I mentioned before the reading planned in San Francisco in support of the literary community of Baghdad (follow the link for a video; the contact to offer assistance is Beau Beausoleil at overlandbooks [at] earthlink [dot] net).
From London come details of two parallel events. The text of an e-mail announcement follows after the break.
The Liberal & openDemocracy present…
IRAN AND THE
FUTURE OF LIBERALISM
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recently called on Iranian students to “yell against liberal thoughts.” Yet the philosophy of Liberalism has suffused the nation’s rich cultural fabric and reinvigorated her intellectual life; the ideas of Habermas, Hegel, Kant and Arendt have become the subject of impassioned debates about the nature of civil society and the public sphere. In an age averse to affirmation, the citizens of this reactionary theocracy see Liberalism for what it is — a profoundly radical political project whose time has come.
with
DANNY POSTEL
Senior Editor at openDemocracy
and author of ‘Reading “Legitimation Crisis” in Tehran’
ZIBA MIR-HOSSEINI
Senior Research Associate at the London Middle East Institute,
SOAS, University of London
PROFESSOR MARY KALDOR
Director of the Centre for the Study of Global Governance,
London School of Economics
Chair: Benjamin Ramm
Editor, The Liberal
Thursday 31st May, 1-2pm
The Royal Society of Arts
8 John Adam Street
London
WC2N 6EZ
Admission free, advance booking recommended.
Email lectures@rsa.org.uk to reserve your place
or call (020) 8444 1944 for further information.
www.theliberal.co.uk
—
In association with The Liberal,
CRIES FROM THE HEART
An evening of music, poetry and prose testament,
in support of Human Rights Watch
Featuring a star-studded cast, including
Tom Stoppard
Sophie Okonedo
Juliet Stevenson
Jeremy Irons
Nitin Sawhney
Lemn Sissay
George Alagiah
Rageh Omaar
Sunday 17th June, 7pm
Royal Court Theatre
Sloane Square
London
SW1W 8AS
To reserve a ticket, or for further information,
contact Erin Rattazzi
erin.rattazzi@hrw.org
(020) 7713 2773
Image from BBC news