I am delighted to present the third issue of volume 57 of Iranian Studies after a brief hiatus caused by technical disruptions that affected Cambridge University Press's operations last summer. I thank the dedicated members of the copyediting and production team at Cambridge University Press for making it possible for us to resume publishing.
The six articles and archival report included in this issue encompass a wide range of historical, thematic, and disciplinary domains. Ranging from the study of Sufism to translation, modes of transmission of knowledge, politics of statehood, literature, and cinema, the contributions in this issue represent the work of scholars from Germany, Iran, Israel, the Netherlands, and Türkiye.
I would like to take this opportunity to share some changes to our editorial board. Dr. Aria Fani, Deputy Editor of Iranian Studies, completed his term last summer. I am grateful to Dr Fani for his invaluable guidance and support. Two other members of the editorial team, Dr. Austin O'Malley and Dr. Nahid Siamdoust, who served the journal as book review editors, have also completed their terms. In addition to serving as the book review editor for modern Persian literature, Dr. Amy Motalgh (University of California, Davis) will now also assume responsibility for book reviews in cultural studies. I am very pleased to announce that Dr. Jane Mikkelson (Yale University) has accepted to become book review editor for classical literature.
Dr. Farshad Sonboldel, a scholar of Persian literature currently serving as the World History and Cultures Librarian at the University of California, San Diego, was selected for and accepted the position of Deputy Editor in July 2024. He brings to the position invaluable experience as the Editor of the Journal of the Middle East Librarians’ Association. At the Biennial Conference of the Association for Iranian Studies in Mexico City last August, we had occasion to hold an editorial board meeting to discuss ways to enhance our outreach, revising the submission guidelines and offering support for contributors seeking guidance on preparing submissions. I am indebted to the members of the editorial team for their professionalism and commitment to maintaining and enhancing our journal's standing in the field.
It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of our colleague, Professor Emeritus Peter J. Chelkowski of New York University, whose scholarship as a cultural historian has left a lasting legacy in Iranian Studies.
