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Maryam Alemzadeh is Associate Professor in History and Politics of Iran at the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies (OSGA), University of Oxford, and a Middle East Centre Fellow. She holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Chicago (2018) and previously held postdoctoral positions at Brandeis University and Princeton University. Education Ph.D. in Sociology, University of Chicago (2018) Research Interests Dr. Alemzadeh specializes in revolutions, state-building, militias, and modern Iran, examining how individual actions shape political structures through micro-level analysis. Her work integrates sociological theory with Middle Eastern studies to explore the interplay of religion, military institutions, and everyday practice in revolutionary contexts, with a current focus on the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). Publication Trends Her recent publications analyze Iran's regional dynamics following Soleimani's assassination and review scholarly works on Iranian history. These demonstrate consistent expertise in military institutions, gender dynamics, and post-revolutionary state consolidation, bridging sociology and Middle Eastern studies while emphasizing micro-foundations of political phenomena.

• Sociology
• Middle East Studies
• Revolutions
• +10 more

Prof. Dr. Kianoosh Rezania is a Professor of West Asian Religious History and Director of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg Dynamics of Religious History at Ruhr University Bochum. His research focuses on Zoroastrianism, Iranian religions, and the history of religions, with a particular emphasis on ancient Iranian languages and interreligious dynamics. He holds a Ph.D. from Georg-August University Göttingen and has conducted extensive research on topics such as Zoroastrian cosmology, Sasanian-Zoroastrian interactions, and the transmission of religious texts. His work combines philological analysis with historical and cultural studies approaches. Rezania's academic career includes roles as a research associate at Göttingen University and his habilitation project on spatial concepts in early Zoroastrianism. He has directed major research initiatives like the Graduate School of Metaphor and Religion (GSMR) and the Käte Hamburger Kolleg. His publications span monographs, edited volumes, and peer-reviewed articles exploring themes such as religious economics, Middle Persian lexicography, and cross-cultural exchanges between the Safavid and Mughal empires. His current projects include the 'Zoroastrian Middle Persian: Digital Corpus and Dictionary' initiative and studies on Pahlavi literature's interreligious context. He collaborates internationally, leading interdisciplinary teams and contributing to digital humanities efforts in religious studies.

• Zoroastrian Studies
• History of Religions
• Iranian Religions
• +6 more

Ali Mousavi is Assistant Professor of Iranian Archaeology in UCLA’s Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures and a core faculty member of the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology. A Berkeley PhD and former fellow of the Smithsonian, Maison de l’Orient and Global Heritage Fund, he has directed excavations and UNESCO World-Heritage projects at Pasargadae, Bam, Susa, Sultaniyeh and Turang Tepe and authored prize-winning volumes Ancient Iran from the Air and Persepolis: Discovery and Afterlife of a World Wonder . Education PhD, Near Eastern Studies (Archaeology), University of California, Berkeley (2005) MA, Archaeology, History and Languages of Old World Civilizations, Université Lyon II, France (1997) BA, Archaeology and Art History of Europe and the East Mediterranean, Université Lyon II, France (1996) Research interests span the archaeology and art history of Iran from the Neolithic to the early-20th century, with particular focus on Achaemenid and Sasanian monumental architecture, ancient irrigation (qanats), landscape archaeology, digital heritage, and the modern historiography of Iranian archaeology. His field projects integrate remote sensing, epigraphy, GIS and conservation science to investigate imperial capitals, rock-cut monuments and water-management systems across the Iranian plateau. Across more than 30 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, Mousavi has re-examined dating criteria for Achaemenid stone monuments, analysed royal inscriptions as visual displays, traced medieval Persian pilgrims’ graffiti at ancient sites, and produced synthetic archaeological surveys of the Sasanian empire and the Central Alborz Iron-Age cultures. The corpus reflects a sustained engagement with primary field data, archival research and critical historiography of 19th- and 20th-century excavations. Selected honours Ehsan Yarshater Book Award (2014) Iranian Ministry of Culture World Book Award (2014) Leon Levy – Shelby White publication grant (2008) UNESCO award for World-Heritage nomination files (2003) Iran Heritage Foundation field-work award (2003) Guitty Azarpay Fellowship, UC Berkeley (2000-2003) IFRI Fellowship, Paris (1998) At UCLA he offers undergraduate courses “Archaeology of Iran” and “Ancient Cities of Iran (4000 BC-AD 1900)” and mentors graduate researchers in the Cotsen Institute. His grants and fellowships from NSF-equivalent European and American agencies underwrite both field seasons and publication of critical archaeological corpora, while his service on Iranian, UNESCO and international heritage boards continues to link scholarly output with heritage-management policy.

