In a box: a narrative of a/n (under)grounded Iranian musician

Abstract

ABSTRACTDue to years of precarious sociopolitical circumstances before and after the 1979 revolution, Iranian youth developed an acute sense of music making and learning unique to their locales, representing their deep-rooted desire to make their own music, and to move away from the state’s heavy-handed intrusion into their act of music making, and years of continuous religious/national identity crisis. Through narrative inquiry, the current research examines the life stories of Raam, an underground rock musician, who started his musical career unofficially in Iran with the assistance of his peers and family members, but later left the country to pursue his musicianship officially and outside the imposed regulations. During these years, Raam, along with fellow Iranian musicians, created an underground music scene that followed the sentiments of anarchism, do-it-yourself, and the Temporary Autonomous Zone (TAZ). This scene became one of Iran’s core music learning and teaching platforms where creativity, collaboration, and sense of camaraderie set the tone for the movement, striving for change and self-expression. Through Raam’s life stories, one can read the story of a generation of Iranian youths’ inevitable political music education; one in which local activism is of great significance, and hides small but steady acts of subversion.