Dr. Abbas Milani is the director of Iranian Studies at Stanford University. He is the author of The Shah, Eminent Persians: The Men and Women Who Made Modern Iran, 1941-1979, The Persian Sphinx: Amir Abbas Hoveyda and the Riddle of the Iranian Revolution, Lost Wisdom: Rethinking Modernity in Iran, Encounters with Modernity, On Democracy and Socialism, and Tales of two Cities: a Persian Memoir.
Sahar Delijani was born in Tehran, Iran in 1983, and graduated in Comparative Literature at the University of California, Berkeley. Her internationally acclaimed debut novel, Children of the Jacaranda Tree, has been translated into 30 languages and published in more than 75 countries.
One of the most talked about books of London Book Fair 2012, Children of the Jacaranda Tree was the Second Finalist for Elle Gran Premio 2014, a Great Group Read 2014 Selection by Women’s National Book Association, a Kansas City Star’s Top 10 Books of 2013, a July 2013 Indie Next Great Read, La Stampa’s literary protagonist of 2013, Vogue India’s Top 10 Big Reads of 2014, and a candidate for Prix des Lecteurs Sélection 2015 by Le Livre de Poche.
Twice a Puschcart nominee, Delijani’s writings have appeared in a wide range of literary publications and journals including BBC Persian, The Bellevue Review, Corriere della Sera, La Nazione, Read it Forward, Slice Magazine, Perigee Publications and Berkeley Poetry Review.
Delijani lives between Europe and California.
Iraj Mesdaghi began his political life in the United States with the Confederation of Iranian Students and returned to Iran during the 1979 anti-monarchist revolution.
In 1981, he was arrested because of his activities with the People’s Mujahedeen of Iran and spent the next decade in prison. He is currently an independent activist and researcher working on Human Rights, Workers’ Rights and prison issues.
Iraj Mesdaghi has written a four volume book titled “Neither Life nor Death”. This work is a compilation of reports and memories of life in the Islamic Republic’s jails. He has also published a collection of prison songs “ BAR SAGEHI-E TABIEDAYE KANAF” about the massacres of 1988. His latest book “Hell on Earth”, is about prisons of the Islamic Republic. In addition, Iraj Mesdaghi has written extensively on human rights violations of the Islamic Republic on various Persian Internet sites.
Fakhreddin Azimi
Paradox of Freedom – Immigration and Musical Inspiration, Mohsen Namjoo, Nov 7, 2010
The Screening of Not an Illusion, Torang Abedian, Oct 9, 2010
Foucault, the Frankfurt School, and Sexual Politics in Modern Iran, Janet Afary, Sep 26, 2010
In Memory of the Victims of the 1988 Mass Killing of Political Prisoners in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Effat Mahbaz, Sep 19, 2010
The Tortured Encounter of the Lion and the Eagle, David Harris, Jun 13, 2010
Women without Men, Shahrnush Parsipur in Conversation with Shirin Neshat and Shoja Azari, Jun 2, 2010
The Body in Fashion, Negin Vaziri, May 16, 2010
Kader Abdolah, the pen name of Hossein Sadjadi Ghaemmaghami, is the great-great-grandson of Qhaem Megham Ferahani. From early age he was interested in literature and read western literature very widly. As a physics student in Tehran, he joined an underground left-wing political party that first rebelled against the Shah and later against the Islamic Republic. Besides writing for periodicals, he published two collections of stories under the pseudonym ‘Kader Abdolah’, the first names of two of his friends from the opposition who had been murdered. After being forced to flee Iran, he took up residence in the Netherlands in 1988. He studied Dutch at Utrecht University and in 1993 published De adelaars (The Eagles). In 2000, he published the autobiographical novel Spijkerschrift (translated into 13 languages, including in English by Susan Massotty as My Father’s Notebook). In 2006, he discussed the impact of Islamic fundamentalism on the daily life of a tradition-conscious family in his novel Het huis van de moskee (The House of the Mosque).
