DOCSLIB.ORG

Tehran's Post Iran-Iraq War

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Tehran's Post Iran-Iraq War Persica 22, 47-63. doi: 10.2143/PERS.22.0.2034400 © 2008 by Persica. All rights reserved. IMAGINING WARFARE, IMAGING WELFARE: TEHRAN’S POST IRAN-IRAQ WAR MURALS AND THEIR LEGACY Pamela Karimi ISLAMICIZING THE DISCOURSE OF ART1 In his fi rst post-revolutionary speech, delivered shortly after his arrival in Tehran from Paris in February 1979, Ayatollah Khomeini declared, “We don’t need symbols of the monarchy… we need markers of Islam.”2 In response to this call, “hardliner” intellectuals introduced more “Islamo-centric” ideas about artistic achievements to the general public through a number of publications. In the early 1980s, they founded FaÒlnamah-ya Hunar (The Quarterly Journal of the Arts), one of the few post-revolutionary art journals at that time. Article after article in this journal advised Iranians to reconsider art and architecture. In an early issue, Prime Minister Mir Hossein Mousavi,3 a trained architect, contended that the Shah’s regime had sought to obliterate the essence of the authentic Islamic culture of Iran by building cultural centers and museums according to Western models. He insisted that one felt like a stranger upon arriving at any of these buildings.4 Many of the ideas of the revolutionary period were largely rhetorical and in practice the success of these politically-oriented initiatives varied considerably. Unlike other forms of art, architecture remained intact, even if not all prior developments were considered appropriate in the eyes of the revolutionaries. Granted, a number of monuments glorifying the Pahlavi regime were razed both during and after the Revolution, but a defi nitive approach 1 I am grateful to MaÌmud Shuiaˆybi, Feeroozeh Golmohammadi, Mahdi Qadiyanlu, and Rasul Abidi for kindly dedicating their time to interviews and discussions pertinent to this paper. Professors Afsaneh Najmabadi, Marzolph Ulrich, and Houchang Chehabi provided a number of extremely helpful criticisms and comments. I assume full responsibility for any shortcomings. 2 This quotation is taken from Khomeini’s fi rst post-revolutionary speech in Tehran. See http://www.iranian.com/ Pictory/iri.html+speech+of+khomein; Internet, accessed 08 May 2005. Unless otherwise indicated, all quotations from Persian sources (including those from art and architectural journals, newspapers, interviews, and hearings) are mine. 3 He was the third Prime Ministers of Iran. Ayatollah Khomeini appointed Mehdi Bazargan as provisional Prime Minister in 1979. But he resigned within a year. The second Prime Minister, MuÌammad Rajai, was assassinated in a terrorist bombing in June 1981. 4 Mir-Hossein Mousavi, “Tavazun bakhshidan bih majmu¨i-ya namawzun [giving harmony to a chaotic building],” FaÒlnamah-ya Hunar. Vol. 1, No. 1 (1361[1982]), 209. See also, idem, “Didgah-i muhandis mir-husayn musavi, nakhust vazir, piramun-i hunar-i mu¨aÒir [the prime minister’s views towards contemporary art].”ibid., Vol.1, No. 2 (1361[1982]), 31-39. 11435-08_PersicaXXII_content.indd435-08_PersicaXXII_content.indd 4477 118-02-20098-02-2009 115:33:125:33:12 48 P. KARIMI to “Islamicizing” had yet to be identifi ed.5 Reconfi guring the general atmosphere of exist- ing spaces was carried out through numerous strategies, ranging from increased segregation of the sexes and different functions for pre-existing buildings, to installing loudspeakers in populated urban centers for the purpose of broadcasting revolutionary and religious ideas. One of the most far-reaching efforts was the introduction of propaganda murals. THE PROTAGONIST AND THE CROWD During the climactic days of the Revolution, a propaganda war was played out on the walls of buildings, where revolutionaries spread their views, and activists, wounded by the bullets of the Shah’s army, wrote their messages with blood. This graffi ti was