-In May 2013, the Munk School of Global Affair launched a new initiative called "The Global Dialogue on the Future of Iran". It was sponsored and endorsed by the government of Canada. This initiative yet again presented the struggle for justice, freedom, and equality by Iranians through a neo-conservative lens. What was left of this dialogue was the complicity of the Canadian government in perpetuating injustice in Canada and the world, and the grossly inhumane practices of mining corporations supporting the Munk School. What is the potential for true social justice emerging from such a venue and its morally dubious dependencies? What kinds of possibilities for radial change does it necessarily foreclose? This panel also addresses such possibility with respect to Iranian Diaspora itself: what are its capacities for political engagement and can Iranian activists expand networks of solidarity connecting this Diaspora to their immediate societies. Why do the struggles in Canada and around the world against colonialism and the global capitalism, as well as class, race, gender and sexual oppression matter for the struggles in Iran against injustice and repression? These questions and more will be aired as this panel seeks to explore alternative perspectives in the politics of solidarity beyond borders. Presenters will discuss the inter-connectedness of the struggles around the world through their own perspectives and experiences. -Syed Hussan is a writer and community organizer in Toronto alongside migrant and undocumented communities fighting against detentions and deportations. He has been part of struggles against indefinite immigration detention, the campaign to make Toronto a Sanctuary city, to defend Toronto city services against cuts and more. Hussan is also an anti colonial organizer supporting indigenous land defenders across Turtle Island. -On Saturday January 25, 2014, a conference organized by Iranian activists, students, workers and academics took place at the University of Toronto to discuss Iran's current political situation and the solidarity politics of Iranian opposition in a globalized context through three panels in Farsi and English. Iran's politics and society continue to be the focus of public discussion across the world. Yet rarely does the complexity deserving of these subjects receive adequate consideration. Iran in (Re)View aimed to make this complexity legible. Rather than reproducing conventional narratives and convenient clichés, perpetuated by the mainstream media and the ruling classes, the organizers of this conference intended to foster an open atmosphere for the exchange of critical and alternative perspectives. A dialogue that addressed a range of key issues pertaining to social, economic and political realities of Iran today. These include: the workings of class in the Islamic Republic, movements for social and economic justice - particularly those of the working class, women, students, and LGBTQ - the effects of economic sanctions, and the threats of war by the US and its allies, including the Canadian government. Iran in (Re)view was made possible by support from Opirg Toronto and Opirg York, CUPE National, and CUPE Ontario. http://iraninreview.com/ Email: info@IranInReview.com

• published: 08 Apr 2014
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