In a short, but informative blogging fashion, provide the class with your thoughts about the book we are reading entitled The Last Great Revolution. Some things you might want to discuss could include:
- what you have learned so far
- whether or not you like the book
- has there been anything that has surprised you? If so what was it?
- has your opinion of the Iranian people changed?
I am really interested and looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
Must post before the start of class on Thursday Nov 12th
26 comments:
Hi it works
Took awhile to figure out, but I guess this works.
Lets hope this goes better than it did in Anderson's class.
Brandon. I hope to use this every so often to help start discussions about certain topics. I hope it works well. If you look at last years blog you will see that there were some really great discussions
this is cian.... i have posted something.... when do we have to post things?
hey. i got it to work. computer finally works for the time being.
This is Ian, signing on!
Before reading the Last Great Revolution I honestly never really thought about Iran. When I did think about the country, I assumed all people from Iran were the same. I should rephrase that; It's not that I thought everyone who lived in the entire country was the same and had the same views, I just thought they all had the same basic radical views and all of them hated the United States. I instinctively knew that there were differences and problems within Iran that occur in many countries, I just never thought about the problems within their nation. I knew that there were problems, but I figured that they were not my problems, so I never learned about them. Now I know, after the first five chapters of The Last Great Revolution, that there are so many more problems and challenges facing Iran than I ever even imagined. I never knew that the media in Iran went through so many transitions of being controlled and not controlled by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. I did not even know the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance existed. I now know so much more about how the entertainment industries have to work around so many restrictions when creating movies and writing novels. I was surprised to read that the restrictions on movies actually force the movie directors to be more creative in their movies. I also never knew about Islam in Iran and just how interconnected the religion was with the state. I had also never heard of Abdulkarim Soroush and his opinions about how democracy can actually work with Islam and his opinion that democracy is not only possible, but it is inevitable. This idea of his really stuck with me. In general, I am very interested by the book and find reading it and learning about the culture in Iran to be fascinating!
I was in a similar boat as Jocelyn was, except it was more that I thought that the people in Iran, although not all radical, had a very different way of thinking as we do in the Uninted States. This book has really shown me how many of the ideas of the younger generation and of the general public are very similar to those that we have here. The people are very similar to us, and from a stereotypical American point of view, the Iranian people are much more "normal" than I previously thougt. The main thing that this book has done for me is not answer the questions that I had before, but opened my eyes and mind up to Iran that has/is leading me to develope new questions and think as a more informed individual. For example; to me, culture (not political) is based on the general people, but in Iran, their culture is decided by the government and the people are expected to embrace it. Why is this so? Religion plays a big part of it, but is it the only thing? Is there also a problem in the people themselves to change?
I agree with Steve that the people appear much more “normal” than they sometimes are depicted on US television. My view on the role of women in Iranian culture also changed from reading the book. Although they still could have more rights, their role in government and society seems to have improved. The author, being a woman, may or may not have anything to do with the way she described their condition. She hinted that the way she was pestered about her dress was “ridiculous.” From a western point of view I’m sure that’s pretty accurate.
I also never really considered how a country is run by a religion. The government pays much more attention to censoring media and entertainment. What really surprised me were the little things like not showing the sexual education video because the background music would conflict with the religious time period. Although they are “normal” people, I as a westerner am not used to a state governed and closely watched by religion. She does make the point that it is a cultural revolution. The argument is really how conservative should the people live their lives? Can one common interpretation of the Koran hold a legitimate set of laws for the people? I’m glad I’m taking the time to read this book, which I probably would not have read on my own.
ya'll jumped the gun there didn't chya. We be postin' just "hey ya'll" and ya'll go all out like them college folk.
Before reading this, I did not know Iran constantly was shifting back and forth between two extremes. I did know it something like that happened, but just not to that extent. I do not really have any strong feelings on the book. It is good for what it is discussing, because a book discussing the cultural changes in Iran could easily get dull. From the reading, nothing is actually surprising. It definitely explains why Iran has ended up this way. My opinion of the Iranian people has not changed from this reading. If I had read this before the voting protest however, then it would have.
