BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Department of Asian Studies//NONSGML Events//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://asia.ubc.ca/events/event/ X-WR-CALDESC:Department of Asian Studies - Events BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20260205T0728Z-1770276483.7717-EO-68037-18@10.19.146.23 STATUS:CONFIRMED DTSTAMP:20260809T150037Z CREATED:20260203T220631Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260204T192042Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260226T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260226T200000 SUMMARY: Iran’s Nationwide Protests and the Theocratic Regime’s Crisis of L egitimacy DESCRIPTION: Join the UBC Persian Language and Culture Program\, UBC Middle Eastern Studies Program\, and UBC Persian Club for this lecture by Profess or Ali Banuazizi. While the initial triggers for the recent uprisings in Ir an were economic in nature—including high inflation rates\, the plunging of the official currency to historic lows\, increasing business risks\, and c hronic […] X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

Join the UBC Persian Language and Culture Program\, UBC Middle Eastern Studies Program\, and UBC Persian Club for thi s lecture by Professor Ali Banuazizi.

While the initial triggers for the recent uprisings in Iran were economic in nature—including high inflati on rates\, the plunging of the official currency to historic lows\, increas ing business risks\, and chronic unemployment and poverty—in a matter of da ys\, the protests turned into a nationwide political movement demanding the ouster of the ruling elite. The unprecedented scale of violence and brutal ity with which the security forces responded to the movement\, killing thou sands and injuring\, arresting\, and imprisoning tens of thousands\, has si gnificantly widened the rift between the theocratic regime and the vast maj ority of the Iranian people.

Professor’s Banuazizi’s presentation wil l explore some of the factors and policies that have led to the increasing delegitimization of the “Rule by the Supreme Jurist” (Velayat-e Faqigh)\, a s evidenced by public opinion surveys and several uprisings over the past t wo decades.

This talk will be presented in English. It is free and op en to the public.

Date & Time:
Thursday\, Febru ary 26\, 2026 | from 6:00pm PT

Location:
In-per son: Room 2306/2309\, UBC AMS Nest\, 6133 University Blvd\, Vancouver
Online: via Zoom

If you are attending in-person\, no registration is required.
If you are attending online\, please register here.

Speaker

Ali Banuaz izi is Research Professor of Political Science at Boston College and Af filiated Faculty at the Center for International Studies at M.I.T. After re ceiving his Ph.D. from Yale University in 1968\, he taught at Yale and the University of Southern California before joining the Boston College Faculty in 1971. Since then\, he has held visiting appointments at the University of Tehran\, Princeton\, Hebrew University\, Harvard\, Oxford University\, a nd M.I.T. He served as the founding editor of the journal of Iranian St udies\, from 1968 to 1982. He is a past president of the Association f or Iranian Studies (AIS) and of the Middle East Studies Association in Nort h America (MESA)\; associate editor of the Encyclopedia of Islam and th e Muslim World\; and editor of Freedom of Thought Journal (20 21-2025).

Professor Banuazizi is the author of numerous articles on s ociety\, culture\, and politics of Iran and the Middle East\, and coauthor (with A. Ashraf) of Social Classes\, the State and Revolution in Iran (2008) and coeditor (with M. Weiner) of three books on politics\, relig ion\, and society in Southwest and Central Asia.

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