IAAB Successfully Concludes the Fourth International Conference on the Iranian Diaspora
IAAB Successfully Concludes the Fourth International Conference on the Iranian Diaspora
April 16, 2009
Iranian Alliances Across Borders
public_relations@iranianalliances.org
www.iranianalliances.org
IAAB Successfully Concludes the Fourth International Conference on the Iranian Diaspora
Iranian Alliances Across Borders (IAAB) presented the Fourth International Conference on the Iranian Diaspora last weekend, April 4-5, 2009, in Berkeley, California. This fourth installment of IAAB’s bi-annual conference, hosted by UC Berkeley’s Iranian Student Alliance in America (ISAA), brought together an impressive roster of speakers, panelists and attendees from across the globe.
From over 80 submission received in response to IAAB’s call for papers, 32 speakers from around the world were chosen to sit on six panels including: Classifying a Community: Definitions of Race and Ethnic Identity; Negotiating Identity: Exploring Cultural Production; Challenging Established Views: Fostering New Dialogues about Culture and Tradition; Understanding Global Perspectives: Unique Outlooks from Abroad; Breaking News: Media as a Form of Expression; and Going “Back Home”: Narratives of Exploration and Engagement. On Saturday, the conference hosted a roundtable discussion entitled “Paving the Way: Prominent Voices of the community” featuring Ross Mirkarimi, Banafsheh Akhlaghi, Hooman Khalili, and Rudi Bakhtiar. On Sunday, attendees participated in their choice of five workshops on community involvement and political capacity building by the PARSA Foundation, NIAC, PAAIA, Amnesty International, and the ACLU. To view the full 2009 International Conference agenda, please visit the schedule on our website.
Staying true to its mission of empowering and connecting Iranians and ultimately promoting Iranian culture in all its forms, IAAB partnered with Shabeh Jomeh in presenting a Networking Social on Saturday evening, April 4, bringing another dimension to connecting Iranians at the conference. Additionally, IAAB was pleased to present Fared Shafinury & Tehranosaurus and Sholi – two young, distinct and extremely talented up-and-coming musical ensembles. IAAB consistently aims to feature new Iranian talent in the “live performance” portion of the International Conference. From Haale in 2004, to Maz Jobrani in 2005, to Hypernova and the Abjeez in 2007 – all of the talents showcased at past conferences have gone on to achieve greater levels of recognition in the Iranian diaspora community.
Though it was IAAB’s first event held on the West Coast of the United States, the Fourth International Conference on the Iranian Diaspora saw over 200 registered attendees. The conference was a collaborative effort and would not have been possible without the support of: The Iranian Student Alliance in America (ISAA); Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA); Iranian American Bar Association (IABA); PARSA Foundation; Shabeh Jomeh; Amnesty International; the Berkeley Persian Center; Javanaan Magazine; and the many individuals and conference attendees who supported IAAB and the Fourth International Conference on the Iranian Diaspora.
For more information regarding the 2009 International Conference, please visit: iranianalliances.org/conference.
About Iranian Alliances Across Borders (IAAB)
IAAB (pronounced ee-yaab) is a 501(c)(3) non-partisan, non-profit volunteer organization with a young, dedicated staff spread across the United States, Europe and Iran. The mission of the organization is to address issues of the Iranian diaspora community while raising awareness of the Iranian community, promoting leadership, and connecting Iranians across borders. For more information about IAAB, please visit www.iranianalliances.org.
