| Program Title | Speaker | Date |
|---|---|---|
| The Political Role of Thugs and Hooligans in Contemporary Iranian History | Massoud Noghrehkar | April 28, 2013 |
| Iranian Women's Uprising, March 8th, 1979 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. | Mahnaz Matin | April 14, 2013 |
| A screening of "Forced Confessions" a documentary by Maziar Bahari and A Panel Discussion by: Mehrangiz Kar, Prominent Iranian Lawyer and Human Rights Activist, Hadi Ghaemi, Executive Director of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran and Omid Memarian, Journalist and a Survivor of Forced Confessions | Mehrangiz Kar, Hadi Ghaemi, Omid Memarian | April 7, 2013 |
| The Meaning of Time in My Poetry “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.” | Sheida Mohamadi | March 3, 2013 |
| Human Rights Activists in Iran as the Inspirational Servant Leaders In today’s Iran, human rights defenders and activists are at the forefront of social and political struggle for achieving democracy and human rights in Iran. In this talk, Professor Akbari will present the inspirational role and significance of these human rights defenders through the theory and principles of servant leadership. | Hamid Akbari | December 9, 2012 |
| Dr. Sadreddin Elahi in conversation with Dr. Abbas Milani On the Occasion of the Publishing of “Seyyed Zia” | Dr. Sadreddin Elahi - Dr. Abbas Milani | November 11, 2012 |
| A Critical Discussion of Secularism in Iran | Mohammad Reza Nikfar | October 28, 2012 |
| بسترهای فکری و فرهنگی جنبش اخیر مردم ایران | Kazem Kardavani | September 16, 2012 |
| To Be Announced | Nasser Rahmaninejad | July 29, 2012 |
| The Satirical Journal Mullah Nasroddin and the Iranian Constitutional Revolution | Evan Siegel | July 15, 2012 |
| Language and Modernity: And the State of the Persian Language | Darioush Ashouri | June 3, 2012 |
| Community-Centric Democratic Governance for the Middle East and North Africa 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. | Ali Mostashari | May 6, 2012 |
| The Poet’s daughter: Living with Malek o’ Shoara Bahar | Parvaneh Bahar | February 25, 2012 |
| Exile & Migration, Identity & Culture download program notes >> | Shahla Shafigh | February 19, 2012 |
| Two Hands of Censorship Re-Framing the Question of Repression in Iranian Cinema | Hossein Khosrowjah | January 29, 2012 |
| Kasravi and Secular Critique of Shi’ism 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. | Mohammad Amini | November 20, 2011 |
| Behind the Dust and Dirt: The Promise of an Iranian Spring “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." | Amir | November 6, 2011 |
| Psychology of Democracy | Nehzat Farnoody | October 16, 2011 |
| Human Rights and the Green Movement | Ardeshir Amir Arjomand | June 24, 2011 |
| A Discussion with Sarah Shourd (captured and imprisoned by Islamic Republic for 410 days), Families of Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal (held in prison Since July 2009) and Showing of “Imprisoned in Iran : American Hikers’ Search for Freedom” | Sarah Shourd | June 19, 2011 |
| Political Satire on Television | Kambiz Hosseini | May 22, 2011 |
| Shahnameh Ferdowsi In the Journey of Time | Iraj Tabibnia | May 15, 2011 |
| A Conversation with Dr. Sadreddin Elahi on Journalism, Field Reporting, Serialized Magazine Stories, Political and Social Issues in Sports, Teaching Journalism, and Living in Exile | Sadreddin Elahi | May 1, 2011 |
| The Ever Changing Identity of Iranians | Touraj Atabaki | April 10, 2011 |
| The Shah watch event video >> download program notes >> | Abbas Milani | March 6, 2011 |
