Kian Tajbakhsh
Encyclopedia
Kian Tajbakhsh is an Iranian-American
scholar
, sociologist
and urban planner
. He is a dual citizen of the United States and Iran, and has taught at both American and Iranian universities. Tajbakhsh is also an international expert in the areas of local government reform, urban planning, public health, and social policy. He has consulted for several Iranian government organizations, including the Municipalities Organization, the Social Security Organization, and the Ministry of the Interior, and with international nongovernmental organizations such as the World Bank, the Open Society Institute, and the Netherlands Association of Municipalities. His work in Iran has included evaluating humanitarian relief
and rebuilding projects in the aftermath of the devastating 2003 earthquake
in Bam
.
and culture
.
From 1994 until 2001, Tajbakhsh taught Urban Policy and Politics at the New School for Social Research in New York City
. He received his BA from Imperial College London
in 1983, his M.Sc. from University College London
in 1984, and his Ph.D. from Columbia University
in 1993. He is a member of the American Sociological Association and the Iranian Sociological Association. For a brief period Tajbakhsh was an advisor to the Soros Foundation
Open Society Institute. He discontinued his work with OSI following his 2007 arrest.
Tajbakhsh was set to begin a full-time academic teaching position at the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation of Columbia University in New York City on September 8, 2009, but was unable to do so as a result of his incarceration. As of April, 2010, Tajbakhsh has been granted "Temporary Release" from prison, but is prohibited from leaving Iran.
, Haleh Esfandiari
and Nazi Azima, to be incarcerated, detained, or put under house arrest in 2007. He was held without charge in Evin Prison
for more than four months.
According to the Free Kian website, Tajbakhsh was allowed to leave Evin Prison and be reunited with his wife in Tehran on September 19, 2007.
Tajbakhsh was arrested again in Tehran on July 9, 2009. He was among the thousands of people detained in the protests
that followed the presidential election
and he appeared at a mass trial in Tehran. Then he was charged with a number of offenses including espionage
Tajbaksh was one of many politicians, academics, journalists, and others arrested in the wake of the protests, and was one of the defendants in a widely condemned mass trial
. The charges against him included his work for the OSI, which the Iranian government had approved earlier, and his subscribing to the Gulf/2000 mailing list run by Gary Sick
On October 20, 2009, he was sentenced to at least 12 years in prison on charges of espionage, "contacting foreign elements" and acting against national security
.
Iranian-American
Iranian-Americans are Americans of Iranian ancestry or people possessing Iranian and American dual citizenship.Iranian-Americans are amongst the most highly educated groups in the United States...
scholar
Scholarly method
Scholarly method or scholarship is the body of principles and practices used by scholars to make their claims about the world as valid and trustworthy as possible, and to make them known to the scholarly public.-Methods:...
, sociologist
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
and urban planner
Urban planner
An urban planner or city planner is a professional who works in the field of urban planning/land use planning for the purpose of optimizing the effectiveness of a community's land use and infrastructure. They formulate plans for the development and management of urban and suburban areas, typically...
. He is a dual citizen of the United States and Iran, and has taught at both American and Iranian universities. Tajbakhsh is also an international expert in the areas of local government reform, urban planning, public health, and social policy. He has consulted for several Iranian government organizations, including the Municipalities Organization, the Social Security Organization, and the Ministry of the Interior, and with international nongovernmental organizations such as the World Bank, the Open Society Institute, and the Netherlands Association of Municipalities. His work in Iran has included evaluating humanitarian relief
Humanitarian aid
Humanitarian aid is material or logistical assistance provided for humanitarian purposes, typically in response to humanitarian crises including natural disaster and man-made disaster. The primary objective of humanitarian aid is to save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity...
and rebuilding projects in the aftermath of the devastating 2003 earthquake
2003 Bam earthquake
The 2003 Bam earthquake was a major earthquake that struck Bam and the surroundingKerman province of southeastern Iran at 1:56 AM UTC on Friday, December 26, 2003. The most widely accepted estimate for the magnitude of the earthquake is a moment magnitude of 6.6; estimated by the United...
in Bam
Bam, Iran
Bam is a city in and the capital of Bam County, Kerman Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 73,823, in 19,572 families.The modern Iranian city of Bam surrounds the Bam citadel. Before the 2003 earthquake the official population count of the city was roughly 43,000. There are...
