Iranian Studies: Exploring the Iranian ‘Otherness’

The field of Iranian Studies was developed in the West as a means of exploring the unknown civilization of Iran in the aftermath of the Renaissance and during the political expansion of some Western countries towards East, starting from the 16th century. The establishment of Iranian Studies as a sub-field of Middle Eastern and Asian Studies resulted from practical necessities which Western nations faced in their efforts to understand the Iranian world and civilization at a time of their political advancement in the region. Throughout the twentieth century the field of Iranian Studies has advanced academically. While geopolitical balance in the region has remained essentially unaltered, and Iran has retained and even increased its geopolitical importance in the region. Thus Western interest in Iranian affairs, culture and mentality similarly increased. This paper analyses the status and focus of Iranian Studies in the West after the Islamic Revolution in Iran (1979), the role of diasporic Iranians and the significance of the field in the effort of the West to understand the Iranian Otherness and its geopolitical importance.