The Society for Iranian Studies was founded as a professional society to support and promote the field of Iranian Studies at the international level. SIS is a private, nonprofit, non-political organization of persons interested in Iranian Studies in the broadest sense.
The objectives of the Society are to:
- promote high standards of scholarship in the field
- encourage the teaching of Iranian Studies at the graduate and under-graduate levels
- encourage and facilitate scholarly exchange amongst its international membership
The SIS publishes Iranian Studies Journal as well as the SISNews Newsletter for the membership. The Society also convenes a Biennial Conference in Bethesda, Maryland in conjunction with The Association for the Study of Persianate Societies. The annual meeting of SIS takes place in conjunction with the MESA meeting.
The Society for Iranian Studies has two general categories of membership, individual members and institutional members.