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Presentation
Abstracts
Science,
Education and Culture Session
Iranian Weblogs: The
History and Challenges of the New-found Freedoms of the
Internet
Sanam
Dolatshahi, Weblogger
The
developments of Iranian weblogs has been probably the most
liberating movement in the history of Iranian media. After a
state-imposed ban on more than 100 titles of published press,
weblogs and websites became the sole providers of free
flow of information in the Iranian society. This talk will
take a brief look at the history of the emergence and growth
of Iranian weblogs, as well as the dramatic changes that
Iranian weblogs have created both in cyber- and social
reality of Iran. It will focus specifically on the participation of
Iranian women in writing weblogs as a place for having their
voices heard and the obstacles and threats that weblog
writers have faced so far. It will also look at the
prospects of the effects that Iranian weblogs may have in
the future.
A
Critical view toward Iranian Educational System
Babak
Heydari, Ph.D. Candidate, UC-Berkeley
Among all areas that
have been the center of attention in the movement towards
development in Iran, the educational system has been one that has
been usually overlooked. Although many intellectuals agree that
cultural development is a key point in the movement toward
modernization, few of them have shown interests in the educational
system. However it probably is the most important and influential
area that can be practically improved through planning. The
lack of importance of this system in the eyes of the government is
also evident from the importance of related
organizations and ministries within different administrations.
Lacking a pragmatic
approach is one of the most important short-comings of the
educational system in Iran. Many socio-economical problems such
as unemployment, brain drain, non-productive economy among others,
are
strongly related to this issue. In this talk, I will discuss this
and other shortcomings of the Educational System and propose
alternative solution.
Tradition
and Modernity Session
Tradition
and Modernity in Iran: The Question of the Archive
Afshin
Hafizi, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Florida
My
point of departure will be an apparently marginal note on the
back page of the Persian edition of Dr. Milani's book on
modernity in Iran, "Tajadod wa Tajadod- setizi dar
Iran". I would like to show that this apparent
marginality of a note constitutes as well as foregrounds his
fundamental methodological principle with regards to the
dilemma of modernity in Iran. What Milani does is in fact to
deconstruct the binary opposition of tradition and modernity
by showing that there are, on the one hand, elements of
tradition in modernity (which leads one to a critical approach
to modernity, something that is being represented by certain
trends in the postmodern culture and theory) and, on the other
hand, elements of modernity in tradition (which brings up a
whole set of discussions on historiography, the relationship
to the past and the dead, the work of mourning, the archive,
etc). A statement like this can be very controversial and
needs much qualification, but I propose to elucidate it,
within a discursive framework of discussions, by references to
Walter Benjamin's idea of history and Jacques Derrida's idea
of the archive.
The
Impact of Religion on the Dynamics of Our Society
Alireza
Kazemi, M.S. in Industrial Engineering, University of
Florida
Religious
beliefs have been one of the most controversial subjects in the
history of man kind. As a nation with one of the youngest
populations in the
world and with the unique background and social
characteristics of our country this issue demands extra
attention. Even though we might not be able to offer
solutions to every single issue, we are entitled to ask
and discuss the very essential questions that on the role of
these beliefs and how it affects our
individual and social lives. These basic questions determine the quality of
individual life and the social goals that we face. I will provide an overview of
the ways our beliefs have been and will be affecting us as
individuals and
the dynamics of our society as a whole.
Iranian
Expatriate Communities Session
An
Overview of Socioeconomic Characteristics of the Iranian-American
Community
Ali
Khademhossini, Ph.D. Candidate, MIT
The
study of the socioeconomic status of Iranian-Americans is
important for understanding the needs and characteristics of the
Iranian community. Based on this need, we performed an analysis of
the 2000 U.S. census in order to obtain statistical information on
a variety of characteristics of this population including size,
education, income, housing and family structure. In this talk, we
will give a brief summary of these findings. Along with these and
other characteristics this talk will propose potential reasons and
specific drawbacks and inaccuracies for these census results and
will provide guidelines for future studies on this topic.
An Opinion Survey of
Iranian American Community
Farzan
Parsinejad, Ph.D. Candidate, Northeastern University
The
topic of my presentation will be the design and preparation of
an opinion survey for individuals in the Iranian American
community, which is an effort to learn more about them and
their needs. This opinion survey is aimed at understanding the
characteristics, needs and concerns of individuals in the
Iranian-American community. The results of the survey can
provide community leaders with information on how better serve
the community and help the community members understand the
views of the community at large. The goal of this survey is to
assess the perception of individuals of Iranian ancestry of
the Iranian American community and potential common values,
needs and concerns. This presentation will discuss our methods
and thoughts of designing a questionnaire and will explore
possible ways of launching the survey in order to reach the
most number of individuals in Iranian American community. We
started our project by first defining the goals and finding
who exactly we are targeting. Then we divide our areas of
which we are interested to learn into 6 categories which
include: The family structure, nature of the interaction among
individuals in the community, the part of Iranian culture that
they associate with more, their emotional/economic ties to
Iran, their perception of being a minority, and how much have
they assimilated into the American society.
