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International Educator MAR+APR.10

H ices aina Loveland By At Home on Three ternational Center for Scholars from 1995 to 1996. fellowatheWoodrow at was and grant, Wilson In- (April 2009), a recipient of a MacArthur Foundation Award Distinction of Woman School Hall’s Miss NationalCouncil ofWomen’s Organizations (2008), Center (2008), the Women’s Equality Award from the UniversityLaw Georgetown from degree honorary an (2008), Award Cross Red American Special the danMayon20-22, 2008. Shealsoisthe recipient of Reform in the MENA Region—held in Amman, Jor- Center—Women Wilson the Entrepreneurs: by Business and Legal sponsored conference a of casion theMiddle andEastNorth Africaregion theonoc- of businesswomen and activists from countries across group a by her topresented Award; was awardthis awardestablished in her name, the Haleh Esfandiari famed Iranian scholar, Ghassem Ghani. the of memoirs multivolume the of the of also and nomicDimensions Middleof (1990)HistoryEastern MusliminLaws Countries (1977), coauthor of of editor ’sWomenand Lives: IslamicRevolution Iran at . languageandcontemporary Persian literature andcourses onthe women’s movement in versityand, prior tocoming tothe Wilson Center, from 1980 to1994, she taught Persian several museums and art and cultural centers. She taught Persianof activities languagethe for responsible atwas she wherefoundation Oxfordcultural a of directorUni- deputy deputyist,asserved secretary general ofthe Women’s Organization ofIran, andthe was Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. In her native Iran, she was a journal- Haleh Esfandiari is the first recipient of a yearly a of recipient first the is Esfandiari Haleh Haleh Esfandiari is the author of of author the is Esfandiari Haleh E aleh l An interview with Haleh Iranian Women: Past, Present and Futureand Present Past, IranianWomen: E s f a Best Practices: Progressive Family ndiariisthe director o , thecoeditor, of Reconstructed Reconstructed The Eco-The E (1997), s fandiari C o ntinents dents an appreciation of cultural diversity. Oxford and at Princeton, I tried to pass on to my stu- encounter.atthen Iran, teaching in started I When appreciateculturescan diversityamazingtheofwe understandandto learned I andstudents, of group surroundings. In Vienna my classmates were a diverse myhighereducation, fitted I quite easilynew in my ent I felt at home in both. When I went to Vienna for Persian. Although the two cultures were quite differ- nian. I grew up speaking two languages, German and two cultures. My mother was Austrian, my father Ira- Evin Prison, was published in September 2009. in ’sconfinement solitary in days 105 spent Iraniansecurityauthorities 2007,inafterwhich she Storyof Captivity in Iran i Esfan IE philosophy of education? vironment affected your personal world view and people from different cultures in the classroomcator. en- How has your exposure to so many different University,making you atruly international edu- theUniversity of Vienna, and taught at Princeton : f Her memoir, YouIran,wereinreceivedborn yourPhD at

the d a M r i i: i: ddle My Prison, My Home: One Woman’s I was raised in Iran but exposed to exposed but Iran in raised was I E a ,based on her arrest by the stProgram at the

Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

MAR+APR.10 International Educator 21 Not all Middle Eastern Eastern Middle all Not i: r a d In In a politically volatile climate How would you describe how you you how describe you would How My interrogation at the hands of : : i: dy in Iran after answering questions questions answering after Iran in dy regarding your work directing the East Middle program at the Wood- in Center Washington, row Wilson people together; and we are all inevi- is surroundings. It our by shaped tably hard to believe, for example, that the rights, individual law, of rule the of idea ex- once individual, the of value the and who people influence not do perienced, systems. authoritarian from come nowadays in parts of the , East, Middle the of parts in nowadays particularly in Iran, what are your student regarding recommendations travel? scholar and countries are volatile or disordered. If or are disordered. volatile countries one country is politically insecure, students and academics can choose region. the in country another IE IE Esfani felt when you were taken into custo- into taken were you when felt r a d Esfani D.C.? In your view, what did this action reveal activity scholarly about fear of concept the about States)? United the about (and/or Iran’s Intelligence Iran’s Ministry, which started in Janu- ary 2007, wasdone have could from men these all, the After beginningand frightening. intimidating with me what they wished. They incarcerated me; me accused they trial; on me put to threatened they of activities that carried the death sentence. At the interroga- my little how astonished was I time, same the like of institutions tors knew working the about pervadesparanoia I that discovered Center. Wilson Ministry officials. Intelligence the thinking of Iran’s They believethe United States is plottingto bring about regime change in Iran, using academics and same the Iran in about bring to institutions academic kind of that overturned “velvet regimes revolution” in Ukraine, Georgia, and other parts of the former the during arrested was I forget Don’t empire. Soviet Evil”“Axisof speech, and The Bush administration. de- promote to money of Congress by allocation the paranoia. this fed Iran, mocracyin I have three homes: Iran, the country country the Iran, homes: three have I I am a strong advocate of student and and student of advocate strong a am I i: i: r r a a sfandiari d d E Living in so many places, and considering your your considering and places, many so in Living Why is it important to encourage international international encourage to important it is Why : :

exchange of students and scholars to all areas of areas to all scholars and of students exchange world? the Esfani IE Esfani IE Haleh academic exchanges. The student years are formative formative are years student The exchanges. academic culture different a appreciate to learn you and years, your to you with back culture that of best the take and native country. Exposure is the bridge that brings imprisonment in your native Iran, today where do do where today Iran, native place? your in physical imprisonment a not “home” is Or “home”? call you of my birth; Austria, my late mother’s country of origi- of country mother’s late my Austria, birth; United my the of and years; formative my spent I where nand me with dealt Iran While country. adopted my States, feel me made jailers and interrogators my and harshly the especially and Austria land, own my in stranger a physical a both is Home me. embraced States United for feeling my lose never can I place. mental a of also and country the of mountains the sky, the landscape, the feel secure to need also you discovered I but birth; my love. you that country the in protected—even and

o Woo r d so l i W w er n I n t a n t Ce l a n o i er er t n ol c S r o f s r a h IE : When you discovered that your imprisonment in Iran had A STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM generated an outpouring of concern among your family and IN GREECE many supporters around the world, how did you react? Esfani d ari: As long as I was in prison I knew nothing of the worldwide publicity my case had generated and the massive inter- Modern Greek Studies, national effort that was mounted to secure my freedom. I learned Ancient Greek Civilization, of all this once I was set free; I felt moved and humbled. I hope & East Mediterranean the world will pay the same kind of attention to the other political Area Studies prisoners in Iran and around the world. I make it a point wherever I give a talk to speak of the political activists in Iranian prisons. We • Extensive study travel within Greece cannot allow them to be forgotten. • Classes in English • Distinguished American and IE : How can safe international exchange be established for stu- European Faculty dents and scholars traveling to regions that may have political • Credit granted by pre-arrangement disagreements with their home nations? How can students and with home institution scholars keep themselves safe? • Semester, Year, or Summer Esfani d ari: These are tough questions to answer. There are programs offered unfortunately no international protocols to protect students and scholars from mistreatment by governments whose real quarrel is with an individual’s home government. We have examples of such www.cyathens.org / 617.868.8200 victims all over the world. In the absence of enforceable protections, for the student or scholar it will always be a question of weighing benefits against risks.

IE : Since your return to Washington, D.C., has your experience had any impact on your professional life? Have you developed any new initiatives at the Wilson Center focusing on the Middle East? Esfani d ari: I returned to work three days after I returned to the United States in 2007 and continued running the Middle East Program as I had done before my eight-month ordeal in Iran. For me, returning to work was the best medicine and a way of saying to my jailers that they could not intimidate me. Our programs remain focused on the region as a whole; but, of course, one becomes more sensitive to human rights issues. Look at what happened in Iran after the contested presidential elections in June 2009: peaceful protests were answered with arrests, prison deaths, psychological torture of detainees, a mass trial, and now long prison sentences. It is natural that we focus more on the implications of such developments.

IE : Your autobiography based on your experience, My Prison, My Home: One Woman’s Story of Captivity in Iran, was published in

M AR+APR .10 September 2009. What has been the reaction of your book among

or readers? Have there been any surprise reactions to your story? t a What key message are you hoping to impress upon readers? duc

E Esfani d ari:

So far, I have had very positive reactions. Many readers have told me that once they started reading they could not

onal set the book aside. It is, I hope, a compelling personal story of my ti arrest, imprisonment, and interrogation and the manner in which rna I dealt with this moment of trial and testing. I describe in the book te

In the regimen I imposed on myself in prison to remain alert, to fend

22 I am proud to have been a successful professional woman both in Iran and in the United States. I have thrown myself with energy into everything I have done; and the outpouring of affection and care for me when I was imprisoned in Iran has seemed to me an immense, generous capstone to a very rewarding life.

off despair, and keep hope alive. I describe what it means to be in solitary confinement, prison life, dealing with female guards, and male interrogators. But the book is much more than that. It is also a story of growing up in a gentler and more humane Iran; of my career Innovative English Assessment, as a journalist, activist for women’s rights, and an administrator Smarter Admissions Decisions of museums and cultural centers in a prerevolution Iran in which women were making their way into the workplace and pressing COMPREHENSIVE their demands for equality. The book also provides insight into the Tests Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking — plus Grammar forces competing for control in the Islamic Republic, the growing TIME-EFFICIENT power of the Intelligence Ministry and other hard-line elements, Administered in only 90 minutes, with results in 5 days and the many factors that have bedeviled Iran–U.S. relations since CONVENIENT

the Islamic revolution 30 years ago. Internet delivery with on-demand scheduling offered .10 AR+APR M IE : What has been your greatest personal or professional at 300 secure iTEP Test Centers worldwide accomplishment? AFFORDABLE Individual iTEP administrations cost $75 Esfani d ari: I have tried to be a good daughter to my parents, a good wife and mother to my husband and daughter, a good member In te Explore the latest iTEP developments of my extended family, and a good friend to those dearest to me. rna at www.iTEPexam.com I am proud to have been a successful professional woman both in For further information, ti Iran and in the United States. I have thrown myself with energy into contact Dr. Parandeh Kia, onal everything I have done; and the outpouring of affection and care for Director of Institutional Relations:

[email protected] E me when I was imprisoned in Iran has seemed to me an immense, duc generous capstone to a very rewarding life. IE Over 23,000 Test-Takers Chose iTEP in 2009 a t or Ealain Loveland is managing editor of IE. www.iTEPexam.com / 818.343.4448

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