Papers by Mohammad A . Chaichian
Social Change, Resistance and Social Practices, 2010
Educational Gerontology, 2021
Using the theory of continuity, and based on quantitative and qualitative data collected from an ... more Using the theory of continuity, and based on quantitative and qualitative data collected from an online survey and one-on-one interviews from a nonrandom sample of retired faculty, this exploratory study examines guiding considerations for transition to retirement at a mid-sized University in the Midwest. Abolition of mandatory retirement requirements in higher education institutions since the early 1990s has put the senior faculty at the helm of deciding when to retire. Findings indicate that the post-retirement period is part of a lifetime continuum-both during the "contemplation period" when respondents plan their retirement, and when most share with ease their final decision to retire with colleagues and administrators. Furthermore, transition to retirement for most is a non-traumatic experience, with involvement in diverse activities including working in their areas of expertise ("bridge employment"). However, respondents' overall expressed sentiment was to have limited post-retirement contact and involvement with the University and campus-related activities, including serving as mentors for junior faculty or students. For some, heavy teaching loads was the reason for their reluctance to contribute to campus life (the "burnout" factor). But their lack of enthusiasm to reconnect with the institution may also be an indication of the presence of an implicit, yet unresolved conflict between some retired faculty and the administration.
Mixed Migration Review | Danish Refugee Council, 2018
In this interview I discuss modern migration dynamics through the lens of historical colonial con... more In this interview I discuss modern migration dynamics through the lens of historical colonial conquests, as well as more recent military adventures.
Using the South Carolina State House Grounds as a case study, in this article I provide a critica... more Using the South Carolina State House Grounds as a case study, in this article I provide a critical sociological and historical analysis of the politics of racial segregation by analyzing the texts, symbolism, strategic location of a selected number of monuments and buildings as well as spatial interaction/ communication between these monuments and the State House on this significant historic site. Using urban landscape as a political statement and based on my archival and field research I make the case that the unresolved issue of political and cultural debate on the outcomes of the Civil War in South Carolina still negatively affects African Americans and effectively prevents a genuine racial and ethnic integration in that state.
Religion & Culture, 2019
In this article, we examine identity formation processes among French Muslims from former North A... more In this article, we examine identity formation processes among French Muslims from former North African French colonies, focusing on Algeria. France's violent colonial presence in Algeria has put an indelible effect on three generations of French of Algerian origin, as they have struggled to survive despite political pressures and cultural demands in post-colonial France. Using several theories and concepts pertaining identity formation among colonial subjects, including Stuart Hall's discussion of 'self-othering,' Frantz Fanon's Manichaean notions of 'black' and 'white' identity formations, and W.E.B. Du Bois' concept of 'double consciousness,' we first analyse formation of a hybrid identity among three generations of French Muslims. Next, we focus on the torturous journey of French Muslim women particularly related to the hijab controversy, as they oscillate between resistance and assimilation under French Republic's Laïcité laws. We further examine the intersectionality of gender-based, religious and rural/tribal identities in Algeria, signified by two clearly delineated 'gendered' public and private spaces, and boundary erosions between the two in post-colonial France. We conclude that under the false pretence of 'gender equality,' in its attempt to unveil Muslim women the French government is using their bodies as a cultural battleground to subject them to total submission and assimilation.
