Becoming Visible In Iran

The state of women in Islamic societies is the subject of much interest and heated debate. Yet, these discussions and representations in the media and elsewhere rely on inadequate information and misperceptions, imagining Muslim women as oppressed victims in need of liberation by outside forces. 'Becoming Visible in Iran' disputes these widespread stereotypes, providing a vivid account of women in contemporary Iran as they go about their daily lives. Beginning at home, women are infusing dramatic change by challenging the patriarchal conceptions of their fathers, brothers, uncles and others within the intimate sphere of family and home. Empowered by education, they transport the power of their minds and being from the domestic to the public and political. Mehri Honarbin-Holliday presents the experiences of these young women who wield a key if indirect political influence on the seemingly male dominated politics of this society, as they achieve a new visibility. She shows us how women understand their place in contemporary Iranian society, and how they interrogate it, making demands for shifts in attitudes and behaviours, both at home in relation to male relatives and in the wider world. Women's daily existence weaves between the public and the private, from home to classrooms, parks, metros, cafes and taxis, negotiating socio-political limitations and the current regime's policies of female invisibility. Detailed interviews and striking narratives draw our attention to the women's reflexive and critical stance and their desires to be recognized as independent and active architects of their own personal lives, whilst also contributing to the discourses of change and a more just civil society. From this fieldwork, and focusing especially on young women, Honarbin-Holliday presents women's views on such key topics as public visibility, body presentation, and sexual curiosity, in addition to education, civil society and political and social change. Highlighting links and continuities with the history of women in Iran, from the early twentieth century to the present moment, she shows how Iranian women today strive: to be the author of one's fate, to resist narrow interpretations of religion, to conduct meaningful, rich and complex lives, to bring about change in the mindsets of male relatives, and to contribute to legal and political debates in the country. For its direct presentation of women's voices as well as its analysis and insight, this book is a vital contribution to our understanding of the lives of Muslim women and the possibilities before them today. 'Becoming Visible in Iran' is indispensable for those concerned with women in Islamic societies, gender studies, sociology, anthropology as well as Iran and the Middle East.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is several decades into its existence and the values and legacy of the Revolution upon which it was founded continue to have profound and contradictory consequences for everyday Iranian life. Despite a powerful system of surveillance and control, an extremely lively cultural milieu exists in the country, utilising many different forms of expression, including film, theatre, music and dance. Cultural Revolution in Iran examines the diverse areas of social and cultural innovation that are driving change and progress, both negotiating and resisting government policies and censorship. While religious conservatism remains the creed of the establishment, this volume uncovers a hidden world of new technologies, social media and entertainment that speaks both to women seeking a greater public role and to a restless younger generation that organises and engages with global trends online. In this volume, Annabelle Sreberny and Massoumeh Torfeh highlight the huge range of cultural activities which allow Iranians to express themselves, voice their coded opinions in between the 'red lines' of censorship and even engage in social and civil disobedience. From film to rock music and from painting to video games, there is a vast array of cultural expression and dissent that often eludes the international observer. For example, film production in Iran is highThe Islamic Republic of Iran is several decades into its existence and the values and legacy of the Revolution upon which it was founded continue to have profound and contradictory consequences for everyday Iranian life. Despite a powerful system of surveillance and control, an extremely lively cultural milieu exists in the country, utilising many different forms of expression, including film, theatre, music and dance. Cultural Revolution in Iran examines the diverse areas of social and cultural innovation that are driving change and progress, both negotiating and resisting government policies and censorship. While religious conservatism remains the creed of the establishment, this volume uncovers a hidden world of new technologies, social media and entertainment that speaks both to women seeking a greater public role and to a restless younger generation that organises and engages with global trends online. In this volume, Annabelle Sreberny and Massoumeh Torfeh highlight the huge range of cultural activities which allow Iranians to express themselves, voice their coded opinions in between the 'red lines' of censorship and even engage in social and civil disobedience. From film to rock music and from painting to video games, there is a vast array of cultural expression and dissent that often eludes the international observer. For example, film production in Iran is high and women directors, such as Rakhshan Bani-Etemad, Samira Makhmalbaf and Manijeh Hekmat, have come to the fore, making both popular but also prize-winning films. In addition to this, there is a vibrant music scene in Iran where many performances occur literally 'underground', in private basements, as illegal activity. Sometimes an audience has to wait patiently in the auditorium for the start of a public performance – for example, to hear Morteza Shafiei conducting the Isfahan Symphony Orchestra – whilst the organisers debate with the authorities as to whether the performance can go ahead or not. It is these activities and modes of communication and expression that are central to this volume, making Cultural Revolution in Iran essential for those researching the modern Iranian state as well as those looking at everyday life and popular culture under authoritarian governments and women directors, such as Rakhshan Bani-Etemad, Samira Makhmalbaf and Manijeh Hekmat, have come to the fore, making both popular but also prize-winning films. In addition to this, there is a vibrant music scene in Iran where many performances occur literally 'underground', in private basements, as illegal activity. Sometimes an audience has to wait patiently in the auditorium for the start of a public performance – for example, to hear Morteza Shafiei conducting the Isfahan Symphony Orchestra – whilst the organisers debate with the authorities as to whether the performance can go ahead or not. It is these activities and modes of communication and expression that are central to this volume, making Cultural Revolution in Iran essential for those researching the modern Iranian state as well as those looking at everyday life and popular culture under authoritarian governments

