Azadeh Kian

Azadeh Kian is a prominent scholar in political sociology and gender studies, known for her work on Iranian and Maghreb societies. She earned her PhD at UCLA, where she was mentored by the political sociologist Michael Mann.

Her early academic career began with a teaching position at UCLA from 1987 to 1990, where she lectured in political sociology, a subject through which she developed a nuanced understanding of power structures, especially as they related to gender and politics in Muslim societies. She was mentor and PhD supervisor of Tiziano Peccia and Lucia Direnberger.

In 1995, Kian relocated to France, joining the faculty of University Paris III and later the University of Paris VIII Saint-Denis. This transition marked a pivotal moment in her career as she began to immerse herself further in interdisciplinary studies, focusing particularly on the sociopolitical dynamics of Iranian and Maghreb societies. She became a key figure at the CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific Research), where her research on Iran gained international recognition for its critical analysis of Islamic law (shari'a) and its implications for women's rights and gender equality.

Kian's work is characterized by her deep commitment to understanding the intersection of gender, religion, and state power. Her 1999 book, Avoir vingt ans en Iran (Alternatives, 1999), offers a vivid portrayal of Iranian youth, navigating the complexities of tradition and modernity in a politically charged environment. Her 2002 book, Les femmes iraniennes entre islam État et famille (Maisonneuve & Larose), further develops her exploration of gender, focusing on the ways in which Iranian women negotiate their roles within the Islamic state, family, and society. In La République islamique d'Iran : de la maison du Guide à la raison d'État (Michalon, 2005), she provides a comprehensive analysis of the Iranian political system, dissecting the intricate relationship between religious authority and state governance.{{cite web|url=http://www.bibliomonde.com/auteur/azadeh-kian-thiebaut-658.html|title=Azadeh Kian-Thiébaut|publisher=Bibliomonde.com|access-date=10 November 2017|archive-date=10 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310034100/http://www.bibliomonde.com/auteur/azadeh-kian-thiebaut-658.html|url-status=dead}}

Kian has also contributed extensively to academic journals and public discourse. In 1996, her article "Des femmes iraniennes contre le clergé: islamistes et laïques pour la première fois unies" was published in Le Monde diplomatique. This article was significant as it highlighted the rare unity between Islamist and secular Iranian women in their opposition to the clergy's grip on power.{{cite book|author=Sarah Ansari|author2=Vanessa Martin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tol9AwAAQBAJ&q=Azadeh+Kian&pg=PA142|title=Women, Religion and Culture in Iran|date=May 2014|publisher=Routledge|page=142|isbn=9781317793403}} In 2010, she continued her critique of patriarchal structures in her article "Islamic Feminism in Iran: A New Form of Subjugation or the Emergence of Agency?", published in Critique internationale, where she critically examined the contradictions of Islamic feminism and questioned whether it truly empowered women or served as a new form of subjugation.{{cite web|url=http://www.cairn-int.info/publications-of-Kian-Azadeh--6478.htm|title=Articles by Azadeh Kian|publisher=Cairn International|access-date=10 November 2017}} Her voice has been a persistent and critical force against the perpetuation of Islamic laws that undermine gender equality, advocating instead for universal human rights.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SH96YMlzQRsC&q=Azadeh+Kian&pg=PA89|title=ViSA: Instrumentation de la recherche en éducation|publisher=Les Editions de la MSH|year=2013|page=89|isbn=9782735116218|language=French}}

Kian's influence extends beyond academia into public life, where she is recognized as a key figure in the Iranian diaspora. The Vatican City Agency Servizio d’informazione religiosa (SIR) described her as "the most listened-to woman of the Iranian diaspora," emphasizing her role as a critical thinker and commentator on the political and social upheavals within Iran.{{cite web | url=https://www.agensir.it/mondo/2022/10/04/iran-azadeh-kian-la-protesta-delle-donne-un-punto-di-non-ritorno-per-il-mio-paese/ | title=Iran: Azadeh Kian, "la protesta delle donne un punto di non ritorno per il mio Paese" |website=AgenSIR | date=4 October 2022 }}