Crossings: Journal of Migration & Culture, 2018
In this article, we examine the status of Iranian graduate students as stepwise global skilled mi... more In this article, we examine the status of Iranian graduate students as stepwise global skilled migrants who enrol at Turkish universities, but with the intention of moving to their final destination country in the West. Based on survey data we analyse their migration strategies and career plans at mezzo-level, and conclude that more than 72 per cent of respondents can indeed be classified as step-wise migrants. First, Turkey is a preferred intermediate country particularly for migration of Iranian graduate students of Turkish-Azeri ethnolinguistic origins. Second, they use social media to communicate with a global social network of friends to facilitate their move to the final destination country. Third, equipped with accumulated 'migrant capital' in Turkey they select a final target country KEYWORDS shared ethnicity ethnolinguistic affinity stepwise migration educated and skilled migrants Iranian graduate students Turkey
Spaces and Flows: An International Journal of Urban and ExtraUrban Studies, 2017
In this article, I examine the historical metamorphosis of Hyde Park, home of the University of C... more In this article, I examine the historical metamorphosis of Hyde Park, home of the University of Chicago (UC) which has evolved from an almost exclusively “white” middle- to upper-class railroad suburb of Chicago into a carefully controlled multi-racial, fortress-like academic-corporate neighborhood dominated and shaped by UC’s economic and political clout. For several decades, racially restrictive covenants supported by the UC kept blacks out until the Supreme Court’s ban of the covenants in 1948 eventually brought more lower-income blacks to Hyde Park. This in turn led to white flight, overcrowding, and further neighborhood deterioration. Using the social Darwinist human ecology approach, in the 1950s the UC sponsored one of the largest urban renewal plans in the nation in Hyde Park with the goal of combating urban blight and creating an elite, middle class multi-racial community. As a consequence Hyde Park’s lower-income African American population fell by forty percent, its average household income soared by seventy percent; and with the remaining large population of well-to-do black residents it became one of Chicago’s most racially diverse yet segregated neighborhoods. Despite these efforts, by 2000 Hyde Park lost almost half of its pre-urban renewal
population, resulting in further deterioration of residential and commercial areas. Once again, with substantial financial backing of the UC during the last ten years community movers and shakers joined forces to save the neighborhood. In what some have dubbed as Hyde Park’s “second urban renewal,” and using Neoliberal urban governance principles, these efforts culminated in development of Harper Court, a mixed-use, academic/ corporate-commercial neighborhood block with the objective of revitalizing a blighted retail district several blocks northeast of campus. In the final analysis, Hyde Park’s movers and shakers have adopted a policy of eliminating urban blight within their neighborhood, and
cordoning/sealing blight that is taking place in neighboring communities. The success of the second urban renewal plan is yet to be seen, but using comparative crime reports and socio-economic data for South Side Chicago neighborhoods I make the case that although racially mixed, Hyde Park continues to remain a physically and socially separate academic urban fortress surrounded by poor and racially segregated black neighborhoods.
This research paper provides an historical analysis of urbanization in Egypt and its relationship... more This research paper provides an historical analysis of urbanization in Egypt and its relationships to her incorporation into the world capitalist economy during the last two centuries. My major concern is to discover more about the following issues: (1) the historical reasons for the structural disjunction of the peasant population from rural areas; and (2) the dynamics of rural-urban migration and the problem of over-concentration of population in a few major urban centers. This paper is divided into two parts. It begins with an outline of the theoretical framework related to peripheral urbanization. Next, based on the historical stages of capitalist development as a world system of production, three distinct periods for the study of urbanization in Egypt are identified: (1) colonial penetration (1798-1882); (2) colonial domination (1882-1952); and (3) neo-colonial domination (post-1952 era). Based on historical documentation, the paper concludes that what is called "peripheral urbanization" is in fact the spatial manifestation of the disintegration of a pre-capitalist economy, which particularly affected the rural population.
International Migration Review, 1997
Based on survey research and in-depth interviews, this article concerns first-generation Iranian ... more Based on survey research and in-depth interviews, this article concerns first-generation Iranian Immigrants in Iowa and focuses on the extent of their integration. into the host society's culture. The findings indicate that while the majority of respondents are fully bilingual and receptive of the host society's culture, they are confident enough to bring up their children based on Iranian cultural values. Yet the longer they stay in the United States, the more isolated they become and the lonelier they feel. There are two plausible explanations: first, their middle-class to upper-class status and above-average educational level is a determining factor in reinforcing Iranian ethnic pride: second, despite their educational and professional successes, Iranian immigrants' failure to blend into the society at large signals a more serious problem of prejudice and subtle discrimination against them.
Chapter from the book "Empires and Walls , 2014
Based on field observations and historical documentation, in this chapter of my book "Empires and... more Based on field observations and historical documentation, in this chapter of my book "Empires and Walls" I revisit the ancient Wall of Gorgan, a Sassanid-era structure in the present-time Golestan Province in Iran. Stretching between between the Caspian Sea and the Pishkamar mountains of northeastern Iran I examine various assessments of its functions, from being a defensive barrier to ward-off northern invaders, to serve as hydraulic structure to control Gorgan River and its estuaries during flood seasons. In my analysis, I question the validity of the former function, using historical evidence of potential political-military threats in the region as well as the economic geography of Gorgan Wall's environs.
