Janet Afary » Events

The Politics of Marriage in Contemporary Iran

J.Afary — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:00:26 +0000

Speakers:

Erika Friedl, Western Michigan University
Sondra Hale, UCLA
Mary Hegland, Santa Clara University
Azadeh Kian, University of Paris VII – Diderot
Nikki Keddie, UCLA
Pardis Mahdavi, Pomona College

Sexual Politics in Modern Iran

J.Afary — Tue, 19 May 2009 19:00:36 +0000

Book Talk by Janet Afary, Purdue University with comments by Nikki Keddie, UCLA and Thomas Ricks, University of Pennsylvania.

Janet Afary’s work focuses on gender and sexuality and draws on her experience of growing up in Iran and her involvement with Iranian women of different ages and social strata. These observations, and a wealth of historical documents, form the kernel of this book, which charts the history of the nation’s sexual revolution from the nineteenth century to today. What comes across is the extraordinary resilience of the Iranian people, who have drawn on a rich social and cultural heritage to defy the repression and hardship of the Islamist state and its predecessors. It is this resilience, the author concludes, which forms the basis of a sexual revolution taking place in Iran today, one that is promoting reforms in marriage and family laws, and demanding more egalitarian gender and sexual relations.

Foucault and Middle East Studies

J.Afary — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:00:20 +0000

A conference organized by James Gelvin, UCLA Featuring: Timothy Mitchell, New York University, Afsaneh Najmabadi, Harvard University, Khaled Fahmy, New York University, and Janet Afary, UCLA. Over the past twenty years, the work of Michel Foucault has had a profound impact on the field of Middle East studies. Among other things, Middle East scholarship has applied methodologies pioneered by Foucault in the critique of Orientalism and in the study of sexuality, marginalities, and governmentality. “Foucault and Middle East Studies” will explore the impact of Foucault’s work, bringing together scholars who have employed approaches pioneered by Foucault in their work, have offered critiques of Foucault and his influence, or both.

Audio Presentation

(audio) Interview with Jerome McDonnell: Worldview

J.Afary — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 19:00:26 +0000

Jerome McDonnell Interview with Janaet Afary

An interview with Jerome McDonnell, the host of Worldview, a weekday show on Chicago Public Radio that provides global affairs coverage of world issues with in-depth conversations on international issues and their local impact.

Jerome interviews Janet Afary and Kevin Anderson, professors at Purdue University and the husband and wife co-authors of Foucault and the Iranian Revolution: Gender and the Seductions of Islamism.