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Dr. Hoda Mahmoudi
It’s been a busy year at The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace. We have worked hard to further our mission and serve as an invaluable resource to the University of Maryland and the world beyond. Thank you for partnering with us, whether in word, thought, or deed, during this momentous year.
The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace believes that when the world appears to unravel, we fight harder for peace. When identity creates chasms between groups of people, we must shine a light on pathways towards shared identity. When racial, ethnic, gender, and other biases blind
us, we engage in discourse around human diversity and our common humanity.
In 2019, The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace held two major conferences, five expert lectures, and two symposia. These events were attended by more than 1,000 individuals at the University of Maryland and seen on our YouTube channel by almost 9,000 viewers around the world. Since we began this mission in 2013, Chair events have been attended by more than 5,000 individuals, and viewed online by over 40,000 people.
Professor Alondra Nelson, President of the Social Science Research Council, and Professor at the Institute for Advance Study in Princeton was the speaker at our prestigious Annual Lecture. Dr. Nelson gave a galvanizing talk on the role of government in guaranteeing the inclusive well-being of all citizens.
Our first major conference, Women in the World: Time for a New Paradigm for Peace, featured 16 invited academics and practitioners from all over the world. The conference was dedicated to examining the critical relationship between women’s equality and advancement as a prerequisite to prosperous and peaceful societies. Our second major conference Infrastructure and Happiness, brought together
11 worldwide scholars and practitioners to examine how urban infrastructure–from its physical to its intangible elements —affects the future of humanity.
Our series, Structural Racism and the Root Causes of Prejudice, featured Dr. Sacoby Wilson, Director of the Program on Community Engagement, Environmental Justice, and Health at the Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health. Dr. Wilson addressed environmental racism with a view towards local action and upliftment.
In 2019, the Bahá’í Chair published two major academic books and one scholarly article.
Hoda Mahmoudi & Steven Mintz, eds. Children & Globalization: Multidisciplinary Perspectives, Routledge Publishing
Hoda Mahmoudi & Michael L. Penn, eds. Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Human Dignity and Human Right, Emerald
Hoda Mahmoudi, “Freedom and the Iranian Women’s Movement.” Contexts Magazine, Summer 2019.
Kate Seaman, “Networking Responsibility: Regional Agents and Changing International Norms”, Global Governance 25(1) 2019.
Our students continue to enrich The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace program. From writing blogs viewed by thousands to securing our social media presence, they continue to be a vital part of the Chair’s mission.
The Chair’s work could also not proceed without the wisdom and dedication of our esteemed Assistant Director, Dr. Kate Seaman. Her work in ensuring all the gears of the Chair turn smoothly is one of the reasons we have been so successful. Our Faculty Fellow, Malik Wilson is also an important part of our work at the Chair and our vision for the future.
As Director of The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace I am deeply indebted to our supporters and profoundly humbled to be a part of this important work – work that seeks to heal the fragmentation of world society in the quest for peace. We have pride in the accomplishments of the year gone by and look forward to what is to come in the year ahead.
Thank You,
Hoda Mahmoudi
Chair and Research Professor The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace