The focus of this department is research in the field of Iranian contemporary history (nineteenth century onwards) specifically within the domains of culture and society. The aim is to present Iranian history scientifically and in the most tangible way for a wide audience.

In 1990 this department spearheaded an in house research project in conjunction with the departments of Social Anthropology, Linguistics, and Architecture with the aim of accumulating an extensive Data Bank on the Qajar Era (1798-1925) for the purpose of applied research in the field. As result the CRB has amassed one of the most complete libraries on the topic.

More recently, the results of our research are being published within the series, “What do I know about Iran?”. These books are written for Iranian youth and immigrant Iranian families, or anyone who seeks a general introduction to different aspects of Iranian culture, society or history. The topics are varied and comprehensive accompanied by an extensive bibliography list.