Speaking right now is Shahla Talebi on the role of women and mothers in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Talebi thinks that much of today’s violence in Iran against women, is a reaction against “strong men, who have strong mothers.” As Talbei stated, “the masculine might can never do without mothers.” Therefore, the need to crush women, who stand in the way of masculine might.
I would like to ask Prof. Talebi once Q & A comes up about the imagery of Neda Soltan and why she thinks that image remains so definitive of the Green Wave.
Asef Bayat is currently speaking and has made some very interesting points regarding generational shifts in the idea of what constitutes azadi, Persian for “Freedom.”
For the generation leading the protests of 1979 Bayat argues that azadi was more about liberation from Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and therefore instituting political reforms that included voting rights among others.
The struggle for “freedom” disappeared from the Iranian political consciousness during the Iran-Iraq war only to reemerged at the conflict’s end.
Today’s concept of “freedom” in Iran, is youthful and focused on individual liberties that allow for Iranians to live like other young people throughout the world.
This however, should not be confused with the idea of the 20th Century proto-Islamist that saw these aspects of “Freedom” as an excuse for decadence and other Euro-American sins.
Iran’s movement today is exclusively Iranian, peaceful (despite being confronted with violence), and globalized. Iran’s Green Wave should be seen as a “post-Islamist” movement, that is to say: a movement that seeks to reclaim citizenship within a religious order.
Hamid Dabashi just finished the opening remarks of the of the first panel at the Columbia conference on Iran.
He began with a jab at Columbia President Lee Bollinger who, according to Dabashi, was somewhat responsible for two of his graduate students packing up and fleeing Iran this past summer. As Dabashi noted, the Iranian tabloids had accused Columbia as being the American home of the so-called “Velvet Revolution” in Iran. Bollinger’s comments two years ago in his introduction of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad certainly did not help in allaying the fears of the Iranian regime.
Dabashi noted, there is nothing about Iran that will be said today that will not be immediately relevant to the United States. In other words, as Dabashi said, this is not about “us versus them.” Let’s see.
Good morning everyone. We are live blogging from the “Iran after the Election” conference at Columbia University that is happening all day today. Check out the schedule here.
Hamid Dabashi is speaking right now on a panel with Ervand Abrahamian, Shahla Talebi, and Asef Bayat (one of our favorites here at QB).
New Yorkers, mark your calendars for December 5th.
In what looks to be the most important academic conference on the post-election affairs of Iran, Columbia University will host a who’s who of Iranian scholars, activists, and journalist for a conference entitled “Iran After the Election.”
Featured speakers will include: Asef Bayat, Hamid Dabashi, Gary Sick, Abdolkarim Soroush, and Richard Bulliet among others.
This will be the event for those wishing to know everything and more about what happened in Iran last summer and what to look for in the coming months. Best of all, the event is free and open to the public!
For more information visit:
http://www.sipa.columbia.edu/mei/iranconference/Home.html
