The Foundation for Iranian Studies (FIS) is an American non-profit institution dedicated to educating the public about Persia and modern Iran. Princess

Ashraf Pahlavi Ashraf ol-Molouk Pahlavi (, , 26 October 1919 – 7 January 2016) was the twin sister of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the late Shah of Iran (Persia), and a member of the Pahlavi dynasty. She was considered the "power behind her brother" and was instru ...

Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (26 October 1919 – 27 July 1980) was the last Shah of Iran, ruling from 1941 to 1979. He succeeded his father Reza Shah and ruled the Imperial State of Iran until he was overthrown by the Iranian Revolution, which ...

's sister, funded the founding of FIS in1981, just after the

Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Impe ...

. Thus, the foundation especially focused on preserving pre-revolutionary history and culture. Since 1982 they have hosted an oral history program. The foundation was originally located in

Washington DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

, and later moved to

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

. The mission is to preserve, study, and transmit Persian/Iranian cultural heritage; to study contemporary issues within Iranian government and society; and to point to the probable social, economic, political, and military directions Iran may take in the 21st century. The foundation received financial support from Princess

. It has organized various Persian cultural events in collaboration with American universities, museums and academic institutions in the United States, notable partners include

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

National Museum of Asian Art The National Museum of Asian Art consists of the Smithsonian Institution’s two Asian art galleries, the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, which are situated in connecting buildings on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. ...

, Society of Iranian Studies, Pacific Museum,

Middle East Studies Association Middle East Studies Association (often referred to as MESA) is a learned society, and according to its website, "a non-profit association that fosters the study of the Middle East, promotes high standards of scholarship and teaching, and enco ...

, and others.

Oral History project

In the early 1980s, the Foundation for Iranian Studies launched its Oral History Project to preserve the memories and information of pre-revolutionary Persian artists, politicians, diplomats, etc. This project was managed by

Gholam Reza Afkhami Gholam Reza Afkhami (; 1936 – 26 August 2024) was an Iranian-American scholar, author, educator, and a Pahlavi Iran The Imperial State of Iran, officially known as the Imperial State of Persia until 1935, and commonly referred to as Pahl ...

. The director of the foundation is

Mahnaz Afkhami Mahnaz Afkhami (Persian: مهناز افخمی; born January 14, 1941) is an Iranian women's rights activist who served in the Cabinet of Iran from 1976 to 1978. She is founder and president of Women's Learning Partnership (WLP), executive direc ...

, who previously served as the Minister of Women's Affairs in Iran before the

''Iran Nameh''

From 1982 until 2016, the Foundation for Iranian Studies published the Persian-language journal ''Iran Nameh'', which was edited by Jalal Matini. The foundation has also published over twenty books in both English and Persian. It has also offered a prize to the best PhD dissertations on Persian/Iranian culture and art.

References

Sources

Foundation for Iranian Studies, Dissertation of the Year Awards

Foundation for Iranian Studies' publications in WorldCat

C-span: Gholam Reza Afkhami of Foundation for Iranian Studies
1981 establishments in Washington, D.C. 501(c)(3) organizations Educational foundations based in the United States Iranian studies Oral history {{nonprofit-org-stub Organizations established in 1981

Oral History project

''Iran Nameh''

See also

References

Sources