Hossein Godazgar

Profile

Hossein Godazgar is Honorary Professor of Sociology. His research encompasses both theoretical and empirical studies exploring the definition of “religion” in the context of globalization, organizations, social policies and their impacts on various aspects of everyday life. These aspects include (higher) education, consumerism, environmental issues, religious minorities, ethno-religious identities, information technology, mass media, ethics, the value of human life, and physician assisted suicide, particularly within the social contexts of Iran and the United Kingdom. He has disseminated his research findings through a monograph, peer-reviewed journals, book chapters, encyclopedia entries, and presentations at local, national and international conferences. Drawing on ethnographic empirical research conducted in secondary schools in the town of Firuraq (“Perah”) in north-west Iran, his monograph examines the educational changes that followed the 1979 “Islamic” Revolution. The book, titled The Impact of Religious Factors on Educational Change in Iran: Islam in Policy and Islam in Practice (New York, Ontario, and Lampeter: The Edwin Mellen Press, 2008), includes a foreword by James A. Beckford.

His current focus centers specifically on the sociological examination of the intersectionality between religion and biomedical ethics. Presently, he is authoring a second monograph entitled Social Theory, Religion and Bioethics slated for publication by Brill.

During his career, he has primarily worked at universities in Iran and the United Kingdom as a researcher and academic staff member. His significant tenures include the University of Tabriz in Iran (1990-2007) and the Al-Maktoum College of Higher Education, previously affiliated with the University of Aberdeen in the United Kingdom (2010-2019), from where he retired as Professor in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies.

He holds degrees in various disciplines, including Islamic Studies (BA, University of Tehran), Comparative Religions and Mysticism (MA, University of Tehran), Practical Ethics: Bioethics, the Environment and the Foundations of Law (MA, University of York), and Sociology (of Religion), in which he holds a PhD from the University of Warwick.

Latest Publications:

Navigating the Counters of Religion vis-à-vis Abortion and Contraception in Contemporary Iran: A Sociological Approach. The Routledge Handbook of Spirituality, Religion, and the Medical Humanities, edited by K. L. Slominski, A. J. Powel, C. H. Cook. London: Routledge (2026): 148-60. https://www.routledge.com/The-Routledge-Handbook-of-Spirituality-Religion-and-the-Medical-Humanities/Slominski-Powell-Cook/p/book/9781032447599

A “Social Constructionist” Approach to “Muslim Biomedical Ethics”: Examining “Muslim” Opposition to Physician-Assisted Suicide. Journal for Cultural and Religious Theory (Special Issue on Religion and Bioethics), Summer 2025, 24(1). https://www.jcrt.org/archives/24.1/

Exploring “Diversity” and “Pluralism”: A Sociological Analysis of Religious Education Textbooks in the “Islamic Republic” of Iran. British Journal of Religious Education, 2025, 47(4): 465-84. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/01416200.2025.2451031

(With H. Mirzaei) Styles of “Religion”, “Non-Religion” and “Spirituality” in Post-Revolutionary Iran: the “Ironic” Impact of “Islam” on People’s “Religiosity”. British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies (2023). doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/13530194.2023.2235132

Sociology Perspectives on Pilgrimage. Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Pilgrimage: Historical, Current and Future Directions, edited by H. A. Warfield. Oxford: Peter Lang (2023): 177-207. doi: https://www.peterlang.com/document/1297585

From “Islamism” to “Spiritualism”? The Individualization of “Religion” in Contemporary Iran. Religions (2020). doi: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/11/1/32/pdf

“Islamic Jihad”. The Sage Encyclopedia of the Sociology of Religion, edited by A. Possamai and A. J. Blasi. California: Sage Publishing (2020): 410-13. doi: https://sk.sagepub.com/ency/edvol/the-sage-encyclopedia-of-sociology-of-religion/toc#_

“Ummah”. The Sage Encyclopedia of the Sociology of Religion, edited by A. Possamai and A. J. Blasi. California: Sage Publishing (2020): 875-77. doi: https://sk.sagepub.com/ency/edvol/the-sage-encyclopedia-of-sociology-of-religion/toc#_