Iran is one of the countries most present in the German media, but perhaps the least understood. The diversity, wealth and inner contradictions of this beautiful and proud country and its society disappear behind a diffuse veil of clichés and prejudices. Iran's present is characterised by a repressive political system and an ideology that now interests almost nobody in the country itself. Iranian society is colourful, diverse and modern. In resisting the state and its powers, Iranians have developed their own unique political culture and a strong, resilient civil society. Most Iranians long for normality, a decent life and a little freedom. Iran's ideological and political conflicts with some ‘Western’ states, the resulting economic sanctions and the omnipresent corruption have led to a permanent economic crisis that is increasingly driving young Iranians out of the country in despair.

This book aims to explain the difficult to explain, and bring the seemingly distant closer. It attempts to explain Iran, its history, the state, society, social behaviour and the everyday culture of Iranians in a holistic way. Iran is far away from us, and yet in many ways much closer than many people realise. This is not least due to the approximately 300,000 Iranians (including their descendants) who have come to Germany in recent decades and have found a second home here. They have kept their first homeland in their hearts and look back to it with longing. They have brought their culture, politeness, curiosity and education with them as gifts and enrich our country and our society. They have come here because they appreciate the advantages of our society and share its values. They are extremely willing to integrate; German society benefits from them more than it realises. This book also wants to send a welcome to the Iranian immigrant community in Germany, and build a bridge between the two cultures.

https://www.aai.uni-hamburg.de/voror/personen/paul.htmlIranistik

Ludwig Paul (1963)
1985-96 Studying Linguistics and Iranian Studies (Bonn, Göttingen, Peshawar and Tehran)
1996 PhD. in Iranian Studies, University of Göttingen
1995/96 Post-doc fellow at the Van Leer Institute (Jerusalem)
1996-2002 Assistant Professor at the Seminar für Iranistik (Göttingen); Habilitation and venia legendi in “Iranian Studies”
2002-2004 Senior Assistant Professor (Göttingen); Professor for Iranian studies at Hamburg University
2022 Appointment as ordinary member of the Academy of Sciences and Literature (Mainz)

Main research areas: Iranian historical Linguistics; History of Persian; Iranian Dialectology