# Project on Shi’ism and Global Affairs ![Shrine of Imam Hussein at Dawn (Karbala, Iraq)](/sites/g/files/omnuum3186/files/styles/hwp_21_9__1920x825/public/2024-12/Karbala%20Imam%20Hussain%20Shrine_0.jpg?itok=DKTrIFHs) ## *Harvard University’s leading initiative for producing advanced knowledge on the universal, transnational, and global dimensions of Shi’a Islamic revival and history from an interdisciplinary perspective.* ## Featured News [### Project at HDS Explores Shi’a Islamic Revival ](/news/feature-interview-project-hds-explores-shi%E2%80%99-islamic-revival)Feature Interview In July 2022, the project joined the HDS community. Below, [Payam Mohseni](/people/payam-mohseni "Payam Mohseni"), the Director of the Project, [Ali Asani](/people/ali-asani-0 "Ali Asani"), Faculty Director of the project and Murray A. Albertson Professor of Middle Eastern Studies and Professor of Indo-Muslim and Islamic Religion and Cultures in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations (NELC), and [Mohammad Sagha](/people/mohammad-sagha "Mohammad Sagha"), Lecturer in the Modern Middle East in NELC, offer insights into the study of Shi’ism and the aim of the project. ![People flock in Masses to the Holy Shrine of Imam Hussain in Karbala, Iraq](/sites/g/files/omnuum3186/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2024-12/Holy%20Shrine%20of%20Imam%20Hussain%20in%20Karbala%20Iraq.jpg?itok=gJMUdStS) [### Introducing the Imam Ali Research Track ](/news/2023/10/project-shiism-and-global-affairs-announces-launch-imam-ali-research-track)ALI In October 2023, Harvard Divinity School's Project on Shi'ism and Global Affairs launched a new research track on the Life and Legacy of Imam Ali, generously sponsored by the Jaffer Family Foundation of New York. The figure of Ali ibn Abi Talib has been simultaneously enigmatic and manifest throughout Islamic history. As the key companion, cousin, and son-in-law to the Prophet Muhammad, Ali occupied a paramount role from the very origins of Islam. Both the first Shi’a Imam–and progenitor of the line of imamate–and fourth Sunni Caliph, the legacy, memory, and centrality of Ali is a key pillar of Shi’a and Sunni Islam. ![Imam Ali Shrine Najaf](/sites/g/files/omnuum3186/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2024-12/IMG_5137_0.jpg?itok=8kKmQbA2) ## Featured Publications [### The Hidden Imam and the End of Time ](/resource/hidden-imam-and-end-time-primer-mahdi-islamic-theology-and-global-politics-1)A Primer on the Mahdi, Islamic Theology, and Global Politics **Payam Mohseni and Mohammad Sagha** For hundreds of millions of Muslims around the world, including in the West, the Hidden Imam is at the heart of Islam. While those with some background in the study of the faith may have heard of this belief, its core centrality in the Islamic tradition is generally not recognized or properly understood. To address the gap in knowledge on this issue, the Project on Shi’ism and Global Affairs has produced the present report, entitled [*The Hidden Imam and the End of Time: A Primer on the Mahdi, Islamic Theology, and Global Politics*](/sites/g/files/omnuum3186/files/shiism-global-affairs/files/the_hidden_imam_and_the_end_of_time_-_a_primer_on_the_mahdi_islamic_theology_and_global_politics_04.pdf "The Hidden Imam and the End of Time: A Primer on the Mahdi, Islamic Theology, and Global Politics"), to raise awareness on the concept, meaning, and significance of the Hidden Imam for scholars, policymakers, and broader public audiences alike. ![Sun Emerging from behind the Earth out of occultation](/sites/g/files/omnuum3186/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2024-12/earth-1756274%20%281%29_0.jpg?itok=qW0G35z0) [### Taqrib, Shi'a-Sunni Relations, and Globalized Politics in the Middle East ](/publications/legacies-islamic-ecumenicismtaqrib-shia-sunni-relations-and)Legacies of Islamic Ecumenicism **Mohammad Sagha (Editor)** Shi'a-Sunni relations are among some of the most important dynamics in the Islamic world. The *taqrib* movement was the twentieth century's most significant iteration of Shi’a-Sunni ecumenical relations and peacebuilding in the Middle East, resulting in a sustained scholarly dialogue, joint