An American in Iran: In New 'Short Talks,' Saeidi Discusses Challenges, Rewards of Work in Iran

Shirin Saeidi, an assistant professor of comparative politics and Middle East studies, was born in Iran but left with her family as a child to live in the United States. Saeidi grew up in Virginia and had to learn English and find her place in a new culture and country. She was on her way to a career in political science when the events of Sept. 11, 2001, changed her worldview and career.

"After Sept. 11 happened I became interested in some ways in really re-engaging with my own history and background and to get to know this country that I came from and the language that I knew and the religion that I was born into. And so, this kind of forced me to go back and do fieldwork and spend extended amounts of time in Iran."

Saeidi, featured in the newest edition of Short Talks From the Hill, a podcast of the University of Arkansas, has since made gender, activism, citizenship, Islamism and the role of women in authoritarian countries the focus of her research. She has done field work in Iran and taught as an American professor at the University of Tehran.

"At the time, conducting research on the Iran/Iraq war was considered a security issue," she said. "It was a security topic. Even later when I taught in Iran, at the University of Tehran, I learned that even Ph.D. students who are living in Iran, from Iran, doing their degrees in the country, are not allowed to freely pursue this topic. I have met women whose fathers were killed in the war, but they were not allowed to do research on the war."

Listen to this edition of Short Talks From the Hill at ResearchFrontiers.uark.edu, the home of research news at the University of Arkansas, or visit the "On Air" and "Programs" link at KUAF.com. Previous podcasts can be found under the Multimedia link at ResearchFrontiers.uark.edu.

Short Talks From the Hill highlights research and scholarly work at the University of Arkansas. Each segment features a university researcher discussing his or her work. Thank you for listening!