New from the Podcast: "Zoroastrian Priests under Islam: Remapping Religious Landscapes with Dr. Kayla Dang"
What happens to an ancient priesthood when the balance of power changes? This month, we’re joined by Dr. Kayla Dang, Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies at Saint Louis University, to uncover the dramatic transformation of the Zoroastrian priesthood. We learn who Zoroaster was, and we dive into the world of the 9th and 10th centuries to understand how a vast administrative bureaucracy reinvented itself — navigating life alongside Christians and Jews — to keep a faith alive under Islamic rule. From the linguistic puzzles of medieval sources to the “invisible” presence of Muslims in the Zoroastrian texts, we explore how this community navigated a shifting religious and political landscape.