Developments in Iran: A Multidisciplinary Panel Discussion
Join us for a hybrid panel discussion featuring experts on Middle East politics and affairs as they examine the latest developments in Iran. This is a timely opportunity to hear diverse scholarly perspectives and engage directly with panelists through a Q&A session as the situation in Iran continues to evolve.
MODERATOR:
Lindsay Benstead is Professor of Politics and Global Studies and Director of the Middle East Studies Center at Portland State University's Mark O. Hatfield School of Government. Her research on women and politics, public opinion, and survey methodology has appeared in Perspectives on Politics, Governance, Foreign Affairs, and other leading journals. She holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Political Science from the University of Michigan and has held fellowships at Yale, Princeton, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and Sciences in Paris.
PANELISTS:
Nidal Betare is currently a visiting scholar with the Middle East Study Center here at PSU. Before co-founding and working as the Managing Director of DC-based People Demand Change, Nidal Betare held numerous positions working with civil society and refugee communities of Palestine, Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon. He has also worked as a freelance researcher with NPR and as an interpreter for McClatchy. Mr. Betare has been widely published and has spoken on numerous panels, including the Annual World Bank meeting in 2013, the UN in New York City and Tokyo, Japan, and at a variety of universities around the United States on the conflicts across the Arab region. Mr. Betare holds a Master's in Political Sociology.
Dr. Grant Farr is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Sociology at Portland State University. He has worked and written on Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan. He was a teacher in Kabul, a professor at Pahlavi University in Shiraz, Iran, and a visiting Fulbright Professor at the University of Peshawar, Pakistan. He has written a number of books and articles, including The Shaping of Iran Today, Modern Iran, Global Societies, and Afghan Resistance. He is currently working on a book on Afghan refugees.
Dr. Harout Akdedian is a scholar and policy professional specializing in state-society relations, public policy, Middle East politics, and exclusionary extremism. He serves as Program Analyst at the Oregon Department of Justice's Civil Rights Unit, Visiting Scholar at Portland State University's Middle East Studies Center, and Associate Fellow at Central European University in Vienna. His prior experience includes research fellowships and consultancies with the UN-ESCWA, Carnegie Middle East Center, and the Human Rights Center in Costa Rica. He holds a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of New England (Australia) and has taught globally. His work appears in journals such as Political Geography and the Middle East Journal. He is the author of State Atrophy in Syria: War, Society and Institutional Change, among other books.
This is a hybrid event with both in person and Zoom participation options. Registration is required to join by Zoom: pdx.zoom.us/meeting/register/Xw7t-atpRjiB_oxZPmNQ1w#/registration