Iranian Diaspora Studies Through a Wider Lens: A Report on the “Iranian Diaspora in Global Perspective” Conference at UCLA, February 2023

On February 16-17, 2023, the “Iranian Diaspora in Global Perspective Conference” brought researchers from around the world together to convene in Los Angeles during a historic year for Iran and the Iranian diaspora. Hosted by the UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies (CNES), the conference was the result of a year-long collaboration between three institutional partners (UCLA CNES, SFSU Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies and OSU Iranian & Persian Gulf Studies). The three co-organizers— Dr Kevan Harris, Dr Persis Karim, and Dr Amy Malek – endeavored to reflect new directions of Iranian Diaspora Studies, and especially research being conducted beyond North America & Europe by a diverse and multi-generational group of scholars highlighting comparative, transnational, interdisciplinary, and queer approaches to the diaspora. As a result, the program reflected a more global and sophisticated research agenda for Iranian Diaspora Studies than even just four years ago when the Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies hosted the first conference on Iranian Diaspora Studies in the spring of 2019. Publication URL: https://associationforiranianstudies.org/sites/default/files/newsletters/Spring2023.pdf