.
Academic career
Tajbakhsh's academic research examines the evolving nature of Iranian state institutions and the policy-making process in Iran. In 2006, he completed a three-year study of the local government sector in Iran. He is the author of two books, The Promise of the City: Space, Identity and Politics in Contemporary Social Thought (Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press 2001), and Social Capital: Trust, Democracy and Development (Tehran: Shiraze Publishers 2005, in Persian). He has also published numerous scholarly articles, as well as non-academic writings on cinemaFilm
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
.
From 1994 until 2001, Tajbakhsh taught Urban Policy and Politics at the New School for Social Research in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He received his BA from Imperial College London
Imperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
in 1983, his M.Sc. from University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
in 1984, and his Ph.D. from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1993. He is a member of the American Sociological Association and the Iranian Sociological Association. For a brief period Tajbakhsh was an advisor to the Soros Foundation
Soros Foundation
A Soros Foundation is one of a network of national foundations, mostly in Central and Eastern Europe, which fund volunteer socio-political activity, created by George Soros, international financier and self-proclaimed philanthropist, and coordinated since early 1994 by a management team called the...
Open Society Institute. He discontinued his work with OSI following his 2007 arrest.
Tajbakhsh was set to begin a full-time academic teaching position at the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation of Columbia University in New York City on September 8, 2009, but was unable to do so as a result of his incarceration. As of April, 2010, Tajbakhsh has been granted "Temporary Release" from prison, but is prohibited from leaving Iran.
Arrests
Tajbakhsh was arrested at his home in Tehran on May 11, 2007, as the fourth Iranian-American, after Ali ShakeriAli Shakeri
Ali Shakeri is an Iranian-American businessman and activist. He graduated from the University of Texas with a business administration degree. He serves on the Community Advisory Board of the Center for Citizen Peacebuilding at the University of California, Irvine...
, Haleh Esfandiari
Haleh Esfandiari
Haleh Esfandiari is an Iranian American academic and the Director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. Her areas of expertise include Middle Eastern women's issues, contemporary Iranian intellectual currents and politics, and...
and Nazi Azima, to be incarcerated, detained, or put under house arrest in 2007. He was held without charge in Evin Prison
Evin Prison
Evin House of Detention is a prison in Iran, located in Evin, northwestern Tehran. It is noted for its political prisoners' wing, where prisoners have been held both before and after the 1979 Iranian Revolution...
for more than four months.
According to the Free Kian website, Tajbakhsh was allowed to leave Evin Prison and be reunited with his wife in Tehran on September 19, 2007.
Tajbakhsh was arrested again in Tehran on July 9, 2009. He was among the thousands of people detained in the protests
2009 Iranian election protests
Protests following the 2009 Iranian presidential election against the disputed victory of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and in support of opposition candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi occurred in major cities in Iran and around the world starting June 13, 2009...
that followed the presidential election
Iranian presidential election, 2009
Iran's tenth presidential election was held on 12 June 2009, with incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad running against three challengers. The next morning the Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran's official news agency, announced that with two-thirds of the votes counted, Ahmadinejad had won the election...
and he appeared at a mass trial in Tehran. Then he was charged with a number of offenses including espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
Tajbaksh was one of many politicians, academics, journalists, and others arrested in the wake of the protests, and was one of the defendants in a widely condemned mass trial
2009 Iran poll protests trial
2009 Iran poll protests trial refers to a series of trials conducted after 2009 Iranian presidential election. Over 140 defendants, including prominent politicians, academics and writers, were put on trial for participating in the 2009 Iranian election protests...
. The charges against him included his work for the OSI, which the Iranian government had approved earlier, and his subscribing to the Gulf/2000 mailing list run by Gary Sick
Gary Sick
Gary G. Sick is an American academic and analyst of Middle East affairs, with special expertise on Iran, who served on the U.S. National Security Council under Presidents Ford, Carter, and for a couple weeks under Reagan as well...
On October 20, 2009, he was sentenced to at least 12 years in prison on charges of espionage, "contacting foreign elements" and acting against national security
National security
National security is the requirement to maintain the survival of the state through the use of economic, diplomacy, power projection and political power. The concept developed mostly in the United States of America after World War II...
.