Pre-revolutionary Iran Research Articles

«Исламское пробуждение» имама Хомейни и «Белая революция» шахиншаха Мохаммада Реза-Пехлеви (к вопросу о взаимоотношениях с Западом)

The article attempts an analytical analysis of the views of Imam Khomeini on the need for an inevitable revision and rejection of the pro-Western policy of Shahinshah Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, carried out within the framework of the «White Revolution». The article is based on the analysis of Imam Khomeini’s public speeches, which appeared during his forced stay in France before the revolution itself, when he had the opportunity to directly address the Western audience, trying to explain the real state of affairs in pre-revolutionary Iran. It was after this that the figure of Khomeini began to be perceived in the Western media as the leader of the anti-Shah movement. The article draws on the works of the imam included in the official multi-volume collections of his works «Kawthar» and «Sahifeh-ye Imam». The ideas expressed by the imam criticizing the consequences of the Shah’s reforms formed the basis of his concept of «Islamic Awakening», designed to become an alternative to the official course of the Shah’s Iran after the victory of the Islamic Revolution. The article analyzes the imam’s statements about the figure and reforms of the Shah, his foreign policy dependence on the United States, the inevitable failure of economic and social transformations, the deadlock of the pro-Western course in the education system and propaganda cliches imposed from the outside about the advantages of Western culture and Western values. The sources involved made it possible to clarify and clarify the ideological and theoretical approaches of Imam Khomeini in the interpretation of crisis phenomena in the life of Iranian society, which was undergoing a radical transformation. As a result of the analysis, the conclusion is made about the inevitability of the events that have gone down in history under the name of the «Islamic Revolution».

Introduction

Introduction

‘Zapata is Fighting the Enemy Here’: Defanging a Rebel in Pre-revolutionary Iran

This article is an analysis of the Persian dubbed version of Viva Zapata! (Elia Kazan, 1952) in terms of reception, translational manipulation, and censorship. The version’s historical context, including the political and ideological developments of the decades preceding the Islamic Revolution in Iran, is provided. Then an analysis of the manipulations in the microstructural level follows. Finally, the micro- and macro-structural understanding is coalesced to come up with an overall picture of the movie’s Persian version, its implications for the historical context in which it emerged, and some conclusions about the importance of history in analyzing translation practices in the receptor culture.

«Совершенный человек» vs «Праведный факих»: суфийские истоки политической концепции имама Хомейни

The main models of rationalization formed in the classical period of the Arab-Muslim culture (VIII–XV centuries) have had a notable impact on Modern polit­ical discourse in Iran. The paper presents an analysis of the political concept of the ideologist of the Islamic revolution in Iran in 1979 Ayatollah Khomeini (1902–1989). Applying the categorical model “explicit – hidden” (ẓāhir – bāṭin) to the analysis of Khomeini’s argumentation makes it possible to identify the most important references to the major philosophemes of mature Sufism in his main work “Governance of the Jurist: Islamic Government” (Vilāyāt-i faqīh: hukumat-i islāmi). The paper explores Khomeini’s views on the phenomenon of Islamic rule, personal qualities and duties of the ruler-jurist (faqīh). The result shows how the concept of the “Perfect Human Being” (insān kāmil), of the greatest Sufi thinker Ibn ‘Arabi (1165–1240) is realized and fundamentally re­considered in Khomeini’s political manifesto. In Ibn ‘Arabi’s philosopheme the unity of God-and-world is manifested by the “Perfect Human Being”. The gov­ernance of Khomeini’s “Righteous Jurist” helps maintain God-and-people “con­nection” at state level. A comparison of Ibn ‘Arabi’s philosopheme and the polit­ical concept the “Governance of the Jurist” sheds light on the ways the “Perfect Human Being” concept increasingly associated with the figure of “Righteous Ju­rist” in socio-political reality of pre-revolutionary Iran

Rocks and Hard Places: Gender, Satire, and Social Reproduction in Pre-Revolutionary Iran

AbstractThis article examines the ways that Iranian women have been situated in the nation-building exercise from the White Revolution of 1963 to the 1979 revolution and period of consolidation of clerical power. Social Reproduction Theory elucidates critical facets of both state control and spaces of counterhegemonic resistance. These spaces include publications like Tawfiq, a political satire magazine published in the Pahlavi era, which is featured in the analysis as a site of political contestation that could be utilized and expanded by other opposition groups. This paper argues that in contrast to the popularly accepted dichotomy between liberalized and regressive gender roles, this arena represented a critical failure on the part of the secular opposition, which enabled the clerical faction to co-opt and take control of narratives in which they cast themselves as protectors of women and other vulnerable groups.

