A Sociologist's Account of Higher Education in Iran Today; We Have Entered the 'Winter of the University'

A sociologist believes that after the first cultural revolution, the cultural revolution intensified during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency and is moving towards the 'purification' of universities, indicating that we have entered the 'winter of the university.' According to 'Khabar Online,' Mehdi Soleymani stated at the 'National Conference on Social and Cultural Research in Iranian Society,' held at the House of Human Sciences Thinkers in Iran, that 'those who are currently active within the university and those who have been expelled and are outside are not against each other, but both are against the expelling institution.' This sociologist mentioned that the process of 'purification' in universities has three mechanisms, including strict control of admissions, control of faculty members through promotion and status change systems, and finally, the expulsion of dissenting professors. His reference to the expulsion of professors as one of the three mechanisms of what he calls 'purification' is significant because Iranian media continues to report on the ongoing series of professor expulsions. In this regard, media outlets reported that more than 25 professors were expelled from Tehran University alone over two years, most of whom are graduates or activists in the humanities. Accordingly, the 'Khabar Online' website reported on February 6 that these expulsions continue midway through the academic year. In response to these expulsions, Alireza Maazi, a media activist on social media platform X, wrote: 'In the tragic series of professor expulsions, a generation of university graduates who are the output of post-revolution education and critics of post-revolution governance are being driven out; those who are educated or activists in the humanities, concerned about development and supporters of the homeland; it seems that the enemies of development are taking revenge for the scholarship files.' Accordingly, reports indicate that Tehran University and Tehran University of Medical Sciences had 26 expulsions, Allameh University had 5, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad had 6, Azad University had 14, Babol University of Medical Sciences had 2, Iran University of Medical Sciences had 3, and universities such as Hakim Sabzevari, Tarbiat Modares, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Mazandaran, Shiraz, Gilan, and Sharif University each had one expulsion in the two years of Ebrahim Raisi's government. The expulsion of professors has led to reactions from students and criticism from experts, but within the government camp, these expulsions have been normalized and justified. The 'Jam-e Jam' newspaper, the press organ of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, also stated on May 2 of this year that universities are places for producing 'opposition' and emphasized the continuation of 'purifications.' The president of Tehran University also claimed on the same day that the termination of cooperation with professors is due to 'ethical issues' and not political matters. The wave of professor expulsions intensified following the nationwide protests in 2022 in response to the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the 'Guidance Patrol' and the involvement of students and support from professors. Members of seven scientific associations in the country warned on September 10 in a statement about the 'widespread expulsion of professors and security confrontations with students,' stating that the gradual and currently accelerating 'dissolution' of the institution of science exacerbates the current dismal inefficiency of the governance system. Continued pressures on student activists: The secretary of the Islamic Association at Khajeh Nasir University was suspended for two semesters; a talented student was sentenced to three years and seven months in prison by the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran; the transformation of the Archaeology Institute into 'Wisdom Studies'; a researcher stated: 'They have discarded the results of six decades of scientific work'; collaboration of academics from the USA, UK, and Australia with 'Sharif University' in research on the Islamic Republic's drone program.