بیانیه۱۴۰دانشگاهی و روشنفکر
در بزرگداشت دکتر مشایخی

'Be the change you wish to see in the world' -- Gandhi

Statement regarding the death of Dr. Mehrdad Mashayekhi

It is with deep sadness that we have learned of the passing of our distinguished friend and colleague, the Iranian-American sociologist Dr. Mehrdad Mashayekhi. A prominent political analyst and public intellectual, Mehrdad Mashayekhi died Wednesday October 5, 2011, at his home in Vienna, Virginia.

Dr. Mashayekhi was born in 1953 in Tehran and had lived in the U.S. since 1972. He received his B.A in economics from Case Western Reserve University (1976) and Ph.D in sociology from the American University (1979).

Dr. Mashayekhi was a visiting assistant professor of sociology at Georgetown University and University of Maryland, teaching both graduate and undergraduate courses on political sociology, globalization, social change and development, social inequality, social movements, and the process of democratization in the Middle East. In the past, he also taught at George Mason University and St. Mary's College of Maryland.

Dr. Mashayekhi's research was focused on student movements, Islamic reformism, civil society and democratization, political culture, and current political affairs. As a prolific writer and acute analyst of contemporary Iranian political affairs, he was a regular contributor to Iranian media inside and outside Iran. He was a frequent speaker in political forums in universities and served as an analyst of Iranian events in Persian diasporic media as well as Voice of America, BBC, Deutche Welle, and French and Australian media outlets.

Dr. Mashayekhi was coeditor of Political Culture in the Islamic Republic (Routledge, 1992) and author of “Culture of Mistrust: A Sociological Analysis of Iranian Political Culture” in the Blackwell Companion to Contemporary Islamic Thought (2006). His books in Persian include Towards Democracy a Secular Republic in Iran: Essays in Political Sociology (2007), and Iranian Green Movement and Rainbow Democracy (2010). He also participated in numerous panels and presented papers at the American Sociological Association, Middle East Studies Association, and the Center for Iranian Research and Analysis.

Dr. Mashayekhi is survived by his wife Fataneh Afrashteh Mashayekhi. We offer our condolences to his wife, parents, siblings, colleagues, and students.

The Iranian intellectual community has lost one of its most passionate and articulate voices for social justice and democratic change. His legacy of political activism and progressive analysis of Iranian politics and society is cherished by his many students, fellow activists, and colleagues inside and outside Iran.