| The 50th anniversary of the founding of the Confederation of Iranian Students Afshin Matin-Asgari Historian, California State University , Los Angeles Topic: “Revisiting the Confederation's Record and Impact on Iran ’s Political Culture" Afshin Matin-Asgari has contributed to about a dozen anthologies and articles in academic periodicals including Iranian Studies, Middle East Studies, Critique, and South Asia Bulletin. His book, “Iranian Student Opposition to the Shah”, was published late fall 2001. Dr. Matin-Asgari teaches various courses in Middle East history, world history, Islam, and comparative religion. Hamid Shokat Historian, visiting from Germany Topic: “Confederation: Its Inception, Glory and Demise” Hamid Shokat is the author of “Background on the Transition to the One-Party System in Soviet Russia, 1917-1921”, “The Lost Years – From the October Revolution to Lenin’s Death”, “History of the Confederation of Iranian Students” in two volumes, and four volumes of a series of books titled “An Inside Look into the Iranian Left Movement – Conversations with Mehdi Khanbaba Tehrani, Iraj Kashkuli, Koroush Lashaii and Mohsen Rezvani”. The third edition of his latest book, The Political Biography of “Ahmad Qavam” (Qavam-os-Saltana), is about one of the most controversial and pivotal figures of Iran in the twentieth century. | Hamid Shokat and Afshin Matin-Asgari | December 19, 2010 |
| Constitutional Democracy and its Impediments: Iran since 1906 | Fakhreddin Azimi | November 21, 2010 |
| Paradox of Freedom Immigration and Musical Inspiration | Mohsen Namjoo | November 7, 2010 |
| The Screening of “Not an Illusion” | Torang Abedian | October 9, 2010 |
| Foucault, the Frankfurt School , and Sexual Politics in Modern Iran | Janet Afary | September 26, 2010 |
| In Memory of the Victims of the1988 Mass Killing of Political Prisoners in the Islamic Republic of Iran A narration by Effat Mahbaz, base on her recently publisehed memoir “Forget Me Not” | Effat Mahbaz | September 19, 2010 |
| The Tortured Encounter of the Lion and the Eagle Short History of the American-Iranian Relationship, Present Impasse, and Future Prospects | David Harris | June 13, 2010 |
| Shahrnush Parsipur in Conversation with Shirin Neshat and Shoja Azari The program will include short clips of “Women without Men” | Shirin Neshat, Shoja Azari, Shahrnush Parisipur | June 2, 2010 |
| The Body in Fashion | Negin Vaziri | May 16, 2010 |
| Report on the status of Iranian Refugees in Turkey | Nancy Hormachea, Maani Hakim, Behrang Barzin, Mina Litvak, Amir Kolini, Maryam Ali | May 2, 2010 |
| Iranian Literature in Exile | Kader Abdolah | April 11, 2010 |
| Religious Minorities in the Islamic Republic | Houchang Chehabi | March 14, 2010 |
| Iran’s Underground Music | Arash Sobhani | February 21, 2010 |
| Classical Persian Music and Despotism | Mohsen Namjoo | January 31, 2010 |
| Ahmadinejad Denial of Holocaust vs. The Bird Watchers of Auschwitz In his new novel “The Bird Collector of Auschwitz”, Hamid Sadr masterfully links historical and current political issues and raises central questions about guilt and responsibility. Following Hamid Sadr on this tightrope between confronting the past and madness is a unique and rewarding literary experience. | Hamid Sadr | December 13, 2009 |
| In Memory of the Victims of the1988 Mass Killing of Political Prisoners in the Islamic Republic of Iran | Mehdi Aslani and Shirin Mehrbod | October 3, 2009 |
| Iranian Poetry, Dance and Art Historical, Sociological and Political Perspective | Shahrokh Moshkin Ghalam Accompanied by Sahar Dehghan | September 13, 2009 |
| A look at the Upheavals in the Aftermath of Iran’s 10th Presidential Election | Ramezan Haji-Mashhadi | August 30, 2009 |
| Iran’s Presidential Election and Its Aftermath Some Personal Observations and Reflections | Ali Ferdowsi | August 9, 2009 |
| Grassroots Diplomacy My Trip to Iran and What We Can Do to Promote Peace | Rebecca Griffin | August 2, 2009 |
| Iran's Tenth Presidential Election Future Perspective, Opportunities, Challenges and Threats | Majid Tavallaei | July 12, 2009 |
| Screening of the film “Rasm-e ashegh koshi” Followed by discussion with Gohar Kheirandish, Actress, Visiting from Iran | Gohar Kheirandish | June 28, 2009 |
