From University in Exile to the Dream of a West Asian Academia

Some might say, 'So what?' But for me, the international accreditation of the Social Studies program of Iran Academia (Institute of Social Sciences and Humanities - ISSH) was extremely important, decisive, and historic. Naturally, from its inception, pursuit, and achievement, I am personally proud and honored that we have brought a successful project to this point together. But the deeper meaning of this accreditation lies in the possibility it proves: that one can stand outside dominant structures, lobbies, dirty plays, cliquism, and grant-chasing; and, with limited resources, build an academic, knowledge-based, non-partisan, and independent institution whose educational quality is evaluated based on independent and comparable standards, and whose academic and educational credibility is registered alongside the best European universities^[1].

Of course, a distinction must be made between the accreditation of a program and the comprehensive alignment of a small, online university with the world's wealthiest, most prestigious universities possessing grand campuses and reputations. What a proud distinction! This achievement is neither a global ranking nor does it, on its own, prove institutional equality. What it demonstrates is more limited, yet still extremely important: a program that has taken shape at the heart of an independent, tuition-free, online, and alternative university has managed to pass a specialized quality assessment process based on European higher education standards, establishing the level of its learning outcomes within an international framework on par with the top master's programs in social studies and within the framework of development studies.

The significance of this achievement must be measured in relation to the conditions of its formation. Iran Academia has never enjoyed the backing of a government, has never possessed the resources of a large university, and has never relied on conventional higher education infrastructures (such as a national ministry of education or a club of official universities). Therefore, the issue is not merely obtaining accreditation; it is about proving the possibility of building independent higher education in a context where severe, compounded epistemic, linguistic, political, geographical, and institutional limitations and inequalities in Europe can disrupt access to the free production and circulation of knowledge.

A university in exile is not simply about being located outside the borders of a country. This concept carries a clear and distinct political and historical weight: a university that transforms exile into an opportunity to preserve intellectual independence, connect researchers and students, and sustain critical education. However, remaining in a state of exile should not be the ultimate horizon for such an institution. Exile is a starting point, but it must not become the threshold of its mission and identity.

This is just the beginning of a journey. My hope is that Iran Academia will transcend being a university in exile and grow into "West Asian Academia": a transnational and non-partisan institution that questions the dependency of knowledge on identity and political borders, and provides a platform for free education, research, and dialogue across the region. Realizing such a vision depends on the possibility of multilingual participation, independent governance, sustainable access, regional cooperation, the ability to safeguard academic freedom against political and financial pressures, technological growth, AI pedagogy, and continuous innovation.

This vision is still a wish. But perhaps it is worth recalling the early days of the Academia, which were just as unbelievable and perhaps even crazy to everyone except a very small few. The question is not whether an independent university in exile can survive; the question is whether it can learn from its current experience and transform it into a regional one.