From Social History, to History of Ideas, to National Identity: Ahmad Ashraf’s Contributions to Iranian Studies

As an introduction to a panel in honor of Ahmad Ashraf’s contributions to the field of Iranian studies, this paper provides a brief overview of his distinguished career over the past six decades as a pioneer sociologist, social policy expert, and social historian. It will examine the major foci of his extraordinarily diverse scholarly contributions, including Iran’s social history from the Qajar period to the present, changes and continuities in rural and urban social stratification systems, aspects of religion and politics, and conceptions of Iranian national identity.