| Eminent Persians The Men and Women Who Made Modern Iran, 1941-1979 download program flier >> download program notes >> | Abbas Milani | June 14, 2009 |
| State and Government vis-à-vis “Sharia” in Islamic Republic of Iran | Asghar Shirazi | May 24, 2009 |
| From Bush Junior to Barack Obama - Oil, War, ‘Bullshit,’ or Reconciliation? | Cyrus Bina | February 21, 2009 |
| The Qisas laws of Iran in action Shahla Jahed’s false murder criminal proceedings, a case study with Screening of documentary film, Red Card, directed by Mahnaz Afzali, (Persian with English subtitles) | Deljou Abadi | December 7, 2008 |
| Discussion on the Historical Election A Presentation by Ross Mirkarimi, San Francisco District 5 Supervisor | Ross Mirkarimi | November 16, 2008 |
| BAHA'I FAITH 101 A Comedy Performance download program flier >> | Mansour Taeed | November 7, 2008 |
| An Evening with Dariush Mehrjui Showing of "Derakht Golabi" and "Dokhtar Dayi Gomshodeh" | Dariush Mehrjui | November 1, 2008 |
| Challenging Cultural Barriers with Fereydoon Farokhzad Poetry Reading, Lecture, and a Short Film | Mirza Agha Asgari Mani | July 13, 2008 |
| Politics in Contemporary Art and Literature in Iran | Mansour Koushan | June 8, 2008 |
| Berkeley Lecture Series in conjunction with Taraneh Hemami’s exhibition of THEORY OF SURVIVAL A gathering to view and discuss the archival material, primarily of Iranian Student movement from 1960-1982 | April 20, 2008 | |
| Survival Trough Dispossession: Privatization of Public Goods in the Islamic Republic This talk will concentrate on providing a history and a critical analysis of what privatization of public property entails in contemporary Iran | Kaveh Ehsani | February 10, 2008 |
| Come see & hear everything you want to know about Berkeley Lecture Series We would very much appreciate your input. Your participation is essential in our journey | January 27, 2008 | |
| The Rise and Fall of Iranian Social Classes in the Post-Revolutionary Iran A presentation of the study of the composition of social classes in Iran in the post revolutionary years in comparison to 1976 | Sohrab Behdad | January 12, 2008 |
| Human Rights and Democracy in Iran This presentation explores the work of Ladan and Roya Boroumand for the Abdorrahman Boroumand Foundation (ABF) | Ladan Boroumand | December 9, 2007 |
| The Image of the Jew in Persian Literature | Jaleh Pirnazar | October 21, 2007 |
| Will the US attack Iran? Half the warships in the U.S. Navy are within striking distance of Iran. Washington rhetoric against Iran is heating up. Veteran foreign correspondent Reese Erlich takes a look at the real story behind the looming conflict | Reese Erlich | September 30, 2007 |
| The Mad Lover: the “Romance” of Layli and Majnun This talk will concentrate on one verse romance, by the 12th-century Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi, and on the illustrations of this text (and other versions of it), in particular the artists' depictions of Majnun | Julie Scott Meisami | August 26, 2007 |
| The Iranian Women’s Movement Challenges and Prospects With Ms. Davoodi Mohajer and her intimate knowledge we will critic and analyze the positive and negative points of this movement’s internal dynamics with particular emphasize on it’s methods, tools and tactics in the recent past | Fariba Davoodi Mohajer | July 15, 2007 |
| A Panel Discussion on the Challenge Facing Iranian Human Rights Advocates in Diaspora | Mansour Farhang, Mehrangiz Kar, Karim Lahidji, Farideh Pourabdollah | June 24, 2007 |
| The Labyrinth of Iranian Modernity with references to his latest book, “Hundred Years of Entanglement with Modernity” “Sad Saal Keshakesh Baa Tajadod” | Daryoush Homayoun | June 8, 2007 |
| The screening of the documentary film “Iran: A Cinematographic Revolution” This documentary explores Iranian cinema through a compelling blend of archival footage, excerpts from representative and landmark Iranian films, and interviews with Iranian filmmakers, film critics and film historians | Nader Takmil Homayoun | May 13, 2007 |
