1. 2025-12. Negotiating Gender Equality among Pakistani Bahá'ís: A Qualitative Study. Saleha, Ayesha Zaka, Humaira Tehsin. Explores how Pakistani Bahá’ís negotiate religious ideals of gender equality within everyday life, revealing tensions between egalitarian beliefs and patriarchal social norms. Articles.
2. 2025-10-10. Developmental Model for Religion, A: A Bahá'í Philosophy and Social Theory. Behrooz Sabet, Filip Boicu. A review of Bahá’í scholarship and philosophy within the historical evolution of religion, accompanied by a taxonomy of key areas of Bahá’í research and inquiry. Transcripts.
3. 2025-09-29. Rebalancing Knowledge: An Informal Dialogue on the Crisis and Promise of Social Sciences. Behrooz Sabet, Filip Boicu. The social sciences still lean on reductionist models. They need to be integrated into a broader framework that fosters the unity of knowledge. Transcripts.
4. 2025-09. Principled Engagement: The Bahá'í Community of Iran's Approach to Social Change. Iqan Shahidi. Analyzes the Iranian Bahá’í community’s principled, non-adversarial engagement in social change, highlighting constructive resilience, community building, and non-political contributions despite persecution. Articles.
5. 2025. Bahá'í Work as Worship, Prayer as Practice: Chapter 15. Deborah Clark Vance. Religion is logical and progressive; it moves humanity closer to a unified world; human reality is our thought, not our bodies; life is for acquiring spiritual attributes; Baháʼí temples are symbols of unity, fostering peace and community-building. Articles.
6. 2024-04-22. Sacred spaces and secular visions in the Bahá'í Holy Gardens. Elizabeth Kostina. Exploring the interplay between religious practice and heritage tourism at the Bahá’í Holy Gardens in Haifa, revealing a trend towards shared 'spirituality' among pilgrims and tourists. Theses.
7. 2024. Managing Religion and Religious Changes in Iran, A Socio-Legal Analysis by Sajjad Adeliyan Tous and James T. Richardson: Review. Christopher Buck. Reviews.
8. 2023-01-17. Crisis of Identity, The. Shahrzad Sabet. Exploring how the Bahá’í principle of the oneness of humanity can resolve the seemingly intractable tension between oneness and diversity. Articles.
9. 2023-01-16. Modernity as an Age of Transition. Benjamin Schewel. Modernity reconceptualized as a period of humanity’s collective adolescence; origins of the modern age of transition; ideological frustration; toward a new horizon of research and intellectual activity. Articles.
10. 2023. From Outsider to Outsider: A Study of Iranian Bahá'ís' Identity in Iran and the United States. Naghme Naseri Morlock. The denial of a national identity of Bahá'ís in Iran; their experiences in the U.S.; cultural differences between immigrant and American Bahá'ís; the importance of religious identity; how religious, national, and cultural identities are negotiated. Articles.
11. 2022. Abdu'l‐Bahá y la cuestión racial. Amin E. Egea (published as Amin E. Egea Farzannejad). Pese a compartir objetivos comunes, la perspectiva sobre la armonía racial del líder de la religión bahá’í y el de muchos de sus coetáneos era diametralmente opuesta y, también lo eran sus propuestas para la transformación social. Articles.
12. 2022. Género y catolicismo: Concepciones y realidades de practicantes del catolicismo referente a la pluralidad del género. Patricia de Luna Garcia, Rodrigo Vazquez Canales. Relaciónes entre el ser un practicante del catolicismo y la apertura a la pluralidad de género. La hipótesis que buscaba determinar si hay alguna relación entre el ser católico practicante y estar abierto a las diferentes manifestaciones de género. Articles.
13. 2022. Architectures of Thinking, The. Jordi Vallverdu Segura, Josuke Nakano. Sacred architectures play a role in shaping cognition — which results from the relationships between the subject and their surroundings. By sharing an environment and its relationships, members of a community define their values, attitudes, and "reality." Articles.
