Ep 3 – The Architecture of Transition – Raha Bahreini – Part Two
This is the second part of the educational package The Architecture of Transition and the third episode of the third season of the Iran Academia Podcast. The conversation was recorded in The Hague on May 22 and 23, 2026. In this episode, Sajad Sepehri hosts Raha Bahreini, a lawyer and human rights researcher, who participated in this educational conversation in her personal capacity. The episode examines transition as a bridge between the old order and the new one, focusing on historical experiences, interim rules, constituent assemblies, binding principles, and the limitation of power at the beginning of transition.
Ep 2 – The Architecture of Transition – Raha Bahreini – Part 1
This is the first part of the educational package The Architecture of Transition and the second episode of the third season of the Iran Academia Podcast. The conversation was recorded in The Hague on May 22 and 23, 2026. In this episode, Sajad Sepehri hosts Raha Bahreini, a lawyer and human rights researcher, who participated in this educational conversation in her personal capacity. The episode asks where democratic transition begins and why the fundamental rules of the political game must be defined before the winner of power is chosen.
The Architecture of Transition (Educational Package)
The Architecture of Transition is a four-part educational package from the third season of the Iran Academia Podcast. It addresses one of the most fundamental questions about Iran’s political future: how should a democratic transition be designed so that it does not remain a mere transfer of power, but instead prevents the reproduction of authoritarianism, the concentration of power, political exclusion, and renewed violence?
Iran Academia Participates in the Iranian Diaspora Panel at the CIES Conference
The CIES conference—organized by the Comparative and International Education Society, a leading forum for research, practice, and the advancement of comparative and international education—is one of the most important international gatherings in the field. It brings together researchers, academics, and education practitioners from around the world to discuss experiences, ideas, and emerging models related to education, justice, peace, inequality, and global transformation. Iran Academia’s presence in such a setting was a significant opportunity to present the Iranian experience of independent and transnational education in the face of repression and restrictions on academic freedom. Read more…
ISSH Accepted into Prestigious IAC/EADI Accreditation Process
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The Institute for Social Sciences & Humanities (ISSH) proudly announces that its “Social Studies” program has been officially accepted to begin the accreditation process by the International Accreditation Council for European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (IAC/EADI). This event marks not only an institutional success but a historic turning point in the path of Alternative Higher Education globally.
Read more details by visiting the post
Iran Academia Statement on Unfounded Report Aired by Iran’s State-run Media – Press Release
With the aim of enlightening its audience and the academic community, Iran Academia considers the unfounded reports of the security media to be unreliable and emphasizes its commitment to academic independence and free access to knowledge.
Read the full text of this announcement at the link.
Lectures: Transition from Authoritarianism to Democracy
Transition from Authoritarianism to Democracy
Individual Research Presentations
Individual Research Presentations
Organized by the Iran Academy University on June 19-21, in The Hague. This independent international conference is being held at Leiden University, and as a major part of the Just Peace Festival in The Hague, ahead of the NATO Summit.
Women, Authoritarianism, and Resilience: Pursuing Peace in an Era of Crisis
Women, Authoritarianism, and Resilience: Pursuing Peace in an Era of Crisis
Organized by the Iran Academy University on June 19-21, in The Hague. This independent international conference is being held at Leiden University, and as a major part of the Just Peace Festival in The Hague, ahead of the NATO Summit.
Reimagining Peace Through Artistic, Cultural, and Narrative Practices
Reimagining Peace Through Artistic, Cultural, and Narrative Practices
Organized by the Iran Academy University on June 19-21, in The Hague. This independent international conference is being held at Leiden University, and as a major part of the Just Peace Festival in The Hague, ahead of the NATO Summit.
Thought and Cultural Defiance as Modalities of Resistance
Thought and Cultural Defiance as Modalities of Resistance
Organized by the Iran Academy University on June 19-21, in The Hague. This independent international conference is being held at Leiden University, and as a major part of the Just Peace Festival in The Hague, ahead of the NATO Summit.
The World Unmade: The Middle East and the New International Order
The World Unmade: The Middle East and the New International Order
Organized by the Iran Academy University on June 19-21, in The Hague. This independent international conference is being held at Leiden University, and as a major part of the Just Peace Festival in The Hague, ahead of the NATO Summit.
The Iranian Political Economy and the Sanctions
The Iranian Political Economy and Sanctions
Organized by the Iran Academy University on June 19-21, in The Hague. This independent international conference is being held at Leiden University, and as a major part of the Just Peace Festival in The Hague, ahead of the NATO Summit.
Right-Wing Nationalism in Iran: From Historical Foundations to the Digital Sphere
Right-Wing Nationalism in Iran: From Historical Foundations to the Digital Sphere
Organized by the Iran Academy University on June 19-21, in The Hague. This independent international conference is being held at Leiden University, and as a major part of the Just Peace Festival in The Hague, ahead of the NATO Summit.
Media as Battlefield: Nationalism, Cyber Mobs, and War Coverage
Media as Battlefield: Nationalism, Cyber Mobs, and War Coverage
Organized by the Iran Academy University on June 19-21, in The Hague. This independent international conference is being held at Leiden University, and as a major part of the Just Peace Festival in The Hague, ahead of the NATO Summit.