| Women's Movement and it’s Relation to Broader Social Movements | Elahe Amani | April 22, 2007 |
| Story Reading followed by a Talk and Discussion on Censorship in Iranian Literature | Shahryar Mandanipour | February 25, 2007 |
| Reflections on Dualistic Thought in the Ancient World | Shahrnush Parsipur | January 27, 2007 |
| Passionate Uprisings: The Intersection of Sexuality and Politics in Post-Revolutionary Iran The intersection of sexuality and politics in post-revolutionary Iran | Pardis Mahdavi | November 5, 2006 |
| The Crisis of Democracy in Iran and the Heritage of the Constitutional Revolution | Janet Afary | September 10, 2006 |
| Islamic Totalitarianism, Imagination or Reality? This presentation explores the conditions by which Islamic Republic came to power, it’s identity and function and how Islamic Republic affects the social development in modern Iran | Shahla Shafiq | June 25, 2006 |
| Perspectives on US-Iran Lack of Relations: What Does America Want from Iran? This presentation examines the relationship between the US government and the Islamic Republic of Iran and attempts to ascertain what the US want from Iran and which of a number of issues raised by Washington are real and which are not. | Maziar Behrooz | May 7, 2006 |
| The Abortive Birth of a Modern Nation: The Constitutional Revolution in Iran and its Aftermath | Daryoush Ashouri | April 23, 2006 |
| Iran's Nuclear Program and U.S.-Iranian Relations The referral of Iran's nuclear file to the United Nations Security Council is a symptom of the 26-year old estrangement between Iran and the United States. Thus, the key to a peaceful resolution of the conflict is direct talks between Washington and Tehran. In the absence of such initiative the present dispute between them is threatens to get out of control and lead to unwanted consequences for both countries | Mansour Farhang | March 26, 2006 |
| Oedipus in Shiraz: Hafez and Princely Villainy | Ali Ferdowsi | February 25, 2006 |
| Women's Rights in Pre-Islamic Iran Ms. Giti Pourfazel will discuss the development of law and civil society in pre-Islamic Iran and application of law to women’s situation within the Persian culture | Giti Pourfazel | January 22, 2006 |
| An evening with Behrouz Vossoughi On the occasion of his newly published biography | Behrouz Vossoughi | December 18, 2005 |
| Tales from Tehran Reese Erlich will talk about his trip to Iran, conversations with ordinary Iranians and current Bush Administration efforts to incite more violence in the region | Reese Erlich | November 13, 2005 |
| Theatre and Censorship in Contemporary Iran | Mahmood Karimi Hakkak | October 22, 2005 |
| Status of Women in Pre-Islamic Iran Dr. Davaran’s presentation will be based on her thesis “Continuity in Iranian Identity: A Study of Andarz and Adab” | Freshteh Davaran | October 9, 2005 |
| An Inside Look into the Iranian Left Movement – Conversation with Mohsen Rezvani Hamid Shokat speaking about his book | Hamid Shokat | August 21, 2005 |
| Current Status of Persian Classical Music in Iran and Abroad | Mohammad Reza Lotfi | July 24, 2005 |
| Religious Culture - A Philosophical Exploration in the Culture and Behavior of Iranians | Aramesh Dustdar | June 10, 2005 |
| A Brief History of the Repertoire of Iranian Classical | Kourosh Taghavi | May 7, 2005 |
| Building the Future of Iran is not an Obligation but our Destiny | Hossein Ladjevardi | April 9, 2005 |
| Modernity, Democracy and Republic (Jomhouri) | Mehrdad Darvishpour | February 19, 2005 |
| A Seminar by Javad Tabatabai The seminar will deal with current social, economical and political crisis of Iranian society. Based on his new research on Iranian history, Dr. Tabatabai will discuss the principle of a new approach to the perennial problematic of the Iranian civilization | Javad Tabatabai | January 8, 2005 |
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