• Archaeology of Iran
• Achaemenid architecture and epigraphy
• Sasanian empire
• +3 more

Asef Bayat is Professor of Sociology and the Catherine and Bruce Bastian Professor of Global and Transnational Studies at the Department of Sociology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He has held previous academic positions at the American University in Cairo, Leiden University (where he held the Chair of Society and Culture of the Modern Middle East), and visiting appointments at UC Berkeley, Columbia University, Oxford, and Brown University. His research interests include: Political Sociology Collective Behavior and Social Movements Sociology of Religion Urban Life and Politics Islam and Modernity Contemporary Middle East Bayat's research focuses on the role of ordinary people and subaltern classes in social and political transformations, particularly in the context of the Arab Spring and Middle Eastern urban movements. His work bridges comparative and historical sociology with global and transnational perspectives, emphasizing everyday forms of resistance and the reconfiguration of political Islam. He has extensively explored the sociological dimensions of revolution, modernity, migration, and loss of home. His recent publications, including articles in International Journal of Urban and Regional Research and Journal of Democracy , reflect a sustained engagement with urban politics, revolutionary dynamics, and youth activism in the Global South. The recurring themes across his work include the agency of marginalized populations, the transformation of public space, and the evolving nature of political engagement in non-Western contexts. Bayat has received numerous honors and fellowships: Guggenheim Fellow Ford Foundation Fellow MacArthur Fellow Open Society Fellow Wissenschaftskolleg Fellow, Berlin He has been actively involved in academic leadership, having served as director of the International Institute for the Study of Islam in the Modern World (ISIM) and elected to the Board of the UN Research Institute for Social Development. He has taught key courses such as Global Social Movements, Global Religion and Politics, and Middle Eastern Societies. Though specific students are not listed, his role as a full professor and author of major works indicates extensive mentorship and academic advising. He is affiliated with multiple interdisciplinary centers, including the Center for African Studies, Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, European Union Center, and Center for Global Studies.

• Political Sociology
• Collective Behavior and Social Movements
• Sociology of Religion
• +8 more

M. Rahim Shayegan is a prominent scholar in Iranian and Near Eastern studies, specializing in Old and Middle Iranian philology, Achaemenid-Sasanian history, and Greco-Roman-Iranian cultural interactions. He holds a PhD from Harvard University and has conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Göttingen and Sorbonne. His work bridges philology, epigraphy, and historical analysis to explore ancient political ideologies, religious traditions, and cross-cultural exchanges. Education: PhD, Iranian Philology & Ancient History, Harvard University MA, Iranian Philology, Sorbonne University BA, Philosophy & Comparative Philology, University of Cologne Research Interests: Iranian epigraphy and royal inscriptions Political dynamics of pre-Islamic Iranian empires Greco-Roman and Iranian cultural dialogues Zoroastrianism and ancient Near Eastern religions His publications include seminal works like Arsacids and Sasanians: Political Ideology in Post-Hellenistic Persia (2011) and Cyrus the Great: Life and Lore (2019). He has held prestigious fellowships at the Guggenheim Foundation and is a member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. Awards: Ehsan Yarshater Book Award (2012) Academia Europaea Membership (2019–) Courses Taught: Achaemenid Civilization Sasanian History Old Persian Cuneiform Zoroastrianism and Ancient Religions

• Ancient Iranian History
• Iranian Philology
• Cultural Exchange Studies
• +3 more

