Department of Sociology Faculty

Maboud Ansari

Maboud Ansari (Professor) received his B.A. from Teachers College, Tehran, Iran, his M.A. from Tehran University, and Ph.D. from the New School for Social Research. He teaches History of Social Theory, Modern Sociological Theory, Muslims and Islamic U.S. Institutions--both at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

His books include Modern Sociological Theories, 2nd ed. (Danjeh, 2005); The Making of the Iranian Community in America (Pardis Press, 1992); Iranian Immigrants in the United States (Associated Faculty Press, 1988); translation into Persian of of C. Wright Mills' The Sociological Imagination (Enteshar Press, 1979); a translation into Persian of Max Weber's The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (Samt Press, 1993), He also wrote "Islam in New York State" and "Iranian-Americans," for the Encyclopedia of New York State (Syracuse University Press) and "Islam and Modernity" for the Encyclopedia of Social Problems (Sage). His current research interests focus on Muslims in New York and New Jersey and he is now working on a book on this subject.

Prof. Ansari was a board member of Persian, Cultural and Humanitarian Associations of New Jersey from 1985-2000. He is advisor to the Student Muslim Association on campus. He is involved in various cultural and social events in the Persian community and was the editor/publisher of an Iranian-American magazine called Pardis (1992-1995). He is frequently interviewed in the Persian media and is a contributor to The Iran Times published in Washington, DC. During Summer 2005, he was interviewed five times by Radio France on sociopolitical events in Iran and on Iranian Americans. For five years he conducted a Saturday program teaching Persian language and culture to young Iranian Americans. Since 1997, he has also been an editorial member of CIRA Journal (Center for Iranian Research and Analysis).

Prof. Ansari's son Shaya graduated from William Paterson in January 1996 as a biology major and is now a practicing radiologist in Kansas City, Missouri. His daughter Pardis graduated from Rutgers University in May 2002 with an MBA degree, and now works for Johnson & Johnson as a senior analyst. His wife, Esmat, was a nurse at Mountainside Hospital until she took early retirement in 2005. The entire family has enjoyed traveling throughout the United States, as well as Europe and Asia. He and his wife enjoy hiking and Prof. Ansari participated in the New York City marathon in 1995 and 1996.