Category: All Events

Iranian Women’s Uprising, Mahnaz Matin, Apr 14, 2013

Mahnaz Matin and Naser Mohajer
On March 6, 1979, only a few weeks after assuming political power, Ayatollah Khomeini pronounced “… women must be clothed according to religious standards.” Offended and outraged by the Ayatollah’s decree and its domineering manner, thousands of women defiantly poured into the streets of Tehran on March 8, 1979 chanting slogans such as “In the dawn of freedom, there is an absence of freedom” and “We didn’t make a revolution to go backwards.” This first resistance movement against the Iranian Islamic theocracy, as well as the international movement in solidarity with secular Iranian women, is documented in detail and analyzed in depth by Mahnaz Matin and Nasser Mohajer in a two-volume book, just published by Noghteh Books.

Screening of “Forced Confessions”, Hadi Ghaemi, Apr 7, 2013

Hadi Ghaemi is an internationally recognized expert on Iran and human rights. In 2008, together with international human rights activists in the Netherlands, he founded the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI), formerly the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. CHRI has since become a leading organization documenting human rights violations in Iran and building international coalitions to support human rights.

Previously, Ghaemi worked with Human Rights Watch, joining the organization in 2004 as the Iran and United Arab Emirates researcher. His work at Human Rights Watch focused international attention on the plight of migrant workers in Dubai, as well as the repression of civil society in Iran. After the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, he was a member of the first UN-commissioned human rights fact-finding mission to Afghanistan. Between 2001 and 2004, he worked with NGOs focusing on Afghanistan and Iraq.

Born in Iran, Ghaemi came to the United States in 1983 as a student and received his doctorate in physics from Boston University in 1994. He was a professor of physics at City University of New York until 2000. His groundbreaking research in nanophysics has been published in prestigious scientific journals such as Nature, and he holds four patents in this field.

The Meaning of Time in My Poetry, Sheida Mohamadi, Mar 6, 2013

Shaida Mohammadi: In mythology, time is a nonlinear revolving phenomenon, but in contemporary literature it is about an orderly course of events. Time for a narrator is the time in which she/he lives and can cognitively understand, a time which only finds meaning in ‘before’ and ‘after’; and it is within this chronological time-frame that the narrator can recall and record events. I do the same in my poetry, except for the strong element of nostalgia, the deep longing for the ‘lost time’ and the desire to make those fantasies to come alive in my time.

Human Rights Activists in Iran as the Inspirational Servant Leaders, Dr. Hamid Akbari, Dec 9, 2012

Hamid Akbari is Audrey Reynolds Distinguished Teaching Professor of Management at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago where he has taught courses in management and leadership since 1986. At Northeastern, Professor Akbari also serves as the programming director for Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh Leadership Fund. From 2005 to 2007, Dr. Akbari was the Executive Director of International Society of Iranian Studies. From 1994 to 2004, he and his wife, Azar, as well as their associates, including Ario Mashayekhi, published and distributed About Iran, an action oriented bulletin in Persian and English defending human rights and democracy in Iran.  Akbari received his Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior with a minor in political theory from the Ohio State University in 1988 and received his MBA in 1981 and MA in political science in 1982 from University of Toledo.

On the Occasion of the Publishing of “Seyyed Zia”, Sadreddin Elahi, Nov 11, 2012

Dr. Sadreddin Elahi in conversation with Dr. Abbas Milani. On the Occasion of the Publishing of “Seyyed Zia”
Dr. Sadreddin Elahi, veteran writer, critic, researcher, translator, poet is one of Iran’s most prominent journalists, and one of the first writers of serialized fiction in Iran. He was the founder and editor of “Keyhan Varzeshi” established in 1955. He taught Journalism in The College of Communication Sciences in Iran, and he is one of the initiators of the modern style of conversational dialogue in newspaper journalism. He is also an outstanding field reporter as his reports from the Algerian War for Independence demonstrated. Dr. Elahi is the author of “Ba Saadi dar Bazercheh Zendeghi”, “Doori-ha va Delghiri-ha”, “Naghde Bee Ghash – Collected Conversations of Sadreddin Elahi with Parviz Khanlari”. Dr. Elahi’s new book is based on his extensive interviews with Seyyed Zia. The book includes much new information on Seyyed Zia and other prominent participants in the coup d’état of Esfand 1299 (February 1921).

An Introduction to the Philosophy of Heidegger, Mohammad Reza Nikfar, Nov 5, 2012

Dr. Mohammad Reza Nikfar is a writer and researcher in the field of political philosophy. He has authored many articles and his books in Farsi and German include: “Violence, Human Rights and Civil Society”, “Critique of Political Theology”, “At the Dead-End of Time, Introduction to the Philosophy of Heidegger”, “The Concept of Peace” and “Faith & Technique” among others. Dr. Nikfar is currently the editor-in-chief of “Radio Zamaneh”.