Andrew Ollett is an Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of South Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago , where he has taught since 2019. His research focuses on the literary and intellectual traditions of South and Southeast Asia, particularly through works in Sanskrit, Prakrit, Apabhramsha, and Kannada from the first millennium CE. Co-founder and editor of NESAR (New Explorations in South Asia Research) Director of NEH-funded edition/translation of the Kavirājamārga (earliest Kannada literary manual) Expert in Prakrit and Kannada literary traditions His work explores the 'question of language'—examining how language choice shaped cultural production and change in premodern India. Current projects include a monograph on context-sensitivity in Indian language theories and a study of manuscript technology's impact on early South Asian knowledge communities. He has authored The Mirror of Ornaments (Naples: Unior Press, 2025) and Language of the Snakes (UC Press, 2017), and co-authored Lilavai (Harvard, 2021). Recent publications include interdisciplinary studies on: Sanskrit-Prakrit campū genre reevaluation Pragmatics in Mīmāṁsā interpretive concepts Manuscript literacy's influence on literary forms Historical linguistics of Middle Indic syllable reduction Philosophy of language in Śālikanātha and Kumārila Bhaṭṭa Awarded the NEH 'Scholarly Editions and Translations' grant , he teaches classical South Asian literature courses covering Sanskrit, Prakrit, and Tamil traditions. He maintains digital resources including a Prakrit Digital Texts Project and Mīmāṁsādigdarśinī digital text repository, and actively contributes to open-access scholarship.

• Poetics
• History of Literature
• Intellectual History
• +9 more

Rahim Shayegan is an Assistant Professor of Iranian at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, and serves as Director of the Pourdavoud Center for the Study of the Iranian World and the Program of Iranian Studies. His research spans multiple historical periods and linguistic traditions of Iran. Education PhD in Iranian Philology & Ancient History, Harvard University MA in Old Iranian Philology & Ancient History, Sorbonne University BA in Philosophy, Comparative Philology, and History, University of Cologne His expertise includes Sasanian history, Iranian epigraphy, and comparative philology, with significant contributions to understanding ancient Iranian religions and historiography. He has received prestigious awards for his scholarship, including the Ehsan Yarshater Book Award and Guggenheim Fellowship. Academic Leadership Director, Pourdavoud Center (2017–present) Jahangir and Eleanor Amuzegar Chair (2013–present)

• Iranian epigraphy
• Epic and oral traditions
• Old and Middle Iranian philology
• +6 more

Aydogan Kars is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of History at Monash University, affiliated with the Centre for Consciousness and Contemplative Studies. His research focuses on medieval and modern Islamic mysticism, Sufi theology, and interreligious dialogue. Kars has led or co-led seven major research projects, including studies on Sufi genealogies, religious literacy, and the intersection of AI with human selfhood. He holds prestigious awards such as the Monash Faculty of Arts Dean’s Research Award (2021) and a Doctoral Fellowship from the Orient-Institut (2015). Kars actively contributes to academic governance as an editorial board member for the Journal for the Academic Study of Religion and peer reviews for journals like Religions and Journal of Islamic Ethics . His research interests span Islamic philosophy, mystical texts, and comparative theology, with notable work on apophatic theology in medieval Islam. Kars supervises PhD students and collaborates internationally on projects exploring Sufi traditions across Iran, the Ottoman Empire, and modern contexts.

• Islamic Studies
• Sufism
• Medieval Intellectual Thought
• +5 more

Prof. Dr. Ulrike Freitag is a distinguished scholar in Islamic Studies and social history of the Arab world, holding a Professorship at Freie Universität Berlin and serving as Director of the Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient (ZMO) . Her work bridges urban history, transregional Islamic networks, and Arabian Peninsula studies within Indian Ocean and Red Sea contexts. Education : PhD in Islamic Studies (Freiburg, 1991), Habilitation (Bonn, 2002) Research : Focus on Ottoman urban violence, Saudi state formation, Hadhrami diaspora, and historical urbanism in Jeddah Her supervision of PhD projects spans topics from Moroccan Sufi sanctußen to Yemeni Jewish communities. Recent scientific awards include fellowships at Leiden University and Käthe-Hamburger Kolleg. She contributes to public discourse through Tagesspiegel op-eds and international conferences.

• Social and cultural history of the Arab world
• Urban history
• Arabian Peninsula
• +3 more

Mohammad Fazlhashemi is a Professor of Islamic Theology and Philosophy at Uppsala University's Department of Theology (Systematic Theology). His work bridges Islamic intellectual traditions with contemporary issues like democracy, environmental ethics, and interreligious dialogue. Current affiliations: Uppsala University, Faculty of Theology Key research areas: Islamic political philosophy, ecotheology, gender in Islam, and theological responses to modernity Email: mohammad.fazlhashemi@teol.uu.se Recent publications highlight trends in Islamic ecoethics (e.g., Islamic Ecotheology , 2025), critical analysis of classical texts (e.g., Critical-constructive interpretation of Islamic documents , 2024), and political theology (e.g., Justifying political decisions through theological arguments , 2016). His scholarship often engages comparative frameworks, as seen in works like Occidentalism (2005) and Shiʿite Salafism? (2022). Mohammad Fazlhashemi's impact spans both academic and public discourse, with contributions to debates on Islam and modernity in outlets like Expressen and Svenska Dagbladet . His co-authored book Visdomens hus: Muslimska idévärldar 600 - 2000 (2017) demonstrates his interest in Islamic intellectual history across eras.

