Welcome to an 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐲𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐲 on the ethnographic study of ‘𝐙𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬-𝐛𝐲-𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞’ — Zoroastrians who were born to non-Zoroastrian parents - i.e., where both the parents – mother and father – are/were non-Zoroastrians.

This study is part of the doctoral project of 𝐌𝐫. 𝐑𝐮𝐳𝐛𝐞𝐡 𝐇𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐚, a Ph.D. student at SOAS, University of London.

In this survey, the term ‘𝐙𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬-𝐛𝐲-𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞’ will be used to refer to those individuals who were 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 — 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 — 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐧-𝐙𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬. These Zoroastrians 𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 initiate 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐙𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐚 𝐒𝐞𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐡-𝐏𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐢/𝐍𝐚𝐯𝐣𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐲. This also includes those whose ancestors were Zoroastrians but were compelled to adopt an alternate identity, and therefore 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 ‘𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐭/𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧’ 𝐭𝐨 𝐙𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐛𝐲 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐒𝐞𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐡-𝐏𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐢/𝐍𝐚𝐯𝐣𝐨𝐭𝐞; and those who were ‘officially’ non-Zoroastrians but ‘privately’ remained Zoroastrians. Those who 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 — 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 — 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐙𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐬 ‘𝐙𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬’ 𝐨𝐫 ‘𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧-𝐙𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬’ 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐲.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐬 ‘𝐙𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬-𝐛𝐲-𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐍𝐞𝐨-𝐙𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬' 𝐚𝐧𝐝 ‘𝐙𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧-𝐙𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬' 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚, 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐧𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐬, 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐬, 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐙𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲,

𝐀). The 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐨-𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐟𝐬 & 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬, 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 ‘𝐙𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬-𝐛𝐲-𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞’;

𝐁). The 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 of ‘Zoroastrians-by-choice’;

𝐂). The 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 between ‘𝐙𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬-𝐛𝐲-𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞’ 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐙𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 who were born into a family where both parents or at least one parent — mother or father — is/was a 𝐙𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡..