Echoes of Defiance - A Lecture by Dr. Shahrzad Mojab

On March 15, CCMS hosted Dr. Mojab to speak about how the rise of authoritarianism in the Middle East and North Africa is deeply embedded within capitalist-imperialist world system, influencing cultural, social, educational, and political structures. Higher education represents a duality: it reinforces dominant ideologies that sustain authoritarian regimes while simultaneously providing a space to expose and challenge systemic contradictions, such as inequality, repression, and injustice. This dual role highlights higher education as both an instrument of control and a potential catalyst for critical thought, resistance, and transformative change.

This talk focused on the student uprising in Iran following the state murder of Jina Mahsa Amini in September 2022. High school and university students led an unprecedented revolt, rallying under the slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom.” Their radical demands for freedom and justice clashed with the brutal suppression of theocratic, patriarchal authoritarianism. The analysis contextualizes the uprising within four decades of tensions between Iranian students and the state, emphasizing the creative role students played in articulating and expanding revolutionary demands.

About the Speaker

Shahrzad Mojab, scholar, teacher, and activist, is internationally known for her work on the impact of war, displacement, and violence on women’s work, learning and education. She is Professor Emerita of Education and Women and Gender Studies at the University of Toronto. She is the former Director of Critical Studies in Equity and Solidarity and the Women and Gender Institute, University of Toronto.