Network of Iranian Academics, Prospects and
Challenges
Yasser
Karachian, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Toronto
Knowledge
Diffusion Network, a non-profit organization, was
established last year by a few alumni of Iranian
universities who reside in Canada, U.S., U.K. and Iran to
promote collaboration of Iranian academics living abroad
with the scientific community in Iran. Our current project
is the Visiting Lecturer Program in which we try to
facilitate the connection between the Iranian scientists who
go to Iran for family visits and the universities in Iran.
In my talk, I will discuss the challenges ahead of us for
establishing a network of Iranian academics in abroad, how
it is possible for volunteers from different parts of the
world to work with each other in a group and the way such an
organization should collaborate with the Iranian
universities and institutions.
Returning to Iran: Challenges and Potentials
Hazhir
Rahmandad, Ph.D. Candidate, MIT
In
this study we look into factors that contribute to success and
failure of individuals who return to Iran upon completion of
their studies, or after spending some time working abroad.
Interviews with a number of different individuals who has
returned to Iran in the last couple of decades and have made
contributions to academic and business life, as well as
individuals who have had a negative experience with their
decision to return, informs this study. We analyze the
interviews looking for common themes and useful insights that
can help those who make a decision on returning to Iran in
near future.
What
is a Realistic Vision for the Next 15 years? (Forum)
Moderators:
Mehdi
Yahyanejad, Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University
Hazhir
Rahmandad, Ph.D. Candidate, MIT
Many of the Iranians
living abroad desire to have a positive impact on Iran. However,
this desire has often been translated into weak political
alliances with little effect on what is happening inside Iran,
while other dimensions of having an impact, e.g. economic and
cultural, have been largely neglected. In short, there has been
little dialogue on the big picture of what they can achieve in a
long run, and what are the feasible ways of doing so in the
context of day to day life abroad. In this context, there are many
questions to ask and answer: What can Iranians living abroad
realistically achieve in the next 15 years? What actions can they
take to have more influence on their own fate as immigrants living
in a foreign land? How can they influence life of Iranians living
in Iran? Do they have enough economic, political, scientific links
to Iran to influence of the Iranian society? What can be a
realistic goal for Iranian society abroad in their impact on Iran
for the next 15 years? And in a more personal level, do they have
the capability and knowledge required to contribute to those
goals? Considering the personal challenges they have in their
life, what is feasible for each and everyone to do? We propose a
session not to answer these questions, since we do not know the
answers, but to start a conversation on them. As such we will have
neither a speaker nor any audience in our session. Everyone in the
room will be able to participate in a moderated discussion. We
have prepared a framework for the discussion which will allow it
to remain organized, while eliciting different perspectives. We
will begin a session with a short introduction to set the ground
rules, define the problem, and engage the audience in
brainstorming different aspects of the issue.
Socioeconomic
Development and Industrialization Session
Iran's
Socioeconomic Development Outlook:
Challenges
and Potentials
Ali
Mostashari, Ph.D. Candidate, MIT
My
presentation will begin with an analysis of Iran's current
social and economic development situation, primarily with
discussions on data sources of the UNDP Human Development
Indicators, World Bank and IMF economic data, and the Iranian
Statistics Bureau in a comparative context with peer
countries. I will then discuss the prospects of social and
economic development in Iran within alternative political
development paths that the country can take in the next
decade. I will finish by highlighting the types of changes
that can be expected under different scenarios.
Introduction
and Analysis of Dynamic Capability Concept as an Approach for
Creating National Competitive Advantages in Iran
Kaveh
Majlessi, Graduate Student, Harvard University
Unfortunately,
the gap which exists between Iran and the developed world is very
intense and it means that the rate of development in Iran is not
at an acceptable level right now. We have not built up sufficient and
effective competitive
advantages relative to the world and we are gradually losing the advantages
we have. The advantages in today's world are not sustainable
because of the rapid changes. In such a world, we need to build
temporary and continuous advantages to be able to compete with the
world. The dynamic capability concept which has originated in the
strategic management literature, provides the opportunity of
building such advantages. In my presentation, I want to talk about
the characteristics of dynamic capability and mechanisms that help
us to develop dynamic capabilities in our country. I believe that
it can open a new window to the development issue.
