In honor of Women’s History Month, we are recognizing the economic, cultural, political, and social contributions of influential immigrant and refugee women who’ve helped shape America’s vibrant tapestry. Today, we spotlight critically acclaimed Iranian American author and English Literature Professor Azar Nafisi.
Azar Nafisi was born in Tehran, Iran, in 1948. Her father served as the youngest mayor in Tehran’s history, and her mother was a member of the first group of women elected to the National Consultative Assembly. At 13, Azar moved to England to continue her education. After a stop in Switzerland, she completed her degree in English and American Literature and received a Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma.
Following the Iranian Revolution, Nafisi returned to Iran in 1979 to teach English Literature at the University of Tehran but was expelled two years later for refusing to wear the mandatory Islamic veil. She later began teaching at Allameh Tabataba University in the same town. While she eventually attempted to resign, the university did not accept her resignation; instead, it expelled her. Starting in the mid-90s, Nafisi regularly met with female students to discuss their place as women in a repressive Iranian society. At the same time, they studied literary works that were considered controversial by the political regime. She returned to and took up permanent residency in the U.S. in 1997.
In 2003, Azar released her highly acclaimed book, Reading Lolita in Tehran, a deep-dive into the transformative powers of fiction in a world of tyranny. The publication has spent nearly 30 months on The New York Times bestseller list and has been translated into 32 languages. The book won many awards, including the Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger, Non-fiction Book of the Year Award from Booksense, and an achievement award from the American Immigration Law Foundation. In 2006, she won a Persian Golden Lioness Award for literature, presented by the World Academy of Arts, Literature, and Media. In 2009 Reading Lolita in Tehran was named as one of the “100 Best Books of the Decade” by The Times (London).
In addition to her books, Nafisi has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and other reputable American publications. She’s also served as director of the John Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies and Georgetown Walsh School of Foreign Service Centennial Fellow. As a fellow at Oxford University, she lectured on the critical role Western literature and culture played in Iran after its Revolution.
Others we are celebrating in honor of Women’s History Month:
2024
Cecelia Payne-Gaposchkin, astronomer, educator, and trailblazer
Mother Cabrini, canonized Catholic sister and the patron saint of immigrants
Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, Psychiatrist and trailblazer for the acceptance of palliative care
Hinke Boot, former 20-year IIB Executive Director and advocate for New Americans
2023
Gloria Estefan, award-winning singer
Iman, supermodel and human rights activist
Isabel Allende, international best-selling author
Madeleine Albright, 64th U.S. Secretary of State, first woman to hold position
Martina Navratilova, tennis superstar and civil rights advocate
Mila Kunis, award-winning actress and humanitarian
Lidia Bastianich, Emmy award-winning celebrity chef
Hedy Lamarr, Hollywood “Golden Age” actress and modern tech luminary
