Mitra Ara

Dr. Mitra Ara is a Persian and Iranian Studies Professor and Founding Director of the Persian Studies Program in the College of Liberal & Creative Arts at San Francisco State University. As a cultural historian, she lectures in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, and Middle East Studies program. She teaches cultures of the Persianate Societies, both ancient and modern, in addition to the Asian and ancient Iranian religions, including the minorities’ traditions. 

She received her B.A. in Religious Studies, her M.A. in South Asian studies, and her Ph.D. in Asian studies from the University of California, Berkeley, with a concentration on the religions and languages of West Asia. Her research interests include Indo-Iranian cultures, mythology, cosmology, and eschatology. In addition to her philanthropic efforts, her research interests have taken her all over the globe. She is an artist, photographer, translator, and single author of the books entitled Eschatology in the Indo-Iranian Traditions: The Genesis and Transformation of a Doctrine; A Lexicon of the Persian Language of Shiraz; Systematic Guide to Reading and Writing Persian Language (1st & 2nd editions); Quatrains of Omar Khayyam, Astronomer-Poet of Persian: Metamorphosis of Nothingness; Do You See What I See (Volumes I & II); and Ancient Roots of Creation and Afterlife Beliefs, in addition to various articles, conference presentations, workshops, colloquies, and public speaking. 

By establishing the first and only multidisciplinary Persian Studies Minor program in the California State University system, Dr. Ara has provided a uniquely designed academic resource for understanding, studying, and appreciating Persian cultural heritage. This minor program allows students and faculty to explore Persian and Iranian history, languages, literatures, arts, and cultures in all their manifestations. It exposes students to a broadly defined vision that spans and includes the diverse geographic and linguistic landscape of historic and modern Persian societies, including Afghanistan, Iran, and Tajikistan. 

She was the recipient and principal investigator of grants from various US institutions, including the Department of Education, Parsa Community Foundation, Startalk, and Strategic Language Initiative, for establishing and expanding the Persian Studies program at California State University, San Francisco State University.  In 2011, she was the faculty recipient of the Office of International Program Special Recognition Award for Outstanding Contributions, Support, and Service to the International Student Community. The same year, she received the Strategic Language Initiative Consortium Special Award for Leadership, Dedication, and Excellence. In 2012, the Institute of International Education awarded her the Certificate of Appreciation for Teaching and Mentorship. In 2020, she was selected by the faculty honors and awards committee to receive the College of Liberal & Creative Arts’ Distinguished Faculty Award for Excellence in Service at San Francisco State University.  She is serving on various academic boards, including SF State’s Academic Senate Committee, Curriculum Review & Appeal Committee, and the Advisors Committee of the Society for Asian Art. 

Professor Ara's books on Amazon: 

• Ancient Roots of Creation and Afterlife Beliefs 

• Systematic Guide to Reading and Writing Persian Language (Second Edition) 

• Quatrains of Omar Khayyam, Astronomer-Poet of Persia: Metamorphosis of Nothingness 

• Do You See What I See - Book I 

• Do You See What I See - Book II 

• Systematic Guide to Reading and Writing Persian Language: In Naskh & Nasta'liq Styles (First Edition) 

• A Lexicon of the Persian Language of Shiraz  

• Eschatology in the Indo-Iranian Traditions: The Genesis and Transformation of a Doctrine 

For additional information, please visit the Persian Program on the Modern Languages and Literatures website.