publications, and flourishing engagement with contemporary and classical Islamic sources. This report -- "[**Legacies of Islamic Ecumenicism: Taqrib, Shi'a-Sunni Relations, and Globalized Politics in the Middle East**](/publications/legacies-islamic-ecumenicismtaqrib-shia-sunni-relations-and)" -- focuses on the *taqrib* movement by featuring several articles by leading scholars in academia as well as by Sunni and Shi’a clergymen whose careers intimately involve them in Shi’a-Sunni dialogue. ![Ayatollah Boroujerdi (Twelver Grand Ayatollah, Iran)](/sites/g/files/omnuum3186/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2024-12/Ayatollah%20Boroujerdi.jpg?itok=kksQGd8x) [### Iran's Syria Strategy ](/publications/irans-syria-strategy-evolution-deterrence)The Evolution of Deterrence **Hassan Ahmadian and Payam Mohseni** Iran has been a critical player in the Syrian war since 2011, crafting a complex foreign policy and military strategy to preserve its Syrian ally. What have been the drivers of Iranian decision-making in this conflict? And how has Iranian strategy evolved over the course of the war? This article argues that the logic of deterrence has been fundamental not just for shaping the contours of Iran–Syria relations since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, but also for determining the overall trajectory of Iranian strategy in the Syrian war. [Read the full article here](/publications/irans-syria-strategy-evolution-deterrence). ![Syria flag](/sites/g/files/omnuum3186/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2024-12/syria%20flag.jpg?itok=EkbgNZRL) [### The Emergence of Iran's New Saudi Strategy ](/resource/detente-containment-emergence-irans-new-saudi-strategy)From Détente to Containment **Hassan Ahmadian and Payam Mohseni** Iran's strategy with respect to Saudi Arabia is a key factor in the complex balance of power of the Middle East as the Iranian–Saudi rivalry impacts the dynamics of peace and conflict across the region from Yemen to Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Bahrain. What is Iranian strategic thinking on Saudi Arabia? And what have been the key factors driving the evolution of Iranian strategy towards the Kingdom? In what marks a substantive shift from its previous détente policy, we argue that Tehran has developed a new containment strategy in response to the perceived threat posed by an increasingly pro-active Saudi Arabia in the post-Arab Spring period. [Read the full article here.](/sites/g/files/omnuum3186/files/shiism-global-affairs/files/ahmadian_and_mohseni_from_detente_to_containment_-_the_emergence_of_irans_new_saudi_strategy.pdf "From Detente to Containment: the Emergence of Iran's New Saudi Strategy") ![Abdollahian (Iranian Foreign Minister) - Ibn Farhan (Saudi Foreign Minister)](/sites/g/files/omnuum3186/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2024-12/Abdollahian%20-%20Ibn%20Farhan.jpg?itok=7R54Brbw) arrow\_back arrow\_forward --- ## About the Project ![Shiism Project Harvard Divinity School](/sites/g/files/omnuum3186/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/shiism-global-affairs/files/shiismglobalaffairs-newsletter.jpg?itok=GSNHwp4N) The Project on Shi’ism and Global Affairs at the Harvard Divinity School undertakes advanced research on the multifaceted and diverse manifestations of Shi’a Islam both historically and in the contemporary period. The study of Shi’ism and its rising prominence in global affairs—including in intellectual debates, the intersection of religion and politics, and transnational geopolitical issues—is more pressing now than ever. The Project encompasses an interdisciplinary approach with a focus on the history, sociology, literature, art, theology, and politics of the diverse Shi’a communities and nations across the globe—who number at least 280-300 million individuals mainly spread across the Middle East, Central and South Asia, Africa, and the West. [Read more about the Project here.](/about "About") ## Courses at Harvard Our Project faculty members are offering the following courses for the 2024-2025 academic calendar year: [### Introduction to Iranian Religions & Persian Philosophy ](/class/introduction-iranian-religions-and-persian-philosophy-mohseni)HDS 