Middle East studies in the News

Ex-Iran Prison Captive to Talk at University of Arizona [on Haleh Esfandiari]

Arizona Daily Star
November 10, 2009

http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/316943

http://www.campus-watch.org/article/id/8656

Haleh Esfandiari, an Iranian-American accused of espionage and held in a notorious Iranian prison, will lecture and sign books Thursday at the University of Arizona.

The free event will take place at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Harvill auditorium, 1103 E. Second St.

Esfandiari, director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, recently published "My Prison, My Home: One Woman's Story of Captivity in Iran." It tells of her 105 days in solitary confinement at Evin prison in Iran in 2007.

"It's a great read, a very informative and very emotional experience. I almost read it in one sitting," said Kamran Talattof, a professor in the UA's Near Eastern Studies department.

Her talk, part of the Persian Lecture Series, is sponsored by the Iranian Association of Arizona, the Center for Middle Eastern Studies and the Near Eastern Studies Department.

"Her book and her talk present a very realistic and fair picture of Iran," said Talattof, who is Iranian-American. "And particularly given the recent uprising of people here (using social media), it will be informative for those who are following the news and may feel some gap in the information they perceive. She's an insider in a sense."

Note: Articles listed under "Middle East studies in the News" provide information on current developments concerning Middle East studies on North American campuses. These reports do not necessarily reflect the views of Campus Watch and do not necessarily correspond to Campus Watch's critique.

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