• Islamic Theology
• Islamic Philosophy
• Political Thought
• +4 more

Dr. Ali Kassem is a Lecturer in Sociology and Anthropology at the National University of Singapore (NUS), Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. His academic work spans multiple disciplines, focusing on decolonial approaches to understanding power dynamics, knowledge production, and social formations across the Arab-majority world and beyond. Dr. Kassem received his PhD from the School of Law, Politics, and Sociology at the University of Sussex. He completed postdoctoral research at the Institute for Advanced Studies at the University of Edinburgh and was an early career fellow with the Arab Council for Social Sciences funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. His academic journey includes teaching and research positions at Ludwig-Maximillian University in Munich, EHESS in Paris, American University of Beirut, and Lebanese American University. Dr. Kassem's research examines contemporary coloniality across questions of power and knowledge. His work spans anti-Muslim racism within Arab-majority contexts, transformations in Islamic educational institutions, dehumanization of Syrian refugees, and urban transformations in Lebanon. His transdisciplinary approach engages ethnic and racial studies, sociology of religion, social psychology, migration studies, and urban studies, working alongside anticolonial thinkers including Frantz Fanon, Ali Shariati, and James Baldwin. His recent publications reveal a strong focus on decolonial theory applied to education, urban studies, and Islamic contexts. Dr. Kassem's work consistently challenges Eurocentric frameworks while exploring alternatives emerging from the Global South. His research demonstrates particular attention to Lebanon and the eastern Mediterranean region as sites for theorizing global coloniality. Dr. Kassem has authored the book "Islamophobia and Global Coloniality: the Lived Erasure of Visibly Muslim Women in Lebanon" (Bloomsbury Academic, February 2023) and is currently editing "Decoloniality and Arabo-Islamicate Worlds" (Bristol University Press, 2025). His scholarly contributions appear in journals including Ethnic and Racial Studies, Globalizations, Contemporary Religion, and Review of Middle East Studies.

• Colonialism and coloniality
• imperialism
• Third-Worldism
• +19 more

Kristin Soraya Batmanghelichi is a Professor in Middle East Studies at the Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages (IKOS), Faculty of Humanities, University of Oslo. She is a feminist scholar with a PhD from Columbia University and has held academic positions at Leiden University, Columbia University, and Princeton University. Her research focuses on gender, sexuality, cyberactivism, and political Islam in Iran and the broader Middle East. PhD in Iranian Studies, Columbia University (2013) MA in Human Rights and MA in Middle Eastern Studies, Columbia University (2004, 2007) Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Institute of Religion, Culture and Public Life (IRCPL), Columbia University (2016–2017) Visiting Lecturer, Leiden University (2014–2016) Her research interests include feminist theory, postcolonial studies, cyberactivism, women's movements, and the politics of class, sex, and race in the Middle East. She explores how gendered public spaces and digital platforms shape resistance and identity in Iran. Her work bridges activism and academia, particularly through feminist engagements with digital culture and diasporic politics. Her recent publications and monograph Revolutionary Bodies: Technologies of Gender, Sex, and Self in Contemporary Iran (2021) examine the intersections of technology, gender, and selfhood in Iran. Articles span topics such as cyberfeminism, government morality, and feminist challenges on social media, reflecting a strong focus on digital publics and feminist epistemology in the Iranian context. Scientific Awards and Fellowships: Independent Research Fund Denmark (2023–2026), Co-PI President's Global Innovation Fund, Columbia University (2017) Whiting Foundation Dissertation Fellowship (2011–2012) Columbia University Jackson Fellowship (2008–09) Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship (2006) Multiple research and travel fellowships from Columbia University and the Houtan Foundation She has supervised master’s theses and taught courses such as Iran in the World , Gender & Revolutions , and Fieldwork in the Middle East . She is Co-PI on a major Danish-funded project on diasporic Iranian politics and digital publics (2023–2026). She has co-organized international conference series on populism and pluralism across Amman, Tunis, Paris, and New York. She is an original member of the Theory of the Margins Collective in Oslo and founder of the Digging Collective , both of which support critical and interdisciplinary feminist scholarship.