Michigan sociological Review, 1993
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=17012693&show=pdf, 2012
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on “brain drain,” or emigration of educated and s... more Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on “brain drain,” or emigration of educated and skilled individuals to the USA from one Southwest Asian nation, Iran, which has experienced fundamental social changes since the early 1970s. The author examines the profile of the educated Iranian emigrants particularly in the last two decades, internal and external socio-economic and political forces and processes that have facilitated emigration, and costs and benefits for both sending and receiving countries.
Design/methodology/approach – Building on earlier world-system and dependency theories the author traces the roots of center-periphery relations that have triggered emigration, and applies David Harvey's analysis of the new phase of globalization (post-Fordist flexible production) to distinguish the emigration dynamics of Iran's educated individuals during the 1950-1980 period from those of the last three decades (since the 1979 Iranian revolution).
Findings – The findings indicate that while in the former period (1950-1980) educated Iranians emigrated to further their education and sharpen their skills as sojourners, with the expectation that they will return to Iran and serve their nation, emigrants in the latter period (1980-present) are guided by a new culture of the post-Fordist globalization phase that thrives on the mobility of a highly skilled and educated global labour force that can be promptly and efficiently utilized wherever there is a demand. Similar to some other nationalities, the post-Fordist educated Iranian emigrants are no longer constrained by the nationalist sentiments of the previous period. Rather, they have developed an “internationalist national identity” that allows them to respond to the demands of a global market while still maintaining their Iranian cultural identity.
http://cos.sagepub.com/content/44/1/19.full.pdf, 2003
... IV. Islamic-Democratic Interpretation (Abdolkarim Soroosh) One of the leading Muslim revision... more ... IV. Islamic-Democratic Interpretation (Abdolkarim Soroosh) One of the leading Muslim revisionist thinkers (degar-andish) in contemporary Iran is Abdolkarim Soroosh. ... Page 14. ty (Soroosh 1998:107). As related to Iran, Soroosh sets forth four criteria for a functional civil society. ...
Habitat International, 1991
Books by Mohammad A . Chaichian
Springer Nature, 2024
Informed by urban political economy and critical social analysis, this book provides a critical c... more Informed by urban political economy and critical social analysis, this book provides a critical comparative analysis of macro- and micro-level spatial design processes in architecture and urban planning. It interrogates the extent to which past and existing approaches to design have catered to social justice issues. With a special focus on the Right to the City approach and recent efforts to democratize urban spaces in the post-COVID 19 pandemic era, the book draws on examples of spatial design from the USA, Northern European countries and elsewhere to shed light on the presence (or lack) of social justice concerns in liberal capitalist and social democratic societies. This book is an important academic addition and resource for undergraduate and graduate curricula in architecture and urban planning/design programs, as well as a complementary resource for practitioners and policy planners who engage in urban development and transformation.
"On Surveillance and Control at Borders and Boundaries: Landscape, Infrastructures and Architecture (edited by Alejandro Gonzales Milea and Olimpia Niglio), 2022
In this chapter, I provide a comparative analysis of the intrinsic logic and design of imperial b... more In this chapter, I provide a comparative analysis of the intrinsic logic and design of imperial border walls and barriers as examples of military architecture, designed for the defense of contested territories and populations. In the first part I discuss territorial formation and expansion of empires as political entities with imperial tendencies, using three examples of imperial border barriers from three different historical periods: the “ancient” Roman-era Hadrian’s Wall in northern England; the defunct “modern” Berlin Wall that was erected at the height of the Cold War era in Germany; and the “neo-colonial” US-Mexico border Wall/fence completed in 2009.
Based on extended field observation and historical documentation, I deconstruct the “Empire” by decoding imperial wall’s architecture and design; and offer three theoretical and conceptual propositions. First, similar to dams that are not built to prevent the flow of water but rather control and ration its water supply; imperial barriers and fortifications are also designed to control the immigration and emigration flows. This intrinsic logic of slowing down the flow (and not stopping it) is clearly reflected in the architectural design of elaborate, sophisticated, and militarized border barriers. Second, up to the point that the economies of two neighboring socio-political entities function independently in relative terms, there is no need for the “Empire” (or “empire in disguise”, in this case the Soviet Union) to control borders by building walls and barriers. In this light, border walls and barriers are often erected only when the two political economies have passed beyond the point of their ability to function independently. Third, Imperial walls and barriers are always violent by nature, as they are never erected and maintained by mutual consent between the dominating and dominated entities. Therefore, with or without the presence of guards, soldiers, or border patrol agents, their mere physical structures invoke a passive-aggressive presence, implicitly threatening and challenging the movements of populations or goods.
