SPEKTRUM IRAN (SPIR) is an international, double-blind peer-reviewed, open-access journal published semiannually in both electronic and print formats. Dedicated to the study of Iran, the Persianate world, and Iranian and Islamic civilizations, SPIR provides an interdisciplinary forum for scholarly research that brings together perspectives from the humanities and the social sciences.
The journal focuses on the historical, cultural, intellectual, religious, literary, linguistic, artistic, and social dimensions of Iran and the Persianate world, placing them within wider regional and global contexts. Particular attention is given to studies that explore the formation, transmission, transformation, and continuing significance of Iranian and Persianate traditions, as well as their interactions with neighboring cultures, civilizations, and intellectual traditions across different historical periods.
Contributions grounded in original sources, critical analysis, and robust methodological approaches are especially encouraged. SPIR values interdisciplinary, comparative, transregional, and cross-cultural perspectives that deepen understanding of Iranian and Persianate Studies while contributing to broader scholarly conversations across the humanities and related social sciences.
The journal publishes original research articles, review articles, and critical book reviews in, but not limited to, the following areas:
Persian language and linguistics, cultural traditions, symbolic systems, and the historical formation of Iranian civilization.
Gender relations, family structures, embodiment, and lived realities within Iranian society.
Islamic thought, kalam, hikma, and their development within Iranian intellectual history.
National, ethnic, linguistic, and religious identities in Iranian and Islamic contexts.
Belief systems, religious practices, ritual life, and the cultural dimensions of everyday life in Iran.
Literary traditions, artistic production, and their philosophical and civilizational foundations.
Social organization, institutions, civil society, and the dynamics of social life in historical and contemporary Iran.
Historiography, collective memory, and the transmission of Iranian-Islamic knowledge traditions.
Print and digital media in Iran, communication practices, and the formation of cultural and intellectual discourse.
Cross-disciplinary approaches integrating sociology, philosophy, history, linguistics, and media studies.
The subject areas outlined above indicate the journal's principal fields of interest rather than defining fixed boundaries. Submissions that address emerging themes, adopt interdisciplinary perspectives, or introduce new theoretical and methodological insights relevant to Iranian and Persianate Studies are equally welcome.
