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.
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The Dawn is Too Far: Stories of Iranian-American Life
The Center's Blog: “With A Trace”
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Recent Blog Posts
Pouneh Shabani-Jadidi’s Deep and Abiding Love for Persian Language and Literature and the Art of Translation
By Naazley Boozari
Shabani-Jadidi, a linguist and literary translator, and a professor at the University of Chicago, Persian language, and its centrality to Persian literature, has been the focal point of most of her career. With dozens of published books, chapters, and peer-reviewed journal articles to her credit, as well as a teaching career that spans multiple decades, Shabani-Jadidi’s dedication to building the field of linguistics and literary translation is impressive to say the least. What makes her career so important for those within the Iranian diaspora, however, is not just her many accolades and her expansive research career, but the way she has inspired so many young people in the diaspora to genuinely appreciate Persian language and literature.
Marjane Satrapi and The Voices of Revolution Through Art and Storytelling
By Bahar Momeni
Marjane Satrapi is the celebrated Iranian-born French graphic novelist, filmmaker, artist, and one of the most recognized figures within the global Iranian diaspora. Her playful, honest, and adventurously creative spirit is best exemplified in her graphic memoir Persepolis (Pantheon 2003, 2004), which garnered international acclaim for its powerful and compelling depiction of life during and after the 1979 Revolution in Iran. While she’s done so many exciting projects since, this book is what put her style and her vision on the global literary map.
Reflections on the Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies and its Influence on Donna Fotoohi’s Intellectual Path
By Donna Fotoohi
When I recently heard the news that the Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies would closing in June 2025, I was devastated. Much of my intellectual development, from my undergraduate career at UC Berkeley to becoming a graduate student at San Francisco State, was shaped by the Center and the people who work there.
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