understandably written at eye-level, where it was easier to read, add to, or deface. After the establishment of the Islamic Republic, governmental organizations sponsored murals proclaiming offi cial messages and placed high up on buildings where they were “fi xed and static both in form and meaning.”6 In art schools, these murals became important subjects of inquiry. Renowned professors such as Asghar Kafshchian Muqaddam (who was infl uenced by Soviet and Mexican mural paint- ings) helped the development of this type of art. Despite modern means of mass communica- tion, such as radio and television, political posters and murals remained an important medium of propaganda at the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq war in September of 1980.7 These early murals mainly focused on individual heroes of the Revolution or on mar- tyrs from the subsequent war with Iraq. The teeming masses were generally left in the back- ground (Fig. 1). In other forms of propaganda media the masses played a more prominent role, such as the chanting crowds that roared from radios and the images of mass demonstra- tions on TV — what Gustave Le Bon, in his study of “the crowd,” had described as the “magma of human beings gathered from every quarter.” 8 Murals portraying images of the Ayatollahs also included lengthy quotations from their speeches, symbolically assigning to the public space a function that had traditionally belonged to the mosques. This echoed what art critic Zahra Rahnavard (and wife of Prime Minister Mousavi) wrote in the late 1980s: “[Since the Islamic Revolution] Iran as a whole has been turned into a big mosque.”9 The murals that focused on war themes depicted actual battle experiences, going beyond the mere collection of images, to indicate a relation between soldiers and people on the home front as mediated by images.10 5 The most prominent of these monuments was Reza Shah Pahlavi’s memorial. For a detailed account of this monument’s destruction, see Ayatollah Haj Shaykh ∑adiq Khalkhali, “Takhrib-i maqbari-ya riza khan-i mir panj[the destruction of the tomb of Reza Khan mir panj],” Khatirat-i ayatullah khalkhali: Avvalin Ìakim-i sharˆ-i dadgaha-ya inqilab [memoirs of Ayatollah Khalkhali: The fi rst clergy judge of the revolu- tionary courts] (Tehran: Nashr-i sayah, c. 1383[2004]), 341-351. 6 Talinn Grigor. “(Re)Claiming Space: The Use/Misuse of Propaganda Murals in Republican Tehran.” International Institute for Asian Studies Newsletter. No. 28 (August 2002), 37. 7 Although reduced in number, they have yet to lose their signifi cance. 8 Gustave Le Bon. The Crowd, the Study of the Popular Mind (London: T.F. Unwin, 1903). 9 Zahra Rahnavard, Safar bih diar-i zanan-i but (safarnam-ya hind) [A journey to the land of female idols (a travelogue to India)]. (Tehran: Surush, intisharat-i Òida va sima-ya jumhuri islami iran, 1366 [1987]), 13. 10 Reference to Guy Debord’s formulations in La Societe du Spectacle (Paris, Buchet/Chastel, 1967). For a detailed discussion of war murals, see Christiane J. Gruber’s article in this volume. 11435-08_PersicaXXII_content.indd435-08_PersicaXXII_content.indd 4488 118-02-20098-02-2009 115:33:125:33:12 TEHRAN’S POST IRAN-IRAQ WAR MURALS AND THEIR LEGACY 49 1. Mural depicting Ayatollahs Khomeini, untitled, Tehran, man†aqih (district) 7, ca. late 1980s. (Photograph by author, 2000). SHIFTING SUBJECTS Postwar murals manifested themselves in two distinct groups. The fi rst group included the government’s attempts to explain the cost and consequences of the Iran-Iraq war to its citizens. The second group adopted non-political themes, offering a therapeutic means of promoting public well-being. The former overtly glorifi ed the veterans of war and commemorated the martyrs. An image from Firdawsi Avenue, for example, shows a war veteran with an amputated leg along with a caption that reads: “The value of you, the veteran, is more than that of the martyrs.”11 This type of postwar mural had a lot in common with wartime murals; it signifi ed deeper socio-political continuities between the war years and the postwar period. In this sense, wartime propaganda, which focused on encouraging youth to go to war and consent to martyrdom, became a model for the peacetime propaganda, which recycled the same themes, but this time only for remembering the war. While most murals during the war and its immediate aftermath served the propaganda aims of the regime, Feeroozeh Golmohammadi’s wall paintings took a new direction. 