Our Kick-Off Event “Crises as an instrument of governance” took place in May already. We are happy to share the results. Beginning with Firoozeh Farvardin.
What was this event about? – Short Summary
On shock treatments of societies in the face of crisis and the concept of Dark Enlightenment – We listened to how events like disasters and market falls are used to advance certain political goals. Pablo Jiménez Cea discussed the idea of Dark Enlightenment, focusing on the fast pace of capitalism, harm to the environment, and growing far-right movements.
Politics of emotion, from (Indivudual) Fears to (Collective) Cares and examples of the anti-authoritarian strategy handbook: “Beyond Molotovs” – Firoozeh Farvardin looked at how fear is used in politics and discuss caring politics that help fight anxiety and loneliness. We gained insights from feminist groups and anti-authoritarian methods in the visual handbook Beyond Molotovs. The talked challenged the current system while looking for better options to combat capitalism’s harmful effects.
The Input – Youtube Recording and Transcripts
We recorded the inputs and published them on Youtube. The Inputs are in English language. On Youtube you can choose English Subtitles with a Click on the Symbol at the bottom saying “CC”.
The transcript of Firoozeh Farvaradin is available in three languages soon. To open the .pdf, click on the Link.
- [ENG] Link: https://skills4crisis.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Transcript-EN-Firoozeh-Farvadin-Transcript.pdf
- [DE] Link: https://skills4crisis.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Transcript-DE-Firoozeh-Farvadin-Politik-der-Emotionen.pdf
- [PL] Link: https://skills4crisis.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Firoozeh-Farvadin-PL-Politics-of-Emotion.pdf
About Firoozeh Farvardin
Firoozeh Farvardin is a feminist scholar and activist based in Berlin and Vienna. She was born and raised in Iran before moving to Europe. She studied sociology in both Iran and Germany and has actively participated in grassroots movements and initiatives primarily related to feminist and refugee struggles.
Since September 2024, she has worked as a university assistant at the Institute of Political Science (IPW) at the University of Vienna, specializing in politics and gender. Before her current position, she was a postdoctoral fellow at the International Research Group on Authoritarianism and Counter-Strategies (IRGAC) at the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, where she continues to serve as a research associate and collaborates with them. She is also affiliated with the Middle East Research Group (MERGE) at the Berlin Institute for Empirical Integration and Migration Research (BIM), where she has been conducting research and teaching since 2015.
Currently, her research and activism concentrate on gender and sexual (counter)strategies and feminist utopianism under authoritarian neoliberalism, particularly focusing on the Global South(s).
Publication relevant for our project:
Firoozeh Farvardin, Gustavo Robles (2025): From (Indivudual) Fears to (Collective) Cares
