Global Knowledge Conference on Afghan and Iranian Diaspora Cultures and Communities in the Bay Area

Global Knowledge Conference on Iranian and Afghan Diaspora Cultures and Communities in the Bay Area
Thursday-Saturday, October 22-24, 2009
California State University, East Bay, 25800 Carlos Bee Blvd., Hayward, CA 94542
Scholarly program including presentations, discussions, film screening, art exhibition, poetry and dance performance
$35 through Oct. 15; $50 at the door (space permitting)
http://class.csueastbay.edu/Global_Knowledge.php
 

An author, a radio and television personality, and the head of a Middle East Studies Center will be among the contributors to the Global Knowledge Conference on Afghan and Iranian Diaspora Cultures and Communities in the Bay Area Oct. 22-24 at the California State University, East Bay campus in Hayward.

Fatemeh Keshavarz, author of "Jasmine and Stars: Reading More Than 'Lolita' in Tehran," a book  recently discussed on National Public Radio; Farid Younos, host of a Noor television program and a CSUEB lecturer; and Alam Payind, director of the Middle East Studies Center at Ohio State University, are among those who will contribute to an understanding of Afghan and Iranian diaspora 30 years after the Iranian Revolution and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

Other key participants will be Rona Popal, executive director of the Afghan Coalition; Parvin Ahmadi, assistant superintendent of the Fremont Unified School District; Nushi Safinya, director of Studies for International and Multilingual Students at St. Mary's College, and Vida Samiian, dean of the CSU Fresno College of Arts and Humanities.

The conference will lead off with a reception, art exhibition, short documentary and discussion from 5-7 p.m. Oct. 22 in the Biella Room of the University Library, 25800 Carlos Bee Blvd. Yuko Kurahashi of the School of Theatre and Dance at Kent State University will present her short documentary on the making of "Beyond the Mirror," a theatrical performance by the Bond Street Theatre of New York and the Emile Theatre of Kabul, and a discussion will follow.

The conference opening plenary at 3 p.m. Oct. 23 in the Music Building 1055 will bring together Younos and Safinya on "Framing the Afghan and Iranian Diasporas," with Diedre Badejo, dean of the CSUEB College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences, moderating.

Najia Karim will set the stage for dinner and a short Iranian dance performance by reading Afghan poetry. Later, CSUEB President Mohammad Qayoumi will introduce Payind's keynote address.

The conference will resume on Oct. 24 with the plenary, "1979 - 30 Years Hence," two parallel sessions on "Community Research in the Local Afghan Diaspora" and "Social Activism in Iranian Diaspora," Personal and Immigration Narratives by such persons as Abubakr Asadulla, M.D., of the CSUEB Student Health Center, and Sahar Haghighat, a CSUEB graduate student; a roundtable discussion on "New Directions in Afghan and Iranian Scholarship" and a closing plenary.

The conference is cosponsored by the Afghan Coalition, the California State University, Fresno College of Arts and Humanities, Zale Video and Film, and the Balkh Bakery and Deli in Fremont. It culminates a year-long focus on the nations of Afghanistan and Iran - as they mark the 30th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan - through a variety of programs and presentations held in various Bay Area locations in concert with a consortium comprised of the San Francisco Asian Art Museum; the University of California, Berkeley; and San Jose State University.

Pre-registration is being taken at $35 per person on a space available basis through Oct. 15. To register, send your name, address, phone number, e-mail address and a check for $35 per person, payable to CSUEB CLASS, to: Global Knowledge Conference, CLASS, MB1501, CSUEB, 25800 Carlos Bee Blvd., Hayward, CA 94542. Space available, registration at the door will be $50 per person.

CSUEB welcomes persons with disabilities and will provide reasonable accommodation upon request. Please notify event sponsor a minimum of two weeks in advance at 510-885-3183 if accommodation is needed.
 

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