Welcome to the Centre for Iranian Studies

As home to one of the world’s oldest and most influential civilizations, Iran has often found itself at the crossroads of world history. Concordia is proud to acknowledge Iran’s rich heritage by establishing the first Centre for Iranian Studies at a Canadian university.

Iranian Studies at Concordia encompasses the broad sweep of Iranian civilization, with attention to its influence on the literature, art, and social norms of peoples from the Balkans to India and China from ancient times to the present. Iran scholars at Concordia have achieved worldwide recognition through the publishing of research, presentations at international conferences, training future scholars, and helping to promote cultural events.

Montréal is home to a large and diverse Iranian community that includes Persians, Tajiks, Hazaras, Kurds, and others, hailing from a number of countries—Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Iraq, Turkey and elsewhere. Concordia is the prime venue in Montréal for cultural events such as lectures on Persian literature, screenings of Iranian films, and concerts of Iranian music.

The Centre’s activities include:

1. Coordination of Iran-related graduate study across disciplines;
2. Supporting regular public lectures, in English and in Persian, by scholars and distinguished figures in Iranian cultural life;
3. Providing scholarships for outstanding graduate students in Iranian Studies;
4. An undergraduate Minor in Iranian Studies, offered through the Department of Religion;
5. Networking with other institutions and organizations in Canada, the United States, Europe, and throughout the broader Iranian world with the shared aim of promoting awareness of and appreciation for Iranian culture in all its historical and contemporary contexts.