14. 2022. Importancia de las Escrituras en la Ética Laboral Protestante. Saul Palacios. La ética laboral protestante (PWE) se fundamentaba en un fuerte componente. La PWE ya no está únicamente asociada a los cristianos, sino que se encuentra presente en individuos de distintos credos, desvinculándola de todo otro aspecto religioso. Articles.
15. 2022. Religious Extremism in a Multifaceted Context. Alkhaldy Ayman, Alhrahshehr Rakan. Deconstruction of the word "extreme" in religious perspectives; proposal for a complete framework encompassing the many different components that make up religion: the intellectual, ceremonial, social, and political dimensions, beyond a focus on violence. Articles.
16. 2020. Crisis and the Power of an Inclusive Historical Consciousness: Progressing from Delusional Habits to Dynamic Freedom. Todd Smith. On delusional ways of thinking: the habits of totalizing reality vs. fragmenting reality. These lead us to ideologize and dichotomize. Maturity needs inclusive historical consciousness and equal interplay between the individual and the collective. Articles.
17. 2020. Membership, Joining and Leaving Religious Movements and Organizations. Peter Smith. Reflections from the perspective of sociology of religion on belonging, joining, and leaving a faith group: membership, conversion, 'deconversion,' and sociological factors impacting conversion and deconversion; includes videos. Articles-unpublished.
18. 2019-09. Worldview and the Laws of the Bayán. Nader Saiedi. Explores the Persian Bayán's spiritual worldview and laws through four talks, offering insights into the Báb's Dispensation. Audio.
19. 2019-05. Replacing the Sword with the Word: Bahá'u'lláh's Concept of Peace. Nader Saiedi. The writings of Bahá'u'lláh reconstruct foundational concepts such as mysticism, religion, and social order; theories of peace, including democratic, Marxist, and sociological. Articles.
20. 2019-03. Peter Berger's Early Work on Bahá'í Studies. Peter Smith. Articles.
21. 2019. Social Affinity Flow Theory: A New Understanding of Both Human Interaction and the Power of the Baha'i Training Institute Process. Christopher G. Gourdine, Justin R. Edgren, Thomas L. Trice, Joseph N. Zlatic. On a new explanation of social rifts prevalent in many societies today as well as constructive efforts of social change, including community-building work of the Bahá'í Faith, in both its teachings and its training institute process. Articles.
22. 2019. Writings of the Báb: Lecture Series at the Norwegian Summer School. Nader Saiedi. On topics including the concept of God; Manifestations of God; Day of Resurrection, heaven and hell; the Imamate, the Hidden Imam; divine justice and free will; reason, independence; human rights, equality, women. Links to audio files, offsite. Audio.
23. 2018. Bahá'u'lláh and Peace: A Series of Four Talks. Nader Saiedi. Talks at the Santa Monica Baha’i Center in California on four areas within the context of Baha'u'llah's Revelation that relate to peace, and how Baha'u'llah reconstructs the concepts of victory, mystical poetry, interpretation, and the temple. Audio.
24. 2017-2020. List of Articles by Nader Saiedi on BahaiTeachings.org. Nader Saiedi. Links to 40 essays about Baha'i teachings on spiritual unity, justice, freedom, democracy, and global peace, critiquing materialism, nationalism, and advocating societal reform. Essays.
25. 2017. Race and Racism: Perspectives from Bahá'í Theology and Critical Sociology. Matthew W. Hughey. Review of the concepts of race and racism based on social scientific understanding, in order to better understand their definition and to delineate their relation to one another, and correlate them with the Bahá'í Writings. Articles.
26. 2017. Seeking Light in the Darkness of "Race". Jamar M. Wheeler. A historical sketch of how race concepts evolved, with analysis at macro and micro levels of society. Oneness of mankind is an enlightening force that, through individual agency and collective social action, can transform society. Articles.
27. 2017. Bahá'í Faith and the Construction of Social Reality: How do Bahá'ís Translate the Word of God into Practice?. Shahla Mehrgani. This project takes a constructionist approach, using a case study of the Bahá'ís of Sheffield U.K. and Peter Berger’s conceptual framework of interpreting Baha’i scriptures, to understand how Bahá'ís construct their social reality. Theses.
