Program in Iranian Studies

The Program in Iranian Studies at the MacMillan Center promotes study of Iran, Afghanistan and the Persianate cultural sphere, with emphasis on regional and international affairs, domestic political developments as well as society, history, religion, art, art history, culture, law, medicine and public health, economy, and environment. The Program in Iranian Studies strives to reflect diverse views on foreign policy as well as nongovernmental voices and views of deprived groups such as women, intellectual descanters, religious and ethnic minorities, and nonconformists. It also encourages study of Iran and Afghanistan within the broader context of the Middle East, and especially in relation to neighboring Iraq, Saudi Arabia and other countries of the Persian Gulf, as well as Pakistan, India, China, and Central Asia.

News

Illustration of Tehran by Esmail Ashtiyani (1938)
In Iran: A Modern History, Abbas Amanat combines chronological and thematic approaches, exploring events with lasting implications for modern Iran and the world. Here, Amanat discusses his motivation for consolidating five centuries of Iran’s history, the country’s challenges to modernity, and the...
The Council on Middle East Studies and the Program in Iranian Studies at Yale University stand in solidarity with the peaceful protesters across Iran who courageously face state violence, intimidation, and oppression. The protests, many of which are led by young women, call for basic human rights....
Kaveh Madani
Kaveh Madani, the Henry Hart Rice Senior Fellow at the MacMillan Center, has been awarded the American Geophysical Union’s Ambassador Award for 2020. The award is given annually to one to five honorees in recognition of their outstanding contributions to one or more of the following areas: societal...

Contemporary Iran Forum

Contemporary Iran Forum: Food Security in Iran