A Critical Discussion of Secularism in Iran, Mohammad Reza Nikfar, Oct 28, 2012

Dr. Mohammad Reza Nikfar is a writer and researcher in the field of political philosophy. He has authored many articles and his books in Farsi and German include: “Violence, Human Rights and Civil Society”, “Critique of Political Theology”, “At the Dead-End of Time, Introduction to the Philosophy of Heidegger”, “The Concept of Peace” and “Faith & Technique” among others. Dr. Nikfar is currently the editor-in-chief of “Radio Zamaneh”.

Intellectual and Cultural Contexts of Iran’s Recent Movement, kardavani, Sep 9, 2012

کاظم کردوانی، جامعه شناس ( از « مدرسه مطالعات عالی علوم اجتماعی – پاریس » ) و پژوهشگر و دارای نشان نخل های آکادمیک وزارت آموزش ملی و تحقیقات و فناوری فرانسه، استاد سابق دانشگاه، عضو و دبیر سابق کانون نویسندگان ایران، دبیر سابق کنفدراسیون جهانی دانشجویان ایرانی، عضو مؤسس و دبیر « شورای بازنگری در شیوه ی نگارش خط فارسی »، عضو مؤسس « کمیته دفاع از حقوق قربانیان قتل های زنجیره ای »؛ علاوه بر شرکت مستمر در فعالیت های فرهنگی و اجتماعی ایرا ن و افزون بر همکاری با نشریه های مستقل ایران ( جامعه سالم، آدینه و … )، در حوزه های زبان و ادبیات و مسایل اجتماعی و سیاسی ایران به کارهای پژوهشی پرداخته است .

Naser Rahmani Nejad, Jul 29, 2012

Nasser Rahmaninejad, a foremost celebrated Iranian artist started his theatre career in 1959 in Iran. In response to the authoritarian cultural policies and harsh censorship of the Shah’s regime, he founded his alternative, independent theatre group, Mehr, in 1966.

His group, which later changed its name to Iran Theatre Association, became very influential in the field, competing with other well-financed, state-sponsored theatre groups until it was closed down by the SAVAK, the Shah’s secret police in 1974. All members of the group were arrested and Rahmaninejad was sentenced to 12 years in prison; though he was ultimately freed by the 1979 revolution that toppled the Shah’s regime.

After the revolution Rahmaninejad resumed his artistic activities, staging several plays while teaching at Iran’s Faculty of Dramatic Arts, while writing articles and lecturing on theatre and politics for a range of audiences.

Following the Islamic regime’s crackdown on the opposition, Rahmaninejad was forced into exile. However, he continued his artistic activities writing essays, translating articles on theatre and politics into Persian, and lecturing at a variety of academic and artistic organizations in Europe and the United States, such as the International Writing Program (University of Iowa), the Center for Iranian Research and Analysis (CIRA), and the Iranian Studies Program at Stanford University. His plays in exile include My Heart, My Homeland, produced and performed by the Department of Theatre of Columbia College of Chicago (1995); and One Page of Exile, performed in the inaugural “New Windows on Old Pasadena” festival (1996). Rahmaninejad lives in the Bay Area, California.

The Satirical Journal Mullah Nasroddin and the Iranian Constitutional Revolution, Evan Siegel, Jul 15, 2012

Evan Siegel has published and presented articles on Iran for a quarter of a century. His interests focus chiefly on Iran during the Constitutional Revolution. He has translated Ahmad Kasravi’s monumental work “History of the Iranian Constitutional Revolution”. He has carefully annotated it with material from the Constitutional press as well as the memoir literature of the time and other relevant documents. He has also published and presented articles on the early Caucasian Muslim press, focusing on the satirical journal Mullah Nasroddin.

Language and Modernity: And the State of the Persian Language, Darioush Ashouri, Jun 3, 2012

darioush ashouri

Darioush Ashouri has served as a visiting professor and lecturer of Persian language and literature at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Oxford University, and of political philosophy and political sociology at the University of Tehran. He is the author of ”An Introduction to Sociology”, “Modernity and Us”, “Dictionary of Philosophy and Political Science”, “Political Encyclopedia” among others. He is also a translator of works by Nietzsche, William Shakespeare and Nicola Machiavelli. By his prolific publications in several disciplines he is considered an influential and referential figure in contemporary literary and linguistic life of Iran. He has worked extensively as author, essayist, translator, literary critique, encyclopedist, and lexicologist. His intellectual interests cover a wide interdisciplinary range, including political sciences, literature, philosophy and linguistics.

