NEW
YORK, June 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The
Institute of International
Education's Scholar Rescue Fund (IIE-SRF) is honored to
announce Dr. Zahra Khoshk Jan of Iran as the 2024 IIE-SRF Beau Biden
Scholar. IIE-SRF is the only global program that arranges,
funds, and supports fellowships for threatened and displaced
scholars at partnering higher education institutions worldwide,
including inside their home regions. This prestigious award,
established in 2016, recognizes an IIE-SRF fellow who embodies the
legacy of Beau Biden, the former
Attorney General of Delaware and
son of U.S. President Joseph R. Biden,
Jr., in pursuing justice and safeguarding vulnerable
populations.
"Zahra Khoshk Jan is a distinguished scholar and a brave
advocate for the rights of women, for academic freedom, and for
freedom of speech," said Dr. Allan E.
Goodman, CEO of IIE. "Her courage and activism in the face
of severe government repression honors Beau
Biden's legacy of service and commitment to defending the
most vulnerable."
Khoshk Jan, a self-described "rebellious female political
sociologist," has made significant contributions in her research on
the relationship between religion and the construction of
socio-political practices and identities in various societies. Her
scholarly work includes two published books, "The Meaning of Sacred
Suffering in Shiism and Judaism" and "Social Constructionism and
the Issue of Meaning," along with numerous articles in both Persian
and English on the relationship between the religious meaning
system and the construction of political discourses.
A dedicated advocate for human rights, Khoshk Jan actively
participated in the Women, Life, Freedom protest movement, which
started in Iran in 2022 following
the tragic death of Mahsa Amini
after Amini's arrest for allegedly wearing the hijab
improperly. She voiced her solidarity with Iranian university
students advocating for freedom of speech and assembly and
encouraged students to fight for women's rights. Her unwavering
commitment to these causes ultimately led to her dismissal and
prohibition from teaching in Iran.
"The new experiences and safety resulting from IIE-SRF
support removed many academic and structural obstacles that I had
faced before and gave me a suitable intellectual space to continue
thinking, writing, researching, and teaching," said Khoshk Jan.
In May 2023, Khoshk Jan was awarded the IIE-SRF fellowship
and subsequently joined the University of
Chicago in July. She currently instructs courses on
"Sociology of Religion in Everyday Life" and "Political Sociology
of Religion," the latter of which is accessible virtually to her
former students in Iran and a
global audience. Khoshk Jan continues to contribute to academia
through her publications on topics such as Iranian women's
religiosity and political spirituality in Iran. Her recent presentation at the Midwest
Political Science Association conference focused on Iranian women,
civil disobedience, and religion.
Recently approved for an IIE-SRF renewal fellowship, she will
spend her second year at the University of
Chicago as the IIE-SRF Beau Biden Scholar. Her upcoming
endeavors include completing her third book, "Political Sociology
of Iranian Shiism as a Discourse," teaching new courses on the
political psychology of religion and the sociology of religion,
finalizing several academic papers, and initiating an educational
podcast aimed at Iranians, concentrating on political concepts and
ideologies.
"As the 2024 IIE-SRF Beau Biden Scholar, Zahra Khoshk Jan
continues to inspire those who, like Beau, believe that our actions
must be driven by our conscience, our moral codes, and our
individual and collective values," said Senator Ted Kaufman of Delaware, IIE Life Trustee, IIE-SRF Selection
Committee member, and longtime friend and mentor to Biden. "We are
honored to support Dr. Khoshk Jan and are grateful to our wonderful
partners at the University of
Chicago."
For more information,
visit: https://www.scholarrescuefund.org/.
About the Institute of International
Education's Scholar Rescue Fund (IIE-SRF)
For more than a century, IIE has supported scholars and university
students seeking respite from global conflicts and political
emergencies, from the Bolshevik Revolution to the mid-century rise
of fascism and Nazism in Europe to
South African Apartheid to the myriad present-day crises that
endanger academics throughout the world. The Scholar Rescue Fund
was established in 2002 to formalize IIE's unwavering commitment to
protecting the lives, voices, and ideas of scholars. It is the only
global program that arranges, funds, and supports fellowships for
threatened and displaced scholars at hosting higher education
institutions worldwide, including within their home regions and in
non-English placements. Over the past 22 years, IIE-SRF has
assisted more than 1,100 scholars from 62 countries, placing them
in temporary academic positions at over 500 higher education
institutions in 59 countries across 6 continents.
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SOURCE Institute of International
Education