In this context, I examine three design dimensions of border wall architecture: 1. implicit and explicit controlled violence; 2. the “defense in depth” design; and 3. militarization.
Haymarket books, 2015
Why do empires build walls and fences? Are they for defensive purposes only, to keep the 'barbari... more Why do empires build walls and fences? Are they for defensive purposes only, to keep the 'barbarians' at the gate; or do they also function as complex offensive military structures to subjugate and control the colonized? Are the colonized subjects also capable of erecting barriers to shield themselves from colonial onslaughts?
In Empires and Walls I examine the rise and fall of the walls that are no longer around; as well as impending fate of 'neo-liberal' barriers that imperial and colonial powers have erected in the new Millennium. Based on four years of extensive historical and field-based research I provide compelling evidence that regardless of their rationale and functions, walls always signal the fading power of an empire.
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Papers by Mohammad A . Chaichian
population, resulting in further deterioration of residential and commercial areas. Once again, with substantial financial backing of the UC during the last ten years community movers and shakers joined forces to save the neighborhood. In what some have dubbed as Hyde Park’s “second urban renewal,” and using Neoliberal urban governance principles, these efforts culminated in development of Harper Court, a mixed-use, academic/ corporate-commercial neighborhood block with the objective of revitalizing a blighted retail district several blocks northeast of campus. In the final analysis, Hyde Park’s movers and shakers have adopted a policy of eliminating urban blight within their neighborhood, and
cordoning/sealing blight that is taking place in neighboring communities. The success of the second urban renewal plan is yet to be seen, but using comparative crime reports and socio-economic data for South Side Chicago neighborhoods I make the case that although racially mixed, Hyde Park continues to remain a physically and socially separate academic urban fortress surrounded by poor and racially segregated black neighborhoods.
Design/methodology/approach – Building on earlier world-system and dependency theories the author traces the roots of center-periphery relations that have triggered emigration, and applies David Harvey's analysis of the new phase of globalization (post-Fordist flexible production) to distinguish the emigration dynamics of Iran's educated individuals during the 1950-1980 period from those of the last three decades (since the 1979 Iranian revolution).
Findings – The findings indicate that while in the former period (1950-1980) educated Iranians emigrated to further their education and sharpen their skills as sojourners, with the expectation that they will return to Iran and serve their nation, emigrants in the latter period (1980-present) are guided by a new culture of the post-Fordist globalization phase that thrives on the mobility of a highly skilled and educated global labour force that can be promptly and efficiently utilized wherever there is a demand. Similar to some other nationalities, the post-Fordist educated Iranian emigrants are no longer constrained by the nationalist sentiments of the previous period. Rather, they have developed an “internationalist national identity” that allows them to respond to the demands of a global market while still maintaining their Iranian cultural identity.
Books by Mohammad A . Chaichian
Based on extended field observation and historical documentation, I deconstruct the “Empire” by decoding imperial wall’s architecture and design; and offer three theoretical and conceptual propositions. First, similar to dams that are not built to prevent the flow of water but rather control and ration its water supply; imperial barriers and fortifications are also designed to control the immigration and emigration flows. This intrinsic logic of slowing down the flow (and not stopping it) is clearly reflected in the architectural design of elaborate, sophisticated, and militarized border barriers. Second, up to the point that the economies of two neighboring socio-political entities function independently in relative terms, there is no need for the “Empire” (or “empire in disguise”, in this case the Soviet Union) to control borders by building walls and barriers. In this light, border walls and barriers are often erected only when the two political economies have passed beyond the point of their ability to function independently. Third, Imperial walls and barriers are always violent by nature, as they are never erected and maintained by mutual consent between the dominating and dominated entities. Therefore, with or without the presence of guards, soldiers, or border patrol agents, their mere physical structures invoke a passive-aggressive presence, implicitly threatening and challenging the movements of populations or goods.
In this context, I examine three design dimensions of border wall architecture: 1. implicit and explicit controlled violence; 2. the “defense in depth” design; and 3. militarization.
