Asieh Mir
Senior Fellow, Jennings Randolph Fellowship Program
October 1, 2008 – July 31, 2009
Project Focus:
Mapping the Minds, Charting the Course: A Qualitative Approach to the Democratic Movement in Iran
Middle East - Iran | Democratization | Women and Conflict
Phone: (202) 429-3871
E-mail: amir@usip.org
Languages: Farsi
Asieh Mir’s research project seeks to understand why Iran’s pro-democracy ruling elites have failed to establish democratic values and institutions in the Iranian political arena. The study hopes to shed light on the perceptions of democracy among these pro-democracy political elites in order to find out whether these political elites are unified. A central question of this studying being: “What characteristics of democracy do they highlight and what is disregarded?”
She proposes that attitudes about democracy are very much affected by a dual value system that causes conflict in their notion of democracy and creates barriers to an optimal political system.
Mir was a visiting scholar in the Department of Anthropology at Boston University, focusing on Women’s Studies and Political Science from 2003 to 2005.
While in Tehran (1999–2002), Mir held various advisory positions in government agencies and in civil society organizations. She has also been a consultant and trainer for workshops crisscrossing Iran, advocating for women as leaders for both civil society and government employees.
Mir holds a B.A., M.S. and a Ph.D. in political science from Tehran University.
Publications:
- “Women’s Rights and Democracy: Peaceful Transformation in Iran,” The Initiative for Inclusive Security (May 2006).
- “Iranian Women in Public Arena, from 1978–98,” Law and Political Science Faculty, Tehran University (March 2000).
- “Why Does Authoritarianism Linger On? A Review of Iranian Political Culture,” Pasjuhesh Quarterly (Winter 1997).
- “Rethinking Social Democracies, Western Political Philosophy,” Neda (February 1997).
