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Contribution short abstract

Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in contemporary Iran, this talk explores beliefs in jinn and personal encounters with them, often through dreams. It focuses on how such encounters are perceived by individuals across gender, ethnic, and religious backgrounds.

Contribution long abstract

In contemporary Iran, jinn—referred to as az ma behtaroon: از ما بهترون (literally "better than us")—are believed to possess extraordinary abilities: they can travel across time and space, perceive what humans cannot, and access knowledge beyond human reach. These beings sometimes intervene in human lives, acting as protectors or as intermediaries between the human and non-human realms. They communicate through messages, offer glimpses of the future, and enable individuals to see things that are otherwise hidden. These interactions often occur through vivid dreams, whether by night or day. While some may regard these beliefs as remnants of folklore, for many Iranians, jinn remain an integral part of daily life and are felt or seen in various forms—whether as humans, smoke shape creatures or animals. During my ethnographic fieldwork, my interlocutors shared personal stories of encounters with jinn in different contexts and manifestations and the results of these encounters which varied from illnesses to activating their third eyes. In this talk, I dive into the relevance of jinn beliefs in contemporary Iran and the way these encounters with jinn are perceived by individuals from different genders, ethnicities, and religious backgrounds.

Key words: Contemporary Iran, Human-Non-Human relation, spirit mediumship