• Iranian Studies
• Gender and Sexuality
• Women's Movements
• +9 more

Finbarr Barry Flood is the William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of the Humanities and Founder-Director of the Silsila: Center for Material Histories at NYU's Institute of Fine Arts. He holds a Ph.D. in Islamic Art History from the University of Edinburgh (1993) and a B.A. in Archaeology from Trinity College Dublin (1988). His research focuses on Islamic art and architecture, cross-cultural material culture, and art historical methodologies. Notably, he has held prestigious fellowships such as the Slade Professorship at Oxford and ACLS Collaborative Research Fellowship. His work bridges global art histories, examining topics like medieval Hindu-Muslim encounters, iconoclasm, and the materiality of religious artifacts. Flood’s scholarly contributions include seminal books like Objects of Translation and The Great Mosque of Damascus . His awards reflect both academic excellence and teaching prowess, including NYU's Golden Dozen Award. As director of Silsila, he leads interdisciplinary research into material histories, fostering collaborations across disciplines and regions. His publications span 40+ years, addressing themes from medieval art technologies to modern reinterpretations of Islamic aesthetics.

• Art and architecture of the Islamic world
• Cross-cultural dimensions of Islamic material culture
• Theories and practices of image-making
• +3 more

Dr. Ahmad Sadri is the Gorter Professor of Islamic World Studies and Professor of Sociology at Lake Forest College. His primary affiliations include the Sociology and Anthropology department. He holds a PhD from the New School for Social Research (1981) and has held significant academic positions including the James P. Gorter Chair (2007–2010). His research focuses on the sociology of intellectuals, religion in Iran, and Middle Eastern politics. Notable awards include the Bird Award for Intellectual Contributions (1999) and the William L. Dunn Teaching Award (1994). Sadri has authored influential books like Max Weber’s Sociology of Intellectuals (1992) and Saddam City (2004). His work bridges sociological theory with contemporary issues in Islamism, democratization, and intercivilizational dialogue. He has been a frequent media commentator on NPR, BBC, and academic conferences worldwide. His 2008 Senate testimony on Middle East policy exemplifies his engagement with public intellectualism. Current research emphasizes civilizational imagination and reform movements in Iran.

• Sociology of Intellectuals
• Sociology of Religion
• Politics of Iran and Middle East
• +3 more

Alberto Cantera Glera is a Professor at the Institute of Iranian Studies within the Department of History and Cultural Studies at Freie Universität Berlin. His research focuses on Zoroastrian studies, Avestan language and literature, Iranian linguistics, and manuscript studies. He teaches courses on Young Avestan, Pahlavi, Zoroastrian rituals, and Iranian literature, with office hours held on Thursdays from 3-5 p.m. Professor Cantera Glera's research interests center on Zoroastrian religious practices, particularly the Long Liturgy, Avestan textual criticism, and the transmission of Zoroastrian texts through manuscript traditions. His work bridges linguistic analysis with religious studies, examining how ritual practices evolved from ancient to medieval Iran. He has made significant contributions to understanding the relationship between oral performance and written transmission in Zoroastrian traditions, as well as the linguistic features of Avestan and Middle Persian texts. His recent publications reveal a consistent focus on Zoroastrian ritual structures, particularly the Long Liturgy, with increasing attention to the relationship between textual manuscripts and ritual performance. The articles show progression from linguistic analysis of Avestan texts toward broader studies of ritual practice, sacred geography, and the historical development of Zoroastrian religious authority. His work demonstrates sophisticated integration of manuscript evidence with ritual theory and historical linguistics. PRIX ROMAN ET TANIA GHIRSHMAN 2021 Professor Cantera has supervised numerous PhD students including Nils Purwins, Stefan Härtel, Yusef Saadat, Jaime Porro, Soheil Delshad, and Xue Li. His research has been supported through various academic projects related to Zoroastrian manuscript studies and Avestan textual criticism, contributing significantly to the field of Iranian studies at Freie Universität Berlin.

• Zoroastrian Studies
• Avestan Language and Literature
• Iranian Linguistics
• +6 more