I agree Anthony, it's the little things that the author discusses in the book that I find so cool and interesting. The details make the book what it is.
I have to agree with most of the comments regarding how the Iranian people are portrayed in the media. From the reports that I have seen, all of the Iranian people have been shown as rebellious and extremist. There is one source that did show me what the Iranian people truely were like before this book though. When the Daily Show spent a week describing the Iranian people in their special report Behind The Veil This report showed what a typical Iranian household looked like, reported on the traveling of media into and out of Iran, spoke with the Iranian youth about music, fashion, and eventually politics. I highly suggest that everybody who has the time goes and watches some of the clips. Due to some of this prior knowledge that I had about the Iranian people, this book hasn't had the same revealing impact on me. The first chapter of the book would have to have been the most informative, describing the very complex political culture that exists in Iran, and not in most other middle eastern countries. The more recent chapters that described the struggle of the women within Iran was also very interesting, as Anthony said, yes there are troubles that are deeply rooted within their religion, but the women are not completely secondhand citizens within the country. It really seems that in any technologically advanced country the youth manages to change the gender roles. The chapter with Saroush was also rather informative. As Jocelyn said the connection between Islam and Democracy was something that I never really considered, but after reading the chapter, I find the thought acceptable. So far the book has been a decent read, it has not exactly been a page turner, but I haven't hated the thought of reading it.
I've known for a long time that Iran was an ally of ours until President Carter began to distance the U.S. and Iran, and that since the country closed off it has been hostile to the western powers, but only recently have I really acknowledged the fact that the Iranian people are not so dissimilar from us. Despite the obvious difference in governance and permissibility of certain western cultural practices, it seems as though this is much more the result of custom than the conscious decisions of the majority of Iranian citizens. Most striking to me was the fascination of citizens with early twentieth century movies popular in the west at the time that have become popular in Iran, today. There's a common preconception among people, including me, that people on the other side of the world would never be compatible living side-by-side, but this book really seems to intelligently dissuade this thought. It seems that the only thing that really separates Americans (and other western citizens) and Iranians is the pride/nationalism of each country combined with an ingrained/implanted distrust for foreigners. However, the book has not convinced me that the Iranian people are inherently good, either. They did, perhaps unwittingly, invite Ayatollah Khomenei and his lot into power, and neither he nor Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have seemed to be likable guys (or even humane). Hopefully this can be explained better later in the book.
Before we began reading this book, I had read a few things about the 1979 revolution. However, I had little knowledge about Iran and Iranian culture. Within these first few chapters, I feel as if I am many times more informed of Iranian history and current social changes.
This book was written by a woman, Robin Wright. She seems to focus a great deal on social changes and the roles of women in Iran. She makes it clear that Iranian women, who are leading Iran's women's rights movement, are not Western. These women are a part of their society and culture. They do not want a huge change, a revolution; they want to change their society from within. For example, Marzieh Sadighi, a senior official, voted for a law that would ban companies from using pictures of women in their ads or magazines, unless the message was directly about that particular woman. In the Western world, this would be unacceptable. However, in their culture, it makes sense and is part of their women's rights movement.
Regarding the question whether the Iranian people are "good", good and bad is not as clear-cut as one would think. Are there some "bad" people involved in Iranian politics and the religious culture? Yes, there are individuals who have committed what would be considered inhumane acts. However, can you really judge an entire country's population by its rulers? People, as a whole, are willing to overlook a leader's faults, if he remains true to the culture, provides for certain people, and maintains some sort of stability.
