Iran 2 - (Continuity and Change focus)
Shia becomes the official state religion
1501, The origins of the Safavid dynasty
Because Mossadegh's policies and announcements created concern over access to Iranian oil, oil prices, and possible Soviet influence in Iran, the United States and British intelligence services aided Iranian military officers in a coup to overthrow the Prime Minister.
1892 - British interference
liberal, democratic, nationalist revolution....A parliament established. The Ulema enjoyed representation
1905..1911 - Democratic revollution
Secular, democratic constituion, influenced by western values
1906 - institutions - cooperation
Khomeini exiled in Paris
1964 - Ayotolah
Reza Pahlavi ruled Iran from 1941 to 1979, with a brief period of exile in 1953 when he fled to Italy due to a power struggle with Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh.
1977 - Power
Attack on Khomeini in a publicly backed newspaper led to cycle of protests, shootings, mournings ( religious students in the shrine city of Qom
1978 - Revolution begins
Cassette tapes, telephone and Xerox copiers were introduced and used by the ulema to undermine the Shah
1978 - Ulema use the latest technology to organise dissent.
By 1978, unrest against the Shah had escalated into a violent uprising against his authority called the Iranian Revolution or the Islamic Revolution. On January 16, 1979, the Shah fled into exile for a second time, traveling to various countries before finally entering the U.S. for cancer treatments in October,
1979 - Revolutionary change
Radical Iranian students seized the United States Embassy complex in the Iranian capital of Tehran. The immediate cause of this takeover was the anger many Iranians felt over the U.S. President Jimmy Carter allowing the deposed former ruler of Iran, Shah Reza Pahlavi, to enter the U.S. for medical treatment. In Iran, this was believed to be an opening move leading up an American-backed return to power by the Shah.
1979 - US embassy hostages
The Ulema once again, influenced every aspect of life ??????
19th century ..religious law?????
Whenever secular authority failed or was challenged, the ulema ( one of them) emerged as a leader of dissent. e.g The case of the British major who was given a monopoly on the tobacco trade in Iran. This caused anger amongst Bazarris and showed how subservient the government was to outside interests.
Authority of the Ayotollahs
"An earnest, ruthless, and intensely committed man. Ayatollah Rudollah Khomeini is reviled and little understood in the West but revered as a saint by many in Iran" - leader of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Ayatollah Khomeini
The U.S. supplied weapons, training, and technical knowledge that aided the Shah in modernizing his country. However, the Shah ruled as a dictator, using SAVAK, his secret police, to terrorize his political enemies.
Ayatollah, President, Shah
Young men strive for new higher roles/ positions e.g Ayatollah - 'sign of God'
Ayotollah Khomeini as a young man
Pateh is the art of the embroidery on wool, practiced for ages by the people of Kerman (Tehran). Photograph: Tehran Bureau
Bazaaris - 2014
The Kerman bazaar. Not only is it beautiful - despite the fact that it is crumbling - but the spirit of the city sieves through it. Underneath brick domes, through bustling hallways, the conversations and negotiations with the shop owners give glimpses of the heart of the city, 600 miles (965 km) to the southeast of Tehran. At the same time they are also savvy businessmen. How they negotiate these seemingly contradictory traits is part of what defines this bazaar. In Tehran, Isfahan and Mashhad, the bazaars have lost their identities - the styles and attitudes that made them unique to their particular geographies and histories. In an age where their sons are no longer being trained at their sides, I often wonder what will become of this place when the old men are gone. When the last of these bazaaris leaves his shop, the spirit of this bazaar too will fade forever.
Bazaaris in 2014
continued close connections with merchants and craftsmen in the bazaars (p21)
Centuries of cooperation and power
...opposition gathers around a reformist candidate during the election. The election is rigged by the authorities. Protests and strikes follow.
Election - 2009
Focuses on social stability rather than change. Talcott Parsons stressed the ability of society to absorb disruptive forces while maintaining overall stability. Changes in the overall point of equilibrium may occur. Disruptive forces may originate from within or outside the society.
Functionalist theory of change (choose one theory)
After months of growing discontent with a lot of strikes from various labour unions (which got almost no news coverage in any western media) and student protests, now thousands of Persian people are out on the streets to protest against the probable electoral fraud.
Government security crackdown
Government control of media challenged
Happy? Internet dissent
Iran's latest reforming president
Hassan Rouhan-
Paying homage to the 1979 revolution is a complicated affair for many in Tehran, where the political and economic flux of the past year has left even the most ardent regime supporters confused about their allegiances. The prospect of rapprochement with the United States dampened traditional rites such as flag burning and "death to America" chants, and broad social support for centrist President Hassan Rouhani muted the longstanding tension between hardline ideologists and the secular opposition. When chants of "Allah-o akbar" - a slogan used by Islamic revolutionaries in the events of 1979 - echoed from neighborhood mosques on the eve of the festivities 10 February, supporters of the Green Movement recalled shouting the same slogan from the city's rooftops as a form of anti-government protest thirty years later, in 2009. "Whose revolution is it today?" one former protester wondered. The Guardian -12 February 2014 - Tehran Bureau
Heritage
...what's legal? what's possible? what's likely? what escapes official attention?
Iranian women's fashion.
Shrine cities Najaf, Karbala, Samarra.