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2. Hossein Akhavi-Pour, Hamline University
3. Ali Afshari, George Washington University
4. Reza Afshari, Pace University
5. Farhad Afsharvand, Computer Scientist
6. Kazem Alamdari, California State University
7. Fatemeh Aman, Journalist, Independent Media, and Political Analyst
8. Javad Aman, Scientist, Integrated Biotherapeutics, MD
9. Elahe Amani, California State University, Fullerton
10. Fariba Amini, Journalist
11. Mehdi Amini, ValueOptions, Reston, VA
12. Houshang Amirahmadi, Rutgers University
13. Said Amir Arjomand, State University of New York at Stony Brook
14. Faraj Ardalan, Retired Professor, International Ed.Consultant
15. Daryoush Ashouri, Author, Translator, France
16. Arjang A. Assad, University at Buffalo (SUNY)
17. Amir Houshang Aryanpour, Author, Retired Admiral
18. Ahmad Ashraf, Columbia University
19. Touraj Atabaki, Leiden University
20. Fakhreddin Azimi, University of Connecticut
21. Hossein Bagher Zadeh, Former Professor of Tehran University
22. Heibatollah Baghi, George Mason University
23. Shaul Bakhash, George Mason University
24. Ali Banuazizi, Boston College
25. Hossein Bashiriyeh, Syracuse University
26. Mehran Barati, Free University Berlin
27. Asef Bayat, University of Illinois
28. Sohrab Behdad, Denison University
29. Masoud Behnoud, Writer and Coloumnist
30. Maziar Behrooz, San Francisco State University
31. Cyrus S. Behroozi, Indiana University
32. Hooman Beygi, Statistician in Cepholon, Inc., Frazer, PA
33. Cyrus Bina, University of Minnesota, Morris
34. Mehrzad Boroujerdi, Syracuse University
35. Mohammad A. Chaichian, Mount Mercy University
36. Houchang Chehabi, Boston University
37. Hamid Dabashi, Columbia University
38. Mehrdad Darvishpour, Mälardalen University, Sweden
39. Fariba Davodi Mohajer, Journalist
40. Manochehr Dorraj, Texas Christian University
41. Goudarz Eghtedari, Voice of the Middle East
42. Kaveh Ehsani, DePaul University
43. Nader Entessar, University of South Alabama
44. Mansour Farhang, Bennington College
45. Farideh Farhi, University of Hawai’i , Manoa
46. Amir Fassihi, Nowruz Foundation for Nonviolence
47. Nazila Fathi, Fellow at Harvard University, Former NYT Reporter
48. Amir H. Gandjbakhche, National Institutes of Health
49. Akbar Ganji, Author and Journalist
50. Violet Garoosi, Biosignal Analyst, Informatica, Vienna, VA
51. Behrooz Ghamari-Tabrizi, University of Illinois, Urbana
52. M. R. Ghanoonparvar, The University of Texas at Austin
53. Kobra Ghasemi, Radio Zamaneh
54. Elham Gheytanchi, Santa Monica College
55. Reza Goharzad, KIRN Radio
56. Reza Ghorashi, Stockton College
57. Saeid Golkar, Northwestern University
58. Shahla Haeri, Boston University
59. Fatemeh Haghighatjoo, Nonviolent Initiative for Democracy Inc
60. Hossein Hamedani, Marquette University
61. Nader Hashemi, University of Denver
62. Bijan Hekmat, Researcher and Political Analyst
63. Tahereh Alavi Hojjat, DeSales University
64. Mehdi Hojjat, Neumann University
65. Saeed Honarmand, Ohio State University
66. Marzie Jafari, City University of New York
67. Ramin Jahanbegloo, University of Toronto
68. Farshid Jahanshahi, Oklahoma State University
69. Jahanshah Javid, Iranian.com
70. Mohsen Kadivar, Duke University
71. Abdee Kalantari, Writer and Critic, http://www.nilgoon.org
72. Alayar Kangarlu, Columbia University
73. Mehrangiz Kar, Human Rights Lawyer, Writer, Essayist
74. Kazem Kardavani, Sociologist, EHESS - Paris
75. Ahmad Karimi-Hakkak, University of Maryland
76. Homa Katouzian, St Antony’s College
77. Farhad Kazemi, New York University
78. Fatemeh Keshavarz, Washington University in St. Louis
79. Ahmad Khalili, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
80. Mehdi.Khanbaba.Tehrani, Political Analyst
81. Farhad Khosrokhavar, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris
82. Ali Kiafar, University of California - Riverside
83. Jaleh Lackner-Gohari, Ret. IAEA, UN Medical Coordinator, Vienna- Austria
84. Abdolkarim Lahiji, Vice President, International Federation of Human Rights Leagues
85. Ali Akbar Mahdi, Ohio Wesleyan University
86. Farshad Malekahmadi, Naugatuck Valley Community College
87. Afshin Matin-Asgari, California State University, Los Angeles
88. Abbas Milani, Stanford University
89. Farzaneh Milani, University of Virginia
90. Ghafour Mirzaei, Author and Political Analyst
91. Ida Mirzaie, Ohio State University
92. Mansoor Moaddel, Eastern Michigan University
93. Taghi Mokhtar, Editor/Publisher, Iranians Weekly
94. Ziba Mir-Hosseini, London School of Oriental and African Studied
95. Ali Mirsepassi, New York University
96. Haideh Moghissi, York University, Canada
97. Majid Mohammadi, Sociologist and Freelance Writer
98. Afshin Molavi, New America Foundation
99. Mahmood Monshipouri, San Francisco State University
100. Reza.Mousoli, Canterbury Christ Church University
101. Hamid Naficy, Northwestern University
102. Rasool Nafisi, Strayer University
103. Arash Naraghi, Moravian College
104. Mohamad Navab, University of California Los Angeles
105. Ali Nayeri, University of California, Santa Barbara
106. Mohammad-Reza Nikfar, Independent Scholar and Philosopher, Germany
107. Azam Niroomand-Rad, Georgetown University Medical Center
108. Massoud Noghrehkar, Author and Political Analyst
109. Farhad Nomani, American University of Paris, France
110. Esmail Nooriala, Editor, New Secularism
111. Saeed Paivandi, University of Nancy, France
112. Nasser Pakdaman, University Denis DIDEROT, Paris
113. Misagh Parsa, Dartmouth College
114. Trita Parsi, National Iranian American Council
115. Danny Postel, Editor/Journalist
116. Parvaneh Pourshariati, Ohio State University
117. Masoud Olfat, University of Maryland, College Park
118. Saeed Rahnema, York University, Canada
119. Ali Rakei, Theoretical Physicist, Qinetiq Corp
120. Muhammad Sahimi, University of Southern California.
121. Akbar Saif, Political Activist, Sweden
122. Ahmad Sadri, Lake Forest College
123. Houman Sadri, University of Central Florida
124. Mahmoud Sadri, Texas Women's University
125. Nina Samsami, The Comprehensive Blood and Cancer Center, Bakersfield, CA
126. Reza Sarhangi, Towson University, Maryland
127. Homa Sarshar Journalist
128. Hasan Shahpari, Community College of Philadelphia
129. Hossein Shahidi, Jordan Media Institute
130. Hasan Shariatmadari, Researcher and Political Analyst
131. Ebrahim Soltani, St. Lawrence University
132. Kamran Talattof, University of Arizona
133. Mohamad Tavakoli-Targhi, University of Toronto
134. Bahram Tavakolian, Denison University
135. Ali Tayefi, Sociologists without borders SSF-Iran
136. Nayereh Tohidi, California State University
137. Peyman Vahabzadeh, University of Victoria, Canada
138. Farzin Vahdat, Vassar College
139. Hossein Zahedi, Author and Political Analyst
140. Hamid Zangeneh, Widener University