11 Quoted in Grigor, Ibid. 11435-08_PersicaXXII_content.indd435-08_PersicaXXII_content.indd 4499 118-02-20098-02-2009 115:33:125:33:12 50 P. KARIMI Shortly after the Iran-Iraq war, Golmohammadi, a close relative of former Prime Minister Mousavi, was approached by representatives from several district municipalities in Tehran and asked to introduce ideas for new murals to be displayed in main urban areas. Not only did her work get the green light, but she also received many positive reviews.12 Unlike propaganda murals that embraced realistic subjects with dull colors, Golmohammadi’s murals featured abstract themes that bordered on the mystical, rendered in dazzling pastel colors. Her work also added a feminine dimension to a city watched over by the towering images of male fi gures. A look at Golmohammadi’s paintings show the extent to which she refused to follow the path set by early revolutionary artists. KaÂim Chalipa (among the most prominent of these earlier artists) placed art into two categories, “liberating and enslaving.” According to Chalipa, while the former aimed at “liberating humanity in all material and spiritual dimensions,” the latter “had its roots in imperialism and Zionism.”13 In contrast, although motivated by her religious beliefs and supported by the regime, Golmohammadi distanced herself from this simplistic dichotomy. In an autobiographical introduction to her book, Zan, ab, ayinah (woman, water, mirror), she asserts: Years ago, as I was reading voluminously in search of new themes to inspire me …, I found myself attracted, on the one hand, by such subjects as water, rosary beads, simurgh [a mythical thunderbird], mirror and alchemy, and, on the other hand, by such persons as …[the] Virgin Mary and Fatimah-e Zahra.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • KHERAD-DISSERTATION-2013.Pdf
    Copyright by Nastaran Narges Kherad 2013 The Dissertation Committee for Nastaran Narges Kherad Certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: RE-EXAMINING THE WORKS OF AHMAD MAHMUD: A FICTIONAL DEPICTION OF THE IRANIAN NATION IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURY Committee: M.R. Ghanoonparvar, Supervisor Kamran Aghaie Kristen Brustad Elizabeth Richmond-Garza Faegheh Shirazi RE-EXAMINING THE WORKS OF AHMAD MAHMUD: A FICTIONAL DEPICTION OF THE IRANIAN NATION IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURY by Nastaran Narges Kherad, B.A.; M.A. Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin May 2013 Dedication Dedicated to my son, Manai Kherad-Aminpour, the joy of my life. May you grow with a passion for literature and poetry! And may you face life with an adventurous spirit and understanding of the diversity and complexity of humankind! Acknowledgements The completion of this dissertation could not have been possible without the ongoing support of my committee members. First and for most, I am grateful to Professor Ghanoonparvar, who believed in this project from the very beginning and encouraged me at every step of the way. I thank him for giving his time so generously whenever I needed and for reading, editing, and commenting on this dissertation, and also for sharing his tremendous knowledge of Persian literature. I am thankful to have the pleasure of knowing and working with Professor Kamaran Aghaei, whose seminars on religion I cherished the most.
