On August 24 2011, a great intellectual light of the Iranian community passed away. Professor Hossein Ziai was professor of Islamic and Iranian Studies, Inaugural holder of the Jahangir and Eleanor Amuzegar Chair in Iranian Studies and the director of Iranian Studies at UCLA, where he had taught since 1988. He received his Ph.D. in Islamic Philosophy from Harvard University in 1976. Prior to his position at UCLA, Dr. Ziai taught at Tehran University, Sharif University, Harvard University, Brown University, and Oberlin College. Dr. Ziai published widely on topics that include: Islamic philosophy; the Iranian Illuminationist School of philosophy and the impact of philosophy on Persian literature, where “Persian Poetic Wisdom” is defined in relation to the epistemology of knowledge by presence. Dr. Ziai is survived by his wife Mahasti, his son Dadali, his daughter-in-law Stephanie and his granddaughters Malia and Acacia.
Hamid Dabashi made this tribute to Professor Ziai on his facebook a few hours ago: “Hossein Ziai was a world authority on the philosophy of Shahab ad-Din Yahya ibn Habash Suhrawardī and his Illuminationist School of Philosophy. He was one of the finest philosophical minds of our time, and deeply committed to the cause of democracy in his homeland. He was an ardent supporter of the Green Movement in Iran, and wrote some of the most moving pieces in Jaras in support of democratic uprising in Iran. His unwavering moral voice will be sorely missed.”
From 2009
UCLA Panel on post Iranian Election 2009
