Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies

The Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies is the first academic institution of its kind — dedicated to research and teaching about the historical and cultural experiences of the global Iranian diaspora community. The Center fosters innovative and collaborative scholarship between faculty and students and engages with complex and pressing subjects such as nationalism, immigration, xenophobia, gender, sexuality and identity. Its research, programming, and projects examine overlooked and under-emphasized narratives, advocate for new forms of scholarly engagement, and support collaboration between individuals and institutions.

Announcements

Candle lit table with food

Trailer: "The Dawn is Too Far: Stories of Iranian-American Life in the SF Bay Area"

Persian pattern

The Center's Blog: “With A Trace”

 

Pink rose

Sign up to receive email updates about our events

 

 

Sarah Tadayon Portrait Headshot

Claiming and Embracing a Complex Iranian-Chinese Heritage — A Conversation with Bay Area Filmmaker, Actress, Writer, Sarah Tadayon

By Liv Barkhordar, Center Intern, UC Berkeley

Sarah Chang Tadayon is a natural born storyteller; her creativity and storytelling prowess, is partly due to her experiences growing up in an unconventional and multicultural family. Her mother, who was born in Taiwan and her father, who was born in Iran, both made an effort to integrate their cultures while raising Sarah. By traveling to both Taiwan and Iran during her childhood, and well into adulthood, she became comfortable and “well-adjusted” to both her cultures. “Being a person of mixed heritage,” she says, “is the pinnacle of my identity; I love being able to say that I’m half-Iranian/half-Chinese. It is my defining cultural characteristic and it makes me proud to be different. I am a convergence of two ancient worlds."

Pouneh Rahnema and Peter Stine smiling at each other

A Belated Reunion — Pouneh Rahnema and Peter Stine, Old San Neighbors Meet After Sixty Years of Separation

A Reflection by Persis Karim, Center Director

On December 12, 2023, [Center Director, Persis Karim] had the pleasure of organizing a reunion of Peter Stine, and his childhood neighbor, Pouneh Rahnema, after sixty years of not having seen each other. The two grew up as neighbors in San Francisco in the 1950s–60s and lost track of each other when the Rahnema family moved away. And though this reunion grew out of a series of adverse events, and the way that the headlines about Iran often fill us with trepidation, worry, and intervene in our lives, it was a wonderful visit of two old friends whose lives, like their countries, diverged and went their separate ways. This story is a story about the diaspora too. These are two people who knew each other in childhood, but whose lives were shaped by the bigger histories that sometimes mitigate against connection and togetherness.  

Moniro Ravanipour B&W Headshot

Playing with the “Home” of the Imagination — The Life and Writing of Moniro Ravanipour

An Interview with the Author by Bahar Momeni, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Texas, Dallas

Moniro Ravanipour — an author born in Iran but has been living in the United States for nearly two decades — wrote many novels that has been translated into numerous languages and is acclaimed both inside and outside of Iran. Her distinctive narrative style often combines magical realism with incisive social and political commentary. Her books, most of which are banned in Iran, combine tragedy with dark comedy, providing a critical and frequently surreal examination of life in Iran.

 

 

 

 

News

Events

Join the Conversation

Center logo