    [Show full text]
  • Political Succession in the Islamic Republic of Iran: the Rise of the Revolutionary Guards
    Political Succession in the Islamic Republic of Iran: The Rise of the Revolutionary Guards Ali Alfoneh Political Succession in the Islamic Republic of Iran: The Rise of the Revolutionary Guards Ali Alfoneh February 5, 2018 Issue Paper #1 2019 The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington (AGSIW), launched in 2015, is an independent, nonprofit institution dedicated to providing expert research and analysis of the social, economic, and political dimensions of the Gulf Arab states and how they impact domestic and foreign policy. AGSIW focuses on issues ranging from politics and security to economics, trade, and business; from social dynamics to civil society and culture. Through programs, publications, and scholarly exchanges the institute seeks to encourage thoughtful debate and inform the U.S. policy community regarding this critical geostrategic region. © 2019 Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. All rights reserved. AGSIW does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of AGSIW, its staff, or its board of directors. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without permission in writing from AGSIW. Please direct inquiries to: [email protected] This publication can be downloaded at no cost at www.agsiw.org. Cover Photo Credits: Khamenei.ir/Wikimedia Commons About the Author Ali Alfoneh is a senior fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. He is the author of Iran Unveiled: How the Revolutionary Guards are Transforming Iran from Theocracy into Military Dictatorship, published by AEI Press in April 2013.
    [Show full text]
  • Marxists Into Muslims: an Iranian Irony Abdolrahim Javadzadeh Florida International University, [email protected]
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by DigitalCommons@Florida International University Florida International University FIU Digital Commons FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations University Graduate School 11-13-2007 Marxists into Muslims: An Iranian Irony Abdolrahim Javadzadeh Florida International University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd Recommended Citation Javadzadeh, Abdolrahim, "Marxists into Muslims: An Iranian Irony" (2007). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 36. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/36 This work is brought to you for free and open access by the University Graduate School at FIU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of FIU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY Miami, Florida MARXISTS INTO MUSLIMS: THE IRANIAN IRONY A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in COMPARATIVE SOCIOLOGY by Abdolrahim Javadzadeh 2007 To: Interim Dean Mark Szuchman College of Arts and Sciences This dissertation, written by Abdolrahim Javadzadeh, and entitled Marxists into Muslims: The Iranian Irony, having been approved in respect to style and intellectual content, is referred to you for judgment. We have read this dissertation and recommend that it be approved. ____________________________________ Douglas Kincaid ____________________________________ Mohiaddin Mesbahi ___________________________________ Barry B. Levine, Major Professor Date of Defense: November 13, 2007 The dissertation of Abdolrahim Javadzadeh is approved. ___________________________________ Interim Dean Mark Szuchman College of Arts and Sciences ____________________________________ Dean George Walker University Graduate School Florida International University, 2007 ii © Copyright 2007 by Abdolrahim Javadzadeh All rights reserved.
    [Show full text]
  • ASPS 2015 Program
    THE SEVENTH BIENNIAL CONVENTION OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF PERSIANATE SOCIETIES (ASPS) ASPS/Istanbul 2015 September 8-11, 2015 Istanbul, Turkey VENUE MIMAR SINAN FINE ARTS UNIVERSITY, FINDIKLI CAMPUS Address: Meclis-i Mebusan Caddesi No: 24 Fındıklı 34427, Beyoğlu, İstanbul Website: http://www.msgsu.edu.tr/tr-TR/findikli/606/Page.aspx Telephone: 0212 252 16 00 THE ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF PERSIANATE SOCIETIES PRESIDENT Saïd Amir Arjomand State University of New York, Stony Brook VICE PRESIDENT Jo-Ann Gross The College of New Jersey ACTING TREASURER Pooriya Alimoradi University of Toronto PAST-PRESIDENTS Parvaneh Pourshariati Institute for the Study of Ancient World (ISAW/NYU and CUNY) Rudi Matthee University of Delaware FOUNDER & PAST-PRESIDENT Saïd Amir Arjomand State University of New York Stony Brook BOARD OF DIRECTORS Pooriya Alimoradi University of Toronto Sussan Babaie The Courtauld Institute of Art Kathryn Babayan University of Michigan 2 Houchang Chehabi Boston University Ghazzal Dabiri University of Ghent Rudi Matthee University of Delaware Jawid Mojaddedi Rutgers University Judith Pfeiffer University of Oxford 3 REGIONAL OFFICE DIRECTORS ARMENIA Garnik Asatrian Caucasian Center for Iranian Studies, Yerevan BALKANS Ahmed Zildžić, The Oriental Institute, Sarajevo COUNCIL FOR EURASIA Florian Schwarz Austrian Academy of Sciences GEORGIA George Sanikidze Institute of Oriental Studies, Tbilisi INDIA Isthtiyaq Ahmad Zilli Aligarh Muslim University IRAN Kourosh Kamali Fars Encyclopedia, Shiraz, Iran PAKISTAN Muhammad Saleem
