The talk will cover research on how Zoroastrian communities in Iran, including urban areas like Tehran, Kerman, Ahwaz, and Yazd, as well as rural Yazdi villages, have adapted religiously since the Islamic Republic’s establishment. It will compare these adaptations with the Parsi community in India and the diaspora, emphasizing shifts from traditional to modern practices, particularly in death ceremonies. Examples include changes in Iran’s dakhmeh system, preservation of Towers of Silence in India, and Brookwood cemetery in Britain, all within the broader diaspora context.
Sarah Stewart is a distinguished academic specializing in Zoroastrianism, holding the title of Reader Emeritus at SOAS. She previously served as the Shapoorji Pallonji Reader and co-chair of the SOAS Shapoorji Pallonji Institute of Zoroastrianism. Stewart’s research focuses on the contemporary Zoroastrian living tradition, showcased in her collaborative works like “Voices from Zoroastrian Iran, Volumes 1 and 2,” based on extensive fieldwork and recorded interviews.
Notably, Stewart curated the acclaimed exhibition “The Everlasting Flame: Zoroastrianism in History and Imagination” at the Brunei Gallery, SOAS in 2013 and later at the National Museum in Delhi in 2016. She also developed an introductory online course on Zoroastrianism, available on FutureLearn, offering accessible insights into the religion’s history, beliefs, and practices.
