The life of the late Baroness Haleh Afshar, who died in May at the age of 77, is to be celebrated at a memorial event at the University of York on August 6.
Lady Afshar, a life peer and emeritus Professor of Politics at the university, passed away peacefully at her home in Heslington on May 12, surrounded by her family. She had been suffering from chronic kidney disease.
Born the daughter of an affluent Iranian family in 1944, she came to England to study in the late 1950s, aged just 14 - first at boarding school then, from 1963, at the brand-new University of York.
She graduated in 1967, did a doctorate at Cambridge, then returned to Iran in the last decade of the Shah’s rule. She worked with the land reform ministry and as a journalist, visiting remote villages to talk to local women about their Islamic rights.
She fell out of favour with the Shah’s regime, and was harassed by the Shah’s secret police. She was eventually able to leave the country to attend a conference in London and, after 1978, never returned.
Haleh Afshar as a young woman
Back in England she revived her academic career at the University of Bradford, before joining the University of York where she became Professor of Politics and Women’s Studies. She taught about Islam from a feminist perspective, and spoke out against the government of Iran for blocking educational opportunities for women.
In 2005 she was awarded an OBE for services to equal opportunities, and in 2007, was created a life peer. In 2008 she featured on Desert Island Discs.
The memorial event at the University of York at 11.30am on August 6 will take the form of a celebration of Lady Afshar’s life.
Haleh Afshar the Professor of Politics
Lady Afshar’s daughter Molly Newton said: “We are very grateful to the University of York for organising and hosting this event as a lovely opportunity to remember mum and all the incredible things she achieved throughout her life.”
The exact location of the memorial event will depend on the number of people attending.
Anyone who wishes to attend must register first.
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