I agree very much with what Brandon said about how the first chapter was very informative about the lifestyles of the Iranian people. I actually did look at some of the "Behind the Vale" clips on youtube, and they were very much linked to what the first chapters message was. Which was that Iranians aren’t that much different from Americans, and that mainstream media would actually portray Iranians as extremist. As far as the overall impact of the book, i find that either its really interesting or its very dull, this past chapter was interesting but sometimes i was a little confused about how women can be considered not as important as men but then have them in positions of power such as Massoumeh Edtekar. If anyone could re-post something clarifying that it would be very helpful. The overall message though has been extremely interestin
I too had not heard very many unbiased reports about Iran before reading this book, aside from one article about the growth of western-influenced franchises in Tehran. My grandma sometimes remarked to me on how highly developed the Persian culture is and how well-educated its people are, but I remained skeptical. After reading the first few chapters of this book, I have come to see the Iranian people in a new, more balanced light. Before, with only the media to go by, I assumed that Iran was an enemy of the United States, united against us on all fronts. Now I understand that the Iranian people are a lot more progressive than we give them credit for. They are beginning to treat women more fairly and are much more aware of other cultures and religions (i.e. Americans and the Virgin Mary/Christianity) What surprised me even more was that what some of Iran's leaders said in the 90's was sympathetic to this shift in values and not against the wishes of the people. The Iranian women are gradually becoming more independent, however, many of them choose to retain some of their prior constraints to show that they are morally superior to men. Many choose to wear a hejab/chador. Many Iranians see Islam as a dynamic and humane religion that is not necessarily incompatible with woman's rights or democracy. One things I like about the book so far, is how the author uses numerous cultural examples that a westerner can relate to, to explain a foreign country ruled by a foreign government governed by a foreign religion, which is much more familiar than the mainstream media is willing to confess.
I especially love mentions of American stars such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael Jordan, and Charlie Chaplin etc...
While reading this book I have found out, as well as many of you, that I knew about Iran and that there were major conflicts going on, but I didn't care what those conflicts were or the seriousness of them. Before I even took this class I didn't realize how much I didn't know about the world, and reading this book really opened my eyes and showed what Iran is really like. Before I thought that Iranians differed greatly from us and that they were against the US, like Jocelyn had said earlier. But, thats quite the opposite. In the book, Wright showed that the average Iranian knew a lot about the American culture. I really enjoy reading this book, the more and more I read the more I get interested. It is definitely more interesting then reading the text books! And I love all the quotes in it and my favorite of all is "Nobody can close the sky." A lot of things surprised me in this book. Such as the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, just like Jocelyn. To even have an office devoted to that in the first place is interesting, but the different leaders it has gone through has turned the Iranian culture upside down. From someone who wants more Western ideas in, to someone who allows nothing, to Mohajerani who believes in the respect of artists and writers. My opinion of the Iranian people has definitely changed because this book shows that the Iranian people want change and want to modernize and express their ideas in creative ways, despite the popular stereotype in America.
I didn't tell why that was my favorite quote, which I think I should have. "Nobody can close the sky," was a quote in the third chapter by Ibrahim Yazdi, the revolution's first foreign minister. While Parliament in Iran was trying to get rid of satellite dishes and VCR's, the people of Iran were finding ways around the government security. Some were camouflaging the dishes, transporting them in disguised trucks, anything they could to get the dishes. This shows that the Iranian people would not give in easily and that you could put up walls, but "nobody can close the sky."
I feel the same way as many other people seem to. I really didn't know to omuch about Iran when we started reading this book. All I ever really knew about the country were the things we hear about in the news or the way people stereotype. The first two chapters of the book really opened my eyes as to what is happening there, and personally I was very shocked. I never knew how much of an influence religion can have on government. It made me think that maybe this is why The United States separates church and state. If the U.S. used religion as a way to guide politics, it would be nearly impossible due to the variety of beliefs and ideas. On page 24 the book reads "The government of God had reasserted itself and then declared it monopoly on truth." This quote shows how strong of a role the Islamis religion plays int he Iranian people's lives.