28. 2015-04. Identity and the Spiritual Journey in the Badi Calendar. Nader Saiedi. A 99-minute talk on various aspects of the nature and history of the Bahá'í calendar. Audio.
29. 2015. Theory of Religious Cycles: Tradition, Modernity and the Bahá'í Faith, by Mikhail Sergeev: Review. Benjamin Olshin. Reviews.
30. 2014. Text and Context in the Bahá'í Heroic Age. Nader Saiedi. A series of 12 talks by Nader Saiedi exploring Bahá'í history, key writings, and the need for scholarly study, translation, and contextual analysis of Bahá'í texts. Audio.
31. 2011. К вопросу о типологии и классификации веры бахаи (On the Issue of Typology and Classification of the Bahá'í Faith). Oleg Kyselov. An attempt to classify the Bahá'í Faith from a perspective of the sociology of religion and Marxism. Articles.
32. 2010-05. Bahá'ísm: History, Transfiguration, Doxa. Hutan Hejazi Martinez. An outsider's view of the role of ideologies in a postmodern era, focusing on Bahá'í history, conversion narratives, ideology, and other competing philosophies. (Link to thesis, offsite.) Theses.
33. 2009. Unity in Diversity: Toward a Correlation of the Bahá'í Perspective with Current Empirical Findings in the Social Science Literature. Ismael Velasco. The Bahá'í community has much to learn from, and contribute to, the efforts of psychologists, sociologists and network theorists to understand the workings of both unity and diversity in human collectivities; cohesion research within Bahá'í studies. Articles-unpublished.
34. 2009. Enacting Thought: Divine Will, Human Agency, and the Possibility of Justice. Holly Hanson. Societies evolve through generations of human decision making. Using the examples of 300 years of politics in Uganda vis à vis England, processes that create injustice can be seen as gradual and unintentional, while implementing justice is deliberate. Articles.
35. 2008 Fall. New Skin For An Old Drum, A: Changing Contexts of Yukon Aboriginal Bahá'í Storytelling. Lynn Echevarria-Howe (published as Lynn Echevarria). On the construction of the religious self through the storytelling processes of Yukon Aboriginal Bahá’ís: how do people put together stories to construct their contemporary Bahá’í identity? Articles.
36. 2008. Permanence of Change, The: Contemporary Sociological and Bahá'í Perspectives. Hoda Mahmoudi. Sociohistorical changes of the Axial Age and the Renaissance, sociological views on modernity and its contemporary challenges, and key features of modernity as identified in the Bahá’í writings as "the universal awakening of historical consciousness." Articles.
37. 2008. Emergence from Obscurity: The Journey of Sociology in the Bahá'í Community. Will C. van den Hoonaard. The field of sociology and the Bahá’í Faith share important principles and both challenge widely-held beliefs, yet there has sometimes been a wall of silence separating them. This paper explores how the Faith informs the sociology of Bahá'í scholars. Articles.
38. 2006. Citizens of the World: A History and Sociology of the Bahá'ís from a Globalisation Perspective. Margit Warburg. Front-matter, Chapter One, and part of Chapter Two "Approaches to Babi and Baha'i Studies," as provided by Google Books. Excerpts.
39. 2005. One Common Faith. Universal House of Justice. Examines humanity’s spiritual crisis, critiques materialism and religious division, and affirms religion as a progressive, unifying force essential for moral development and global civilization. UHJ-documents.
40. 2005. Thinking Through Images: Kastom and the Coming of the Baha'is to Northern New Ireland, Papua New Guinea. Graeme Were. Anthropological study on the Bahá'í Faith in the Nalik area of New Ireland, New Guinea, especially the Nalik people's belief in harnessing ancestral power using transformative imagery. Articles.
41. 2004-09-22. Bahá'í Faith and Its Relationship to Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, The: A Brief History. Adam Berry. Bahá'í history in Iran and America; relationship with Christian missionaries in Iran and Christian converts in America; Jewish responses to the Faith. Articles.
