The Histiry of Comparative Literature in Iran

Comparative literature is a modern kind of research which was born in France then spread to other Western and European universities and eventually arrived on the scene of Asian and Iranian universities. Although comparative literature is a new field of study, comparative studies in their simple forms have existed in the literature of different lands long ago. Comparative literature in Iran was established by Ms. F ā ţeme-ye Sayy ā h. She founded the chair of comparative literature in Tehran University in 1938. However, this chair soon came to an end due to her early death, lack of knowledgeable professor in the field, and lack of correct long-term planning and policy making. This study is an attempt at providing a fairly comprehensive picture of the history of comparative literature in Iran and the challenges this new sub-discipline faces.