Draft:Rouhi Shafii

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Rouhi Shafii is an Iranian-born sociologist, author, and human rights activist based in the United Kingdom. She is the Executive Director of the International Coalition Against Violence in Iran (ICAVI) and a prominent figure in the Iranian diaspora's literary and feminist movements.^[1][2] Her work primarily examines the intersection of gender, political upheaval, and exile.^[3]

Early life and education

Shafii was born in Iran and educated at Tehran University, where she studied English Literature and Social Sciences. Before the 1979 Iranian Revolution, she held management roles at Iran Air and the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.^[4] Following the revolution and the onset of the Iran–Iraq War, she went into exile, settling in London in 1985 where she later completed postgraduate study in women’s studies and education.^[5]

Career and activism

Shafii’s activism focuses on gender-based violence and the preservation of women's rights under repressive regimes. She serves as the Executive Director of the International Coalition Against Violence in Iran (ICAVI) and is a member of the Campaign to Stop Honor Killings.^[1][6][7]

She is a significant contributor to the Foreign Policy Centre, where she has authored reports on state-sanctioned violence against women in Iran.^[8] Additionally, she is an active supporter of Roshan Afghanistan Online University, an institution providing online education to Afghan women and girls following the Taliban's 2021 restrictions on female education. In this capacity, she has participated in public forums to promote educational access and awareness of gender-based violence.^[9]

Literary work

Shafii is a long-standing member of the executive committee and a former Chair of Exiled Writers Ink, an organization supporting writers who have fled political persecution.^[4]

Shafii is the author of novels, memoir‑based works, essays, and translations published in English and Persian. Her literary output includes original fiction and non‑fiction as well as translations of political and literary texts addressing women’s experiences, exile, and social justice.^[10][11]

Her memoir, Scent of Saffron: Three Generations of an Iranian Family (1997), has been cited in academic research as a vital text for understanding the lived experiences of Iranian women during the transition from the Pahlavi dynasty to the Islamic Republic.^[3][12]

Her memoir Gates to the Great Civilization, published by Nogaam in London in 2023, reflects on personal and historical experiences shaped by political upheaval and displacement. In addition to original works, she has translated several books into Persian, expanding access to international feminist and political literature.^[13]

In 2024, she co-edited and translated Songs of Freedom, an anthology of poetry by Iranian and Afghan women, described as a 'testimony to the resilience' of women under the Taliban and the Islamic Republic.^[14]

Selected publications

• Scent of Saffron: Three Generations of an Iranian Family. Scarlet Press, 1997. ISBN 978-1850433149^[10]
• Pomegranate Hearts. 2006^[10]
• Gates to the Great Civilization. Nogaam, 2023. ISBN 978-1915444318^[13]
• Women of Iran: One Step Forward, Two Steps Backward (conference paper, London, 2014)^[8]
• Argentina during the Perón Dictatorship (translation into Persian)^[10]
• Women of Vietnam during the U.S. Invasion (translation into Persian)^[10]
• Migrating Birds (translator; poems by Jaleh Esfahani)^[10]
• The Anthems of Love (translator/editor)^[10]

References