42. 2004. Bahá'í Ethics: Answers to 55 Questions Submitted by Arthur Dobrin. Dianne Bradford, Fiona Missaghian, Udo Schaefer, Robert Stockman, Jonah Winters, comp. . Answers to questions submitted in preparation for a source book in religious ethics for a college course at Hofstra University, New York, fall 2001. Essays.
43. 2004. Bahá'í Faith in the West, The: A Survey. Peter Smith. General account of the development and expansion of the Faith in Europe and North America 1894-1994, including distribution and social composition of contemporary communities. Includes Foreword to the volume. Articles.
44. 2003-09. Social Justice, Wealth Equity and Gender Equality: Bahá'ís and non-Bahá'ís of Alberta. Leslie William Kuzyk. Bahá'í theology takes distinctive positions on wealth distribution and gender equality. These issues are causal factors in a more just model of society. A social survey establishes empirically whether a Bahá'í population differs from common society. Theses.
45. 2003. Intimate Diversity: The Presentation of Multiculturalism and Multiracialism in a High-Boundary Religious Movement. Kathleen Jenkins. On the construction and maintenance of multiracial/ethnic networks in religious movements, through a comparative analysis of International Churches of Christ, The People's Temple, and the U.S. Bahá'í community. Articles.
46. 2002/2003 Winter. Same Yet Different, The: Creating Unity Among the Diverse Members of the Bahá'í Faith. Deborah Clark Vance. A study of the process by which people form a unified community from diverse cultures based on interviews with a small group of American Bahá’ís; the importance of foundational beliefs in this process; learning intercultural communication. Articles.
47. 2002-05. Same Yet Different, The: Bahá'í Perspectives on Achieving Unity out of Difference. Deborah Clark Vance. Based on in-depth interviews with members of the Bahá’í Faith [in the USA] to uncover a description of how they believe they can bring together diverse people; development of a linear model of multicultural communication. Theses.
48. 2002. Millennialism in Modern Iranian History. Juan Cole. Religions in Iran have been volatile and evolving, from a tool of the establishment to representing the voice of the oppressed, from passive to revolutionary. Bahá'u'lláh adapted these motifs to create a vehicle for socially-liberal and democratic ideals. Articles.
49. 2001-04. New Religious System for Contemporary Society. Peter Beyer. On scholarship and categories of religions in the global society, religion as a function system, and unity in differences. Contains only one passing mention of the Bahá'í Faith. Articles.
50. 2000. Challenge of Change for the Chinese in Southeast Asia, The. Yin Hong Shuen. Chinese Bahá'ís in some Asian countries are a microcosm of Chinese people in this region. An email survey asked what attracts Southeast Asians to the Faith, difficulties they face, and how adopting a world religion helps guide their future challenges. Articles.
51. 2000. Introduction to Abdu'l-Baha's The Secret of Divine Civilization, An. Nader Saiedi. 'Abdu'l-Bahá's The Secret of Divine Civilization in the context of the Iranian social and political situation of the day, and comments on its contribution to ongoing debates on certain religious, social, and political debates. Articles.
52. 2000. Religious Foundations of Civil Society, The. Wendy M. Heller. A Bahá'í perspective on the loss of a transcendent ethical basis as a central problem of modern social theory; religion is the source of society’s moral foundations and its organizing principles of order, law, and governance. Articles.
53. 1998-11. Routinization of Charisma?, The: Some Comments on “Motif Messianique et Processus Social dans le Bahá'ísme”. Peter Smith. Discussion of sociologist Peter Berger and themes from his dissertation "From Sect to Church: A Sociological Interpretation of the Bahá'í Movement." Articles-unpublished.
54. 1998. Bahá'í Studies Bulletin: Index by volume. Robert Stauffer, comp. List of articles in all issues of Bahai Studies Bulletin, 1982-1992. Bibliographies.
