Episode 3: The Genesis of Rights in Iran

JANUARY 8th, 2023

In this episode, Behzad Zerehdaran joins us in the Fly-bottle podcast. Amirali Shams chats with Behzad Zerehdaran about the Concept of Rights in the Qajar Era in Iran.

First, Behzad talks about his educational background and how he switched from engineering to social sciences and humanities. He also shares his experience and the challenges of studying these disciplines abroad. In the second part of this conversation, they focus on Behzad’s Ph.D. research which concerns the late-Qajar and Constitutional period in Iran’s history. Amirali and Behzad also discuss the challenges and implications of the binary opposition between the Monarchy and the Republic as two models of a state. Then, they looked at historical views towards the contemporary issue of rights in the country asking whether Iranian society is on the right path to improve human rights or not. Finally, as customary in the Fly-bottle podcast, Amirali asks Behzad about his future plans: Where will he see himself ten years from now?

Our guest, Behzad Zerehdaran, is a Ph.D. Candidate of History at the University of Melbourne. His research is on “the Genesis and Development of the Concept of Rights in the Qajar Era in Iran.” He has a Master’s in Human Rights from Shahid Beheshti University ’17. He was a research fellow at UNESCO Chair of Human Rights, Peace, and Democracy from ’14 to ’18. 

Amirali Shams received his Ph.D. from the University of Waterloo in the field of materials science in Dec. 2021. His passion and interest in Iranian studies made him keen to become a part of the Fly-Bottle community since its foundation in early 2020. Currently, he is working as a materials R&D engineer and collaborating with the Fly-Bottle organization. 

Music: Reza Nadri

Intro: Ata Heshmati

Producer & Narrator: Shahryar Asqardoust