The Literacy Corps (sepah-e danesh) was implemented in Iran in the framework of the White Revolution (1963-1979) during the reign of Muhammad Reza Pahlavi (1941-1979). Suggested by the Kennedy... Show moreThe Literacy Corps (sepah-e danesh) was implemented in Iran in the framework of the White Revolution (1963-1979) during the reign of Muhammad Reza Pahlavi (1941-1979). Suggested by the Kennedy administration as an alternative to red revolutions and as a condition to US aid, the White Revolution aimed at propelling Iran onto the level of the most modernized countries. However, since about 40% of the labour force was illiterate and, thus, could not foster productivity, the government realized that action had to be taken in the field of education. Show less
Runaway, a documentary film directed by Kim Longinotto and Ziba Mir-Hosseini, was shot in late 2000 in Tehran, and is set in Rayhaneh House, a shelter for runaway girls. Like their earlier Divorce... Show moreRunaway, a documentary film directed by Kim Longinotto and Ziba Mir-Hosseini, was shot in late 2000 in Tehran, and is set in Rayhaneh House, a shelter for runaway girls. Like their earlier Divorce Iranian Style, Runaway shows how Iranian women are learning to challenge the old rules, and how rapidly their country is changing. The film follows the stories of five teenagers, exploring their longing for freedom, their hopes for a brighter future, and their experiences of society's double rules and standards when it comes to gender rights. The shelter is run by the dynamic and charismatic Mrs Shirazi and her team of counsellors, who protect the girls from their families and help to renegotiate their relationships. Show less
Contemporary Islam is witnessing the advent of new critical discourses from within its own modes of articulation. It confronts a new epistemic and interpretative situation, which is generally felt... Show moreContemporary Islam is witnessing the advent of new critical discourses from within its own modes of articulation. It confronts a new epistemic and interpretative situation, which is generally felt as something of an emergency. This emergency in epistemology and hermeneutics is largely the result of a radical shift of the categories of modern philosophy, science, culture and geography. Given the fact that the exploratory elaboration of law for centuries has been the dominant mode of self-expression in Islam, one of the key themes of contemporary Shici thought is the search for a legal identity. The current debate on the sharica (divine law) in Iran underscores the continued significance of this exploration. In the debate, the radical post-modernist cAbd al-Karim Surush contests the epistemic certainty of eternal knowledge, so common among modernists. Show less
The immense importance of the complex interaction between Iran and the outside world has long been recognized, but scholars traditionally have been selective in the attention they have paid to its... Show moreThe immense importance of the complex interaction between Iran and the outside world has long been recognized, but scholars traditionally have been selective in the attention they have paid to its manifestations and individual aspects. From the wars against classical Greece to the Iranian Revolution, their focus has typically been Iran's relations with Europe, and later the United States, revolving around commercial traffic, imperialism and the reaction to it, particularly reform attempts. Especially with regard to the period since 1500, this emphasis has come at the expense of studying relations with countries adjacent to Iran - a situation that is no doubt reinforced by a tendency among Iranians themselves to overlook and ignore the region around them in their eagerness to adopt - or resist - things Western. A different approach, one that looks also at neighbours and at culture and cultural politics, should offer us much new information. Show less
Roughly a decade after the Constitutional Revolution of 1905/06, many Iranians were of the opinion that constitutionalism had failed to build a sound social and political order in their country,... Show moreRoughly a decade after the Constitutional Revolution of 1905/06, many Iranians were of the opinion that constitutionalism had failed to build a sound social and political order in their country, although they understood this situation in different ways in that period of accelerating processes of social diversification. One of several social groups was the nascent modern middle class, emerging since the late 1910s, which reacted to Iran's post-constitutional troubles with a turn of attention away from political revolution to sociocultural reform as the panacea for the creation of a modern individual, society, and state. Show less
Following the tragic events of 11 September 2001, Samuel Huntington's theory of a 'clash of civilizations' has been garnering greater currency. Whereas it was roundly condemned in 1993 as a new... Show moreFollowing the tragic events of 11 September 2001, Samuel Huntington's theory of a 'clash of civilizations' has been garnering greater currency. Whereas it was roundly condemned in 1993 as a new manifestation of Orientalism, in today's post-11 September world it is hailed as having 'lasting importance'. Such dangerous thinking is now beginning to pervade presentations of Iranian-American relations, distorting the reality that conflict between Iran and the United States is a result of conflicting interests, not cultures. Show less