55. 1998. Bibliography of sociological or anthropological studies on the contemporary Baha'i Community. Will C. van den Hoonaard, comp. Current only through 1998. Bibliographies.
56. 1998. Preliminary Survey of the Bahá'í Community of Iran during the Nineteenth Century, A. Moojan Momen. On the early growth and consolidation of the Bahá'í community in Iran; its membership and social and geographical composition; persecution; institutional developments; communications with Bahá'u'lláh; the conversion of Jews and Zoroastrians; women. Articles.
57. 1997. Bahá'u'lláh and Liberation Theology. Juan Cole. The idea of liberation and equality is central to Bahá'í theology; the poor in the 19th century Middle East; Bahá'u'lláh and the poor; Tablet to the Kings on wealth and peace; laws of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas and Huququ'lláh; state social welfare. Articles.
58. 1997. Night as Frontier: Some Implications for the Bahá'í Community. Will C. van den Hoonaard. Sociological effects of night-shift employment and the nocturnal populace. Articles.
59. 1996. Bahá'í Community of Canada, The: A Case Study in the Transplantation of Non-Western Religious Movements to Western Societies. Will C. van den Hoonaard. The origins and early life of the Bahá'í community in Canada as a sociological case study in the transplantation of non-Western faiths into Western settings. Articles.
60. 1996. Three Ages of Man, The: Are They Integrated?. Viva Rodwell. Childhood, adulthood, old age, and family integration in contemporary culture. Essays.
61. 1993-06-22. Social Adaptation of Marginal Religious Movements in America, The. Bryan F. Le Beau. Processes of interaction between Marginal Religious Movements and their social environments; adaptive outcomes of different movements and across time. Passing references to the Bahá'í Faith. Articles.
62. 1992. Community Histories. Richard Hollinger, ed. Essay on the diversity of Western Bahá'í communities, followed by six histories of selected local communities in the United States, Britain, and Canada. Books.
63. 1991. "Evolution of Reality," by George Land: Commentary. Tony Michel. Reviews.
64. 1991. Importance of Deepening Our Knowledge and Understanding of the Faith [1991 republication], The. Bahá'u'lláh, Abdu'l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi. Compilations.
65. 1989. "The Role of Material Goods in Spiritual Development," by Lin Poyer: Commentary. Will C. van den Hoonaard. Reviews.
66. 1989. Role of Material Goods in Spiritual Development, The. Lin Poyer. On the challenge to develop creative, satisfying ways to live within a mass production/mass consumption 'materialistic' society; seen properly, material things can assist individuals in their personal growth rather than being a source of alientation.  Articles.
67. 1988. The Bábí and Bahá'í Religions: From Messianic Shi'ism to World Religion, by Peter Smith: Review. Jack McLean. Reviews.
68. 1988. Phoenix and the Ashes: The Bahá'í Faith and the Modern Apocalypse, by Geoffrey Nash: Review. John Huddleston. 19th-century optimism, disillusionment with contemporary society, philosophy of history, political theory, Arthur Koestler and Aldous Huxley, and the future of humanity. Includes review of Jon Winokur's The Portable Curmudgeon, by Robert Ballenger. Reviews.
69. 1987. Marxism, Human Nature, and Society. Laurie E. Adkin. On Marxism, human nature, alienatation and emancipation, and feminism. No mention of the Bahá'í Faith. Articles.
70. 1987. Question of Gender, A: A Forum on the Status of Men in Bahá'í Law. Susan Maneck (published as Susan Stiles Maneck), Baharieh Rouhani Ma'ani, R. Jackson Armstrong-Ingram, Anthony Lee. Six authors address issues of theology, sociology, law, inheritance, equality, the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, marriage, and feminism raised by John and Linda Walbridge's article "Bahá'í Laws on the Status of Men" (World Order 1984). Articles.
71. 1987. Human Nature and Human Society: A Bahá'í Viewpoint. William S. Hatcher. Introduction to the Bahá'í understanding of human beings and social structures. Articles.
