A new scholarly booklet by Dr. Reza Gholami, Iranian Studies as “Technography”: A Critique of the Austrian Academy of Sciences Publications, presents a concise yet ambitious examination of the intellectual foundations of Iranian Studies at the Austrian Academy of Sciences. Based on a close review of more than two hundred publications issued by the Academy’s Institute for Iranian Studies, the booklet argues that while Austrian scholarship has made significant contributions to the study of Iranian languages, history, and philology, its overall orientation has remained predominantly technical and descriptive, lacking a comprehensive civilizational and theoretical framework.
Drawing on Hans-Georg Gadamer’s hermeneutics and a broader civilizational perspective, the booklet contends that Iranian Studies should move beyond the mere cataloguing of texts and artifacts and seek a deeper understanding of Iran as a living and continuous civilization. It calls for greater engagement with Iranian intellectual traditions and with the voices of contemporary Iranian scholars, emphasizing dialogue as an indispensable condition for genuine understanding.
The author identifies several structural shortcomings in the Academy’s publication program, including the marginal place of Iranian Islam and Shi‘ism, the predominance of fragmented philological studies over synthetic interpretation, the absence of sustained cooperation with Iranian scholars, and the lack of a robust culture of scholarly critique. At the same time, the booklet explicitly recognizes the Austrian Academy’s historic role in preserving and advancing Iranian Studies in Europe and presents its criticisms in a constructive spirit aimed at strengthening, rather than diminishing, this distinguished tradition.
Prepared on the occasion of the First Specialized Exhibition of Iranian Studies Books in Vienna in 2026, organized by Iranian Wisdom House, the booklet seeks to encourage a new phase of intellectual dialogue between European and Iranian scholarship and to promote a more comprehensive understanding of Iran as a dynamic and meaning-producing civilization.
The booklet was formally presented to the President of the Austrian Academy of Sciences as a contribution to scholarly dialogue and critical self-reflection within the field of Iranian Studies.