In June and July 1999 the National Film Theatre in London screened over 50 Iranian films, made before and after the 1978-79 Revolution. The proceedings of the accompanying SOAS conference have now... Show moreIn June and July 1999 the National Film Theatre in London screened over 50 Iranian films, made before and after the 1978-79 Revolution. The proceedings of the accompanying SOAS conference have now been published. Contributors review the development of Iranian cinema before the Revolution, efforts to create an Islamic cinema afterwards, and the growing international success of the 'New Iranian Cinema'. Typical features of this cinema are examined: the blurring of boundaries between documentary and fiction, the focus on children, the constrained portrayal of women, and the way the success of Iranian cinema has provided both a focus and a forum for Iranians to reconsider their national and cultural identity. Show less
In 1995, many Islamists seemed torn about the policies and practices of the emerging Taliban in Afghanistan. On the one hand, the Taliban could be seen as freedom fighters struggling against... Show moreIn 1995, many Islamists seemed torn about the policies and practices of the emerging Taliban in Afghanistan. On the one hand, the Taliban could be seen as freedom fighters struggling against infidels (and foreign intervention) to create an Islamic society governed according to strict adherence to Islamic law, or sharica. On the other hand, Taliban leaders were implementing extremely repressive measures not only against the Jews, Hindus, and Sikhs - that had long coexisted with Afghanistan's majority Muslims - but also against Afghani Muslims. Why did the Taliban create such uneasiness among Islamists? The following examines transnational dialogues among Islamists as they debated whether or not to support the Taliban. Show less
Theories of cultural stagnation and decline or of modernization's devastation in the realm of Sufism have not only figured in orientalist or social science repertoires. Conversing with contemporary... Show moreTheories of cultural stagnation and decline or of modernization's devastation in the realm of Sufism have not only figured in orientalist or social science repertoires. Conversing with contemporary Iranian Sufis, one comes across a remarkable consensus: the Safawid rise to state power coincided with the eclipse of Sufism's radiant sun in Iran, and it has never since regained its former brilliance. Whether such views hold true in the history of ideas or at the strictly literary level remains for specialists to decide. However, various social and political transformations that have conditioned Iranian Sufism as it is presently known, contradict the idea of Sufism's stagnant and therefore negligible religiosity. Show less
The implementation of the sharicah and the institutionalization of gender inequality in the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution have provoked general discontent among women and triggered their... Show moreThe implementation of the sharicah and the institutionalization of gender inequality in the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution have provoked general discontent among women and triggered their mobilization against segregation laws. As a response to their demands, Islamist women parliamentarians have been forced to prepare motions to defend more adequately women's needs and rights in both the private sphere of the family and the public sphere, maintaining that the teachings of Islam are not respected. Show less
On 18 February 2000, Iran held its 6th parliamentary elections after the 1979 revolution and the founding of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI). The elections were yet another challenge to cleric... Show moreOn 18 February 2000, Iran held its 6th parliamentary elections after the 1979 revolution and the founding of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI). The elections were yet another challenge to cleric rule. Despite provisional measures, the dominant hard-line conservative faction of the government suffered its third embarrassing defeat of the past three years, the first being the surprise presidential victory of Sayyed Mohammad Khatami on 22 May 1997. Secondly, in the municipal elections of 26 April 1999, reform candidates won a majority of the 200,000 seats in city and village councils across the country. Thirdly, in the recent parliamentary elections, the pro-Khatami reform candidates had a landslide victory. These consecutive triumphs indicate a strong desire among the people for structural change, democracy and secularization in Iran. Show less
Divorce Iranian Style is a documentary film directed by Kim Longinotto and Ziba Mir-Hosseini. It is set in a small courtroom in central Tehran, and follows a number of women who come before a non... Show moreDivorce Iranian Style is a documentary film directed by Kim Longinotto and Ziba Mir-Hosseini. It is set in a small courtroom in central Tehran, and follows a number of women who come before a non-plussed judge and by turn use whatever they can - reason, argument, charm, outrage, pleas for sympathy, patience, and wit - to get what they each need. There are four main characters: Massy, who wants to divorce her inadequate husband; Ziba, an outspoken 16-year-old who proudly stands up to her 38-year-old husband and his family; Jamileh, who brings her husband to court to teach him a lesson; and Maryam, remarried and desperate to regain custody of her two daughters. Show less
Audiovisual material played a vital role in the Iranian revolution of 1978/79. Khomeini's use of audio cassettes is well known, but the internal opposition against the Shah also made frequent use... Show moreAudiovisual material played a vital role in the Iranian revolution of 1978/79. Khomeini's use of audio cassettes is well known, but the internal opposition against the Shah also made frequent use of visual material to spread their ideas. After the proclamation of the Islamic Republic, the new leaders continued this system. They regarded the use of wall paintings, posters and billboards, as an effective method for propaganda and mobilization, since many of their supporters were illiterate. Show less