72. 1986. Religion and Family Planning in Contemporary Iran. Mehri Samandari Jensen (published as Mehri Samandari Jensen). Why Muslims in Iran have a higher birthrate than Christians; the relationship between religion and birthrate; background culture of Christianity; religious affiliation alone does not determine behavior as much as an individual's own degree of religiosity. Articles.
73. 1986. In Iran. Peter Smith, ed. Essays on Bábí-Bahá'í history, sociology, and theology in Iran. Books.
74. 1986. Babi Movement, The: A Resource Mobilization Perspective. Peter Smith, Moojan Momen. Babism from a sociological standpoint, esp. the place of the Babis in their contemporary cultural and economic classes. Articles.
75. 1984. Life Crises among the Religiously Committed: Do Sectarian Differences Matter?. Helen Rose Fuchs Ebaugh, Kathe Richman, Janet Saltzman Chafetz. Study of Catholic Charismatics, Christian Scientists, and Bahá'ís, in terms of their perceptions of the number, types and reactions to crises they had experienced. Sectarian differences exert a consistent effect. Articles.
76. 1983. Social Basis of the Bábí Upheavals in Iran (1848-1853): A Preliminary Analysis. Moojan Momen. In the mid-19th century, Iran was shaken by unrest caused by the Bábí movement, which set off a chain of events that led on the one hand, to the constitutional movement in Iran, and on the other, to the establishment of the now world-wide Bahá'í Faith. Articles.
77. 1982-2023. Studies in Bábí and Bahá'í History / Studies in Bábí and Bahá'í Religions: List of volumes. Anthony Lee, ed. List of all 23 volumes in the SBBH / SBBR series from Kalimat Press. Bibliographies.
78. 1973 Summer. ‘Irfán, Gnosis, or Mystical Knowledge. Jalil Mahmoudi. Explores ‘Irfán (gnosis) as mystical knowledge, contrasting empirical and rational forms, emphasizing its transformative, experiential nature in humanity’s quest for God and spiritual meaning. Articles.
79. 1967-06. Religious Behavior and Neuroticism, Spontaneity, and Worldmindedness. James J. Keene. Bahá'ís were included in a broad survey of religious thoughts and actions, and their attitudes statistically compared with followers of other faiths. Articles.
80. 1967 Fall. Institutionalization of Religion, The: A Sociological Analysis of Religion and Conflict. Jalil Mahmoudi. The life cycle of a religion can be classified into different phases or stages, such as "cult, sect, denomination, church." Does the Bahá'í Faith fit this schema? Articles.
81. 1967 Autumn. Bahá'í World Faith: Redefinition of Religion. James J. Keene. Bahá'ís consistently differ from Jews and Christians in the structure of their religious behavior and its relation to personality. Only the Bahá'ís evidenced a "fully balanced" religious activity. Articles.
82. 1967. Unsuspected Effects of Religion on your Personality. James J. Keene. Review of research reports in sociology and social psychology journals to analyse survey data from five religious groups — Jews, Catholics, Protestants, Bahá'ís and non-affiliates — to define four dimensions of key social psychological dynamics. Articles.
83. 1954-06. From Sect to Church: A Sociological Interpretation of the Bahá'í Movement [excerpt]. Peter Ludwig Berger. Early notable thesis by an eminent sociologist; first chapter only (for an assessment of Berger's work on Bahá'í, see the note). Theses.
84. 1919. Geschichte und Wahrheitsbeweise der Bahai-Religion (History and Evidence of Truth of the Bahá'í Faith). Mírzá Abu'l-Faḍl Gulpáygání, Wilhelm Herrigel, trans. . Eine Einführung in die Bahai-Religion, die sich besonders an die Leserschaft aus westlichen Ländern richtet und die in klarem. Diese fünf waren ursprünglich als umfassenden Einführung in alle Religionen gedacht, das er nicht mehr fertig. Books.
85. 1914-07. Bahá'ísm: A Study of a Contemporary Movement. Albert Ross Vail. Scholarly analysis of the influence of the Bahá'í Faith and the psychology of its followers. Articles.

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