Head of research group on Persian Jewish history
@ ERC project PersCom
Institute for Iranian Studies
Austrian Academy of Sciences
Research on Jews in the Persianate World needs to attend to a vast geographical space, different languages and histories. It includes different empires, shifting boundaries, local and transregional connections and differences. Ariane Sadjed has been working since 2018 at the Austrian Academy of Science on the history of Jews from Iran in the 19th and 20th century. From her research on Jewish communities in Northeast Iran, the focus expanded to regions in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan. In 2023, Dr. Sadjed was awarded a 5-year research grant (ERC Consolidator Grant) which allows an international and specialized research team to work on historical and contemporary aspects of Jewish communities across and from Iran, Central Asia and Afghanistan. The research includes a range of different sources such as archival documents, family archives, memoirs and Judeo-Persian books, to highlight the rich culture and contributions of Jewish communities to the societies in which they had lived for many centuries. The research aims to introduce these histories to a wider audience, to provide a more detailled understanding of multifaceted trajectories, to develop new perspectives on Jewish life in the Muslim world and to serve the preservation of a unique heritage.
Vision
Our work aims to bring different sources and perspectives in dialogue with each other. Working with a wide range of sources from different communities now living in Israel, Iran, the US, Europe, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, from public and private archives, is important to establish a comprehensive picture of how Jewish communities were connected locally within the Persianate sphere, but also beyond – to places such as New York, Moscow, or Bombay. Research in Iran or Uzbekistan and on Jewish communities in these regions depends on trust and collaboration with local experts. Based on centuries of coexistence that has shaped these communities, this research emphasizes sources and perspectives from these (former) home countries. We work in Iranian, Israeli, American, European and Central Asian archives, with language specializations in Persian, Hebrew, Russian, Judeo-Persian and Judeo-Tajik (Bukhori). This broad vision and expertise will highlight the historical multivocality, beyond perspectives that are often shaped by recent political conflicts. We collaborate closely with the respective communities and institutions in order to establish a platform for exchange, in critical reflection of, but not subjugated to current political interests.
“Agar gap zanam, danam mesūza. Agar gap nazanam, dilam mesūza”
— Bukhori proverb [“If I speak, my mouth will burn. If I don’t speak, my heart will burn”]
Researchers
Since October 1 2025, Dr. Eirik Kvindesland is post-doctoral fellow in the ERC project “Persianate Jews.” Dr. Kvindesland works on Iranian Jews along and across the Persian Gulf, as well as on Iranian Jewish communities in Mandatory Palestine
Associated researchers: Dr. Narciss Sohrabi, Universite Paris Nanterre
Former researchers: Dr. Ibrahim Shafiei, University of Tehran
Two more researchers will join the project in the next months… check in for updated infos soon!
Commitment
For many centuries, Jewish communities were an integral part of Persianate societies. We are committed to sharing this rich history, the varieties within different Jewish communities, and contribute to preserving it. In establishing a multi-sited perspective, we rely on personal experiences and recollections that will allow us more precise understandings of both positive as well as conflictual interactions – and everything in between. Working with private archives and interviews, we are also committed to the highest standards of ethical conduct in safeguarding the protection of personal data.
If you have questions about our research, or documentation that you would like to share, please contact us.
Persian Jews 