Classical Persian Music and Despotism, Mohsen Namjoo, Mar 31, 2010
Religious Minorities in the Islamic Republic, Houchang Chehabi, Mar 14, 2010
Irans Underground Music, Arash Sobhani, Feb 21, 2010
Shahrokh Moshkin Ghalam is an Iranian modern dancer trained and based in Paris. A graduate in History of Art and Theatre from the University of Paris 8, he is choreographer, actor, and director. He has danced in Seven Pavilions of Love, Sohrab and Gordafarid, and Khosrow and Shirin. In addition, he is the founder and artistic director of Nakissa Art Company. http://www.shahrokh-nakissa.com/
· Sahar Dehghan has been studying Indian classical drama and dance under the great Kathak Master Pandit Chitresh Das, in India and in the U.S. She has also been a principal dancer of Ballet Afsaneh. She is currently based in Paris, working with Shahrokh Moshkin Ghalam and Nakissa and is studying the philosophy and poetry of Hafez. www. sahardh.com.
Ramezan Hajimashhadi is the attorney for many prominent Iranian journalists, political activists and students. He was a media and publishing attorney for Ahmad Shamlou from 1995 – 2000.
Dr. Ali Ferdowsi, Professor and Chair of History & Political Science at Notre Dame de Namur University
“Berkeley Lecture Series” in partnership with “Iranian Student Alliance in America – ISAA” Present: · Rebecca Griffin, Political Director for Peace Action West Topic: “Grassroots Diplomacy: My Trip to Iran and What We Can Do to Promote Peace” Date: Sunday, August 2, 2009 Time: 4:00 P.M. Place: 110 Barrows Hall…
Majid Tavallaei has been active in several social-political journals in Iran. He was on the editorial board of the “Daricheh Goftegoo” (1990-92) and political editor of journal “Iran-é-Farda” (1992-99). Both journals are now banned.
Mr. Tavallaei held a position of managing director of Nameh Research and Information Institute, which aims to provide novel approaches to achieving non-violent transitions for a democratic Iran. As the editor-in-chief of the monthly journal, “Naameh”, which the Islamic Republic has banned, he has contributed over 40 articles on pertinent social-political issues.
Tradition of Lover Killing (Rasm-e Ashegh-Koshi), Ghowher Khair Andish, Jun 28, 2009
Dr. Abbas Milani is the director of Iranian Studies at Stanford University. He is the author of The Persian Sphinx: Amir Abbas Hoveyda and the Riddle of the Iranian Revolution, Lost Wisdom: Rethinking Modernity in Iran, Encounters with Modernity, On Democracy and Socialism, and Tales of two Cities: a Persian Memoir.
Asghar Schirazi, Research Associate in the Department of Political Science, at the Free University of Berlin,
Visiting Fellow at Harvard Law School, and author of the book, Constitution of Iran: Politics and State in the Islamic Republic
Dr. Bina is the author of The Economics of the Oil Crisis (1985), co-editor of Modern Capitalism and Islamic Ideology in Iran (1992) and Beyond Survival: Wage labor in the Late Twentieth Century (1996). He also has written extensively on the issues surrounding the Middle East conflicts, the political economy of Iran, and political Islam, including the nationalization of oil (1951) and Constitutional Revolution (1906-1911) in Iran.
Deljou Abadi is the founder and director of the US based Iranian Refugees’ Alliance, Inc. In addition to researching and authoring reports and articles on the conditions of Iranian refugees, she has done legal refugee casework for numerous individuals before national tribunals and represented many before the United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees and the European Court of Human Rights. Since 1995, she has also maintained a Documentation Center (IRADC) on human rights conditions in Iran.
Ross Mirkarimi was born in Chicago in 1961 to an Iranian father, Hamid Mirkarimi, and a Russian-American mother, Nancy Kolman.
Ross grew up in a climate where stuffing envelopes and protesting was another form of family recreation. His mother, an anti-war, pro-union labor, feminist activist, worked for the State of Rhode Island for 30 years, seventeen as the Deputy Director for the Rhode Island Commission of Human Rights.
In the late 1980s, Ross spent time with the German Green Party in Bonn as they ascended to power in Parliament. He returned motivated into kick-starting the California Green Party.
Ross took a leave of absence from the D.A.’s office in mid-2004 to run for his first elected office. In a field of 22 candidates, he won the race to become Supervisor of District 5. Since taking office in January 2005, every month on the third Friday, Ross has faithfully hosted an art reception for a local artist.
