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Ali Ansari

b. 1967

Iranian professor

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About Ali Ansari

Born 1967. Ali Ansari is a British historian, university teacher and iranologist.

Ali Massoud Ansari (, born 24 November 1967 in Rome ) is a Professor in Modern History with reference to the Middle East at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, where he is also the founding director of the Institute for Iranian Studies.

Education and career Ansari was educated at Colonel Brown Cambridge School Dehradun, Royal Russell School, University College London (BA), King's College London (MA), and obtained his PhD from the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS).

He is also an Associate Fellow at Chatham House and sits on the Governing Council of the British Institute of Persian Studies (BIPS). He is a regular speaker at conferences and events regarding Iran, including "Iran's New Parliament" at the New America Foundation. His work appears in The Guardian, The Independent, and the New Statesman, among other publications.

In March 2016 Ansari was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's National Academy for science and letters.

Personal life Ansari is the son of Mariam Dariabegi and , cousin of Farah Pahlavi. He married Marjon Esfandiary in 2010, after which he had a celebration held at Chatham House.

Selected bibliography Modern Iran Since 1921: the Pahlavis and After (2003) Confronting Iran: The Failure of American Foreign Policy and the Roots of Mistrust (2006) Iran Under Ahmadinejad (2008) The Politics of Nationalism in Modern Iran (2012) Iran: A Very Short Introduction (2014) Iran’s Constitutional Revolution of 1906 and Narratives of the Enlightenment (2016) Iran, Islam and Democracy: The Politics of Managing Change, 3rd Edition (2019) Iran (2024)

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
University College London, King's College London, SOAS, University of London, Royal Russell School
Employers
University of St Andrews
Also known as
Ali M. Ansari, Ali Massoud Ansari

People in Ali Ansari's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Ali Ansari's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Ali Ansari?

Iranian professor

When was Ali Ansari born?

Ali Ansari was born on 24 November 1967 in Rome.

What is Ali Ansari's occupation?

Ali Ansari is a historian, university teacher and iranologist.

What nationality is Ali Ansari?

Ali Ansari is British.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Ali Ansari

· Wikidata: Q4724653

· DBpedia: Ali M. Ansari

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Ali Ansari. https://biography.guide/ali-ansari/

MLA: "Ali Ansari." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/ali-ansari/.

Chicago: "Ali Ansari." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/ali-ansari/.

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