It is with deep sadness that we have learned of the passing of our distinguished friend and colleague, the Iranian-American sociologist Dr. Mehrdad Mashayekhi.  A prominent political analyst and public intellectual, Mehrdad Mashayekhi died Wednesday October 5, 2011, at his home in Vienna, Virginia.

Dr. Mashayekhi was born in 1953 in Tehran and had lived in the U.S. since 1972. He received his B.A in economics from Case Western Reserve University (1976) and Ph.D in sociology from the American University (1979).

Dr. Mashayekhi was a visiting assistant professor of sociology at Georgetown University and University of Maryland, teaching both graduate and undergraduate courses on political sociology, globalization, social change and development, social inequality, social movements, and the process of democratization in the Middle East. In the past, he also taught at George Mason University and St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

Dr. Mashayekhi’s research was focused on student movements, Islamic reformism, civil society and democratization, political culture, and current political affairs.  As a prolific writer and acute analyst of contemporary Iranian political affairs, he was a regular contributor to Iranian media inside and outside Iran.  He was a frequent speaker in political forums in universities and served as an analyst of Iranian events in Persian diasporic media as well as Voice of America, BBC, Deutche Welle, and French and Australian media outlets.

Dr. Mashayekhi was coeditor of Political Culture in the Islamic Republic (Routledge, 1992) and author of “Culture of Mistrust: A Sociological Analysis of Iranian Political Culture” in the Blackwell Companion to Contemporary Islamic Thought (2006).  His books in Persian include Towards Democracy a Secular Republic in Iran: Essays in Political Sociology (2007), and Iranian Green Movement and Rainbow Democracy (2010). He also participated in numerous panels and presented papers at the American Sociological Association, Middle East Studies Association, and the Center for Iranian Research and Analysis.

Dr. Mashayekhi is survived by his wife Fataneh Afrashteh Mashayekhi. We offer our condolences to his wife, parents, siblings, colleagues, and students.

The Iranian intellectual community has lost one of its most passionate and articulate voices for social justice and democratic change.  His legacy of political activism and progressive analysis of Iranian politics and society is cherished by his many students, fellow activists, and colleagues inside and outside Iran.

