Globally-recognized experts at U.Va. available to discuss Iranian turmoil
Ruhi Ramazani (Ruhi)
Professor emeritus of government and foreign affairs
Ruhi Ramazani, professor emeritus of government and foreign affairs at the University of Virginia, has consistently urged American analysts and policymakers to look beyond simplistic interpretations of Iran’s actions to reach a more nuanced understanding of Iran’s culture, religion, government and people.
Decades ago, the media dubbed him "dean of Iranian foreign policy studies in the United States" for his books, now classics, "The Foreign Policy of Iran, 1500–1941: A Developing Nation in World Affairs" (1966) — the first study of Iran’s foreign policy in any language — and its sequel, "Iran’s Foreign Policy, 1941–1975: A Study of Foreign Policy in Modernizing Nations" (1975).
His op-eds have appeared in numerous newspapers, including the New York Times, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times. He has appeared on Meet the Press, CNN, CNN International, ABC News and other networks.
Ramazani is Edward R. Stettinius Professor Emeritus of Government and Foreign Affairs at the University of Virginia, where he has been since 1952, when he immigrated to the United States. He is an American citizen. He received his degree of doctor of science of jurisprudence (in international relations and law) from the U.Va. Law School in 1954. He was visiting professor at the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, a member of the High Table at the University of Cambridge in England, and the Aga Khan Professor of Islamic Studies at the American University of Beirut. He has lectured in more than 30 cities overseas. A 2009 volume of essays by 53 international experts on Iran titled "The Iranian Revolution at 30" was dedicated to him by the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C.
Resources:Video: http://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/videogallery.php?id=1908
Op-ed: "How to – properly – respect Iran" http://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/opinion/ramazani_feb09.html
High-res photos available.
Farzaneh Milani Professor of Persian literature and women's studies
Farzaneh Milani, a professor of Persian literature and women's studies at the University of Virginia, is author of "Veils and Words: The Emerging Voices of Iranian Women Writers," and co-translator of the poetry volume, "A Cup of Sin: Selected Poems," by Simin Behbahani, Iran's most celebrated living poet. Milani and collaborator Kaveh Safa's translation of Behbahani's poems won the 2008 Lois Roth Prize for Literary Translation from Persian.
A past president of the Association of Middle Eastern Women's Studies in America, Milani's studies focus on Persian literature and cinema, Iran, women and Islam, and cross-cultural studies of women. She also has studied the portrayal of Iran in the Western media. Born and raised in Tehran before immigrating to the United States in 1967, Milani is a leading authority on the role of women in Iranian culture. "Women writers have always been at the forefront of democratic movements in Iran," Milani said, "going back 160 years to the public unveiling of poet Qurrat al-'Ayn in Badasht, Iran in 1848," the same year as the momentous Seneca Falls Convention in the U.S.
"Iranian women writers have consistently been a force for moderation and modernization, always choosing nonviolent means to pursue their agenda. One could say that Iran's current 'Green Movement' is picking up on what, though not openly expressed, has been the model of women writers for the past 160 years."
Milani has been widely quoted in the media, including National Public Radio, the New York Times and the Washington Post, often commenting on the complex politics and layered meanings of veils and veiling in Islamic nations.
Previous media citations:"The Ultimate Unveiling of Iranian Women"Middle East Online / Agence Global / July 14, 2009www.middle-east-online.com/english/opinion/?id=33161
"Lyrical voices hail Iranians from overseas"Los Angeles Times / July 1, 2009http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jul/01/local/me-iran-poet1
"From Tunis to Tehran, the great veil debate"Christian Science Monitor / Nov. 8, 2006http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1108/p01s04-wome.html
"Lipstick Politics in Iran"New York Times / Aug. 19, 1999http://www.library.cornell.edu/colldev/mideast/milan2.htm
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