Mehrangiz Najafizadeh honored with 2023 Woodyard Award

LAWRENCE — Mehrangiz Najafizadeh, associate professor of sociology at the University of Kansas, is the recipient of the 2023 George and Eleanor Woodyard International Educator Award. She will give a talk on her work in international education during an award presentation and reception at 4 p.m. April 9 in the Kansas Union’s Big 12 Room.

The award recognizes Najafizadeh’s extensive collaboration and connection with international scholars in Eurasia and Central Asia, including two Fulbright Scholar awards to Azerbaijan, and her efforts to build institutional partnerships in that region. In addition, the award honors Najafizadeh’s 30-year association with the Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies and her work with the centers for Russian, Eastern European & Eurasian Studies and Global & International Studies as well as her excellence in teaching and her commitment to incorporating international and cross-cultural perspectives into the classroom.

“Dr. Najafizadeh has devoted her career to teaching and mentoring, research and service related to international issues. Her commitment to the internationalization of the curriculum and to enhancing the international perspective of students represents the ideals of the Woodyard International Educator Award,” wrote Joane Nagel, University Distinguished Professor of Sociology, in a nomination letter. 

Najafizadeh earned her master’s degree and doctorate at KU and began teaching as an associate professor in 1993, the same year she was named associate director of CLACS. She held the position for six years and has been a pillar of Latin American and Caribbean studies and among the center’s top faculty contributors since then, noted Brent Metz, director of CLACS and professor of anthropology.

“She has made a tremendous impact on our center, sacrifices for Latin Americanist students across campus, and has much to do with its Title VI successes over the decades,” Metz wrote in a nomination letter.

International partnerships and research

Over the past 20 years, Najafizadeh’s research has centered on Eurasia, where she traveled to Azerbaijan as a Fulbright Scholar in 2004 and 2022 and as a Fulbright senior specialist in 2005 and 2008.

Saadat Aliyeva, rector of Azerbaijan University, noted that university colleagues were so impressed with Najafizadeh as a recent Fulbright Scholar that they encouraged her to apply for another grant so she could return and are looking to collaborate further with KU.

“Her international and global perspective, teaching style, research activities and her mentoring of our students have enriched our university’s mission of internationalization of the curriculum and educational programs,” Aliyeva wrote in a nomination letter.

Najafizadeh has also led efforts to develop international partnerships with Azerbaijan’s Khazar University and Baku State University and is a founding member of the American Research Institute of the South Caucasus Azerbaijan Research Center.

Recognized by scholars globally, Najafizadeh’s research focuses on gender, religion, culture, and internally displaced persons and refugees from the Nagorno-Karabakh War.

In her nomination letter, Linda Lindsey, senior lecturer at Washington University in St. Louis and professor emerita at Maryville University of St. Louis, noted that Najafizadeh’s ability to speak the Azerbaijani language fluently and her in-depth cultural knowledge has allowed her to connect with women who are refugees in their homeland.

“These women offer narratives that few researchers have uncovered. Dr. Najafizadeh displays the essential cultural sensitivity to effectively dialogue with women on such difficult issues,” Lindsey wrote. 

Najafizadeh and Lindsey co-edited the anthology “Women of Asia: Globalization, Development, and Gender Equity,” which contained 32 original chapters from 40 scholars representing countries across Asia. Najafizadeh, as the lead co-editor of the anthology, wrote the chapter “Women in Azerbaijan: Decades of Change and Challenges.”

“I cannot imagine a better partner than Dr. Najafizadeh for academic rigor as we navigated this challenging but successful process,” Lindsey wrote.

Mentoring and teaching

Multiple nominators also highlighted Najafizadeh’s dedication to students. Najafizadeh has been recognized with 15 teaching and mentoring awards during her time at KU and has served as a chair or member of 126 master’s and doctoral student committees.

Najafizadeh has made extensive contributions to KU’s mission of internationalization, Nagel noted, through her teaching of such courses as Comparative Societies for undergraduates and graduate seminars on globalization, development, gender and social change.

“She seeks not only to provide core knowledge but also create a learning environment where students are inspired to explore alternate perspectives and theoretical lenses to examine issues of international significance,” Nagel wrote.

Father Michael Hermes, vicar for Hispanic ministry in the Archdiocese Kansas City in Kansas, believes taking Najafizadeh’s graduate seminar Global Social Change and Development had a profound impact on how he serves the Latin American immigrant community and made him a more effective priest.

“It helped me understand better the push and pull factors of migration and helped me to focus more attention on gender roles and to consider the immense pressure on family life,” Hermes wrote in a nomination letter.

Meredith Church Pipes, former student and current global and civic engagement specialist at Walker College of Business at Appalachian State University, recalled in her nomination letter the essential role Najafizadeh played in guiding her through the thesis process, helping her choose lines of inquiry, narrow her focus and hone in on important themes.

“Dr. Najafizadeh is not merely a teacher; she is a mentor, a guide and a source of inspiration,” she wrote. “Her commitment to fostering international awareness, cross-cultural understanding and academic excellence is noteworthy.”

In a nomination letter Lisa-Marie Wright, former student and current associate teaching professor of sociology, noted that Najafizadeh is one of the most knowledgeable, devoted researchers and educators she has encountered. Wright highlighted that Najafizadeh inspires students to broaden their knowledge and further their understanding of issues at the intersection of gender and global political-economic development. 

“I have experienced first-hand the extraordinary amount of labor and effort that she puts into mentoring her students and the deep intellectual and emotional connections she forges with her students,” Wright wrote.

The late George Woodyard, the first dean of international studies, and his wife, Eleanor, endowed the award, which KU International Affairs coordinates. The award includes a $1,000 stipend. A full list of previous recipients is online.