Más allá de la Revolución: estudio comparado del pensamiento político de Ali Shariati y Ruholá Jomeini

Este artículo analiza los proyectos políticos frente a la modernidad occidental de dos de los pensadores islámicos más prominentes en la segunda mitad del siglo XX en Irán. La Revolución Islámica de 1979 es habitualmente presentada como una revolución unicolor, orquestada y culminada por el Ayatolá Jomeini y sus seguidores. Esta narrativa elude y niega la diversidad de ideas, proyectos y pensamientos que caracterizan el Irán prerrevolucionario. A modo de demostración, presentaremos de manera comparada los pensamientos y proyectos políticos de ‘Ali Shari’ati y Ruholá Jomeini, que se pueden considerar como los más significativos de la intelligentsia religiosa de la época. El primero se distingue como proponente de una modernidad alternativa basada en la revolución del chiismo. Por su parte, defenderemos que el proyecto presentado por Jomeini es teórica y analíticamente mejor definido como un populismo pragmático de base islámica que como un proyecto fundamentalista chií.

Clickbait orientalism and vintage Iranian snapshots

What happens when vintage family photos are digitized and enter the global visual economy as representations of a people, politics, time, and place? In this article, I examine the social life of an exemplary viral snapshot from pre-revolutionary Iran to demonstrate three of the many shifting uses and social meanings of these snapshots in online global circulations: as representations for diasporic nostalgizing, as tools of soft power in public diplomacy, and as sources for viral journalism that contribute to what I call clickbait orientalism. A 21st-century form of digital soft weaponry, this latter use of Iranian vintage photos trades on gendered orientalist tropes, the indexical power of family photographs, and the context of four decades of geopolitical tension to attract attention and thus revenue. Ultimately, these further remediations render such family snapshots as anonymous, symbolic, weaponized, and monetized, confirming that latent orientalist ideologies continue to circulate even as their manifest forms change over time.

Iran's Political Economy since the Revolution

Iran's Political Economy since the Revolution

Beyond Religion: Ulama and Politics in Pre-revolutionary Iran

The primary aim of this paper is to investigate the relations between the ulama and politics in Iranian history throughout the period between the 1950s to late 1970s. It will focus on two interrelated questions: 1. Were the ulama always led the mass opposition movements in Iranian history, as they often claimed or were credited to be? 2. Did the Iranian Revolution occurred mainly thanks to the ulama`s efforts? By analyzing the relations between the ulama and politics in three consecutive periods in modern history of Iran, which are 1951-1953 period of oil nationalization, 1963 the White Revolution and finally the revolutionary struggles of 1977-1979, the paper shows that there was not a predetermined area of conflict or cooperation between these two domains, but a dynamic interaction shaped by the very political interests of the actors.

Iran's daughter and mother Iran: Googoosh and diasporic nostalgia for the Pahlavi modern

AbstractThis article examines Googoosh, the reigning diva of Persian popular music, through an evaluation of diasporic Iranian discourse and artistic productions linking the vocalist to a feminized nation, its ‘victimisation’ in the revolution, and an attendant ‘nostalgia for the modern’ (Özyürek 2006) of pre-revolutionary Iran. Following analyses of diasporic media that project national drama and desire onto her persona, I then demonstrate how, since her departure from Iran in 2000, Googoosh has embraced her national metaphorization and produced new works that build on historical tropes linking nation, the erotic, and motherhood while capitalising on the nostalgia that surrounds her.

Monolithic Religious Markets, Fragmented State Structures, and Islamic Fundamentalism among Iranians and across the Middle East and North Africa

Conceptualizing fundamentalism as an orientation toward one’s religion, this paper proposes that fundamentalism on the macro level results from two types of monopolies in the religious market: (1) a state-imposed secular monopoly and (2) a religious monopoly aligned with a unified authoritarian state, (3) but it declines when a religious monopoly is supported by a fragmented regime that sustains a fractionalized elite. The conditions of post-independence (1919) Egypt and pre-revolutionary Iran conform to the first, Saudi Arabia to the second, and post-revolutionary Iran to the third. Testing these propositions by using cross-national data from fourteen Middle Eastern and North African countries, the results show that fundamentalism is linked (1) positively to state authoritarianism, (2) positively to state regulation of religion, and (3) negatively to fractionalized elites. On the micro level, this paper shows that variation in fundamentalism among Iranians is connected to the features of the Islamic regime –religiosity, Islamic identity, trust in the mosque and in different institutions of the state, hostility toward outgroups and the West, and the reliance on the regime-controlled TV as a source of entertainment. Beyond religion and regime, fundamentalism is negatively linked to socioeconomic status, urban living, liberalism, and access to diverse sources of information, but positively to the perception that the economy works for the benefit of all Iranians. Sunnis are more fundamentalist, but Kurds and Lurs are less.

