Young and Defiant in Tehran by Shahram Khosravi | Goodreads

Young and Defiant in Tehran by Shahram Khosravi | Goodreads





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Contemporary Ethnography
Young and Defiant in Tehran


Shahram Khosravi

3.71
86 ratings7 reviews
With more than half its population under twenty years old, Iran is one of the world's most youthful nations. The Iranian state characterizes its youth population in two as a homogeneous mass, "an army of twenty millions" devoted to the Revolution, and as alienated, inauthentic, Westernized consumers who constitute a threat to the society. Much of the focus of the Islamic regime has been on ways to protect Iranian young people from moral hazards and to prevent them from providing a gateway for cultural invasion from the West. Iranian authorities express their anxieties through campaigns that target the young generation and its lifestyle and have led to the criminalization of many of the behaviors that make up youth culture. In this ethnography of contemporary youth culture in Iran's capital, Shahram Khosravi examines how young Tehranis struggle for identity in the battle over the right to self-expression. Khosravi looks closely at the strictures confronting Iranian youth and the ways transnational cultural influences penetrate and flourish. Focusing on gathering places such as shopping centers and coffee shops, Khosravi examines the practices of everyday life through which young Tehranis demonstrate defiance against the official culture and parental dominance. In addition to being sites of opposition, Khosravi argues, these alternative spaces serve as creative centers for expression and, above all, imagination. His analysis reveals the transformative power these spaces have and how they enable young Iranians to develop their own culture as well as individual and generational identities. The text is enriched by examples from literature and cinema and by livid reports from the author's fieldwork.

GenresAnthropologyIranSchoolEthnographyNonfictionMiddle EastIslam



Hardcover

First published November 1, 2007
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About the author


Shahram Khosravi17 books15 followers

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Samin Rb
107 reviews27 followers

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March 27, 2016
An appealing introduction, promising to discuss the power relations between the Iranian youths and the state, the hegemonic prescribed identity constructed by the Islamic Republic and the youths strategies to challenge this model. But then, going through the chapters I got increasingly disappointed.
Khosravi starts the book by narrating his own story about his arrestment by Basijis in 1984. I admit that this personalization is an interesting and sympathetic way to establish a contribution; though at some moments the recurring usage of personal accounts made the work more of descriptive reports about the Iranian society, not an analytic study of the Iranian youths.
For example, under the sub-section ‘the politics of grief’ Khosravi tries to discuss the role of grief in the everyday life of Iranians. He talks about his observation in a concert in Tehran when one of his companions cried under the influence of the music. He links this scene to the role of grief in the Shiite culture and reaches to the story of Karbala and the political usage of the Islamic Republic from this story. I believe this form of analysis, even if eventfully correct, is more of a great conclusion based on small (and not always relevant) samples.

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Talya
9 reviews

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March 5, 2023
Why were the introduction and the afterword the best parts

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Julia Smith
190 reviews

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November 4, 2024
it's pretty cool stick it to the man young generation-esque and i love shopping

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Angela Norman
12 reviews1 follower

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February 11, 2016
I really enjoyed the detailed ethnography, when i finished the book i really sad i wanted to read more. I felt like he left me hanging but i was relieved to know that the book was part of a larger study. The novel really opened up my eyes to the daily life and struggle in Tehran.

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Elana Metz
39 reviews26 followers

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October 30, 2013
Really interesting topic
anthropology college islam
...more
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Aleck
46 reviews2 followers

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June 14, 2017
Had to read this ethnography for school but I still found it to be very enjoyable and insightful in giving perspective on the youth culture in Iran.
non-fiction
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Mmelbi
9 reviews9 followers

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January 20, 2018
من كتب الانثروبولوجيا المريحة للعين، يقدم تحليل عن القوة وعلاقاتها في إيران ما بعد الثورة، ربما تحليله يمتد ليصح عنه أنه تحليل للقوة في الإسلام السياسي في الدولة-الأمة.

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