Shahrzad Mojab
Encyclopedia
Shahrzad Mojab is an Iran
ian professor at the University of Toronto
. She teaches at the Department of Adult Education and Counselling Psychology and the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
at the University of Toronto. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts
in 1977 in Iran
in the English language
; her Master of Arts
in Comparative Education and Administration, Higher and Continuing Education in 1979 and her Ph.D.
in Educational Policy Studies and Women's Studies in 1991 both at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
.
She then returned to Iran after the Iranian revolution
and spent four years from 1979 to 1983 in the country. She became active in the women’s movement and the social movements of Kurdistan. She escaped from Iran in 1983 with her lifelong partner Amir Hassanpour
and her son, and sought refuge in Canada
as a political refugee. Since 1986 she has been living in Canada with her partner and her son. Before joining the University of Toronto in 1996, she taught and worked at the University of Windsor
, Ryerson University
and at Concordia University
.
, anti-racism, colonialism
and imperialism; Marxist-feminism and learning; adult education in comparative and global perspectives. Mojab's research has been published on Islamic feminism
, minority women in academe, diversity and academic freedom in Canadian and Iranian universities, adult education
and civil society in the Middle East
, feminism and nationalism
, state-university relation, and women's access to higher education.
These works have been published in various book chapters, and periodicals such as International Journal of Lifelong long Education; Feminist Review; Canadian Woman Studies Journal; Journal of Middle East Women’s Studies; Journal of Ethnicities; Resources for Feminist Research; The Canadian Journal for the Study of Adult Education; Adult Education Quarterly: A Journal of Research and Theory; Studies in Continuing Education; Al-Raida Magazine (Institute for Women’s Studies in the Arab World); Pakistan Journal of Women’s Studies: Alam-e-Niswan; Journal of Race, Gender, and Class; and Atlantis: A Women’s Studies Journal. Together with Shahrzad Arshadi http://www.shahrzadarshadi.com, Mojab has produced two documentaries; the first Samjana: Memoirs and Resistance, originally released in 2007, is about women in post-war Nepal
, and their role in the peace process, as well as the role of women's NGOs in building sustainable peace. The second documentary Dancing of Defiance: Kurdish Women, to be released in 2009 is about Mojab's research with Kurdish women
, and their work toward socialism
and secularism
.
Mojab's current projects also include two research websites to be used as archival space for relevant resource for the research and as a tool for the dissemination of knowledge. The websites include "Women, War, Diaspora and Learning" and Memories, Memoirs, and the Arts: Women Political Prisoners of Iran.
She is the co-editor of Women of Iran: A Subject bibliography and Two Decades of Iranian Women's Studies in Exiles: A Subject Bibliography which was published in Persian
. She is also the editor of the first collection of academic studies on Kurdish women entitled Women of A Non-State Nation: The Kurds, which was written in English and then translated into Turkish
and Kurdish
, and the co-editor of and contributor to Of Property and Propriety: The Role of Gender and Class in Imperialism and Nationalism and Violence in the Name of Honour: Theoretical and Political Challenges.
; and in 2003 she was recognized as Distinguished Visitor at the University of Alberta
. Mojab was the first prize winner in the 2003 Women’s World writing contest for her work, "Women’s Voices in War Zones", organized by The Women's World Organization for Rights, Literature and Development, a global network of feminist writers.
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian professor at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
. She teaches at the Department of Adult Education and Counselling Psychology and the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto is a teachers' college in Toronto, Ontario.-History:OISE/UT traces its origins to the founding of the Provincial Normal School in 1847...
at the University of Toronto. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1977 in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
in the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
; her Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in Comparative Education and Administration, Higher and Continuing Education in 1979 and her Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in Educational Policy Studies and Women's Studies in 1991 both at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
.
She then returned to Iran after the Iranian revolution
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...
and spent four years from 1979 to 1983 in the country. She became active in the women’s movement and the social movements of Kurdistan. She escaped from Iran in 1983 with her lifelong partner Amir Hassanpour
Amir Hassanpour
Amir Hassanpour, , is a prominent Iranian Kurdish scholar and researcher. He was born in Mahabad, in north-western Iran. He received Bachelor of Arts degree in English language in 1964 from University of Tehran. He taught in the secondary schools of Mahabad in the period of 1965-66.In 1968, he...
and her son, and sought refuge in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
as a political refugee. Since 1986 she has been living in Canada with her partner and her son. Before joining the University of Toronto in 1996, she taught and worked at the University of Windsor
University of Windsor
The University of Windsor is a public comprehensive and research university in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's southernmost university. It has a student population of approximately 15,000 full-time and part-time undergraduate students and over 1000 graduate students...
