Iranian studies (Persian: ايرانشناسی - Īrānšenāsī), is an interdisciplinary field dealing with the study of history, literature, art and culture of the Iranian people. It is a part of the wider field of Oriental studies.
Iranian studies is broader than and distinct from Persian studies, which is the study of the modern Persian language (known as "Farsi" or "Parsi" to the natives) and literature specifically. The discipline of Iranian Studies focuses on broad trends in culture, history, language and other aspects of only Persians, but not a variety of other contemporary and historical Iranic peoples, such as Baluchis, Kurds, Pashtuns, Ossetians, Scythians, Parthians, Sogdians, Bactrians, etc.
Read more about Iranian Studies: Iranian Studies in Pre-modern Iran, Iranian Studies in Modern Iran, Iranian Studies in Europe, Iranian Studies in North America, Journals, Yarshater Lectureship
Famous quotes containing the word studies:
“Possibly the Creator did not make the world chiefly for the purpose of providing studies for gifted novelists; but if he had done so, we can scarcely imagine that He could have offered anything much better in the way of material ...”
—Elizabeth Stuart Phelps (1844–1911)