"Spurred by modernization, global politics is being reconfigured along cultural lines. Peoples and countries with similar cultures are coming together. Peoples and countries with different cultures are coming apart. Alignments defined by ideology and superpower relations are giving way to alignments defined by culture and civilization. Political boundaries are increasingly redrawn to coincide with cultural ones: ethnic, religious, and civilization. Cultural communities are replacing Gold War blocs, and the fault lines between civilizations are becoming the central lines of conflict in global politics. " Samuel P. Huntington "Sam Huntington, one of the west most eminent political scientist; presents a challenging framework for understanding the realities of global politics in the next century. The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of... more >>

Following the monthly video screening sessions of "Cafe Cinema", which has been focused on Iranian film history in a twelve session program, "Iranian Cinema Through the Ages", the 9th monthly video screening will present "Circle (Dayereh)", a film from Jafar Panahi. Note: We had planned to screen "Taste of cherry" in its 9th monthly video screening, and dear professor Peter Rist, the chair of school of cinema at Concordia University, was supposed to be the lecturer. Unfortunately, he is not in Montreal because of summer vacations and we needed to change the screening schedule as we would love to have him talking on one of Kiarostami's masterpieces. Synopsis: In a hospital waiting room a woman learns her daughter, Solmaz Gholami,... more >>

"Spurred by modernization, global politics is being reconfigured along cultural lines. Peoples and countries with similar cultures are coming together. Peoples and countries with different cultures are coming apart. Alignments defined by ideology and superpower relations are giving way to alignments defined by culture and civilization. Political boundaries are increasingly redrawn to coincide with cultural ones: ethnic, religious, and civilization. Cultural communities are replacing Gold War blocs, and the fault lines between civilizations are becoming the central lines of conflict in global politics. " Samuel P. Huntington "Sam Huntington, one of the west most eminent political scientist; presents a challenging framework for understanding the realities of global politics in the next century. The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of... more >>

In this session Mr. Saeed Kamjoo will briefly talk about a history of music in both Pre-Islamic and Islamic world, and mainly focus on changing the musical system  before Safavid.He will discuss about the new modal system during the  Qajar court and early Pahlavi. Finally Saeed will try to open the discussion about a music in our socoity and its function today as well.... more >>

Lying in the Talesh Mountains, the historic community of Masouleh in the province of Gillan dates back a thousand years. This community is an excellent example of how vernacular architecture and local art can significantly contribute to the material culture of both the region and the country as a whole. For centuries, this community has seen merchants and travellers come and go seeking trade opportunities. But a new era is dawning for this community, as its inhabitants' social, economic, and cultural norms change. In this session, the following topics will be discussed: The History of Masouleh The Latest Archaeological Excavation in Old Masouleh The Evolution of the Community Difficulties Facing Masouleh Masouleh's Urban Characteristics The Heart of the Community: the... more >>

In this session we will an introduction to Analytic and continental philosophy. Ali Paknezhad will cover the overview on analytic philosophy which has been cornerstone of philosophy of science and language and Shahdad Heydari will cover continental philosophy.Continental philosophy is a contested concept which cuts to the heart of the identity of philosophy and its relevance to the matters of public concern and personal life. This presentation attempts to answer the question"What is Continental philosophy" By telling a story that begins with Kant 200 years ago and includes discussions of major philosophers like Nietzsche, Husserl and Heidegger and many more. The goal of this presentation is to show why continental philosophy is an area of dispute by considering the history and... more >>

Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world (first paragraph of preamble of the Universal declaration of Human Rights), I would like to explore the concept of the dignity and rights of human family at the first place and as the second step I am willing to shed light on the concept of justice as one of the three ultimate goals for human society. (the two other ultimate goals are freedom and peace that we will talk about them in another sessions)... more >>

CaféLitt is not a place; it is a gathering of minds. We are a group of mostly Persian young students, scholars and professionals who gather every Thursday evening around 19h00 in a café to discuss various subjects and share different ideas, ranging vastly from history to science, from literature to fine arts. We started these gatherings on Jan 18th, 2007. Each week, one of us takes the responsibility of presenting a topic (in Persian, English or French) for about an hour in a subject s/he is intimately familiar with or has an expertise in. Afterwards, the evening turns into a discussion forum and all members of the audience will have an opportunity to ask their question(s) and share their points of view.
CaféLitt is open to all comments, suggestion, collaboration and new ideas. CaféLitt provides an unparalleled opportunity for learning about culture, science and philosophy in a relaxed and friendly environment, and for sharing your knowledge and expertise with like-minded members of your community.
CaféLitt is officially registered as a non-profitable group and is a nonpartisan, nonreligious and nonpolitical entity.