Woman, Life, Freedom Forum – 49th Episode (Online)
A discussion with Mehrdad Darvishpour
- In today’s circumstances where Iran is still embroiled in war, regional crisis, and the cumulative consequences of several waves of repression, and civil society is facing increasing erosion, fragmentation, and marginalization, what exactly does “resilience” and “empowerment” of society mean, and through what paths can it be possible?
- What political, economic, security, and cultural mechanisms weaken Iranian civil society, and how do they erode the capacity for collective action and social trust?
- Has women’s lived experience of oppression, discrimination, care, and resistance—and especially the experience of the “politics of life” in the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement—created a different understanding of “social human capacity,” “community empowerment,” and “civil society”? If so, how can this experience become a horizon for the reconstruction of society as a whole?
- In a situation where war, repression, and political conflicts consume a large portion of society’s energy, why and how should we simultaneously think about rebuilding the capacity for life, trust, cooperation, and empowerment of society?
- What spaces, networks, and processes have emerged from society in recent years—and especially in the current situation—that could be signs of the formation of a new civil society in Iran?
- To what extent has the political opposition been able to connect with the issue of “community life” and “empowering civil society”? Why is a large part of opposition politics still focused more on political power, overthrow, and geopolitics than on rebuilding community capacities?
- How has the relationship between “power politics” and “life politics” been shaped among the Iranian opposition, and what impact does this relationship have on the possibility of empowering society?
In this program, “War, Civil Society, Politics of Life and Opposition,” we will discuss these and other related questions with Mehrdad Darvishpour.
Date: Thursday, 28 may 2026
Time: 8:30 pm Tehran Time, 7:00 CET
Duration: Two hours and thirty minutes
Venue: Online via Iran Academia’s platforms
You can write your questions to us during the program.
You can also send your questions before the program. We will summarize and discuss them as much as possible within the program time.
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