CWU to Host ‘Art of Global Protest: Iran 2022' Zoom Event on Friday

Central Washington University will host a live Zoom event on Friday, November 18, titled "Art of the Global Protest: Iran 2022."

Mahsa Amini's death in September at the hands of the Iranian government has sparked massive protests across the country this fall.

Beginning at noon, a three-member guest panel will discuss the current protests in Iran from various disciplinary perspectives. The protests started when Mahsa Jina Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman, was arrested September 13 by morality police for allegedly breaching the country's strict hijab law. Three days later, she died after falling into a coma while in police custody. Mahsa's death sparked widespread nationwide protests that continue today.

Various observers have described the current protests as the first feminist revolution, a fact evident in the central chant of these protests: "woman, life, freedom." The protests have also taken a revolutionary form, demanding a fundamental transformation of the power structure. Whether they will lead to a shift in Iran's political system is yet to be seen, but it appears that Iran has entered into a new phase that will require collective discussions.

Friday's panelists are:

• Dr. Haideh Moghissi, an emerita professor of Sociology and Women's Studies at York University who has published several books on Iranian feminist movements, and is a founder of the National Union for Women (NUW) in post-revolutionary Iran;
• Dr. Pamela Karimi, professor of Art History at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, is the author of Alternative Iran: Contemporary Art & Critical Spatial Practice (2022); and
• Dr. Mina Khanlarzadeh, post-doctoral researcher in Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University, has published several papers on modern Iran, women rights movement, and Kurdish culture.

The panel will be hosted by the CWU Office of International Studies and Programs, the Office of Inclusivity and Diversity, the College of Arts and Humanities, and the Museum of Culture and Environment. Departmental sponsors include the Department of World Languages and Cultures and the Department of History.

Participants are asked to register in advance for the free Zoom event. If you have questions, email museum@cwu.edu or call 509-963-2313.