Filling the Gap: American Studies at the University of Tehran

American Studies is a well-documented tradition that was initiated by the United States government outside the country as a part of US public diplomacy efforts during the Cold War. On the other hand, it also has its roots in twentieth century United States academia. Hence, like the much older tradition of Oriental studies, this interdisciplinary field of inquiry has its roots in ‘the West’ and this by itself has significant implications with regards to the nature of the production of knowledge in this area of study as well as its broader social, cultural, and political implications. It also seems that strong similarities exist in the American exceptionalism existing in much of American Studies and the Eurocentrism pervasive in the much older field of Oriental Studies. This is important to keep in mind when attempting to understand some of the reasons why the University of Tehran chose to initiate what is officially North American Studies, but what students and colleagues at the university usually call American Studies.