Research Center on the Iranian World - CERMI, UMR 8041

The Center for Research on the Iranian World (CERMI), CNRS Joint Research Unit (UMR) 8041, is a multidisciplinary research center jointly overseen by Sorbonne Nouvelle University, the National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations (INALCO), and the École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE-PSL). It brings together scholars whose research focuses on the Iranian cultural sphere in all its geographical, historical, and cultural diversity, from Antiquity to the present day.

The James Darmesteter Research Library, whose holdings comprise approximately 20,000 volumes, dozens of scholarly periodicals, and several archival collections, has been housed at the University Library for Languages and Civilizations (BULAC, Paris) since 2011 under a dedicated agreement. A significant portion of the collection is available in open access, and BULAC provides CeRMI with permanent use of a shared research workspace.

Research undertaken at CERMI benefits from longstanding collaborative links with the network of French research institutes abroad, notably the French Institute for Research in Iran (IFRI, Tehran), the French Institute for Central Asian Studies (IFEAC, Bishkek–Dushanbe), and the French Archaeological Delegation in Afghanistan (DAFA, Kabul).

CERMI is a founding member of the Empirical Foundations of Linguistics Laboratory of Excellence (LabEx EFL) and a member of the CNRS Scientific Interest Group (GIS) on the Middle East and Muslim Worlds (MOMM). The center is also affiliated with the DISTAM Huma-Num Consortium (DIgital STudies Africa, Asia and the Middle East), which supports the development of digital approaches to research in these regions.

Director: Denis Hermann

Deputy Directors: Justine Landau, Matteo De Chiara

Unit Website: https://cermi.cnrs.fr/