3178 (Spring 2025) **Payam Mohseni** Throughout historical and contemporary periods, Persia (Iran) has occupied a central role in global religious thought and spirituality. The ancient Persian religions, including Zoroastrianism (Mazdayasna) and Manicheanism, had highly developed theological and philosophical worldviews with monotheistic and dualistic theologies. These included cosmologies of Light and Darkness, Good versus Evil, End-Times messianism, and resurrection... [Read more about this course.](/class/introduction-iranian-religions-and-persian-philosophy-mohseni "Introduction to Iranian Religions and Persian Philosophy (Mohseni)") ![Mythical Simurgh Bird Carrying Down Nectar from the Skies to the Mouth of a Human Lover](/sites/g/files/omnuum3186/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2024-12/Farschian%20painting-1.jpeg?itok=aY_8kooZ) [### Before and After Muhammad: The Rise and Rivalry of Monotheisms in Late Antiquity ](/class/hds-3349-and-after-muhammad-rise-and-rivalry-monotheisms-late-antiquity-goudarzi)HDS 3349 (Spring 2025) **Mohsen Goudarzi** and Charles Stang The period known as Late Antiquity (c. 3rd-9th cent. CE) witnessed major religious transformations that still define our world today, including most importantly the rise of rival monotheisms, the “Abrahamic” traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. After suffering initial persecutions, Christianity gained imperial favor and grew rapidly in Asia, Europe, and Africa, supplanting traditional cults and overtaking other religions... [Read more about this course.](/class/hds-3349-and-after-muhammad-rise-and-rivalry-monotheisms-late-antiquity-goudarzi "HDS 3349: Before and After Muhammad: The Rise and Rivalry of Monotheisms in Late Antiquity (Goudarzi)") ![Prophet Muhammad mounted on Buraq and accompanied by Angel Jibrail and other angels rises through the skies](/sites/g/files/omnuum3186/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2024-12/muhammad-mounted-on-buraq-accompanied-by-jibril-and-host-angels-rises-to-the-54d4f2.jpg?h=42cfb03c&itok=KwMo2enT) [### Shi’a Islam and Politics in the Middle East ](/class/modmdest-102202-shia-islam-and-politics-middle-east-sagha)MODMDEST 102/202 (Spring 2025) **Mohammad Sagha** From the rise of the Axis of Resistance and U.S.-Iran rivalry in the region, to the war in Yemen between the Shi'a Ansarallah (Houthis) and Saudi Arabia, and the battle over the future of Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon, the rise of Shi’a political actors has been one of the most significant developments in the recent history of the Middle East. [Read more about this course.](/class/modmdest-102202-shia-islam-and-politics-middle-east-sagha "MODMDEST 102/202: Shi’a Islam and Politics in the Middle East (Sagha)") ![imam ali shrine](/sites/g/files/omnuum3186/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2024-11/imam_ali_shrine.jpg?itok=Tu6r7Kww) [### Islam and Religious Diversity ](/class/islamciv-181-islam-and-religious-diversity-boylston)ISLAMCIV 181 (Spring 2025) **Nicholas** **Boylston** Questions arising from the diversity of religions recur in all of the major branches of Islamic thought and appear in complex permutations in diverse cultural contexts. Focusing primarily on pre-modern Islam, this course invites students to investigate perspectives on the religious other in the Quran, Islamic law, theology, philosophy and Sufism. [Read more about this course.](/class/islamciv-181-islam-and-religious-diversity-boylston "ISLAMCIV 181: Islam and Religious Diversity (Boylston)") ![ Aurangzeb holds court, as painted by (perhaps) Bichitr; Shaistah Khan stands behind Prince Muhammad Azam](/sites/g/files/omnuum3186/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2024-12/darbarscene-df5d20.jpg?h=4e52ea50&itok=PFQEMuY8) [### Pedagogy in the Study of Religion ](/class/religion-3004-pedagogy-study-religion-goudarzi)RELIGION 3004 (Spring 2025) **Mohsen Goudarzi** This course is designed for graduate students in the Committee on the Study of Religion, and is open to students in related fields who teach courses pertaining to religion. The course aims to equip students with skills to