Valentine Moghadam (born 1952) is a
feminist
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...
scholar, sociologist,
activist
Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...
, and author whose work focuses on
women in development Women in development is an approach of development projects that emerged in the 1960s, calling for treatment of women's issues in development projects. It is the integration of women into the global economies by improving their status and assisting ...
,
globalization
Globalization, or globalisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is the process of interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments worldwide. The term ''globalization'' first appeared in the early 20t ...
, feminist networks, and female employment in the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
.
She has taught and performed research at various institutions of higher education, most recently as professor of sociology and director of international affairs at
Northeastern University
Northeastern University (NU) is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Boston. Established in 1898, the university offers undergraduate and graduate programs on its main campus as well as satellite campuses in ...
.
Previously she held the position of director of the Women's Studies Program at
Purdue University
Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...
, where she was also a professor of
sociology
Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...
. Prior to that appointment, Moghadam worked for the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization as the chief of
gender equality
Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing d ...
and development.
Her publication ''Globalizing Women: Transnational Feminist Networks'' examines globalization as a gendered process and looks closely at
Transnational Feminist Network A transnational feminist network (TFN) is a network of women's groups who work together for women's rights at both a national and transnational level. They emerged in the mid-1980s as a response to structural adjustment and neoliberal policies, guid ...
s (TFNs).
In her preface, Moghadam writes, "'globalization-from-above' has engendered 'globalization-from-below,' producing a dynamic and transnational women's movement that has been confronting
neoliberal capitalism
Neoliberalism (also neo-liberalism) is a term used to signify the late 20th century political reappearance of 19th-century ideas associated with free-market capitalism after it fell into decline following the Second World War. A prominent fa ...
and patriarchal fundamentalism".
Early life
Valentine Moghadam was born to an
Assyrian
Assyrian may refer to:
* Assyrian people, the indigenous ethnic group of Mesopotamia.
* Assyria, a major Mesopotamian kingdom and empire.
** Early Assyrian Period
** Old Assyrian Period
** Middle Assyrian Empire
** Neo-Assyrian Empire
* Assyrian ...
family in
Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
, Iran to an "urban, elite family"
[Moghadam, Valentine. ''E-mail correspondence with Caroline Holcombe''. March 26, 2007.] in 1952. After attaining her secondary education at an international school, she spent her first two years in the work force employed at a major daily newspaper, ''
Kayhan
''Kayhan'' ( fa, کيهان, '' en, The Cosmos'') is a newspaper published in Tehran, Iran. It is considered "the most conservative Iranian newspaper." Hossein Shariatmadari is the editor-in-chief of ''Kayhan''. According to the report of the '' ...
''. Following her time at the newspaper, Moghadam taught English at the Imperial Air Force Language School.
After these initial work experiences, Valentine Moghadam, with the support of her parents, sought a college education in the west.
Education
Valentine Moghadam first studied at the
University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo (UWaterloo, UW, or Waterloo) is a public research university with a main campus in Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is one of three cities in the Regional Municipality ...
(
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, Canada), where she "joined the Iranian student movement and became a left-wing activist".
As an undergraduate, she majored in
history
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...
and
political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
and earned her bachelor's degree in 1978. Moghadam earned her M.A. (1983) and Ph.D. (1986) in sociology at
American University
The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...
in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
Career
As a visiting assistant professor in the department of sociology at
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
, from 1985 to 1988, Moghadam taught several courses about sociology, women, and development. In the following year, under the Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women at
Brown University
Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
, Moghadam completed research as a postdoctoral fellow. In the fall of 1989 she also taught as a visiting assistant professor in the Program in Middle East Studies at
Rutgers University
Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...
. As a visiting lecturer in the fall of 1990 and a visiting senior lecturer in the fall of 1992, Moghadam taught at the
University of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki ( fi, Helsingin yliopisto, sv, Helsingfors universitet, abbreviated UH) is a public research university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but founded in the city of Turku (in Swedish ''Åbo'') in 1640 as the ...
.
Then, from 1990 to 1995, she completed research in Helsinki, Finland, at the WIDER Institute of the
United Nations University
The (UNU) is the think tank and academic arm of the United Nations. Headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, with diplomatic status as a UN institution, its mission is to help resolve global issues related to human development and welfare thro ...
as the senior researcher and coordinator of the Research Program on Women and Development.
From May 2004 to December 2006, Moghadam worked in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, France, as the Chief of the Section for Gender Equality and Development in the Social and Human Services Sector of
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
.
In January 2007, Moghadam was appointed director of the College of Liberal Arts' Women's Studies Program at
Purdue University
Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...
, where she is also a professor in the sociology department.
Most recently, she has accepted a position to become a professor of sociology and the director of the department of international affairs at
Northeastern University
Northeastern University (NU) is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Boston. Established in 1898, the university offers undergraduate and graduate programs on its main campus as well as satellite campuses in ...
.
Memberships and accomplishments
Moghadam is a member of a variety of professional and feminist organizations. She belongs to the
American Sociological Association
The American Sociological Association (ASA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the discipline and profession of sociology. Founded in December 1905 as the American Sociological Society at Johns Hopkins University by a group of fif ...
and the
International Sociological Association
The International Sociological Association (ISA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to scientific purposes in the field of sociology and social sciences. It is an international sociological body, gathering both individuals and national sociolo ...
and serves on its executive committee. In March 1995, she was a member of the United Nations University delegation to the World Summit on Social Development in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
. Later that year, in September, she also participated in the Fourth World Conference on Women in
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
.
She has also aided in the establishment of the Palestinian Women's Research and Documentation Center, located in
Ramallah
Ramallah ( , ; ar, رام الله, , God's Height) is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank that serves as the ''de facto'' administrative capital of the State of Palestine. It is situated on the Judaean Mountains, north of Jerusale ...
.
Her book ''Modernizing Women: Gender and Social Change in the Middle East'' was recognized as a Choice Outstanding Academic Book for the 1993 to 1994 academic year.
Research, influence and ideology
Currently, Valentine Moghadam's areas of research include "globalization, transnational feminist networks, civil society and citizenship, and women's employment in the Middle East".
Her experiences growing up in
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
influenced her political views, which became more defined in her university education. The
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...
of 1979 and the continued
Islamization
Islamization, Islamicization, or Islamification ( ar, أسلمة, translit=aslamāh), refers to the process through which a society shifts towards the religion of Islam and becomes largely Muslim. Societal Islamization has historically occur ...
in Iran following the revolution made an imprint on Moghadam's ideology. This situation in Iran, and the situation for Iranian women that resulted, sparked her interest in gender politics. Following the conferral of her Ph.D., Moghadam turned her attention to women-in-development, and her identification as a feminist strengthened. Today, the global issues that most concern Moghadam are "the adverse effects of economic globalization, militarism," and the fight for "women's rights everywhere, but especially in Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan".
Authored works
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*
*
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moghadam, Valentine
1952 births
Iranian Assyrian people
Northeastern University faculty
Living people
Iranian expatriate academics
Exiles of the Iranian Revolution in the United States
Iranian feminists
People from Tehran