Remembering Dr. Behrooz Moazami

The Loyola University New Orleans community mourns the loss of beloved professor, scholar, and colleague, Dr. Behrooz Moazami, emeritus faculty member, founder of Loyola's Middle East Peace Studies program (now the Middle East and North Africa Studies program), and former Patrick G. O'Keefe Distinguished Professor of History.

Dr. Moazami joined Loyola in 2007 and quickly became a vital presence on campus. A dedicated educator and internationally respected scholar, he founded the annual Loyola University Students Peace Conference in 2008, creating a lasting tradition that continues to inspire dialogue, civic engagement, and a commitment to peace. His dedication to justice, democracy, and public scholarship shaped generations of students and colleagues. In recognition of his distinguished career and contributions to the university, he was promoted to Full Professor in 2019.

Before joining Loyola, Dr. Moazami taught at several institutions, including the New School for Social Research, the City College of New York, New York University, Pace University, Tulane University, and Long Island University. Before his academic career, he spent more than two decades as a political activist and contributor to Iranian dissident publications. While living in exile in Paris from 1983 to 1992, he co-founded and co-edited Andisheye Rahai, a Persian-language review dedicated to politics, theory, and society.

His scholarship challenged conventional understandings of modern Iranian history and the broader Middle East. His 2013 book, State, Religion, and Revolution, 1796 to the Present, offered a groundbreaking analysis of the relationship between state and religion in Iran and was later translated into Turkish. Throughout his career, his research explored revolution, political transformation, regional instability, and the enduring pursuit of peace and democracy.

Dr. Moazami will be remembered as a scholar, teacher, activist, colleague, and friend whose life’s work was animated by a profound commitment to peace, democracy, historical understanding, and human dignity. His influence on his students, colleagues, and the broader intellectual community will endure. 

Allow us to extend our deepest condolences to Dr. Moazami’s family, friends, students, colleagues, and all who were shaped by his life and work during this time.