Afghan Workers and Unemployment in Iran

Translator’s Note:

Yashar Darolshafa, a young activist-thinker with a Master’s degree in sociology,  recently began serving a 5 and one half year prison term at the notorious Evin prison.  Like many other young activists, he was convicted of “promoting propaganda against the government.”  Below are excerpts from one of his many articles.   This article  was originally published  on December 2009 by the website, Alborz inside Iran.  Recently, it was  reprinted by Zamin, an Iranian exile journal, in a special issue devoted to challenging racism and xenophobia.  To sign a petition to demand Yashar Darolshafa’s release,  please go to  http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/free-yashar-darolshafa.html?utm_medium=RSS

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Two Kurdish Parties in Iran Issue Joint Statement of Goals and Principles

Translator’s note:  On August 22, 2012, the  Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) and the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan issued a “Memorandum of Agreement for Cooperation and Coordination.”  This memorandum was written by working groups from both parties and was agreed upon by delegations headed by Abdullah Mohtadi,  General Secretary of Komala and Mustafa Hijri,  the General Secretary of PDKI.  Translated excerpts follow.
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The New Persian Translation of Marx’s Capital and the Iranian Economy

Abstract:   This paper examines the new features of Hassan Mortazavi’s  new  translation of Marx’s Capital Volume 1 and the responses which it has received inside Iran. I argue that what led to this translation was both a dissatisfaction with the failure of the Iranian left during the 1979 Iranian Revolution, and an interest on the part of a new generation of Iranian youth in philosophically based, non-dogmatic and constructive alternatives.  Approaching this translation form the vantage point of current debates among leftist Iranian economists can also illuminate key concepts in Marx’s critique of capitalism.
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Asghar Farhadi’s Films Raise Questions about Man-Woman Relationships & Class

The Oscar nomination of “A Separation” for best foreign-language film and best original screenplay, has drawn much attention to Asghar Farhadi as a writer and director. As The Hollywood Reporter wrote: “Just when it seemed impossible for Iranian filmmakers to express themselves meaningfully outside the bounds of censorship, Asghar Farhadi’s Nader and Simin, A Separation, comes along to prove the contrary.”
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