This first systematic study of a wide range of Persian and European archival and primary sources, analyzes how the Muharram rituals changed from being an orginally devotional practice to public events of political significance, setting the stage for the emergence of the early modern Iranian public sphere in the Safavid period.

This book uses storytelling as an analytical tool for following wider social attitude changes towards sex and female sexuality in Iran. Women born in 1950s Iran grew up during the peak of secularization and modernization, whereas those born in the 1980s were raised under the much stricter rules of the Islamic Republic. Using extensive ethnographic research, the author juxtaposes narratives of body and sexuality shared by these different generations of women, showing the intricate ways in which women construct and convey meanings and communicate their emotions about the unspoken aspects of their lives.

To understand contemporary Iran's notoriously complex politics, it is essential first to grasp the monumental changes initiated by Mohammad Khatami. This previously little-known cleric stormed to victory in Iran's 1997 presidential elections with nearly 70% of the vote, encouraging Iran's reform movement to flourish during his eight-year tenure as president. Ghoncheh Tazmini's book offers a thought-provoking, astutely close-up yet systematic analysis of Khatami the man and the reform movement that supported him. She provides us with the first insight into Khatami and his politics, unravelling from the inside the dramatic emergence and consequences of Iran's vibrant reform movement. Khatami's reforms ushered in an era of transformation and set the country on the path to greater religious tolerance, increased socio-political liberties, integration into the world economy and rapprochement with the international community. Tazmini's account of Iran's charismatic and ambitious President-Reformer is authoritative and provocative, portraying Khatami as a leader who displayed a combination of exceptional resilience and periods of cautious hesitancy in the face of dilemmas and vulnerabilities associated with his decision to become the first Iranian figure to implement change in the Islamic Republic of Iran. She describes how despite the institutional constraints associated with Iran's power structure and powerful conservative opposition, the reform movement managed to successfully set in motion a pluralistic momentum in Iran. Balanced and analytical, this book provides a comprehensive and finely detailed introduction to the subtleties of contemporary Iran's complex political culture. At the same time it is an important reference point for a critical period of Iran's post-revolutionary trajectory, especially given the controversial post-Khatami developments in the country following the election of President Ahmadinejad.

Defining Iran presents a new and revealing analysis of the way in which Iranian political discourses compete with each other by examining them within the framework of national identity construction. By deconstructing the intellectual roots and development of Iranian national identity, Shabnam Holliday advocates the need to study Iran's heritage and historical experience to understand key shifts and processes in contemporary Iranian politics. Holliday convincingly argues that competing discourses of national identity advocated by political figures from Musaddiq to the current administration demonstrate a politics of resistance to both internal and external forces. With a particular emphasis on Khatami’s presidency, this study compares the meanings attached by significant members of the Iranian political elite to concepts including Iran’s pre-Islamic heritage, Islamic heritage, civilization, 'democracy' and the 'West'. Furthermore, discourses of Iranian national identity exist not in isolation but rather as part of a continuous process construction and reconstruction in Iran's journey of political development; a process manifested so vividly in the revolution of 1979 and the fallout from the 2009 presidential election. Defining Iran simultaneously furthers our understanding of the conceptualization of national identity both generally and specifically in the case of Iran and political dynamics which shape contemporary Iran.

Defining Iran presents a new and revealing analysis of the way in which Iranian political discourses compete with each other by examining them within the framework of national identity construction. By deconstructing the intellectual roots and development of Iranian national identity, Shabnam Holliday advocates the need to study Iran's heritage and historical experience to understand key shifts and processes in contemporary Iranian politics. Holliday convincingly argues that competing discourses of national identity advocated by political figures from Musaddiq to the current administration demonstrate a politics of resistance to both internal and external forces. With a particular emphasis on Khatami’s presidency, this study compares the meanings attached by significant members of the Iranian political elite to concepts including Iran’s pre-Islamic heritage, Islamic heritage, civilization, 'democracy' and the 'West'. Furthermore, discourses of Iranian national identity exist not in isolation but rather as part of a continuous process construction and reconstruction in Iran's journey of political development; a process manifested so vividly in the revolution of 1979 and the fallout from the 2009 presidential election. Defining Iran simultaneously furthers our understanding of the conceptualization of national identity both generally and specifically in the case of Iran and political dynamics which shape contemporary Iran.