Bahai Faith 101, A Talk by Dr. Enayattollah Farhoumand Sangsari, Mansour Taeed, Oct 7, 2008
ﻣﻴﺮﺯﺍﺁﻗﺎﻋﺴگري(ﻣﺎﻧﻰ) ﺩﺭ ﺳﺎﻝ ۱۳۳۰ در ﺍﺳﺪﺁﺑﺎﺩِﻫﻤﺪﺍﻥ ﺯﺍﺩﻩ ﺷﺪ. ﺁﻓﺮﻳﻨﺶ ﺍﺩﺑﻰ ﺭﺍ ﺩﺭ ﻧﻮﺟﻮﺍﻧﻰ ﺁﻏﺎﺯ ﻛﺮﺩ. ﺁﺛﺎﺭﺵ ﺩﺭ ﻧﺸﺮﻳﺎﺕ ﻭﻗﺖ ﺑﺎﺯﺗﺎﺏ ﻳﺎﻓﺘﻨﺪ.ﻧﺨﺴﺘﻴﻦ ﻛﺘﺎﺏ ﺷﻌﺮﺵ با ﻧﺎﻡ ﻓﺮﺩﺍ ﺍﻭﻟﻴﻦ ﺭﻭﺯ ﺩﻧﻴﺎﺳﺖ ﺩﺭ ۱۳۵۴ﻣﻨﺘﺸﺮ ﺷﺪ ﻭ ﺗﺎﻛﻨﻮﻥ ۴۰ ﺟﻠﺪ ﺍﺯ ﺁﺛﺎﺭﺵ ﺑﻪ ﭼﺎﭖ ﺭﺳﻴﺪهاﻧﺪ. ﻣﺎﻧﻰ ﻧﻘﺪ ﺍﺩﺑﻰ ﻭ ﺩﺍﺳﺘﺎﻥ ﻫﻢ ﻣﻰﻧﻮﻳﺴﺪ. ﺑﺮﺍى ﻛﻮﺩﻛﺎﻥ ﻧﻴﺰ ﺷﻌﺮ ﻭ ﺩﺍﺳﺘﺎﻥ ﻣﻰﺁﻓﺮﻳﻨﺪ. ﻋﺴگرى ﺩﺭ ﭘﺎﻳﻴﺰ ۱۳۶۳ درﺁﻟﻤﺎﻥ مقيم شد ﻭ ﺗﺎﻛﻨﻮﻥ ﺩﺭﺁﻥ ﻛﺸﻮﺭ ﺯﻧﺪﮔﻰ ﻣﻰﻛﻨﺪ. ﺩﺭ ﺍﻳﻦ ﻣﺪﺕ ﺁﻓﺮﻳﺪههاى ﺍﻭ ﺑﻪ ﺯﺑﺎﻥ ﻓﺎﺭﺳﻰ ﻭ ﺑﺮﺧﻰ ﺯبانهاى ﺩﻳﮕﺮ ﻣﻨﺘﺸﺮ ﺷﺪﻩ ﻭ ﻫﻤﺰﻣﺎﻥ، ﺑﺮﺧﻰ ﺍﺯ ﺍﺷﻌﺎﺭ ﻭ ﻧﻮﺷﺘﻪﻫﺎﻳﺶ ﺩﺭ ﺍﻳﺮﺍﻥ ﻧﺸﺮ ﻳﺎﻓﺘﻪﺍﻧﺪ. ﺍﺯ ﺍﻭ ﺗﺎﻛﻨﻮﻥ ﻳﻚ ﻣﺠﻤﻮﻋﻪ ﺷﻌﺮ ﻭ ﻧﺜﺮ ﺑﻨﺎﻡ « ﺳﻨﻔﻮﻧﻰ ﺍﻳﺮﺍﻧﻰ » ﺑﻪ ﺁﻟﻤﺎﻧﻰ، ﻭ ﺩﺍﺳﺘﺎﻥ « ﺳﺮﺯﻣﻴﻦ ﻫﻤﻴﺸﻪ ﺑﻬﺎﺭ » ﺑﺮﺍى ﻛﻮﺩﻛﺎﻥ ﺑﻪ ﺩﺍﻧﻤﺎﺭﻛﻰ ﻧﺸﺮ ﻳﺎﻓﺘﻪ ﺍﺳﺖ. ﻏﻴﺮ ﺍﺯ ﺍﻳﻦ، ﺑﺮﺧﻰ ﺍﺯ ﺳﺮﻭﺩهها ﻭ ﻧﻮﺷﺘﻪﻫﺎى ﺍﻭ ﺑﻪ ﻃﻮﺭ ﭘﺮﺍﻛﻨﺪﻩ ﺑﻪ ﺯﺑﺎنهاى ﺍﻧﮕﻠﻴﺴﻰ، ﺳﻮﺋﺪى، ﮊﺍﭘﻨﻰ ﻭ ﻧﺮﻭﮊى ﭼﺎﭖ ﺷﺪهاﻧﺪ. مانى از سال ۱۳۶۷ وقت خود را يکسره به فعاليتهاى مستقل ادبى و فرهنگى اختصاص داد. او بنيانگذار و سردبير ماهنامهى الکترونيکى « ادبيات و فرهنگ »- وعضو اتحاديه نويسندگان آلمان است.
