Firuz Kazemzadeh

Firuz Kazemzadeh is a professor emeritus of history at Yale University. He was born in Moscow, where his father served in the embassy of Iran. After completing his primary and secondary education in Moscow, he moved to the USA in 1944 and entered Stanford University, graduating with distinction (Phi Beta Kappa) in 1946 and obtaining an MA in 1947. In 1950 Kazemzadeh received a Ph.D. in Russian history from Harvard University. He taught at Harvard in 1954-1956, then moved to Yale where he was professor of history until his retirement as professor emeritus in 1992.
He is the author and co-author of a number of books on the history of Russia and Iran, as well as numerous articles and reviews for authoritative scholarly publications. Between May 15, 1998 and May 14, 2003, Kazemzadeh served as a Commissioner on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, first appointed to this position in 1998 by President Bill Clinton, and in 2001, reappointed by US Senate Majority Leader Thomas Daschle. Kazemzadeh is an adherent of Bahá’í Faith and, from 1963 to 2000, served as a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States.

Select Publications

Kazemzadeh, Firuz (2009). “Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás (1944-1921)” Bahá’í Encyclopedia Project. Evanston, IL: National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States.

Kazemzadeh, Firuz (1994). “Central Asia’s Foreign Relation: A Historical Survey.” In Starr, S. Frederick. The Legacy of History in Russia and the New States of Eurasia. M. E. Sharpe. ISBN 9780521200950.

Kazemzadeh, Firuz (1991). “Iranian relations with Russia and the Soviet Union, to 1921.” In Avery, P.; Hambly, G. R. G.; Melville, C. From Nadir Shah to the Islamic Republic. The Cambridge History of Iran. 7 illustrated (reprint, reissue ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 314-349. ISBN 9780521200950.