Iran's political economy since the revolution

1. Introduction 2. The prelude: the political economy of pre-revolutionary Iran 3. The economics of upheaval, 1977-80 4. The cost of sacred defense, 1980-9 5. The reconstruction jihad, 1989-97 6. Ayatollah Gorbachev: reform within the red lines, 1997-2005 7. Populism, version 2.0: the Ahmadinejad era, 2005-13 8. Energy and the Islamic republic 9. Sanctions and the sacred state 10. Conclusion.

Sayyid Quṭb in Iran: Translating the Islamist Ideologue in the Islamic Republic

Although many studies have explored the dissemination of Sayyid Quṭb’s thought and the impact of his works on the formation of Islamist ideology in the Sunni world, little attention has been paid to the influence of Quṭb on the Islamic revolution in Iran. This article argues that Sayyid Quṭb was an influential figure among the Iranian revolutionaries and his ideas played an instrumental role in shaping the discourse of Islamism in pre-revolutionary Iran and the Islamic Republic. The article starts by exploring the personal and ideological connections between Sayyid Quṭb and pre-revolutionary Iranian Islamists. Next, it examines how these connections led to an extensive translation movement that popularized Quṭb’s ideas in Iran. With this translation movement, all of Quṭb’s major works were rendered into Persian by prominent Islamists of the time, such as Iran’s future supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. These works are still in print in the Islamic Republic of Iran today. Finally, the article discusses the legacy of Quṭb in contemporary Iran, where his writings are being reinterpreted in the light of contemporary political developments, such as the rise of Salafi jihadism. Toward this end, a conference on Sayyid Quṭb held in Tehran in 2015 attended by many prominent scholars and intellectuals. This conference is not only a good indicator of Quṭb’s continued importance in Iran but it also provides a view of the changes and continuities in the perception of Quṭb in Iranian intellectual circles.

An analysis of the circumstances and factors that have influenced the development of Animation Industry in Iran in the 1960-2002 periods

In the early part of 20th century animation emerged as a revolutionary way of making art. It evolved into a powerful means of expression and creativity of artists who could merge all art genres into one art form. The subsequent developments of animation have opened its diverse uses in entertainment business, education and political propaganda.
 This article attempts to examine the factors that have influenced and shaped the development of animation industry in Iran. It takes a historical view and investigates the impacts of changing socio-economic and political forces that have determined the functions of animation in the Iranian society. The study traces the establishment of the industry to the government-run centres, describing the pioneering role of artists who gave rise to the ‘golden age’ of animation in the pre-revolutionary Iran. Especial attention is throughout paid to the long and rich cultural and artistic heritages, as the thematic basis for indigenously produced animated films in Iran. The growth of the industry is considered in conjuncture with the expansion of feature films cinema and expansion of television networks. The latter is particularly important for the fact that it provides a secured market for a sizeable audience of children and young people in Iran. The study analyses the impact of the 1979 Islamic Revolution on the animation industry from a period of stagnation to a highly promoted and government sponsored artistic and industrial activity. In the post-revolutionary period, the industry was transformed from one reflecting the Iranian history and culture to the one that emphasises the Islamic-Iranian values and Islamic traditions; hence animation has become an ideological means in propagating the cultural policy of the state. Thus, animation has increasingly become a cultural industry assigned to supply growing needs of television and artistic works reserved for international festivals.This research is largely based on extensive interviews with animation artists and those who are working in the industry complemented with a sample of questionnaires addressed to both Iranian artists and foreign observers and participants in the Iranian International festivals on animation. The research methodology is also supplemented with the research on printed materials – very few and often descriptive- and personal experience of working over twenty years in the industry.

