17th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE IRANIAN WOMEN'S STUDIES FOUNDATION
(IWSF)
With the support of Simone de Beauvoir Institute
Concordia University
Montreal, Canada

We would like to invite young individuals from the Iranian community to participate as panelists for the Second Generation Panel of the 17th International Conference of the Iranian Women's Studies Foundation (IWSF). This Conference will be held in Montreal, Canada on June 2- 4, 2006. Speakers, artists and participants from all over the world, including Iran, will attend this conference. The theme is:

"Secular Feminism: The Constitutional Revolution, The Present Situation and Challenges"

IWSF is a non profit organization. It has no affiliation to any political or religious group or organization, and aims to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas on issues related to Iranian women, to disseminate information on Iranian women's achievements, and to establish a network of communication among communities of Iranian women the world over. The main activity of IWSF consists of annual international conferences where a theme related to Iranian women is approached through scholarly presentations, art exhibitions, and artistic or dramatic performances. The history of Iran has consisted, for the most part, of male dominated narratives and accounts of men's exploits and achievements. IWSF attempts to offer a different perspective on Iran's history by protecting, preserving and propagating the works of Iranian women. Since 1990, IWSF has conducted annual conferences in various cities around the world. At these gatherings, academics and professionals interested in issues related to Iranian women congregate to share the result of their research, to celebrate the artistic accomplishments of Iranian women, and to exchange ideas and plans for the future. IWSF publishes the proceeding of its annual conferences in the Journal of the IWSF in which works by and about Iranian women are collected annually.

The Second Generation Panel commenced as a regular program in the IWSF conferences during the 11th international Conference of IWSF held in June 2000 at the University of California, Berkeley. In the yearly panel presentation we hope to bring to the forefront the voices of young Iranian women. Past panelists have discussed a wide variety of issues that second generation women confront daily, including issues of identity, race, gender, religion and sexuality.

Candidates for the second -generation panel must be between the ages of 18-30. If you are interested in participating in the Second Generation Panel, please submit the following by February 28, 2006:

(i) Resume (half a page)

(ii) List of community activities and leadership positions.

(iii) An abstract of your speech (maximum one page)

(iv) A short personal statement setting forth further information about yourself and your interest in participating in the second generation panel.

Based on the above documents, three or four candidates will be chosen to be panel participants. Panel participants may present their presentation in English, French or in Persian.

For more information about the Second Generation Panel and submission of the required materials, please contact:

Mailing address:P.O.BOX 1648,STATION"H"MONTREAL,QC,H3G-2N5
E-mail: iwsfmtl@gmail.com
Web site:http://www.iwsf.org