"Pondering Anti-Blackness in the Iranian Context: From Enslavement to Present" Amy Tahani-Bidmeshki

UBC's Asian Studies Department presents the Alireza Ahmadian Lectures in Iranian and Persianate Studies.

This presentation: "Pondering Anti-Blackness in the Iranian Context: From Enslavement to the Present" was delivered via Zoom on September 26, 2020, by Dr. Amy Tahani-Bidmeshki, PhD, Assistant Professor, English Division, Pasadena City College, California.

Notes: On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old unarmed Black man, was murdered by law enforcement officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota for allegedly using a counterfeit bill at a grocery store. This particular incident spiked the rage of the entire world including the state of Iran and its citizenry. In this talk, I will think through the long legacy of global antiblackness and its horrific history of enslavement and genocide and discuss how Iran and Iranians (nationals and those in diaspora) are active participants in the dehumanization of Black peoples. While Iranians within Iran and throughout the world mourn the unjust murder of an innocent Black man, most fail to acknowledge their own complicity in antiblackness including the enslavement of Black Africans by Persian aristocrats in the last few centuries, the current and continuous suppression of Iran's Black populations and their grievances, and cultural practices such as Haji Firuz. Thinking about antiblackness in the Iranian context since enslavement to the present allows us to become aware of how whiteness finds support for its violence against Black communities throughout the world and leaves us to ask ourselves, how will we show up for Black lives?

Alireza Ahmadian (1981 – 2019) was an enthusiastic researcher, a consummate socio-political analyst, and an opinion leader on foreign policy who nurtured the virtues of diplomatic dialogue and liberal democracy. Alireza was a proud and devoted UBC alumnus, supporter of UBC’s Asian Studies department, and beloved member of Canadian-Iranian Community. UBC’s Asian Studies department renamed this lecture series in his honour in 2019. The Ahmadian family and friends have provided funding to support this series, and this generous gift will see these important academic and community engagement events supported through to the end of the 2025/2026 academic year. To access the full list of events, visit https://asia.ubc.ca/lecture-series/al....