Cinematic Revolution: Cosmopolitan Alter-cinema of Pre-revolutionary Iran

In the late 1950s, when Iran was witness to the withering away of social norms and everyday practices concomitant with the country's rapid urbanization, a group of young Iranian film directors embarked upon a new cinematic trend, in attempts to screen the ethereal quotidian of Iranian life. Defining itself against what was perceived to be the “cheap” and “repetitive” commercial “Film Farsi” industry of the time, this alternative (alter-)cinema fused the local and global, by incorporating international cinematic elements in socially and politically conscious national films, and projecting them on local and international screens. Problematizing a homogeneous conception of historical time that subsumes the history of cinema into a conventionalized grand narrative of the Iranian 1979 revolution, this article works with a conception of heterogeneous historical time that first interrogates cinematic temporality autonomously and then in relation to the political history of Iran, especially the events of the 1978–79 revolution. This article explores how the distinct cosmopolitan alter-cinema of pre-revolutionary Iran was born from a cinematic rupture in the 1950s, prompted by series of critiques and professional expectations that colored the attention paid to the vernacular and quotidian in film production.

Iran’s Soft War with the West: History, Myth, and Nationalism in the New Communications Age

Tehran believes itself to be embroiled in a “soft war.” “Countering the soft war is the main priority for us today,” said Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei soon after the disputed presidential elections of 2009. “In a soft war the enemy tries to make use of advanced cultural and communication tools to spread lies and rumors.” What is this “soft war?” How did it emerge in Iranian discourse? This paper will trace the genesis of the term in Iranian politics from pre-revolutionary Iran to 2012. It will argue that the “soft war” is the latest iteration of a long-standing myth, in which outside powers seek to dominate Iranian identity and sovereignty through cultural means.

Transsexuality as a Window on and a Metaphor for Contemporary Iran

Transsexuality as a Window on and a Metaphor for Contemporary Iran

A Critical introduction to Khomeini

Introduction: Ayatollah Khomeini: a clerical revolutionary? Arshin Adib-Moghaddam 1. Khomeini and the 'White Revolution' Fakhreddin Azimi 2. The rise of Khomeinism: problematizing the politics of resistance in pre-revolutionary Iran Mojtaba Mahdavi 3. Wilayat al-Faqih and the meaning of Islamic government Amr G. E. Sabet 4. Ayatollah Khomeini's rule of the guardian jurist: from theory to practice Ali Rahnema 5. Khatt-e imam: the followers of Khomeini's line L. A. Reda 6. Khomeini and the West Mehran Kamrava 7. Gendered Khomeini Azadeh Kian 8. Hidden Khomeini: mysticism and poetry Lloyd Ridgeon 9. The divine, the people, and the Faqih: on Khomeini's theory of sovereignty Behrooz Ghamari-Tabrizi 10. Khomeini's legacy on women's rights and roles in the Islamic Republic of Iran Arzoo Osanloo 11. To rule, or not to rule? An alternative look at the political life of Ayatollah Khomeini between 1960 and 1980 Sadegh Zibakalam 12. Khomeini and the decolonization of the political S. Sayyid 13. Contentious legacies of the Ayatollah Babak Rahimi.

Ideological Manipulations: The Persian Translation of The Gadfly

This paper discusses the lexical choices made by the translator of a novel. The novel, The Gadfly, has a political significance for the pre-revolutionary Iran. Lexical choices were discussed in light of the methodology provided by Leuven-Zwart who introduces three taxonomies of modulation, modification and mutation for translation shifts. This is supplemented with Venuti’s metonymic intertextuality in which the translation text is linked to the dominant discourses of time. The research revealed that the translator has made a novel more political by opting for more ideological lexical items in Persian.

Intimating Dissent: Popular Song, Poetry, and Politics in Pre-Revolutionary Iran

Research Article| January 01 2013 Intimating Dissent: Popular Song, Poetry, and Politics in Pre-Revolutionary Iran Farzaneh Hemmasi Farzaneh Hemmasi Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Ethnomusicology (2013) 57 (1): 57–87. https://doi.org/10.5406/ethnomusicology.57.1.0057 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Twitter Permissions Search Site Citation Farzaneh Hemmasi; Intimating Dissent: Popular Song, Poetry, and Politics in Pre-Revolutionary Iran. Ethnomusicology 1 January 2013; 57 (1): 57–87. doi: https://doi.org/10.5406/ethnomusicology.57.1.0057 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All Scholarly Publishing CollectiveUniversity of Illinois PressEthnomusicology Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. Copyright 2013 by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois2013 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.