Healthcare
in Iran - Past, present,
and trends of the future
Babak
Mohit, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Florida
In
the past 30 years, the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) in Iran has
dropped from 120 deaths per 1000 live births in 1979 to 30 per
1000 live births in 2000, and thus life expectancy has risen
from 60 years to nearly 70 years. Despite the chaos of
revolution, war, and a turbulent geographical region, the
present generation of Iranians is living a longer life
compared to its predecessors. This talk will focus on the
three corner stones of healthcare policy, which are access,
cost, and quality and how these elements were used in Iran to
raise the standard of living. It will also include a
discussion on other social developments Iran will need to go
through in order to be able to improve or even maintain these
standards.
Developing
Industrial Culture in Iran
Nader
Pirouz, Undergraduate Student, UC-Berkeley
As a result of a series of
various factors such as inefficient institutions, and ineffective
policies combined with historical and geographical obstacles Iran
has not become an industrial economy. Consequently, developing an
industrial culture in Iran continues to be an important challenge.
This presentation examines the fundamental causes of this issue from
the private sector perspective, and subsequently suggests new
strategies to overcome the challenges ahead. Moreover, the crucial
role of Iranian immigrants has been analyzed, and will be discussed
in great detail.
Politics and Governance
Session
Iran’s Transition to
Democracy: Maps of Misreading? Mojtaba
Mahdavi. Ph.D. Candidate, University of Western Ontario A
quarter century after the establishment of the Islamic Republic of
Iran in the name of "cultural authenticity", the
establishment has been challenged over the very same issue.
Children of the revolution, the social base of the current reform
movement, are now skeptical of all clerical solutions. Iran is
clearly in transition. What is unclear, however, relates to the
nature and the future of democracy and modernity in Iran. Are
there different roads to democracy and a variety of democracies at
the end of the roads? Are there multiple modernities? Can Western
modernity be Iran's future goal, or should Iran seek a different
path of modernity? To answer such questions, I shall argue we
should first "de-familiarize" some terms and theories
associated with the process of democratization in Iran. This is to
suggest that one has to go beyond the prevailing interpretations
that explain Iran's transition to democracy as an extension of the
historical tensions between particularism and universalism,
tradition and modernity, and religion and democracy. In this
context, I shall attempt to shed some lights on four possible
"maps of misreading" as they relate to Iran's future
prospects.
Making
it Their Own: Women and Local Councils’ Elections in Iran Nazanin
Shahrokni, Ph.D. Candidate, UC-Berkeley
Since the establishment of
the new regime in Iran in 1979, the state has tried to re-structure
the society by establishing new policies and institutions. The
primary intention of the regime was perhaps to control and direct
its citizens, the outcomes were double-sided. As far as women are
concerned these new Islamic policies and institutions highered their
status in some respects and lowered it in some other. The most
important thing is that through out all these years women (contrary
to what some may believe) have most of the time- functioned as
active agents of change (whether in state-build institutions such as
Nehzat Savad Amoozi and Baseej and etc. or in the more independent
institutions such the women’s magazines and NGOs). Amongst the
many examples is women’s participation in the city and village
councils. Although councils themselves turned out to be, to some
extent, a failure but nevertheless 800 women in the first round and
more than 1000 women in the second around were elected as
councilors; the achievements of whom were often neglected or
belittled.
Structures and Agents in Rentier
States; A Comparative Study
Babak Tammadon,
Ph.D. Candidate, UC-Berkeley
While creating economic,
political, and social categories is considered a mainstay of
social scientific work, few categories endure beyond the lifespan
of the ‘school’ or ‘paradigm’ with which they are
associated. In international political economy, for instance, even
the ubiquitous and entrenched categories of ‘developed’ and
‘developing’ have come under increased questioning. Yet the
category, ‘Rentier States’, has survived the past few decades
to become one of the most enduring of its kind. Its longevity and
continued use may in fact signal its explanatory value; the
category continues to capture the essence of a certain economic
and socio-political reality in a number of states whose revenue
sources are dominated by rents accrued as mineral exports or,
alternatively, states that count foreign grants as a major source
of revenue. Of these, at least the former states have exports that
are deemed crucial to the global system of production, yet remain
underdeveloped amidst unsurpassed booms and wealth transfers. This
presentation offers a comparative analysis of such states within
the general category of ‘Rentiers’, using a number of cases
and arguments. I will first attempt to review the relevant
literature and select key points and arguments necessary for a
comparative discussion. I will then address what I perceive to be
a deficiency in the literature, namely, the absence of a proper
taxonomy of Rentier states based on revenue source, purported
effect of said source on state institutions, political system, and
stability. I will then review the various arguments offered for
the paradox of under-development in the face of immense capital
accumulation, concentrating on the interaction of structures and
agents in Rentier states.
The Impact of U.S. Sanctions on Iran
Mohammad Hafezi, Ph.D. Candidate, Harvard university
We review the assessment
of the U.S. sanction against Iran during passed two decades mainly
based on the available literature about this issue. By considering
the subject from different prospective: economic, social, military
etc. we try to summarize the impacts of the U.S. economic
sanctions against and its achievements towards its goals.
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