Shapour Rasekh, Pioneer of Sociology in Iran, Passes Away
Dr. Shapour Rasekh, one of the pioneers of sociology in Iran, passed away at the age of 97.
Shapour Rasekh was among the pioneers of quantitative studies and surveys in Iran who served as deputy director of planning at the Planning Organization for 10 years before the 1979 revolution. He was also a professor at Tehran University for 19 years.
Shapour Rasekh was born in 1924 in Tehran. He completed his primary, secondary, and university education up to earning a doctorate in Persian literature and a bachelor’s degree in economics in Iran, and then went to Europe where he obtained a master’s degree in social sciences and a doctorate in sociology from the University of Geneva in Switzerland.
During that period, he wrote the books “Introduction to the Sociology of Iran” and “Education in Today’s World” and published numerous articles.
From 1980 to 2006, Shapour Rasekh was an advisor to UNESCO on educational affairs and wrote the books “Contents of Education,” “A Look at Literacy” and “Education and the Culture of Peace.”
He was a member of the spiritual councils of the Bahai community in Iran and Switzerland for about 10 years and served as a member of the continental advisory board of the Bahai community in Europe for 12 years.
From 1980, Shapour Rasekh was responsible for organizing and publishing the magazine “Bahai Message” in cooperation with a group, and published the books “Hopes and Promises,” the collection “Song of Passage” and “The World Needs a Global Civilization.”
Source: Voice of America