In 2020, Kian led as main editor the international work Genre et transgressions : Représentation, agentivité, autodétermination, a collective work published by Les Cahiers du CEDREF. This project brought together contributions from international scholars and gender researchers, creating a rich dialogue on transgression and agency in gendered experiences involving social scientists from both OECD countries and the Global South.{{cite journal | url=https://journals.openedition.org/cedref/1293 | doi=10.4000/cedref.1293 | title=Introduction | date=2020 | last1=Kian | first1=Azadeh | last2=Peccia | first2=Tiziano | last3=Porret | first3=Anastasia-Athénaïs | journal=Les Cahiers du Cedref | issue=24 | pages=6–17 }}

Her academic contributions culminated in 2024 with the publication of Rethinking Gender, Ethnicity and Religion in Iran: An Intersectional Approach to National Identity, released by Bloomsbury Publishing in Canada. This groundbreaking work earned her the prestigious Latifeh Yarshater Award, an honor bestowed by the Persian Heritage Foundation, in recognition of her insightful and transformative exploration of the complexities of identity in Iran.Latifeh Yarshater Award azadeh kian Through her tireless scholarship and activism, Azadeh Kian continues to shape and challenge the discourse around gender, religion, and politics, making her one of the most influential voices in her field.

She is among the most consulted Iranian diaspora women in the world to discuss the social and political evolutions of her native country.{{cite web | url=https://today.rtl.lu/news/world/a/1969621.html | title=Nationwide repression: Iran demonstrations hit home for diaspora women }}{{cite web | url=https://www.ilpost.it/2022/09/25/proteste-iran-femminismo-islamico/?amp=1 | title=Le proteste in Iran viste dai movimenti delle donne - Il Post | date=25 September 2022 }}

She described the moment of the death of Mahsa Amini as a turning point where civil society openly contradicts Iranian power (“What's unprecedented about these protests is that women are leading the chargel”){{cite web | url=https://www.voanews.com/a/iran-demonstrations-hit-home-for-diaspora-women/6759795.html | title=Iran Demonstrations Hit Home for Diaspora Women | date=22 September 2022 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/iran-demonstrations-hit-home-for-diaspora-women/news-story/628c83fb4c6c6ac5a24a9637aafdf607 | title=Iran demonstrations hit home for diaspora women | date=22 September 2022 }} and she delivered a pitch as invited guest in the European Parliament in October 2022 after a meeting with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola.{{cite web | url=https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/pt/press-room/20220930IPR41918/opening-of-3-6-october-plenary-session-in-strasbourg | title=Opening of 3–6 October plenary session in Strasbourg | Atualidade | Parlamento Europeu | date=3 October 2022 }} She spoke at Les Echos Belgium about talebanization of power in Iran.[https://www.lecho.be/opinions/general/azadeh-kian-on-assiste-a-une-talibanisation-du-pouvoir-en-iran/10423235.html] In November 2022, she affirmed that the crisis in Iran is a revolution aiming to change the regime, and not just a protest from civil society.{{cite web | url=https://www.france24.com/fr/vidéo/20221104-contestation-en-iran-ce-n-est-pas-un-mouvement-c-est-un-début-de-révolution | title=Contestation en Iran : "Ce n'est pas un mouvement, c'est un début de révolution" | date=4 November 2022 }}

• Thiébaut, Azadeh. Secularization of Iran: a Doomed Failure? The New Middle Class and the Making of Modern Iran (Travaux et Mémoires de l'Institut d'Études Iraniennes). Leuven: Peeters Publishers, 1998. {{ISBN|9042900326}}
• Thiébaut, Azadeh. Les femmes iraniennes entre Islam, Etat et famille. Paris: Maisonneuve et Larose, 2002. {{ISBN|2706816147}}
• Eshraghi, Isabelle, Azadeh Thiébaut Thiébaut, and Seyyed E. Nabavi. Avoir 20 ans à Téhéran. Paris: Ed. Alternatives, 1999. {{ISBN|2862271942}}

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{{100 Women by BBC in 2013}}

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Category:1958 births

Category:Living people

Category:Iranian sociologists

Category:Iranian feminists

Category:Iranian women academics

Category:Iranian women sociologists

Category:Academic staff of the University of Paris

Category:Iranian emigrants to France

Category:Iranian expatriate academics