Siyamak Zabihi-Moghaddam
Siyamak Zabihi-Moghaddam’s interest in history and the human rights situation in the Middle East arise from his first-hand experiences of revolutionary upheaval and systematic oppression in Iran. Understanding the region’s past and present conditions, he believes, is a necessary step towards addressing the challenges facing it today.
Biography
Growing up in Iran and experiencing the upheaval of revolution and systematic oppression and discrimination first-hand, Zabihi-Moghaddam became interested in history and the question of human rights in the Middle East. Before settling in the United States in 2012, he also lived in Denmark and Israel and has traveled to various countries in Europe and Asia, including Poland, Belarus, Russia, and Uzbekistan. While studying history at the University of Copenhagen, he worked as an interpreter for Iranian, Kurdish, and Afghan torture victims, who were receiving treatment and rehabilitation. His experiences have influenced his research interests, which center on women and minorities in the Middle East. His articles have been published or are forthcoming in the Journal of Women’s History, Journal of Religious History, Contemporary Review of the Middle East, Iranian Studies, and two edited volumes. In addition, he has published a book in Persian and has edited a volume of Persian primary sources on the 1903 massacre of Baha’is, Iran’s largest non-Muslim religious minority. Zabihi-Moghaddam was a visiting faculty member at Bennington for Spring 2017.