, Ryerson University
Ryerson University
Ryerson University is a public research university located in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its urban campus is adjacent to Yonge-Dundas Square located at the busiest intersection in Downtown Toronto. The majority of its buildings are in the blocks northeast of the square in Toronto's Garden...
and at Concordia University
Concordia University
Concordia University is a comprehensive Canadian public university located in Montreal, Quebec, one of the two universities in the city where English is the primary language of instruction...
.
Research
Mojab's areas of research and teaching include educational policy studies; gender, state, diaspora and transnationality; women, war, militarization and violence; women, war and learning; women political prisoners in the Middle East; transnational women's organizations; feminismFeminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
, anti-racism, colonialism
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
and imperialism; Marxist-feminism and learning; adult education in comparative and global perspectives. Mojab's research has been published on Islamic feminism
Islamic feminism
Islamic feminism is a form of feminism concerned with the role of women in Islam. It aims for the full equality of all Muslims, regardless of gender, in public and private life. Islamic feminists advocate women's rights, gender equality, and social justice grounded in an Islamic framework...
, minority women in academe, diversity and academic freedom in Canadian and Iranian universities, adult education
Adult education
Adult education is the practice of teaching and educating adults. Adult education takes place in the workplace, through 'extension' school or 'school of continuing education' . Other learning places include folk high schools, community colleges, and lifelong learning centers...
and civil society in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, feminism and nationalism
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
, state-university relation, and women's access to higher education.
These works have been published in various book chapters, and periodicals such as International Journal of Lifelong long Education; Feminist Review; Canadian Woman Studies Journal; Journal of Middle East Women’s Studies; Journal of Ethnicities; Resources for Feminist Research; The Canadian Journal for the Study of Adult Education; Adult Education Quarterly: A Journal of Research and Theory; Studies in Continuing Education; Al-Raida Magazine (Institute for Women’s Studies in the Arab World); Pakistan Journal of Women’s Studies: Alam-e-Niswan; Journal of Race, Gender, and Class; and Atlantis: A Women’s Studies Journal. Together with Shahrzad Arshadi http://www.shahrzadarshadi.com, Mojab has produced two documentaries; the first Samjana: Memoirs and Resistance, originally released in 2007, is about women in post-war Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, and their role in the peace process, as well as the role of women's NGOs in building sustainable peace. The second documentary Dancing of Defiance: Kurdish Women, to be released in 2009 is about Mojab's research with Kurdish women
Kurdish women
Kurdish women have traditionally played important roles in Kurdish history, society and politics.-In Politics:...
, and their work toward socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
and secularism
Secularism
Secularism is the principle of separation between government institutions and the persons mandated to represent the State from religious institutions and religious dignitaries...
.
Mojab's current projects also include two research websites to be used as archival space for relevant resource for the research and as a tool for the dissemination of knowledge. The websites include "Women, War, Diaspora and Learning" and Memories, Memoirs, and the Arts: Women Political Prisoners of Iran.
She is the co-editor of Women of Iran: A Subject bibliography and Two Decades of Iranian Women's Studies in Exiles: A Subject Bibliography which was published in Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
. She is also the editor of the first collection of academic studies on Kurdish women entitled Women of A Non-State Nation: The Kurds, which was written in English and then translated into Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
and Kurdish
Kurdish language
Kurdish is a dialect continuum spoken by the Kurds in western Asia. It is part of the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian group of Indo-European languages....
, and the co-editor of and contributor to Of Property and Propriety: The Role of Gender and Class in Imperialism and Nationalism and Violence in the Name of Honour: Theoretical and Political Challenges.
Awards and positions
Mojab was the former director of the Women and Gender Institute at the University of Toronto (2003-2008), and the past-president of the Canadian Association for the Studies of Adult Education. In 2008 she won the Distinguished Contribution to Graduate Teaching Award at the University of Toronto; in 2006 she was named Noted Scholar in the Faculty of Education from the University of British ColumbiaUniversity of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
; and in 2003 she was recognized as Distinguished Visitor at the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
. Mojab was the first prize winner in the 2003 Women’s World writing contest for her work, "Women’s Voices in War Zones", organized by The Women's World Organization for Rights, Literature and Development, a global network of feminist writers.
External links
- Shahrzad Mojab, University of Toronto.
- Kurdish Women Research Resources.
- In Memory of Fadime Sahindal: Thoughts on the Struggle Against “Honour Killing”, By Shahrzad Mojab and Amir Hassanpour.
- The dangers of Iran's Holocaust denial, By Amir Hassanpour and Shahrzad Mojab, Toronto StarToronto StarThe Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
. - State-University Power Struggle at Times of Revolution and War in Iran - Boston College