Like many people have already said, Iran is transitioning between two extremes and both the people and the government are having trouble modernizing while trying not to westernize too much. "To be a religious man necessitates being a democratic man as well. An ideal reigious society cant have anything but a democratic government"(pg. 40). The media has gone through so many changes. It has gone back and forth between being controlled and monitored to not controlled. The Ministry of Culture controlled the media to try to keep Western influence to a minimum.
Also, women's rights are going through a huge transition as discussed in chapter four. Right at the beginning of the chapter, a basketball game is described and I just immediately assumed it was a men's game since from what I knew about Iran, women were supposed to stay at home. About half way down page 134, the author tells us that all the players, officials and fans were women. I was surprised by this and I had to go back and re-read that entire section. Women are not allowed to play with men though. There are still very strict rules about men and women being separated in school. Women cannot shake the hanf of a man who she is not related or married to.
Arranged marriages are very common in Iran. Personally I do not see an issue with arranged marriage. But the whole idea of temporary marriage really puzzled me. To me it seems like the Iranian people just made a loophole in their religion? The temporary marriage idea seems like it would cause more problems then solve. On the flip side though, I do agree with their law of divorce. "If marriage is a bilateral act, then divorce certainly can't be a unilateral act." If a man seeks a divorce without the consent of his wife, then his wife is entitled to half the property. To me, this makes a lot of sense.
Overall, I think the Iranian people are changing their ideas to modernize, but maybe not so much their actions and their policies.
To be honest I thought that Iran was essentially a stereotypical Middle Eastern country but was surprised to learn that it is not what I would think of as that type of country at all. The beginning of civil rights in this country has also surprised me as I had expected that women and non-Muslims were not treated as they should be. Parts of the book were boring, namely the first chapter, but mostly the rest of it was very interesting and informative. I, too, have seen the 'Behind the Veil' (that is the correct spelling of 'veil' by the way, Cian) and find this book and the other seem to have a great deal in common as they are revealing what the US and Iran have in common instead of accentuating the differences. The only complaint I have is the boring first chapter and the probability that many things in Iran have changed since this book was written.
The "Nobody can close the sky" quote that was in Jeannette also appealed to me to because it showed the Iranian peoples hunger for knowledge beyond that of which the government is allowing them to get. I also was initially confused by the basketball game and I thought it was men because I couldn’t imagine that they would let the women take off their veils. I think, Iran becomes a little more relatable each chapter.
Thank you all for your postings. I really found them interesting to read and I am glad to hear that most of you are enjoying the book. It seems to me that you are all grasping the major themes that the author Robin Wright is trying to get across, which is wonderful to know. Iran does seem to be a country at a crossroads. They realize that in order to stay competitive in the world and to continue to control their own destiny in the Middle East they must modernize, but modernization is not always easy and there is not always a simple road map for all countries to follow. Many of you have made the point that Iran is struggling to maintain control of their people with their theocratic government (democracy & religion) However, as Jeannette mentioned in her quote about nobody closing the sky, that with the advancement of technology Iran is finding it harder and harder to keep their people isolated from the outside western world. Not to mention that as the political climate of Iran changes so does the social and economic culture.
One of the most important ideas I hope you get out of this book is not the politics of Iran but the people. We will deal with the politics in class, but I honestly believe that you cannot understand the political culture of a country without understanding the people. Iran is such a fascinating nation these days with all the changes that they are going through. What I find to be so interesting is examining whether or not the radical government of Iran truly represents the will of the people of Iran. I guess only time will tell us the answer to that question.
This is Brennan (Openid is malfunctioning).
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/military-mutiny-in-iran/
It has to do with Iran (of course). It's dealing with how even members of the military are supporting the people rather than the regime, since
"The army is a haven for the nation and will never want to suppress the people at the request of politicians. We shall remain true to our promise not to intervene in politics. But we cannot remain silent when our fellow citizens are oppressed by tyranny.”
It's not from the book, but it definitely shows that split that is occurring.
Nobody was posting anything so posted the link, If I was not supposed to, Mr. Pratt, I apologize.
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