In Empires and Walls I examine the rise and fall of the walls that are no longer around; as well as impending fate of 'neo-liberal' barriers that imperial and colonial powers have erected in the new Millennium. Based on four years of extensive historical and field-based research I provide compelling evidence that regardless of their rationale and functions, walls always signal the fading power of an empire.
population, resulting in further deterioration of residential and commercial areas. Once again, with substantial financial backing of the UC during the last ten years community movers and shakers joined forces to save the neighborhood. In what some have dubbed as Hyde Park’s “second urban renewal,” and using Neoliberal urban governance principles, these efforts culminated in development of Harper Court, a mixed-use, academic/ corporate-commercial neighborhood block with the objective of revitalizing a blighted retail district several blocks northeast of campus. In the final analysis, Hyde Park’s movers and shakers have adopted a policy of eliminating urban blight within their neighborhood, and
cordoning/sealing blight that is taking place in neighboring communities. The success of the second urban renewal plan is yet to be seen, but using comparative crime reports and socio-economic data for South Side Chicago neighborhoods I make the case that although racially mixed, Hyde Park continues to remain a physically and socially separate academic urban fortress surrounded by poor and racially segregated black neighborhoods.
Design/methodology/approach – Building on earlier world-system and dependency theories the author traces the roots of center-periphery relations that have triggered emigration, and applies David Harvey's analysis of the new phase of globalization (post-Fordist flexible production) to distinguish the emigration dynamics of Iran's educated individuals during the 1950-1980 period from those of the last three decades (since the 1979 Iranian revolution).
Findings – The findings indicate that while in the former period (1950-1980) educated Iranians emigrated to further their education and sharpen their skills as sojourners, with the expectation that they will return to Iran and serve their nation, emigrants in the latter period (1980-present) are guided by a new culture of the post-Fordist globalization phase that thrives on the mobility of a highly skilled and educated global labour force that can be promptly and efficiently utilized wherever there is a demand. Similar to some other nationalities, the post-Fordist educated Iranian emigrants are no longer constrained by the nationalist sentiments of the previous period. Rather, they have developed an “internationalist national identity” that allows them to respond to the demands of a global market while still maintaining their Iranian cultural identity.
Based on extended field observation and historical documentation, I deconstruct the “Empire” by decoding imperial wall’s architecture and design; and offer three theoretical and conceptual propositions. First, similar to dams that are not built to prevent the flow of water but rather control and ration its water supply; imperial barriers and fortifications are also designed to control the immigration and emigration flows. This intrinsic logic of slowing down the flow (and not stopping it) is clearly reflected in the architectural design of elaborate, sophisticated, and militarized border barriers. Second, up to the point that the economies of two neighboring socio-political entities function independently in relative terms, there is no need for the “Empire” (or “empire in disguise”, in this case the Soviet Union) to control borders by building walls and barriers. In this light, border walls and barriers are often erected only when the two political economies have passed beyond the point of their ability to function independently. Third, Imperial walls and barriers are always violent by nature, as they are never erected and maintained by mutual consent between the dominating and dominated entities. Therefore, with or without the presence of guards, soldiers, or border patrol agents, their mere physical structures invoke a passive-aggressive presence, implicitly threatening and challenging the movements of populations or goods.
In this context, I examine three design dimensions of border wall architecture: 1. implicit and explicit controlled violence; 2. the “defense in depth” design; and 3. militarization.
In Empires and Walls I examine the rise and fall of the walls that are no longer around; as well as impending fate of 'neo-liberal' barriers that imperial and colonial powers have erected in the new Millennium. Based on four years of extensive historical and field-based research I provide compelling evidence that regardless of their rationale and functions, walls always signal the fading power of an empire.
(2011)
This is a Farsi translation from the original English book manuscript ("Town and Country in the Middle East: Iran and Egypt in the Transition to Globalization"), published by Lexington Books (2009).
Using a critical political economy approach and based on historical data, the author presents compelling evidence that racist sentiments and discriminatory practice towards blacks tend to escalate during periods of economic downturns, even in cities with little or no minority population. Main topics that are discussed in the book include the evolution of “race” as a socially created concept, a historical analysis of two centuries of African-Americans` presence in Iowa and Dubuque amidst a persisting white–on-black racism; the presence of Ku Klux Klan in Dubuque, the relationship between the organized labor and black workers in Iowa, and Dubuque residents` determination to envision plans to fight back and promote racial diversity. Although the author acknowledges that economic conditions and ensuing race relations for each urban community are historically specific, in this book he also makes the case that Dubuque’s race relations history can be used as an example of “any town USA” in search of solutions to fight white-on-black racism and discrimination in urban settings with little or no racial diversity.