Dariush Shayegan

Dariush Shayegan, born on 24 January 1935 in Tabriz and died on 22 March 2018 in Tehran, was a philosopher, Indologist, writer, poet, and one of the major figures of comparative philosophy in contemporary Iran. He earned his doctorate in Indology from the Sorbonne and for years wrote about Indian religions, Iranian mysticism, Eastern tradition, Western modernity, and the crisis of identity in non-Western societies. Most of his works have been published in Persian and French, and he is known in Iran's intellectual sphere for books such as Asia vs. the West, Religions and Philosophical Schools of India, and The New Enchantment.

After suffering a stroke in February 2018, Shayegan was hospitalized for some time at Firoozgar Hospital in Tehran and ultimately passed away on 22 March 2018 at the age of 83. Upon his death, the media remembered him as a distinguished Iranian philosopher and researcher with works in philosophy, mysticism, and comparative studies.

Shayegan's thought can be understood along several main axes: first, comparative philosophy and Indology; he was one of the few Iranian thinkers who seriously and deeply brought Indian texts and intellectual traditions into Persian philosophical dialogue. Second, the relationship between East and West; in works like Asia vs. the West, he sought to show that Eastern societies, in confronting modernity, have experienced rupture, duality, and an identity crisis.

In later periods, Shayegan's perspective moved away from the East-West dichotomy and toward ideas such as hybrid identity, nomadic thought, the fusion of horizons, and the dialogue of cultures. For this reason, his intellectual trajectory shifted from a critique of Westoxification and a defense of tradition toward an embrace of cultural plurality and the possibility of civilizational dialogue.

Among his honors are the Asian Literary Prize for the novel Land of Mirages in 2004; the Dialogue of Cultures and Civilizations Prize from Aarhus University in Denmark in 2010; the Grand Prix de la Francophonie in 2011 and 2012; and the French Legion of Honour in 2016.