1. Ervand Abrahamian, City University of New York.
2. Hossein Akhavi-Pour, Hamline University
3. Ali Afshari, George Washington University
4. Reza Afshari, Pace University
5. Farhad Afsharvand, Computer Scientist
6. Kazem Alamdari, California State University
7. Parvin Alizadeh , London Metropolitan University
8. Fatemeh Aman, Journalist, Independent Media, and Political Analyst
9. Javad Aman, Scientist, Integrated Biotherapeutics, MD
10. Elahe Amani, California State University, Fullerton
11. Fariba Amini, Journalist
12. Mehdi Amini, ValueOptions, Reston, VA
13. Houshang Amirahmadi, Rutgers University
14. Said Amir Arjomand, State University of New York at Stony Brook
15. Faraj Ardalan, Retired Professor, International Ed.Consultant
16. Daryoush Ashouri, Author, Translator, France
17. Arjang A. Assad, University at Buffalo (SUNY)
18. Amir Houshang Aryanpour, Author, Retired Admiral
19. Ahmad Ashraf, Columbia University
20. Touraj Atabaki, Leiden University
21. Fakhreddin Azimi, University of Connecticut
22. Hossein Bagher Zadeh, Former Professor of Tehran University
23. Heibatollah Baghi, George Mason University
24. Shaul Bakhash, George Mason University
25. Ali Banuazizi, Boston College
26. Hossein Bashiriyeh, Syracuse University
27. Mehran Barati, Free University Berlin
28. Asef Bayat, University of Illinois
29. Sohrab Behdad, Denison University
30. Masoud Behnoud, Writer and Coloumnist
31. Maziar Behrooz, San Francisco State University
32. Cyrus S. Behroozi, Indiana University
33. Hooman Beygi, Statistician in Cepholon, Inc., Frazer, PA
34. Cyrus Bina, University of Minnesota, Morris
35. Mehrzad Boroujerdi, Syracuse University
36. Mohammad A. Chaichian, Mount Mercy University
37. Houchang Chehabi, Boston University
38. Hamid Dabashi, Columbia University
39. Mehrdad Darvishpour, M�lardalen University, Sweden
40. Fariba Davodi Mohajer, Journalist
41. Manochehr Dorraj, Texas Christian University
42. Goudarz Eghtedari, Voice of the Middle East
43. Kaveh Ehsani, DePaul University
44. Nader Entessar, University of South Alabama
45. Mansour Farhang, Bennington College
46. Farideh Farhi, University of Hawai’i , Manoa
47. Amir Fassihi, Nowruz Foundation for Nonviolence
48. Nazila Fathi, Fellow at Harvard University, Former NYT Reporter
49. Amir H. Gandjbakhche, National Institutes of Health
50. Akbar Ganji, Author and Journalist
51. Violet Garoosi, Biosignal Analyst, Informatica, Vienna, VA
52. Behrooz Ghamari-Tabrizi, University of Illinois, Urbana
53. M. R. Ghanoonparvar, The University of Texas at Austin
54. Kobra Ghasemi, Radio Zamaneh
55. Elham Gheytanchi, Santa Monica College
56. Reza Goharzad, KIRN Radio
57. Reza Ghorashi, Stockton College
58. Saeid Golkar, Northwestern University
59. Shahla Haeri, Boston University
60. Fatemeh Haghighatjoo, Nonviolent Initiative for Democracy Inc
61. Hossein Hamedani, Marquette University
62. Nader Hashemi, University of Denver
63. Bijan Hekmat, Researcher and Political Analyst
64. Tahereh Alavi Hojjat, DeSales University
65. Mehdi Hojjat, Neumann University
66. Saeed Honarmand, Ohio State University
67. Ata Hoodashtian, Managent Institute of Canada, Montreal
68. Marzie Jafari, City University of New York
69. Ramin Jahanbegloo, University of Toronto
70. Farshid Jahanshahi, Oklahoma State University
71. Jahanshah Javid, Iranian.com
72. Mohsen Kadivar, Duke University
73. Abdee Kalantari,   Writer and Critic, www.nilgoon.org
74. Alayar Kangarlu, Columbia University
75. Mehrangiz Kar, Human Rights Lawyer, Writer, Essayist
76. Kazem Kardavani, Sociologist, EHESS – Paris
77. Ahmad Karimi-Hakkak, University of Maryland
78. Homa Katouzian, St Antony’s College, Oxford
79. Farhad Kazemi, New York University
80. Fatemeh Keshavarz, Washington University in St. Louis
81. Ahmad Khalili, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
82. Mehdi.Khanbaba.Tehrani, Political Analyst
83. Farhad Khosrokhavar, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris
84. Ali Kiafar, University of California – Riverside
85. Azadeh Kian, University of Paris 7-Diderot
86. Jaleh Lackner-Gohari, Ret. IAEA, UN Medical Coordinator, Vienna- Austria
87. Abdol-Karim Lahidji, President de la LDDHI, Vice-President de la FIDH
88. Ali Akbar Mahdi, Ohio Wesleyan University
89. Farshad Malekahmadi, Naugatuck Valley Community College
90. Afshin Matin-Asgari, California State University, Los Angeles
91. Abbas Milani, Stanford University
92. Farzaneh Milani, University of Virginia
93. Ghafour Mirzaei, Author and Political Analyst
94. Ida Mirzaie, Ohio State University
95. Mansoor Moaddel, Eastern Michigan University
96. Valentine M. Moghadam, Purdue University
97. Taghi Mokhtar, Editor/Publisher, Iranians Weekly
98. Ziba Mir-Hosseini, London School of Oriental and African Studied
99. Ali Mirsepassi, New York University
100. Haideh Moghissi, York University, Canada
101. Majid Mohammadi, Sociologist and Freelance Writer
102. Afshin Molavi, New America Foundation
103. Mahmood Monshipouri, San Francisco State University
104. Reza.Mousoli, Canterbury Christ Church University
105. Hamid Naficy, Northwestern University
106. Rasool Nafisi, Strayer University
107. Arash Naraghi, Moravian College
108. Mohamad Navab, University of California Los Angeles
109. Ali Nayeri, University of California, Santa Barbara
110. Mohammad-Reza Nikfar, Independent Scholar and Philosopher, Germany
111. Azam Niroomand-Rad, Georgetown University Medical Center
112. Massoud Noghrehkar, Author and Political Analyst
113. Farhad Nomani, American University of Paris, France
114. Esmail Nooriala, Editor, New Secularism
115. Saeed Paivandi, University of Nancy, France
116. Nasser Pakdaman, University Denis DIDEROT, Paris
117. Misagh Parsa, Dartmouth College
118. Trita Parsi, National Iranian American Council
119. Danny Postel, Editor/Journalist
120. Parvaneh Pourshariati, Ohio State University
121. Masoud Olfat, University of Maryland, College Park
122. Saeed Rahnema, York University, Canada
123. Ali Rakei, Theoretical Physicist, Qinetiq Corp
124. Darius Rejali, Reed College.
125. Muhammad Sahimi, University of Southern California.
126. Akbar Saif, Political Activist, Sweden
127. Ahmad Sadri, Lake Forest College
128. Houman Sadri, University of Central Florida
129. Mahmoud Sadri, Texas Women’s University
130. Nina Samsami, The Comprehensive Blood and Cancer Center, Bakersfield, CA
131. Reza Sarhangi, Towson University, Maryland
132. Homa Sarshar Journalist
133. Hamideh Sedghi, The New School University
134. Hasan Shahpari, Community College of Philadelphia
135. Hossein Shahidi, Jordan Media Institute
136. Hasan Shariatmadari, Researcher and Political Analyst
137. Ebrahim Soltani, St. Lawrence University
138. Kamran Talattof, University of Arizona
139. Mohamad Tavakoli-Targhi, University of Toronto
140. Bahram Tavakolian, Denison University
141. Ali Tayefi, Sociologists without borders SSF-Iran
142. Nayereh Tohidi, California State University
143. Peyman Vahabzadeh, University of Victoria, Canada
144. Farzin Vahdat, Vassar College
145. Hossein Zahedi, Author and Political Analyst
146. Hamid Zangeneh, Widener University

Source : Payvand Iran News