Call for presentations – International Conference on Iranian Diaspora

CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS (DEADLINE: APRIL 2, 2012)
IAAB INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE IRANIAN DIASPORA
October 13-14, 2012 | University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Through a series of panels, workshops, and presentations, the 2012 IAAB Conference aims to engage a diverse array of academics, community leaders, artists, and members of the global Iranian diaspora. In addition to providing an open environment for productive and interactive dialog on cutting edge research, community programs, and cultural productions, the conference will also serve as an opportunity to build a stronger network of Iranians across our various borders.
Proposal submissions
IAAB seeks original research and presentations from any discipline, with emphases on the following areas, in the format of a paper presentation, pre-arranged panel, or workshop:
  • -       Oral and visual histories documenting the diaspora
  • -       Refugee, transmigrant, and undocumented immigration experiences, rights and challenges
  • -       Demographic studies based on recent data (e.g. 2010 U.S. Census, 2011 Canadian Census, etc.)
  • -       Collaboration across and between diaspora and immigrant communities
  • -       The effects of sanctions on Iranians in diaspora
  • -       Cultural production in diaspora (cinema, music, literature, TV, theater, new media, visual and performance art, curation, etc.)
  • -       Fieldwork and case studies on local Iranian communities, particularly those outside the U.S. and in newer destinations (e.g. Malaysia)
  • -       The role of social media and transnational networks in diaspora
  • -       Emerging legal challenges in Iranian communities worldwide
  • -       Second- and third-generation identity negotiations
  • -       Historical analyses of Iranian diaspora communities pre-1979
  • -       Studies of health-related community activism in the Iranian diaspora
  • -       Effects of the global financial crisis on Iranians globally
  • -       Challenging gender, sexuality, and racial taboos in the diaspora
  • -       Innovative approaches to ethnic entrepreneurship and transnational economic networks
  • -       Social work, family dynamics, and community needs-assessments in the Iranian diaspora
  • -       Cutting-edge research in heritage language education
  • -       Transnational politics and impacts of diaspora activism upon both domestic and Iranian issues
  • -       Other topics regarding present conditions, contributions, or challenges faced by Iranians in diaspora
All presentations should be between 10 and 15 minutes in length and may be delivered in either of the conference languages, English and Persian. We encourage submissions of narratives, short films, and personal stories in addition to papers of a more academic nature. With the aim of engaging our diverse diaspora community, preference will be given to submissions that will generate discussion among a multigenerational and multidisciplinary audience comprised of academics, NGO and community leaders, students, artists, and members of the Iranian diaspora and international community.
Submission Guidelines | DEADLINE: APRIL 2, 2012.
All proposals must be submitted along with a short biography (no more than 200 words) via our online form by April 2, 2012.  Please provide all biographical and contact information requested. Proposals without this information will not be considered. Proposals for paper presentationsmust include an abstract of no more than 350 words in length, submitted using the online submission form. Proposals for workshops must include the goals of the workshop, names and resumes of all workshop leaders (including previous workshops led), and an outline of content.Proposals for pre-arranged panels should consist of no more than 4 presenters and a chair (a panelist may be designated). Each panel member’s abstract must be submitted together with the panel proposal; each of these should be no more than 350 words in length and should be submitted together.
If submitting a short film or other audio-visual material for consideration, please submit a brief description through the online submission form and include a weblink to the material. If the material is not available online, please mail a copy to IAAB’s New York office. Please note: submitted material cannot be returned.
IAAB | Attn: 2012 Conference Committee
154 Grand Street, New York, NY 10013 USA
 
Please direct any inquiries regarding the Conference to conference@iranianalliances.org.
IAAB is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that seeks to strengthen the Iranian diaspora community through leadership and educational programming that encourages collaboration and solidarity across various borders and among multiple communities. To find out more about IAAB and our previous four International Conferences on the Iranian Diaspora, please visit our website at: www.iranianalliances.org.

Amy Malek
PhD Candidate
UCLA Department of Anthropology
amymalek@ucla.edu
Courtesy : Behram Pastakia

Mathemagic

Back in school a few of us had no difficutly in cracking our math problems, didnt even have to mug up (a+b)²=a²+2ab+b² and didnt find it necessary to question why. However others who struggled and couldnt cope up were left to sulk in their misery instead of coming up with an innovative way to help them understand the simple fundas. Khurshed Batliwala is one such saint who demystifies the gray jugles of calculus and how! Truly a Superbawa!!

With a post graduate in Mathematics from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, Khurshed Batliwala, or “Bawa” as he is fondly known (a nick name that has stuck from his IIT days) is an extraordinary personality.

Check this link also http://enterprisers.in/2012/02/12/technology-of-spirituality/

Relying on ‘temporary’ Parsi priest for rituals

For the population of Parsi, living in different districts of Uttar Pradesh, the community has just one priest living in Kanpur and he too has seen around 80 winters. Because of this shortage, when Parsi Zoroastrian priests is required to perform the Navjote ceremony – i.e. the rite of admission into the religion for children, the child and other family members, travels to Kanpur or Mumbai. “There is dearth of ‘Mobed’ in the entire country leave aside this small town, but the Atash Behram (holy fire) is kept ignited and will continue”, said Veera Gandhi who owns the Fire temple of the city and has arranged for a Para-mobed from Mumbai who has the responsibility of keeping the fire burning.