Learning & pilgrimage in the Shiite tradition
...reformist president replaced by a conservative, anti western president
Mahoud Armadinejad - 2005
Iranian Prime Minister removed by American and British engineered coup d'etat in 1953 (desire to nationalize Iranian oil),
Mossadeq
Several city blocks away, a reporter was vetted and nearly arrested by a trio of Basij militiamen who questioned his press credentials. Despite an initially hostile exchange regarding the reliability of news reports, the young men with beards and plainclothes eventually opened up, calling the attendance "good, considering the state of the economy" and sharing views on their political opponents. "We are listening to our Leader," said one of them, referring to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. "We have no issues with [the Green Movement], but as soon as the Leader says, 'go get them,' we will." Another self-proclaimed "child of the revolution," elementary school teacher Marzieh, reflected on the Iranian government's current efforts to reach a nuclear deal with the west. "I was not satisfied with the negotiations, but at least Rouhani's efforts have shown that the west is not trustworthy," she said. "There has been very little economic change, and the sanctions are still in place." The Guardian -12 February 2014 - Tehran Bureau
Negotiations with the west.
A complex of palaces, reception halls, and treasury buildings erected by the Persian kings Darius I and Xerxes in the Persian homeland (119)
Persepolis
Persia -region of the world that includes Iran and Iraq
Persia
In the first days it seemed the people just protested about the election fraud and for the victory of Mousavi. But Mousavi also is a part of the theocracy, he participated in the government in the 80s, under his regime the executions of gays and opposition members reached the highest level.
Post election protests
Tax free payments by government to the religious institution to pay for Mosque repairs, Koranic schools etc
Religious endowments
Societies gradually change from simple beginnings to more complex forms. Arnold Toynbee. developed this theory : societies face challenges from the environment & later from internal or external enemies. The nature of the response determines the civilisation's fate. Successful responses to challenges rate as the achievements of a civilisation.
Social evolutionary theory of change ( choose one theory)
* Clerics become more than mere prayer leaders * arbitrators in family and business, legal disputes * judges in criminal cases * notaries for official documents * often the only authority figures in small towns/ villages * governors in association with village headmen/elders
Traditional social roles of the Ulema
First advanced by Frederick Barth in 1959. Focused the roles, relationships, decisions and innovations of the individual in bringing about social change. Similarly, Social agency refers to self determination, the power of individuals to act independently of the constraints of social structures.
Transactional /Agency centred theory of change (choose one theory)
Ruling dynasties give respect to Shiite clerics. In return, the Ulema preach loyalty to the Shah of the time.
Ulema & Safavid mutual support
...but where is it being worn. Iran or somewhere else?
Western clothing for Iranians
* processions! commemorating martyrdom * weeping and beating chests, connection to movie * heavy funerary symbols! replica coffin * multi pronged objects... Strongmen train....honour * beat themselves with chains * bazaars of great cities and smallest villages * rituals of collective grief....strange? threatening? * Western TV screens * Parrallels with Good Friday processions in Catholic countries
Western media stereotypes of Shia
Maryam Mirzakhani, Iranian maths professor at Stanford University, has just won the most prestigious maths prize, The Field's Medal
Woman depicted on twitter without hijab by president. 2014
Bazaari and Ulema families intermarry, become important powers in 19th C.politics
social interaction of the Bazaaris and Ulema
A family's prestige and place in society is in part determined by the works of pateh they pass on to their children. Photograph: Tehran Bureau - March 2014
Tradition -2014
"We've all been brainwashed," 31-year-old Behnoush says apologetically as he pours himself another glass of apple juice and bootleg alcohol on the eve of the 35th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. The air is thick with cigarette smoke, and the nighttime quiet of this central Tehran apartment building is disrupted by the voices of nine revelers, all members of a generation that has spent the entirety of its life under the ideological guidelines of the Islamic republic. Singing in perfect harmony, they pass the better part of the evening recalling the hymns of their youth - from melodic anthems extolling Ayatollah Khomeini, "the warrior of God," to rhythmic battle matches celebrating the immortality of the "bloody month of Bahman." The singers consider themselves secular, and many of them openly oppose Iran's clerical rule. But the pro-regime songs evoke childhood moments of decorating elementary school classrooms with revolutionary slogans, memorizing catchy verses and singing in unison with their friends. "It's more of a good memory than repressed ideology," Behnoush explains. The Guardian -12 February 2014 - Tehran Bureau
Socialisation
Conflict theories emphasize the forces which produce struggle, instability and social disorientation. The theory rests on the belief that societies face conflict between individuals & groups at all times. Marxism ( Upon which communism is based ) is the best known version of this theory. Feminism has also be viewed through this lense.
Structural conflict theory of change (choose one theory)
Shiite religious leaders - clerics
The Ulema (in persian)
Khatami promised 'change from within'. When reformers won a large majority in the parliament and Khatami was reelected with 78 % of the vote on 2001, hopes were high but a conservative backlash followed as new laws were vetoed by the clerics.
Theocracy threatened by democratic reforms of President Khatami - 1997
While many Tehran residents took advantage of the national holiday and left town altogether, a sizable crowd made its annual appearance in the center of the city to take part in the culmination of the 10-day Fajr (Dawn) festival. Several observers noted that this year's turnout was lower than usual, but the masses were still large enough to stop traffic, plunder the free-of-charge refreshment stands, and bring business to street merchants peddling leggings -a garment famously frowned upon by the dress code police. In the course of the procession, Tehran Bureau's reporter encountered a woman in heavy makeup outspokenly using the opportunity to distribute flyers for an electronics vendor. "Everyone is using the opportunity to advertise," she said, "so why shouldn't I?" The Guardian -12 February 2014 - Tehran Bureau
Tradition
Bazaaris show piety by giving money for repair of a mosque roof or setting up a religious school ( madreseh)
Tradition - showing piety
