
- Iranshinakht
- Iranshenasi
- Iranica Antiqua journal
- Iranistische Mitteilungen
- The Journal of the Anthropology of the Contemporary Middle East and Central Eurasia (ACME)
- Namah-i Farhangistan
- Nowruz Journal
- Majallah-yi Zabanshinasi
- Manuscripta Orientalia (includes articles on Persian manuscripts)
- Namah-i Farhangistan
- Persica, from Jaarboek van het Genootschap Nederland-Iran
- Rahavard
- Studia Iranica
- Zabanshinas
See also
- Indo-European Studies
- Iranian languages
- Iranian world
- Iranology Foundation
- Culture of Iran
- Persian literature
- Central Asian studies
- Armenian studies
- Turkology
- Assyriology
- Mandaean studies
- Syriac studies
- Egyptology
- Academy of Persian Language and Literature
- Encyclopædia Iranica
- Chicago's Persian heritage crisis
- International rankings of Iran
References
- ^ Akbarzadeh, Pejman (December 10, 2005). "معضلى هفتادساله براى شناخت فرهنگ ايران در غرب" [Seventy years of difficulty in understanding Iranian culture in the West]. Shargh Newspaper (in Persian). Archived from the original on 2007-02-24.
- ^ a b c Naqed, Khosrow (May 4, 2006). "از سعدی تا سيمين؛ ايرانشناسی در سرزمينهای آلمانیزبان" [From Saadi to Simin; Iranology in German-speaking lands]. BBCPersian.com. BBC. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
- ^ "A.-H. Anquetil-Duperron, French scholar and linguist". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ a b c Nylander, Carl (2007). "Swedish Contributions to the Archaeology of Iran" (PDF). Fornvännen. 102: 168–182. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-02-26.
- ^ Gnoli, Gherardo (August 15, 2009). "Societas Iranologica Europaea". Encyclopaedia Iranica. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ "Iran Heritage Foundation". British Museum. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ Akbarzadeh, Pejman (6 July 2021). "از سهتار تا سیتار؛ داد و ستدهای موسیقایی ایران و هند" [From Shetar to Sitar; Iranian and Indian Music Exchanges]. BBC News فارسی (in Persian). Retrieved 2021-11-22.
- ^ نامگ, ایران (2016-02-12). "Yarshater Lectureship in Avestan and Pahlavi Languages established at the University of Toronto". IranNamag (in Persian). Retrieved 2021-10-19.
- ^ "University of Toronto and the Encyclopaedia Iranica Foundation Announce Innovative Multiyear Partnership". Payvand.com. October 13, 2021. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
- ^ DiMattia, Steve (2021-10-12). "Encyclopaedia Iranica Foundation Partners with University of Toronto". Business Wire. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
- S2CID 251232403.
- ISBN 978-0-19-506512-1, retrieved 2022-02-17
- S2CID 79091286.
- ISBN 978-1-000-28768-4.
- JSTOR 29756936.
- ^ a b Gnoli, Gherardo (August 15, 2009). "Societas Iranologica Europaea". Encyclopædia Iranica.
- ^ Jami, Mehdi (March 22, 2005). "چله بخارا" [Bukhara Magazine]. BBC Persian (in Persian). Retrieved 2021-11-22.
External links
- short courses in Iranology by Faculty of World Studies of Tehran university
- International Society for Iranian Studies
- Bonyad e farhang e Iran
- Encyclopædia Pahlavica
Library guides
- "Guide to Sources on Iran: Bibliography". British Library.
- University Library. "Middle East Studies and Research: Iran". Course & Subject Guides. USA: University of Pittsburgh. Archived from the original on 2020-01-20. Retrieved 2017-02-05.
- Library. "Iranian Studies". Guides. Canada: McGill University.