Click Here for the full article

Vegan Zoroastrian club

Vegan Zoroastrian club
 

Dear Fellow Zoroastrians,The world-wide vegan movement is very much in line with some of the principles of Zoroastrianism. And if the world’s population continues to grow it will become increasingly relevant.  Our daughter, Dr. Armaiti Khorshed May has been an activist for many years and has “converted” many people, including myself, to a vegan diet. When people switch to a balanced whole foods vegan diet they help to :

– improve their health and increase longevity (partly by reducing their risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes or a stroke);
– reduce health care care costs;
– conserve water and reduce water pollution;
– lessen desertrification of land areas and conserve land, including land areas containing rain forests;
– keep prices of ALL food items from getting too high;
– alleviate world hunger and thirst;
– reduce the suffering of animals;
– avoid the intake of what may be considered “naso” in our faith;
– decrease instances of overly rapid physical development among children;  and
– promote  peace and justice.

It would be helpful if Zoroastrians who are interested in veganism could connect for purposes of friendship, sharing ideas, support, matrimonial encounters and the promotion of healthy choices. If you or any of your friends are interested in forming a Vegan Zoroastrians club/network or e-group, please contact Dhun at

mazdayasnie@netzero.net or Armaity at veganvet@gmail.com.

We thank you in  anticipation and look foward to hearing from you. Khshnaothra Ahurahe Mazdao!

Sincerely,
Dhun Daruwala May

ZAF Newsletter

Hello all FEZANA, NAMC and ZATAMBAY, and Orlando Group Friends:
On behalf of our President Jahanbux Daruwala and the entire ZAF Board, it is our distinct pleasure to share our latest ZAF Newsletter with you all! It vibrates with energy and sparkles with beautiful colored photos of young and old! It shows how the whole South FL Z Humdins are involved in all kinds of activities and charity drives in general and ZAF of Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and Boca Raton areas in particular. Hope you all enjoy reading it!
Love and Tandoorasti, Soli

Lord Karan Billimoria on Reforms in India

‘Reforms in India have been disappointingly slow’

Lord Karan Bilimoria, the founder of the famous brand Cobra beer in the UK, is a prominent British personality. He has maintained close links with India. In this interview with P.T. Thufail, he speaks of investment prospects for overseas Indians and their strong interest in charity, education and health in India

Click Here for the full interview in Asian Age

Brun maska in the land of idli

In the hotbed of eateries serving some of the city’s best piping hot dosas, sambars and tasty chutney that is Matunga, lies an equally popular if unlikely restaurant – an Irani one. What is it about Koolar & Co, run by two jolly brothers, that helps it hold its own against the might of rasam? Find out - Click Here

Koolar & Co. in Matunga (East) is an Irani restaurant run by Amir Koolar and his brother Ali. Both wear the beleaguered appearance of people who have been fighting the establishment for their own survival for as long as they have lived. Bureaucracy, red-tapeism and licence acquisition for their restaurant apart, Amir was also the man who made adopting trees legal in India – a battle that he fought in memory of his dead Rottweiler.

Courtesy : Jehangir Bisney

Pahlavi Dinkard available in reprint

Hello,

My name is Zeke Kassock and I graduated 2 years ago with a degree in Linguistics and Middle Eastern Languages. Since that time I have been studying Pahlavi, Old Persian & Avestan. Seeing the importance of the Dinkard, I have took it upon myself to preserve it by making a reprint. It is a reprint of D.M. Madan’s Complete Text Of The Pahlavi Dinkard Volume I: Books III – V. I photographed it and edited it to make it easier to read. I’m working on volume two now and that should be a few months.

Included in the attachment is the intro + 15 page preview copy of my book in pdf format. It is available from Amazon at:
by Zeke J. V. Kassock

ZACUCE Launches New Website

Be sure to check out the new ZoroastrianReligion.org website. The site was created as a way to educate visitors on the great legacy of the Zoroastrian faith and to appeal for donations to help establish a Zoroastrian Cultural Center (ZACUCE) in the New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware area. Please spread the word!

Situational Analysis of the Elderly Parsis in India

Situational Analysis of the Elderly Parsis in India

-         S. Siva Raju

-         Tata Institute of Social Sciences

-         Deonar, Mumbai – 400 088.

 

Study sponsored by

UNESCO-PARZOR FOUNDATION, NEW DELHI

SUMMARY,IMPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

 

India’s demographic transition, though it has decisively entered the second phase, exhibits wide variations across different religious groups. While most of the communities are still in this second phase, there are certain religious groups, most significantly the ‘Parsis’ who have entered the final stage of demographic transition. The data on population dynamics among the Parsis reveal that they have been experiencing a consistent decline in their population over a period of time. The Parsi population constitutes less than 0.01 per cent of the total population of the country. The age structure of the Parsi population shows that it is an ageing community, as the birth and death rates have declined. As a secondary effect, this has further reduced the proportion of children, resulting in ageing from the base.  The per cent of elderly population in the total population is as high as 31.0 per cent, as per the 2001 Census. In view of the high proportion of the Parsi elderly, their problems are multiple, viz., social, economic, psychological and physical including health. A scientific study of the elderly Parsis was attempted, mainly, to understand their living conditions in terms of their demographic background, socio-economic and health conditions, family and social involvement.

Click Here to Download the full report

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