MANSOUR KOUSHAN author, playwright, journalist, and director of films and plays is the artistic manager of the Sulberg Theatre in Stavanger, Norway. He has published poetry, short stories, several novels, hundreds of analytical essays and more than thirty plays.
Born in Isfahan, Iran, Mansour started his literary activities in 1968 by publishing a collection of his poetry and directing his play at Isfahan University. As a member of the Iranian Writers Association general assembly, he was on the organizing committee for the famous “134 Iranian writers declaration 1994”.
Mansour Koushan has been the editor in chief of four independent literary publications including “Takapoo” and “Adineh” between 1987 and 1997. He currently lives in Norway.
Kaveh Ehsani is Research Scholar at the University of Illinois in Chicago and a fellow of ISIM at the University of Leiden. He is an editor of the Goftogu Quarterly in Iran and of Middle East Report (Merip) in Washington DC. Currently he is completing a book titled Oil and Society; the Refinery City of Abadan and Urban Modernity in 20th Century Iran (Brill Publishers). His recent publications include “The Urban Provincial Periphery in Iran” in Contemporary Iran, Ali Gheissari ed.; “The Political Structure of US and the Threats to Iranian National Interests” in Goftogu; “The Populist Threat to Democracy” MER; “Rural Society and Agrarian Development in Iran after the revolution” in Critique.
Sohrab Behdad, born in Iran , received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering and his Ph.D. in Economics from Michigan State University . Dr. Behdad was a member of the Faculty of Economics of Tehran University from 1973 to 1983 when he left Iran . He has written several articles and books. Among his recent publications in English are Workers, Peasants and Bureaucrats: Class Nature of the Iranian Work Force; Islam and Public Policy; and Iran after the Revolutions: Crisis of an Islamic State.
Hossein Lajevardi is the president of Association des Chercheurs Iraniens (ACI). Here is a summary of his professional activities.
Research Project Manager – Iranian Research and Advice Centre
· PhD in Sociology (Demography) from The Sorbonne, Paris – 1978
· Statistics and Demography Specialist – the Centre of Statistics of Iran – 1967-1980
· Senior Researcher – the Social Research and Study Institute, Tehran University – 1970 -1972
· Executive Project Manager, Population Growth in Iran on behalf of United Nations Development and Population (UNDP) -1973 – 1976
· Senior lecturer on Research Methodology, Tehran University and other Universities – 1978 – 1982
· Various Research Projects with French Universities and UN 1982 – 1992
Dr. Mehrdad Darvishpour, born and raised in Tehran, came to Sweden as a political refugee 20 years ago. He has a Ph.D. in Sociology. He is working at Stockholm University as a senior lecture and researcher. His dissertation was on immigrant women breaking the traditional family patterns. He is a well-known debater, active in the women’s movement, anti-racist and anti-war movement. He has published many articles on these subjects and appeared on numerous TV and radio shows as an advocate of these issues. He has published a number of articles in Persian, Swedish and English on Islamic revolution, modernity and democracy.