Mahtab Sirdani

Dr. Mahtab Sirdani is a Lecturer in Persian Language and Culture at the Department of Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts, University of British Columbia.

Her educational background includes:

• Ph.D. in Anthropology from Boston University (2025)
• M.A. in Theological Studies from Harvard University (2017)
• M.A. in Linguistics from Allameh Tabatabai University (2009)

Dr. Sirdani is a sociocultural anthropologist whose research focuses on Iranian diasporic communities in North America, particularly among residents in Massachusetts, USA, and British Columbia, Canada. Her scholarly work lies at the intersection of migration studies, phenomenology, the anthropology of religion, and the study of Persian language, literature, and culture. She has conducted extensive ethnographic fieldwork while living among Iranian migrant communities, bringing rich empirical data to her academic contributions. Her anthropological approach combines theoretical frameworks with practical cultural understanding, providing nuanced insights into the experiences of Iranian immigrants.

With over a decade of experience teaching Persian at all levels to native, heritage, and non-heritage students in North America, Dr. Sirdani brings substantial pedagogical expertise to her position. Prior to joining UBC, she taught Persian in the Department of World Languages and Literatures at Boston University, demonstrating her commitment to language education across multiple prestigious institutions.