Association for Iranian Studies

AIS Council's Statement of Solidarity with the People of Iran:

"Starting in late December 2025, Iran experienced massive popular protests right across the country, reaching almost all cities, towns, rural areas, and villages. These overwhelmingly peaceful protests were swiftly met with brutal state violence that peaked on January 8 and 9 and lasted for days thereafter. It has emerged that, within the span of a few days, the security forces of the Islamic Republic massacred thousands of innocent Iranian civilians, many of them in their teens and twenties. These tragic events have sparked profound shock and widespread grieving throughout Iran and around the world in the Iranian diaspora. We mourn this colossal loss of life and extend our heartfelt condolences to the victims’ families and to the people of Iran as a whole.

Deliberately killing protesters who took to Iran’s streets in response to deepening economic, ecological, and social crises, and who were demanding a freer, more equitable, and dignified life, is a moral wrong that demands unequivocal condemnation. Such horrifying brutality stands in direct opposition to the most basic principles of our shared humanity, and we condemn these latest acts of bloody violence meted out on ordinary Iranians by the Islamic Republic in the strongest possible terms. We also express our grave concern over the fate of the many thousands of protestors and other innocent civilians detained during this same period by the Islamic Republic who are now at serious risk of being subjected to torture, forced confession, extrajudicial killing, and ex*****on.

As an interdisciplinary scholarly association devoted to the study of Iran in all its diverse historical, cultural, environmental, and social dimensions, we recognize our responsibility to respond to moments of collective suffering in Iran such as this. In response, the Council of the Association for Iranian Studies has established a committee to develop thoughtful and sustainable ways of engaging constructively with such tragedies. This new committee will seek to bring our members inside and outside of Iran together in spaces of scholarly dialogue, collective reflection, and respectful discourse, while ensuring that our expressions of solidarity with the victims of such violence and injustice are grounded in meaningful intellectual engagement, ethical responsibility, and long-term commitment—rather than symbolic gestures alone.

We affirm our enduring commitment to academic responsibility, ethical engagement, and solidarity with all those who struggle for dignity, justice, and freedom in Iran."

Link to the Statement on our website: https://associationforiranianstudies.org/content/statement-solidarity-people-iran?fbclid=IwZnRzaAPw3ihleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeW_4Bz4QwK8wiT_zorkVHT36LfEgs3Ownjib43EuP1iK50lrSJv6rWopELZE_aem_PHo90l0W7epCk3znm3k2nA

Statement of Solidarity with the People of Iran | Association for Iranian Studies (AIS) | انجمن ایران‌ پژوهی Starting in late December 2025, Iran experienced massive popular protests right across the country, reaching almost all cities, towns, rural areas, and villages. These overwhelmingly peaceful protests were swiftly met with brutal state violence that peaked on January 8 and 9 and lasted for days ther...

We are delighted to announce the results of the AIS Elections 2025! Our new President-Elect is Claudia Yaghoobi, our two new members of Council are Mejgan Massoumi and Laetitia Nanquette, and our new student representative on Council is Hannah Hassani.

We thank those now stepping down from AIS Council: Firoozeh Kashani-Sabet, Niki Akhavan, Amir Moosavi, and Behzad Borhan. Their service to our beloved association has been outstanding. Thanks to those who stood for election, and all those who voted!

For those of you attending MESA's 59th Annual Meeting in Washington DC this coming weekend, AIS will be holding its AGM on Saturday November 22 at 8:30pm. The venue will be listed in the printed program booklet. See you there!

Today's the last day to vote in the AIS Council elections. Read the CVs & statements of the candidates for AIS president, two council members & one student representative here: https://associationforiranianstudies.org/election/2025

The Department of Near Eastern Studies is inviting applications for a position in the field of Modern Iranian History (1700 CE-present). Review of applications begins Oct 15, 2025 until position is filled. For more info & to apply, visit: https://puwebp.princeton.edu/AcadHire/apply/application.xhtml?listingId=39761

The Department of History University invites applications for a tenure-track position at the rank of Assistant Professor in the history of the World from the Muslim conquest to the present, to begin in August 2026. For more info & to apply, visit https://apply.interfolio.com/174364

Deadline for submissions to the 15th Iranian Studies Conference has been extended! New deadline: October 20, 2025.

Submit your proposals for pre-arranged panels (of 3-4 papers) for the 15th Biennial Conference which will be held at Utrecht University, The Netherlands from August 5 to 8, 2026 by the new Oct. 20 deadline through the AIS website: https://associationforiranianstudies.org/conferences/2026

A friendly reminder to submit your panel and paper proposals for the 15th Biennial Iranian Studies Conference by the September 21, 2025 deadline.

The biennial conference will be held at Utrecht University from August 5 to 8, 2026. For more info & to submit your proposals, visit https://associationforiranianstudies.org/conferences/2026

📢 Job Opportunity: Digital Curator & Processor - Afkhami Collection

Georgetown University Library is seeking a Digital Curator and Processor for the Afkhami Collection, located within the Booth Family Center for Special Collections. This is a full-time, one-year term position with the possibility of renewal.

As the Minister for Women Affairs in Iran’s pre-revolutionary government, Mahnaz Afkhami led some of the most progressive reforms for women’s advancement in Iran and later in exile. The Afkhami Collection contains more than 150 cubic feet of manuscript materials and 6,250 published works, with the majority in Persian or a mix of Persian and English.

Position responsibilities include:
• Arranging and describing the manuscript holdings of Mahnaz Afkhami, Dr. Golam Reza Afkhami, and the archives of the Foundation for Iranian Studies
• Assisting in producing a DACS-compliant finding aid for ArchivesSpace
• Identifying materials to be digitized and curating born-digital content for the Library’s digital platforms, including DigitalGeorgetown, the Library website, and online exhibitions

Requirements and qualifications:
• ALA-accredited Master’s degree in Library or Information Science and/or advanced degree in a relevant discipline with archival management and special collections training, or equivalent education and experience
• One to two years of experience in a special collections setting
• Reading knowledge of Persian, both typed/printed and handwritten
• Knowledge of the history of modern Iran
• Experience working with analog and digital research materials
• Knowledge of archival arrangement, description, and appraisal, and of digitization and digital humanities projects
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively, with strong organizational and communication skills

Preferred qualifications:
• Experience creating finding aids in ArchivesSpace or Archivist Toolkit
• Experience with manuscript collections
• Knowledge of the history of modern Iran

Deadline to apply: November 24, 2025

For more info & to apply, visit:

Digital Curator and Processor of the Afkhami Collection Georgetown University comprises two unique campuses in the nation’s capital. With the Hilltop Campus located in the heart of the historic Georgetown neighborhood, and the Capitol Campus, just minutes from the U.S. Capitol and U.S. Supreme Court, Georgetown University offers rigorous academic progr...

Reminder: Sept. 21, 2025 is the deadline to submit your paper and panel proposals for the 15th Biennial Iranian Studies Conference at Utrecth University (Aug 5-8, 2026).

For submission guidelines, registration, and to submit your proposals, log into your AIS account at https://associationforiranianstudies.org/conferences/2026