On mosques and malls: Understanding Khomeinism as a source of counter-hegemonic resistance to the spread of global consumer culture

Abstract

Recent work on globalisation, in particular that of Leslie Sklair, has identified the culture-ideology of consumerism as the life-blood of global capitalism. As such, the most significant challenge to the hegemony of globalisation would be a political movement characterised by an anti-consumerist ethos. While many look to the so-called ‘anti-globalisation’ movement for such a counter-hegemonic force, I argue that this movement is too disparate, and does not enjoy any meaningful focus on the genuine causes and social infrastructure of consumerism. Thus, I suggest we must look elsewhere if we are interested in identifying a truly counter-hegemonic anti-consumerist political movement. My main assertion is that some forms of contemporary radical Islam represent such a challenge. To support this assertion, I discursively explore the key cultural-historical themes and aspects of Shi'ism, ideological discourses in twentieth-century Iran, and the rhetoric and policies of the Khomeinist state, in an attempt to illustrate their anti-consumerist tenets and consequences.