Community-Centric Democratic Governance for the Middle East and North Africa, Ali Mostashari, May 6, 2012

In the past three years, the Middle East and North Africa have witnessed the most expansive geopolitical transformation of the past 75 years.
With the rise of political Islam as an alternative to secular authoritarian regimes the prospect for transition to democratic governments that are respectful of human rights is not at all trivial. It may be the time for the region that gave birth to the oldest human civilizations to set an example, rather than to follow one. This talk will explore the idea of bottom up community-centric participatory democracies that foster individual and communal creativity, growth and prosperity while preserving national unity.

The Poet’s daughter: Living with Malek of Shoara Bahar, Parvaneh Bahar, Feb 25, 2012

“The Poet’s Daughter is an engrossing coming-of-age tale of a Persian girl torn between devotion to her father- Bahar, the last icon of classical Persian poetry-and her own relentless desire to fashion for herself an identity as an independent, assertive modern woman…The beguiling simple elegance of the narrative never shies away from the harsh and heroic realities of the story.”
–Abbas Milani, Director of Iranian Studies, Stanford University

About the Speaker
Parvaneh Bahar was born in Tehran, Iran and came to the US in 1953. She has a B.A. in English Literature from American University and an M.S. from Catholic University of America in Washington DC. She worked for 29 years as Research Librarian for the World Bank and IMF Library and has written two books in Persian – Morgh Sahar: Khaterat Parvaneh Bahar (Memoir of Parvaneh Bahar) and Abeh Portaghal (Orange Juice). Parvaneh’s third book, The Poet’s Daughter: Malek o’Shoara Bahar of Iran and the Immortal Song of Freedom is in English and was published in September 2011.

Exile & Migration, Identity & Culture, Shahla Shafiq, Feb 19, 2012

Shahla Shafiq left Iran as an exile in 1982 and has lived in Paris since then. As a sociologist, she focuses on the subject of immigrants in France. She has published two books in French on the subject of Muslim Women and has many articles on inter-cultural issues. She has also published many short stories. Her discussion on June 25 will be based on her latest book “Islamic Totalitarianism, Imagination or Reality” translated from French to Persian in 2006.

Kasravi and Secular Critique of Shi’ism, Mohamad Amini, Nov 20, 2011

This lecture is about the historical confrontation among secular thinkers, such as Kasravi, and the dominant interpretation of Shiite Islam, and also addresses the concurrence of the government and the opposition in suppressing any critical assessment of religious fanaticism by intellectuals.

Mr. Amini is the author of State & Religion in Iran, published in 1980 in Tehran, and most recently Shi’ism (Shi’i-gari) Ahmad Kasravi, Kasravi and Secular Critique of Shi’ism. He is also the author of numerous articles on secularism, modernity, ethnicity and socio-political issues of Iran and the Middle East. Mr. Amini is a regular guest on weekly radio and television programs.

Lecture in Farsi

Behind the Dust and Dirt: The Promise of an Iranian Spring, Amir, Co-author of “Zahra’s Paradise”, Nov 6, 2011

“In the immediate aftermath of the 2009 presidential elections, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dismissed the millions of Iranians who had poured into Tehran’s streets as “dust and dirt”. And like dust and dirt, the Islamic Republic has sought to wipe and wash away the memory of the 2009 protests. Yet, far from remaining confined in the ash heaps of history, the political and historical ash remains a potent, explosive force, one that sparks and crackles with life. “Zahra’s Paradise” takes us into the depths of Evin prison, and explores the judicial twilight zone in which hundreds of Iranian dissidents have vanished. We look at the role of art, technology and memory through the prism of a graphic novel, and explore how citizen-journalists capture and reflect the hope, courage and dignity of the Iranian people, the promise of an Iranian spring.”

Human Rights and the Green Movement, Ardeshir Amir Arjomand, Jun 24, 2011

Dr. Ardeshir Amir Arjomand received his PhD in International Law from the University of Strasbourg in France in 1978. He has held extensive professorial positions in Public Law, International Law and Human Rights in Iran . He has been UNESCO chair holder of Human Rights, Democracy and Peace. In the infamous presidential election campaign of 2009, Dr. Arjomand worked as the top advisor to presidential candidate Mr. Mir-Hossein Mousavi. After the election he was briefly detained by the Government’s authorities. He is now the spokesperson of “The Coordinating Council of the Green Path of Hope of Iran.” Given the current discussion and controversies surrounding “The Coordinating Council of the Green Path of Hope of Iran”, we are looking forward to a lively discussion and Q&A.

Political Satire on Television, Kambiz Hosseini, May 22, 2011

Kambiz Hosseini is a playwright, award-winning actor, and TV host working for Voice of America. He was born in Rasht, Iran in 1975 and moved to the U.S. in 2000. At the age of ten, Kambiz was the host of a popular radio show called “Islamic Revolution Blossoms.” Since then, he has written and directed many stage plays and radio and TV shows. He is currently the host and writer of VOA’s satirical TV program /Parazit/ (‘Static’ in English). He has studied dramatic literature and acting in Iran and the U.S.