    [Show full text]
  • UC Irvine Electronic Theses and Dissertations
    UC Irvine UC Irvine Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title The Petrodollar Era and Relations between the United States and the Middle East and North Africa, 1969-1980 Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9m52q2hk Author Wight, David M. Publication Date 2014 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERISITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE The Petrodollar Era and Relations between the United States and the Middle East and North Africa, 1969-1980 DISSERTATION submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in History by David M. Wight Dissertation Committee: Professor Emily S. Rosenberg, chair Professor Mark LeVine Associate Professor Salim Yaqub 2014 © 2014 David M. Wight DEDICATION To Michelle ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF FIGURES iv LIST OF TABLES v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS vi CURRICULUM VITAE vii ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION x INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER 1: The Road to the Oil Shock 14 CHAPTER 2: Structuring Petrodollar Flows 78 CHAPTER 3: Visions of Petrodollar Promise and Peril 127 CHAPTER 4: The Triangle to the Nile 189 CHAPTER 5: The Carter Administration and the Petrodollar-Arms Complex 231 CONCLUSION 277 BIBLIOGRAPHY 287 iii LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1.1 Sectors of the MENA as Percentage of World GNI, 1970-1977 19 Figure 1.2 Selected Countries as Percentage of World GNI, 1970-1977 20 Figure 1.3 Current Account Balances of the Non-Communist World, 1970-1977 22 Figure 1.4 Value of US Exports to the MENA, 1946-1977 24 Figure 5.1 US Military Sales Agreements per Fiscal Year, 1970-1980 255 iv LIST OF TABLES Page Table 2.1 Net Change in Deployment of OPEC’s Capital Surplus, 1974-1976 120 Table 5.1 US Military Sales Agreements per Fiscal Year, 1970-1980 256 v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS It is a cliché that one accumulates countless debts while writing a monograph, but in researching and writing this dissertation I have come to learn the depth of the truth of this statement.
    [Show full text]
  • Discussion Guide for “The Iranian Revolution” a Video Interview with Dr
    DISCUSSION GUIDE FOR “THE IRANIAN REVOLUTION” a video interview with Dr. Abbas Milani Organizing • What is a revolution? Questions • What were the successes and failures of the Iranian Revolution? • How did the Iranian Revolution impact or contribute to events in the Middle East, the United States, and the world? • How is the Iranian Revolution similar and different from other revolutions? • What are some of the challenges of writing about a historical event like the Iranian Revolution? Summary In this video, Professor Abbas Milani discusses Iran and the Iranian Revolution, noting the influence of Iran regionally and in the United States, the significance and impact of the Iranian Revolution, and the Iranian Revolution’s causes and effects. He also emphasizes the fight for democracy throughout Iran’s history of revolutions and today. Objectives During and after viewing this video, students will: • gain a general understanding of the course of the Iranian Revolution and the events leading up to it; • examine the definition of revolution and compare the Iranian Revolution with other revolutions; • analyze the significance and impact of the Iranian Revolution in history and today; and • understand the complexities and multiple perspectives of history. “IRANIAN REVOLUTION” DISCUSSION GUIDE 1 introduction Materials Handout 1, Background Guide—Iranian Revolution, pp. 5–9, 30 copies Handout 2, Video Notes, p. 10, 30 copies Handout 3, Connection—Iran Today, pp. 11–12, 5 copies Projection 1, Discussion—What is a revolution?, p. 13 Projection 2, Wrap-up Discussion, p. 14 Answer Key 1, Video Notes, pp. 15–16 Answer Key 2, Connection—Iran Today, pp.
