Research Interests
- Transitional Justice
- Human Rights
- Democratization
- Social justice
Mana is a Ph.D. candidate in the uOttawa School of International Development and Global Studies; she sees herself primarily as a researcher of "justice". Living under an authoritarian theocracy in Iran and witnessing the Woman Life Freedom movement of Iran unfold before her eyes in 2022 have significantly shaped her current research project focused on drawing up a prescriptive transitional justice framework synthesizing global best practice and community needs. She pursues this research under the supervision of Dr. Christoph Zuercher from the uOttawa Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, and benefits from the guidance of notable experts in the field, including Dr. Payam Akhavan.
Mana has a Bachelor's in Conflict Studies and Human Rights from University of Ottawa and a Master's in Social Studies from Institute for Social Sciences and Humanities (Iran Academia). Her Master's thesis arguing in favor of the compatibility of the socialist utopia with liberal human rights was published as a book (in Persian) by the Iran Academia University Press.
During her years in Iran, she worked for the most prominent migration policy think tank in the country (Iran Migration Observatory) before it was shut down. She also collaborated with an independent filmmaker, using conflict theories to produce scenarios for multi-media productions that could combat xenophobia and racism towards Afghanistani migrants in Iran. In Ottawa, she values her experience as a research assistant with Inter Pares and Ottawa Dialogue, two noteworthy research institutes in the fields of development and conflict resolution, respectively.