Shahnameh Ferdowsi In the Journey of Time, Iraj Tabibnia, May 15, 2011

ايرج طبيب نيا مهندس معماری و شهر سازی است که سال ها در اين زمينه ها فعاليت می کند. او می گويد، با شاهنامه در محضر استاد محمد جعفر محجوب آشنا شده است و از ایشان نه با شاهنامه که با بسی از گوشه های دیگر ادبیات فارسی نیز آشنا شده است.

شاهنامه تاریخ سرزمین ایران و مردمان آنست. نه از زبان یک مورخ؛ بلکه از نگاه یک شاعر و اندیشمند، و روشنفکری برجسته.
کتاب از زمان غار نشینی نیاکان ما آغاز میشود و تا زمان سقوط ساسانیان ادامه می یابد. مانند سنت تاریخ نویسی در سراسر جهان، هر دوره با نام پادشاهان و سلسله ها مشخص و تعریف شده و مانند هر تاریخ کاملی همۀ آداب و رسومِ وجوه فرهنگی و اجتماعی و سیاسی و نظامی در آن نگاشته شده است.
شاهنامه سرودۀ فردوسی در گذر روزگار، دچار پاره یی از کژ فهمی هایی شده که برخی از روی غرض و برخی از روی شیفتگی بوده است. و گروهی نیز بی آنکه رنج آگاه شدن را بر خود هموار کرده باشند این گفته ها و بافته ها را درست دانسته و پذیرفته اند. به عنوان نمونه: در این کتاب نه تنها سخنی از قبیل برتری نژادی و قومی و زن ستیزی نیست؛ بلکه بسیاری از عناصر عمده و محوری آن هم نا شناخته مانده، سهواً یا عمداً، وارونه جلوه داده شده است.
نباید نا گفته بماند که این کتاب، البته، تنها جنبه تاریخ ندارد و دارای ابعاد و ارزش های گوناگون دیگری هم هست که کوشش خواهد شد پاره هایی از آنها نیز یادآوری شوند.
Mr. Iraj Tabibnia is the author of “The Epic of Rostam and Sohrab”.

Journalism, Field Reporting, Serialized Magazine Stories, Political and Social Issues in Sports, Teaching Journalism, and Living in Exile, Dr. Sadreddin Elahi, May 1, 2011

Dr. Sadreddin Elahi, veteran writer, critic, researcher, translator, poet, and an expert on ancient texts, is one of Iran ’s most prominent journalists, and one of the first writers of serialized fiction in Iran . He was the founder and editor of “Keyhan Varzeshi” established in 1955. He taught Journalism in The College of Communication Sciences in Iran , and he is one of the initiators of the modern style of conversational dialogue in newspaper journalism. He is also an outstanding field reporter as his reports from the Algerian War for Independence demonstrated. Dr. Elahi is the author of “Ba Saadi dar Bazercheh Zendeghi”, “Doori-ha va Delghiri-ha”, “Naghde Bee Ghash – Collected Conversations of Saderdin Elahi with Parviz Khanlari”, and a forthcoming book “Sayed Ziaedin.”

The Ever Changing Identity of Iranians, Turaj Atabaki, Apr 10, 2011

Dr. Touraj Atabaki holds the endowed chair of ‘Social History of the Middle East and Central Asia’ at the School of the Middle Eastern Studies of the Leiden University and works as the Senior Research Fellow at the International Institute of Social History in charge of the Department of the Middle East and Central Asia . He studied theoretical physics (BSc,MSc) and history at the National University of Iran and the University of London and received his MA and PhD at Utrecht University .
Dr. Atabaki is the author of Iran in the 20th Century. Historiography and Political Culture (2009); The State and the Subaltern. Society and Politics in Turkey and Iran (2007); Iran and the First World War: A Battleground of the Great Powers (2006); Men of Order: Authoritarian Modernisation Under Atatürk and Reza Shah (2004), among others.

The Shah, Abbas Milani, Mar 6, 2011

Abbas Milani is the Hamid & Christina Moghadam Director of Iranian Studies and Adjunct Professor at the Center on Democracy, Development and Rule of Law at the Freeman Spogli Institute at Stanford University. He has been one of the founding co-directors of the Iran Democracy Project and a research fellow at the Hoover Institution. His expertise is U.S.-Iran relations as well as Iranian cultural, political, and security issues. Until 1986, he taught at Tehran University’s Faculty of Law and Political Science, where he was also a member of the Board of Directors of the university’s Center for International Relations. After moving to the United States, he was for fourteen years the Chair of the Political Science Department at the Notre Dame de Namur University. For eight years, he was a visiting Research Fellow in University of California, Berkeley’s Middle East Center.