Cultural Revolution in Iran

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

Inhalt

INTRODUCTION: Annabelle Sreberny
Social context and sexuality

2. Pardis MAHDAVI - Iran's Youth Movement in Context (Annabelle is going to contact her to see if we can negotiate a revision as she is refusing at the moment)
3. Mahmoud ARGHAVAN - A Cultural Bricolage: Local Traditions and Global Styles in Contemporary Tehrani Youth
4. Azadeh KIAN - Social and Cultural Change and the Women's Rights Movement in Iran
5. Mehri HONARBIN-HOLLIDAY - Emerging Forms in Masculinity in the Islamic
   Performing Arts and Cinema
6. Liliane ANJO - Contemporary Iranian Theatre: The Emergence of an Autonomous Space
7. Saeed ZEYDABADI-NEJAD - Beyond Gender: Women Filmmakers and Socio-political Critique
8. Parmis MOZAFARI - Dance and the Borders of Public and Private Life in Post-Revolution Iran
   MUSIC
9. Bronwen ROBERTSON - Identity and Expression in Tehran's Unofficial Rock Music Scene
10. Nahid SIAMDOUST - Neither 'Islamic' nor a 'Republic:' Discourses in Music
    REPRESENTATION
11. Vit SISLER - Digital Heroes: Identity Construction in Iranian Video Games
12. Katja FÖLLMER - Satire in the Iranian Media: Development and Diversity
13. Naghmeh SAMINI - The Exploration of Sexual Taboos in Iran's Text Message Jokes
14. AliceBOMBARDIER - Iranian War Painting: New Trends
15. Anna Vanzan - Women Publishers

BEYOND BORDERS

16. Amin MOGHADAM - The Other Shore: Iranians in the United Arab Emirates