Back Room PDX February 9, 2008

February 9, 2008, 6:30 pm, Podkrepa Hall, 2116 North Killingsworth Street: Historian and Reed College Professor Darius Rejali in conversation with writer and activist Martha Gies.

How does one write a history of violence and torture? And once written, what does one do with such a document? Renowned historian Darius Rejali’s recently published masterwork Torture and Democracy (Princeton, 2007) explores the history of torture from the perspective of its development into a "sanitized," non-visible form of oppression. Rejali discusses his groundbreaking research and a host of other things, with friend and intellectual comrade Martha Gies.

Due to advance interest, we are posting this event early. As usual, a sumptuous feast and glorious music will complete the evening. Chef and musical guests will be announced soon, here. The evening is $48 per person, including cuisine, wine, and everything else. Torture and Democracy will be available at the event (cash or check).

Darius Rejali is a professor of political science at Reed College. He is an internationally recognized expert on government torture and interrogation. He is a 2003 Carnegie Scholar and the author of Torture and Democracy (Princeton 2007), Torture and Modernity: Self, State and Society in Modern Iran (Westview, 1994) and the forthcoming Approaches to Violence (Princeton 2008). Iranian-born, Rejali has spent his scholarly career reflecting on violence, and, specifically, reflecting on the causes, consequences, and meaning of modern torture in our world. His work spans concerns in political science, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, history, and critical social theory.

Martha Gies is an Oregon author whose fiction and nonfiction has been published widely over the last three decades in newspapers, magazines and literary quarterlies. Her book Up All Night, a portrait of Portland, Oregon, told through the stories of 23 people who work graveyard shift, was selected by both the Oregonian and the Statesman-Journal as one of the Ten Best Regional Books of 2004. Following a long involvement with migrant farmworkers, Gies scripted the film !Aumento Ya!, a documentary about successful labor organizing on Oregon farms. For several years, in conjunction with PEN International, she taught a human rights workshop on behalf of international writers who have been jailed, tortured or otherwise persecuted for their work.

Official Website: http://www.thebackroompdx.com/thebackroom_future.html