Centre for Iranian Studies

Established in 2010, the SOAS Centre for Iranian Studies serves as a leading hub for the study of Iran in the UK and beyond. The Centre’s academic mission encompasses the diverse and interconnected fields of culture, history, language, international studies, and Iran’s regional and global relations.

Housed within the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics (College of Humanities), the Centre promotes a dynamic and interdisciplinary approach that situates Iranian Studies within wider global frameworks—particularly Middle Eastern and Global Studies. It seeks to connect the Iranian plateau to the wider world, exploring Iran’s historical, cultural, and intellectual exchanges across regions.

The Centre also acts as a vital academic platform supporting SOAS’s MA Iranian Studies programme—a unique degree in the UK that provides students and researchers with opportunities to engage critically with various themes related to Iran’s society, languages, politics, and culture and international relations. Through research seminars, collaborative works, and research-seminar events, the Centre fosters intellectual exchange and encourages academic collaboration across disciplines and regions.

SOAS hosts the biggest concentration of research and teaching staff working on Iranian history, politics, economics, religions, art and archeology, linguistics, Persian language and literature, media, film, anthropology and music.

The MA in Iranian Studies at SOAS enables students to critically assess the historical development of Iranian society, economics and culture within the context of the wider west Asian area and to appreciate the complexity of the history and cultural make up of Iran.