Iranian Alliances Across Borders (IAAB):
International Conference on the Iranian Diaspora, Conference Schedule:
April 17-18, 2004, Boston, MA

**Schedule is Subject to Minor Changes**

Saturday, April 17, 2004: Wellesley College, Jewett Auditorium

*Art Exhibition by: Houman Mortazavi, Jairan Sadeghi, and Asasin

8:30-9:30à Registration and Breakfast

9:45à Start of conference: Opening comments by Narges Bajoghli and Nikoo Paydar

10:00-11:20à Panel 1: Who Are We? Where Do We Come From? And, How Do We Define Ourselves?

·        Moderator: Leyla Pope

·        Dr. Maboud Ansari, William Paterson University: The Making of the Iranian Community in America

·        Mohammad Hafezi, Iranian Study Group (MIT): Achievements of the Diaspora

·        Dr. Mehdi Bozorgmehr, City University of New York: An Assessment of Iranians After a Generation in the U.S.

·        Elham Gheytanchi, Santa Monica College: Iranian Communities in Diaspora

11:30-1:00à Lunch: Provided by Moby Dick Restaurant

1:00-2:30à Panel 2: Twenty-five Years Later: Are We Still Guests in Our Societies?  Learning to Engage in Civil Society and Making Our Voices Heard    

·        Moderator: Amy Malek, New York University

·        Dr. Ali Modarres, California State University: Settlement patterns of Iranians in the U.S.

·        Dr. Zohreh Niknia, University of California Berkeley, Visiting Scholar: Iranian Immigrant Women's Labor Force Participation: An Entangled and Gendered Process

·        Stephanie Gallbrecht, Bremen University: Comparison Between “Stranger in Society” and a “Lost” Generation

·        Trita Parsi, National Iranian-American Council (NIAC): The Iranian Communities Involvement in Civil Society

15 minute break

2:45-3:45à Workshops: (in smaller groups):

·        Political Participation; led by NIAC (Dokhi Fassihian and Trita Parsi)

·        Media’s role in the formation of diasporic identities and notions of dissent; led by Niki Akhavan, University of California at Santa Cruz

·        Iranian studies; a panel of students’ research:

o       Jian Khodadad, Georgetown University: Tahirih Qurratu’l-Ayn: Inaugurator of the Iranian Women’s Movement, and Her Significance in Contemporary Iran

o       Pardis Ansari, Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems, Inc.: The Multiple Roles of Women in Shaping Perceptions of Career Opportunities from Globalization in Iran and the United States

o       Sara Moussavi, University of Maryland, College Paark: Development of a Culturally Competent Educational Program for Mothers in Zabol, Iran to Address Issues of Childhood Diabetes and Malnutrition.

·        "The Tree that Remembers" Film Screening Followed by Discussion led by Jairan Sadeghi, Carnegie Mellon University

·        Socio-Political Responsibities and Activism in America Today; led by Mahdis Keshavarez

15 minute break

4:30-5:30à Panel 3: How did Mohammad Become Mo? Forming our Identities.

·        Moderator: Ramin Bajoghli, Boston University

·        Behzad Ghotb, York University: Diaspora, Islam, and Gender

·        Dr. Arlene Dallalfar, Lesley College: Social identity and Iranian Communities in the U.S.

·        Taghi Amirani, Independent Filmmaker: Film screening: “Tehrangeles” and “Gaga over Googoosh”

Closing Remarks

6:00 pm --> Buses load for transportation into Boston (Faneuil Hall) for dinner. Transportation is free and available to all (Note: Dinner is NOT covered by IAAB)

9:30 pm --> Evening Event: Concert by Haale at Bayside Expo, also featuring DJ DElbar (Free transportation available from Faneuil Hall to Bayside Expo)

Sunday, April 18, 2004: Tufts University, Cohen Auditorium

9:00-10:00à Breakfast

10:00-12:15à Panel 1 (Part 1): Second Generation Iranians: Issues with Identity Building

·        Moderator: Sogole Moin, Wellesley College

·        Dr. Ali Akbar Mahdi, Ohio Wesleyan University: Second Generation Iranians: Questions and Concerns

·        Dr. Zohreh Sullivan, University of Illinois: Reflecting on "Exiled Memories"

Part 2: Beyond BMW’s, Armani, and Cell Phones: Dissecting the “Persian Mafia”

·        Amitra Mamdouhi, University of Virginia: Building my Identity as an Iranian and African-American through Poetry

·        Bijan Khoshnood, Bank-Fund Staff Federal Credit Union: Self-Made Iranian

·        Haale Gafori, Vocalist and Composer: Culture as Homeland

·        Neda Zarraby, Architect: Best of Both Worlds

·        Shahriar: Sexuality and Modern Iranian Culture

12:20-1:20à Lunch: Provided by Moby Dick

1:30-2:45à Panel 2: Going Back (Home?): Building Alliances in Iran

·        Moderators: Narges Bajoghli, Wellesley College, and Nikoo Paydar, Tufts University

·        Babak Namazi, Atieh Associates Law Firm: Iran, Sixteen Years Later

·        Nina Aghabeikzadeh, Independent Artist: Butterfiles Behind the Cocoon

·        Leyla Pope, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London: Double Vision: Seeing the World Through Two Cultures at Once

3:00-3:30à Musical Performance by the Hafez Ensemble

Closing Remarks

| Home | About Us | Conference Program | Participant's Biographies | Organizers | Registration |
|Resource Guide |Contact Us |Sponsorship |Directions to Conference|