Bloomsbury and the Iran Heritage Foundation partner to launch a new open access series

Bloomsbury and the Iran Heritage Foundation (IHF) today announce a new partnership to publish a series of open access academic books on the history, politics and culture of modern and contemporary Iran, entitled The IHF Modern Iran Series.

The series will be grant funded by the IHF, a UK charity dedicated to the promotion and preservation of the history, languages and cultures of Iran and the Persianate world and will be housed within I.B. Tauris, an imprint of Bloomsbury, founded by Iradj Bagherzade and specialising in Middle East Studies.

The IHF Modern Iran Series will be edited by Dr Hassan Hakimian, Emeritus Professor of Economics and former Director of the London Middle East Institute at SOAS University of London.  An advisory board of distinguished scholars in the field will also provide editorial guidance on the series. .

The series will publish titles on vital issues related to modern and contemporary Iran – from the interaction between state and society to Iran’s economy, art and cultural production, and the role of women in Iran’s social and political transformation.

David Avital, Global Editorial Director, I.B. Tauris, commented:

“For over 40 years I.B. Tauris has been dedicated to deepening our understanding of the diverse cultures and histories of the Middle East. Our publishing on Iran in particular has long been the pride of our list so I’m thrilled that we have been able to join forces with the IHF and Dr Hassan Hakimian to launch the first ever fully open access book series on contemporary Iran. Under Dr Hakimian’s leadership, I know this new book series will share the dedication to excellence and originality in scholarship that have always been at the heart of I.B. Tauris’s publishing.”

Series Editor, Dr Hassan Hakimian remarked:

“The IHF Modern Iran Series will publish innovative books with a broad thematic focus on contemporary Iran. Ranging from the cultural and social to the political and economic, from the beginning of the twentieth century onwards, this open access series is set to bring cutting-edge research on Iran to scholars, researchers and readers worldwide. I.B. Tauris is the perfect fit for the series due to its unparalleled profile as a leader in Middle East Studies publishing and I have every confidence in the success and global impact of the series under their management.”

IHF Chairman Alireza Rastegar further commented:

“Expert scholarship is vital to our mission to promote and preserve the history, languages and cultures of Iran and the Persianate world and we believe that The IHF Modern Iran Series is an important step towards achieving this aim. We thank I.B. Tauris for housing this vital new series and Dr Hakimian for his stewardship of the project.”

 

**ENDS**

For further information, contact:
Mollie Broad, Senior Publicity Manager: Mollie.Broad@bloomsbury.com

Bloomsbury Publishing

Bloomsbury Publishing is a leading independent publishing house, established in 1986, with authors who have won the Nobel, Pulitzer and Booker Prizes, and is the originating publisher and custodian of the Harry Potter series. Bloomsbury has offices in London, New York, New Delhi, Oxford and Sydney. Within Bloomsbury’s Academic division, it publishes under Bloomsbury, as well as under a number of prestigious and historic imprint names.

Bloomsbury Academic and Professional Division

The Academic & Professional division has lifelong learning at the heart of our business, publishing works of excellence and originality to inspire, educate and inform, and believing that intellectual curiosity and educational achievement go hand-in-hand.

The Academic division specialises in the arts, humanities and social sciences, law, business and management, and study skills. It includes Fairchild BooksHart PublishingI.B. TaurisMethuen DramaThe Arden ShakespeareT&T Clark and Zed Books. In 2021 we acquired Red Globe Press from Macmillan Education Limited, as well as ABC-CLIO. In 2024 Bloomsbury acquired imprints and associated titles of Rowman & Littlefield.

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Bloomsbury Digital Resources provides creative online research and learning environments that deliver excellence and originality.

The division has won the Bookseller Industry Award for Academic, Educational & Professional Publisher of the Year three times: in 2013, 2014 and 2021.

About I.B. Tauris

I.B. Tauris has long been recognised as a world leader in Middle East Studies and a major presence in Politics & International Relations publishing.

Acquired by Bloomsbury in 2018, the imprint brings together academic and general interest books covering the most topical debates and vital new research on the history, politics, culture and religions of the Middle East.

These sit alongside a dynamic Politics & International Relations list that engages with global issues covering current affairs, political theory, international and diplomatic history, area studies, security studies, conflict resolution and government policy.

Its books are written by established specialists, seasoned journalists, frontline practitioners and cutting-edge scholars for passionate, curious readers.

About the Iran Heritage Foundation

The Iran Heritage Foundation (IHF) is a United Kingdom–registered charity founded in 1995. Its mission is to promote and preserve the history, languages and cultures of Iran and the

Persianate world, covering all periods of Iranian civilisation from ancient to modern.

For more information, see: www.ihf.org.uk