Truth in Exile: Repression and Legal Insecurity of Iranian Journalists-From Prison to Forced Migration
Truth in Exile: Repression and Legal Insecurity of Iranian Journalists-From Prison to Forced Migration
Organized by the Iran Academy University on June 19-21, in The Hague. This independent international conference is being held at Leiden University, and as a major part of the Just Peace Festival in The Hague, ahead of the NATO Summit.
The War of Ideas and the Possibility of Peace and Freedom
The War of Ideas and the Possibility of Peace and Freedom
Organized by the Iran Academy University on June 19-21, in The Hague. This independent international conference is being held at Leiden University, and as a major part of the Just Peace Festival in The Hague, ahead of the NATO Summit.
Media Ecosystems and Transitional Justice in Iran: From Narrative Framing to Activism
Media Ecosystems and Transitional Justice in Iran: From Narrative Framing to Activism
Organized by the Iran Academy University on June 19-21, in The Hague. This independent international conference is being held at Leiden University, and as a major part of the Just Peace Festival in The Hague, ahead of the NATO Summit.
Authoritarianism and Nationalism in Contemporary Iran
Authoritarianism and Nationalism in Contemporary Iran
Organized by the Iran Academy University on June 19-21, in The Hague. This independent international conference is being held at Leiden University, and as a major part of the Just Peace Festival in The Hague, ahead of the NATO Summit.
Media, Power, and Populism: Public Opinion and Information Control in Contemporary Iran
Media, Power, and Populism: Public Opinion and Information Control in Contemporary Iran
Organized by the Iran Academy University on June 19-21, in The Hague. This independent international conference is being held at Leiden University, and as a major part of the Just Peace Festival in The Hague, ahead of the NATO Summit.
Transnational Feminism and the Reimagining of Sustainable Peace in Iran and Beyond
Transnational Feminism and the Reimagining of Sustainable Peace in Iran and Beyond
This panel is organized by the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF).
Global Buzz for Iran Academia’s Upcoming “Peace, Democracy, and Media” Conference
global buzz
Iran Academia’s upcoming Peace, Democracy, and Media Conference, scheduled for June 19-20, 2025, at Leiden University’s campus in The Hague, is sparking global excitement and anticipation. This pivotal event, already making waves across international media, is poised to be a transformative platform for uncensored dialogue, critical thinking, and bold ideas that address the pressing challenges of our time—global democracy, media dynamics, and Iran’s evolving role in the emerging geopolitical order.
Opening Session – Peace, Democracy, and Media Conference 2025
Opening Session – Peace, Democracy, and Media Conference 2025
Organized by Iran Academia University on June 19-21, in The Hague. This independent international conference is being held at Leiden University, and as an important part of the Just Peace Festival in The Hague, ahead of the NATO Summit.
Decolonizing Science, Rethinking Publishing: Iran Academia at the PKP Oslo Sprint 2025
The PKP Oslo Sprint 2025, organized in collaboration with the University of Oslo, took place on June 2 and 3, 2025, in Oslo, Norway. The event was held at Georg Sverdrups hus, which houses the University of Oslo’s Humanities and Social Sciences Library. The sprint brought together community members including programmers, journal managers, librarians, and user interface experts, to brainstorm, set priorities, and collaborate on improvements to PKP software.
PRESS RELEASE – Peace, Democracy, and Media Conference 2025
peace conference press release
Iran Academia’s PDM Conference Highlighted in The Hague Stories of Purpose
Iran Academia’s PDM Conference Highlighted in The Hague Stories of Purpose
“Iranianness in Flux” – International Conference in Oslo
From June 4 to 6, 2025, the University of Kristiania in Oslo, Norway, will host the international conference “Iranianness in Flux: Reimagining Iranian Identity.” This gathering brings together leading scholars to explore the complexities of contemporary Iranian identity through critical engagement with its cultural, social, and political dimensions.
Key themes include: • historical trajectories and collective memory, • ideological forces and social movements, • and emerging futures of Iranian subjectivities.
Justice Seekers, the first collection of the Iranian Human Rights Oral History Project, has been published
Justice Seekers, the Iranian Oral History Archival System, operated by the Research and Innovation Center of Iran Academia University, is a platform for recording and documenting diverse oral history projects. The center hosts valuable projects in the social sciences and humanities with the aim of strengthening interdisciplinary collaborations between researchers and institutions.
Iran Academia Endowment: Guaranteeing the Future of Free Education
We are pleased to announce the official launch of the Institute of Social Sciences and Humanities (ISSH) endowment program—a critical step to ensure the long-term sustainability of our mission at Iran Academia University.
We are grateful to all the supporters of this initiative, especially its first supporters, Dr. Nayereh Tohidi and Dr. Kazem Alamdari. Your generosity further fuels our motivation and daily encouragement.
Read the post to learn more about this unique opportunity.
The Status of the Media in Iran in the New Global Structural Transformation
A summary of Mohammad Reza Nikfar’s speech at the round table “Persian Media: Challenges and Prospects” during the third International Conference on Contemporary Iranian Studies – ICCI 2024 at Goethe University Frankfurt organized by Iran Academia University.