    [Show full text]
  • US Foreign Policy and Its Perspectives on Revolutionary Iran
    A Fleeting, Forgotten, Modus Vivendi: U.S. Foreign Policy and its Perspectives on Revolutionary Iran Before the Hostage Crisis of 1979 By Nathan Eckman Senior Thesis Spring 2018 Columbia University Department of History Seminar Advisor: Matthew Connelly Faculty Advisor: Peter Awn Table of Contents 2 Preface & Acknowledgments 3 Introduction 11 Chapter One: America, The Arbiter January – December, 1978 25 Chapter Two: “The Islamic Movement Will Squander” January – April, 1979 42 Chapter Three: Dawn in Qom, Dusk in Tehran May – November, 1979 54 Conclusion 60 Bibliography Eckman 1 Preface & Acknowledgments Four years ago I was in the Middle East wearing Marine Corps combat utilities. The men I trained beside, the seas and straits my ship traveled through, and the lands my platoon traversed illuminated the complexity and richness of the Middle East as a whole. I became fascinated with the region’s history and the United States’ involvement in it. It was also then that I decided to study the region whenever and wherever I went to school. Even then, due in part to its mysterious image and rogue-classification, I knew Iran must be the topic of my studies. So to begin, I must thank Columbia University and its History Department for providing me the opportunity to make my intellectual aspirations a reality. My years at this institution have challenged me on nearly every front and simultaneously given me the autonomy to find answers for myself. This, of course, is possible only because of the people that are the fabric of this great institution. It is tempting to list every man and woman who helped me along this journey.
    [Show full text]
  • Who Instigated the White Revolution of the Shah and the People in Iran, 1963?
    Agent or Client: Who Instigated the White Revolution of the Shah and the People in Iran, 1963? A thesis submitted to The University of Manchester for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Humanities 2015 Michael J. Willcocks School of Arts, Languages and Cultures ! 2! Contents Photographs & Cartoons 5 ! Abstract 6 ! Declaration 7 ! Copyright Statement 8 ! Acknowledgements 9 Introduction 10 Literature Review: US-Iranian Relations and 10 Reform in Iran 1961-63 ! Approach 26 Contribution to Knowledge 28 ! Research Questions 28 ! Hypothesis 28 ! Methodology & Sources 29 ! Thesis Structure 31 ! Transliteration 32 ! ! Chapter 1: Iran! and the United States 1945-61 33 ! 1.1 US-Iranian Relations 1946-61 33 1.2 Iranian Situation 1953-61 39 Chapter 2: ʻAlī Amīnī: The Last Chance? 47 2.1 The Appointment of ʻAlī Amīnī 47 2.1.1 The Man 48 2.1.2 The Controversy 50 2.1.3 Events 52 2.1.4 Explanation 59 2.2 Amīnī’s Plan and Team 66 2.2.1 Amīnī’s Plan 66 2.2.2 Amīnī’s Cabinet 67 2.2.2.1 Ḥasan Arsanjānī 70 2.2.2.2 Nūr al-Dīn Alamūtī 72 2.2.2.3 Muḥammad Dirakhshish 73 2.2.3 A Divided Government 75 2.3 The White House Reacts 77 2.3.1 Economic Assistance 78 ! ! 3! 2.3.1.1 Transition to the Decade of Development 80 2.3.1.2 Reacting to the Crisis in Iran 84 2.3.2 The Iran Task Force 87 2.3.2.1 Policy Objectives 89 2.3.2.2 US Support for Amīnī 93 2.4 Amīnī’s Government: Generating Momentum 97 2.4.1 Anti-Corruption 98 2.4.2 Managing The Economy 100 2.4.3 Third Plan Preparations 101 2.4.4 Land Reform 102 ! Chapter 3: Controlling! the Future 106 !