be effective Teaching Fellows at Harvard and to develop their own approaches to pedagogy as independent instructors in the field of religion. [Read more about this course.](/class/religion-3004-pedagogy-study-religion-goudarzi "RELIGION 3004: Pedagogy in the Study of Religion (Goudarzi)") ![Pilgrims circumambulating around the Holy Kaaba in Mecca](/sites/g/files/omnuum3186/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2024-12/Kaaba%20Mecca.jpg?itok=WGvdzVX9) [### Regional Order, U.S. Wars, and the Politics of Iraq and Afghanistan ](/class/modmdest-107209-regional-order-us-wars-and-politics-iraq-and-afghanistan-sagha)MODMDEST 107/209 (Spring 2025) **Mohammad Sagha** Regional order in the Middle East has significant consequences and reverberations around the globe ranging from inter-state rivalries, ethno-national violence, world energy markets, and international great power competition for influence in western Asia and interconnected world regions. [Read more about this course.](/class/modmdest-107209-regional-order-us-wars-and-politics-iraq-and-afghanistan-sagha "MODMDEST 107/209: Regional Order, U.S. Wars, and the Politics of Iraq and Afghanistan (Sagha)") ![Toppling of Saddam's statue in Baghdad, Iraq](/sites/g/files/omnuum3186/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2024-12/640px-SaddamStatue.jpg?itok=fjEW1YqC) [### Classical Persian Bridge ](/class/persian-131r-classical-persian-bridge-boylston)PERSIAN 131R (Spring 2025) **Nicholas Boylston** Students learn the details of Classical Persian grammar, lexicography, and prosody, and work with modern Persian academic commentaries on classical works. Students gain the reading fluency necessary for research in Classical Persian prose, and a foundational understanding of the major poetic forms... [Read more about this course.](/class/persian-131r-classical-persian-bridge-boylston "PERSIAN 131R: Classical Persian Bridge (Boylston)") ![Persian garden in the Qavam House in Shiraz, Iran with a View of the yard and the building in Spring.](/sites/g/files/omnuum3186/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2024-12/800px-Ghavam_881128.jpg?itok=XTrgcU2B) arrow\_back arrow\_forward ## From the Visions Blog ### Featured Posts [**Al-Ghadir: The Fountainhead of Shi’ism**](/news/2019/08/20/al-ghadir-fountainhead-shiism "Al-Ghadir: The Fountainhead of Shi’ism") [**Five Myths of Sectarianism within Islam in the Contemporary Middle East**](/news/2022/04/five-myths-sectarianism-within-islam-contemporary-middle-east "Five Myths of Sectarianism within Islam in the Contemporary Middle East") [**The Bektashi Shi’as of Michigan: Pluralism and Orthodoxy within Twelver Shi’ism**](/news/2020/02/bektashi-shias-michigan-pluralism-and-orthodoxy-within-twelver-shiism "The Bektashi Shi’as of Michigan: Pluralism and Orthodoxy within Twelver Shi’ism") [**The Exoteric Imamate as the Omnipresent Esoteric in Shi’a Hiero-History** ](/news/2019/09/exoteric-imamate-omnipresent-esoteric-shia-hiero-history "The Exoteric Imamate as the Omnipresent Esoteric in Shi’a Hiero-History ") ![Painting of Imam Hussein sitting on a white horse with a vignette of a mosque and mourners around him.](/sites/g/files/omnuum3186/files/styles/hwp_1_1__720x720_scale/public/shiism-global-affairs/files/imam_hussein_2-700px.jpg?itok=HWj3pnuY) ## Get Involved If you are interested in helping out or looking to assist with research on Shi'a affairs, please [email us](mailto:globalshiism@hds.harvard.edu) with a statement of interest and CV. If you want to be updated on the project, you can like us on [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/ShiismHarvard/), subscribe to us on [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/c/ProjectonShiismandGlobalAffairsHarvard/featured?view_as=subscriber), or follow us on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/HarvardShiism) and [SoundCloud](https://soundcloud.com/shiism-harvard). ## Newsletter Sign-up #mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; false;clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; width: 600px;} /* Add your own Mailchimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block. 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