Shireen Mahdavi She received her bachelor¹s degrees in 1961 from the London School of Economics in political science and social anthropology. In 1982 she went back to school to receive her M.A. in history from the University of Utah. This led to further study and a Ph.D. from the University of London in 1996. Her work experience in Iran includes Assistant Professor at the Institute of Social Research; Special Advisor to the Princess Ashraf Pahlavi Organization, in which capacity she researched and proposed the formation of the Women's Organization of Iran; and Iranian delegate to the Commission on Human Rights at the United Nations (1968). In addition, she represented Iranian women on International Women¹s Day in the Soviet Union, and was responsible for budget of several social welfare agencies. Dr. Mahdavi is a well-known writer and researcher and has published many books and articles, including: "Women and the Shii Ulama in Iran" (1983), ³Women Behind the Veil" (1984), "Women and Ideas in Qajar Iran" (1985), "The Position of Women in Shi`a Iran² (1985). "Captivity, Rebellion, and Rebirth" (1985), "Taj al-Saltaneh, an Emancipated Qajar Princess" (1987), "Shawhar Ahu Khanum: Passion, Polygamy and Tragedy" (1988), "Social Mobility in Qajar Iran" (1990), "Iranian Women: Past and Future" (1992), "Women, Shiism and Cuisine in Iran" (1992). "Women, Customs and Ideas in Qajar Iran" (1994), "The Structure and Function of the Household of a Qajar Merchant" (1999), "Qajar Art and Society" (1991), ³For God Mammon and Country² (1999).