    [Show full text]
  • There Can't Be Societies Without Uprisings
    © Farès Sassine and Michel Foucault ISSN: 1852-5203 DOI: https://doi.org/10.22439/Fs.v25i2.5588 Foucault Studies, No. 25, 324-350, October 2018 INTERVIEW There Can’t Be Societies without Uprisings FARÈS SASSINE AND MICHEL FOUCAULT Translation by Alex J. Feldman Note. Extracts From this interview were published in Arabic in An Nahar al’arabî wa addûwalî on August 26, 1979.1 We have here simply retranscribed the complete recording. We have chosen not to mask the lacunae oF the archive, and we have kept the markers oF orality (partial syntax, hesitations, ends oF sentences that trail oFF, turns in the conversation due to Fatigue or technical problems). On the one hand, the goal is to make the status oF the text unambiguous: Foucault did not re-read it beFore publication, unlike the other interviews gathered in Dits et écrits. On the other hand, we did not want to take away the emotion that comes From Following the contours of a thought in the process oF working itselF out. ù Farès Sassine: Let’s talk about Iran. Close to ten months have passed since you first took up a position on the Iranian revolution, right? At first, your position scandalised the French intellec- tual scene, and afterwards it left a strong impression there. In those ten months, we’ve witnessed the departure of the sovereign of Iran and the attempt by the mullahs to set up a government, a possibility you yourself had evoked, while refusing to reduce the Iranian uprising2 to it. Elsewhere 1 This interview appeared For the First time in its original language (French) in February oF 2013, in the se- cond issue oF the journal Rodéo.
    [Show full text]
  • Discursive Continuity of Political Nationalism As a Form of Opposition Politics in Modern Iran
    DISCURSIVE CONTINUITY OF POLITICAL NATIONALISM AS A FORM OF OPPOSITION POLITICS IN MODERN IRAN A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY PINAR ARIKAN SİNKAYA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS SEPTEMBER 2015 Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Meliha Altunışık Director I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Bağcı Head of Department This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Prof. Dr. Meliha Altunışık Supervisor Examining Committee Members Prof. Dr. İhsan Dağı (METU, IR) Prof. Dr. Meliha Altunışık (METU, IR) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zana Çitak Aytürk (METU, IR) Asst. Prof. Dr. Derya Göçer Akder (METU, ARS) Assoc. Prof. Dr. İlker Aytürk (BİLKENT, POLS) I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Name, Last name : Pınar Arıkan Sinkaya Signature : iii ABSTRACT DISCURSIVE CONTINUITY OF POLITICAL NATIONALISM AS A FORM OF OPPOSITION POLITICS IN MODERN IRAN Arıkan Sinkaya, Pınar Ph.D., Department of International Relations Supervisor : Prof. Dr. Meliha Altunışık September 2015, 392 pages The dissertation examines political nationalism as a transformative power of modern Iranian politics at the societal level through historical-sociological study of four mass opposition movements, which are the Constitutional Movement (1906-11), National Front Movement (1949-53), Iranian Revolution Movement (1978-79), and Green Movement (2009).
    [Show full text]
  • Association for Iranian Studies Conference
    12tʰ Biennial . Iranian Studies Conference 45 Program Overview Conference Registration Tuesday, August 14, 2018 | 2:00 pm – 5:30 pm | Humanities Gateway Patio AIS Council Meeting (Council Members Only) Tuesday, August 14, 2018 I 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm I Humanities Gateway 1341 American Association of Teachers of Persian (Members Annual Meeting) Tuesday, August 14, 2018 I 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm I Humanities Gateway 1010 Opening Reception and Welcome Tuesday, August 14, 2018 I 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm I Claire Trevor School of the Arts Plaza AIS Presidential Address and Award Ceremony Thursday, August 16, 2018 I 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm I Humanities Inst ruct ional Building 100 Association for Iranian Studies Member Assembly Friday, August 17, 2018 I 3:45 pm – 5:15 pm I Humanities Inst ruct ional Building 100 46 12tʰ Biennial . Iranian Studies Conference Featured Films 12tʰ12tʰ BiennialBiennial . IranianIranian Studies ConferenceCoC nference 474 Films at Humanities Gateway 1070 (McCormick Screening Room) Taq-e Kasra: Wonder of Architecture, 2018 Wednesday, August 15, 2018 | 10:45 AM - 12:15 PM | Humanities Gateway 1070 A Pejman Akbarzadeh documentary Post Screening Discussion with Pejman Akbarzadeh A Dying King, 2017 Wednesday, August 15, 2018| 3:45 PM - 5:30 PM | Humanities Gateway 1070 A Bobak Kalhor documentary Post Screening Discussion with Bobak Kalhor and Mateo Farzaneh Lalehzar, 2018 Thursday, August 16, 2018| 10:45 AM - 12:15 PM | Humanities Gateway 1070 A Mehrdad Zahedian documentary Post Screening Discussion with Mehrdad Zahedian and Jane Lewisohn Sons of Sinbad, 2017 Thursday, August 16, 2018| 3:45 PM - 5 PM | Humanities Gateway 1070 A Reza Haeri and Ali Parsa documentary Gavaznha, 1974 Friday, August 17, 2018 | 10:45 AM-1:30 PM | Humanities Gatway 1070 A Masoud Kimiai drama Post Screening Discussion with Behrouz Vossoughi and Jane Lewisohn 48 12tʰ Biennial .
    [Show full text]
  • Doctoral Thesis a Study of Shi'i Islam and Democracy: the Political
    Doctoral Thesis A Study of Shi’i Islam and Democracy: The Political Stance of Ideologues and Iranian Revolution of 1979 Qolamreza Nassr Division of Integrated Arts and Sciences Graduate School of Integrated Arts and Sciences Hiroshima University March 2018 A STUDY OF SHI’I ISLAM AND DEMOCRACY: THE POLITICAL STANCE OF IDEOLOGUES AND IRANIAN REVOLUTION OF 1979 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER ONE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND AND IDEOLOGICAL MOTIVATION OF 1979 REVOLUTION 14 1.1 Constitutional Revolution 15 1.2 Oil Nationalization Movement 26 1.3 Uprising of 15 Khordad 31 Concluding Remarks 35 CHAPTER TWO RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS BEFORE 1979 REVOLUTION 40 2.1 Ulama, State and Political Affairs in Iran 41 2.2 Progressive Intellectuals and Political Organizations 45 2.3 Nehzat-e Azadi and the Goal of Political Solidarity 48 2.4 Hosseiniye Ershad and New Generation of Islamic Thinkers 52 Concluding Remarks 56 CHAPTER THREE BAZARGAN AND HIS ATTEMPT FOR AN ISLAMIC DEMOCRACY 60 3.1 Bazargan’s Life as the Background of His Ideology 60 3.2 Bazargan’s Ideology 66 3.3 Bazargan’s Political Activity 70 3.4 Premiership and Draft Constitution of 1979 74 3.5 Subsequent Ideological Development 77 Concluding Remarks 79 CHAPTER FOUR AYATOLLAH TALEQANI AND THE 1979 REVOLUTION 84 4.1 Taleqani’s Early Life as the Background of His Ideology 84 4.2 Taleqani and other Revolutionary Ideologues 86 4.3 The Threat of Marxism and Taleqani’s Ideology 89 4.4 Birth of Revolutionary Stance 91 4.5 Taleqani and Mass Mobilization 94 4.6 Seeing the Revolution in Danger 95 Concluding
    [Show full text]