Identities in Crisis in Iran: Politics, Culture, and Religion

199 Pages·2015·1.304 MB·English

by  Ronen A. Cohen (ed.)

Identities in Crisis in Iran

Identities in Crisis in Iran
Politics, Culture, and Religion
Edited by Ronen A. Cohen
LEXINGTONBOOKS
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BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationInformationAvailable
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
IdentitiesincrisisinIran:politics,culture,andreligion/editedbyRonenA.Cohen.
p.cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-1-4985-0641-0(cloth:alk.paper)–ISBN978-1-4985-0642-7(ebook)
1.Groupidentity–Iran.2.Nationalcharacteristics,Iranian.3.Islamandstate–Iran.4.Islamand
politics–Iran.5.Identity(Psychology)–Socialaspects–Iran.6.Iran–Socialconditions–21stcentury.I.
Cohen,Ronen,editorofcompilation,author.
HM753.I252015
305.800955–dc23
2014048382
TMThepaperusedinthispublicationmeetstheminimumrequirementsofAmerican
NationalStandardforInformationSciencesPermanenceofPaperforPrintedLibrary
Materials,ANSI/NISOZ39.48-1992.
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction ix
RonenA.Cohen
PartI:HistoricalandCurrentPerspectivesonPersian,Islamic,
andContestedReligiousIdentities 1
1 TheUnendingBattlebetweenthePersianandIslamicIdentities
ofIran 3
HaroldRhode
2 NationalIdentityorPoliticalLegitimacy:TheReconstructionof
theCityofBam 21
LadanZarabadi
PartII:AnIslamic-NationalIdentityandNuclearProgram 39
3 TheIslamicIdentityProject:BetweenCoercionandVoluntarism 41
OfiraSeliktar
4 Iran’sNationalIdentityandtheNuclearProgram:ARational
ChoiceTheoryAnalysis 61
FarhadRezaei
5 Overcoming“the–isms”:TheIranian’sRoleintheModern
World,fromthePerspectiveofMahmūdAhmadi-nezhād 83
Moshe-hayS.Hagigat
v
vi Contents
PartIII:Sexuality,Beauty,andSocialNetworking:Betweenthe
Private,Self,andthePublicSphere 107
6 TheIdentityDesignersoftheSelfinSexuality,Beauty,and
PlasticSurgeryinIran 109
RonenA.Cohen
7 Iraniansagainstthe“Other”:IranianIdentityintheSocialMedia
Era 131
RazZimmt
Conclusion 153
Bibliography 159
Index 173
AbouttheContributors 177
Acknowledgments
Thedifferencebetweenwritingmonographsandtheeditingofacollectionof
essays seemsto bethat theformer isharder andmore exhausting—andit is.
Theadvantageofdoingthelatter,however,isthatonegetstheopportunityto
meet and communicate with many scholars, some of whom are veteran and
somenewtothefield.Acceptingthismissiontocollectchaptersfromschol-
ars from different countries and universities, from Israel and abroad, and to
groupthemundertheumbrellaofonetheme(withprobablytoomanyfacets
and interpretations) has, I believe, ultimately proven to be fruitful and satis-
factory.
This mission could not have become a reality without the valuable, even
priceless, contribution made by the wonderfully professional, “blind” peer-
reviewers; so to all those “behind the scenes” people thank you very much
for your kind and valued assistance. I would also like to thank several men-
tors and professional colleagues without whose excellent advice I could not
have navigated this mission: Dr. Soli Shahvar from the Department of
MiddleEasternHistoryandTheEzriCenterforIranandGulfStudiesatthe
University of Haifa; Prof. Ali Ansari, Director of the Institute for Iranian
Studies,memberoftheSchoolResearchCommittee,chairintheMiddleEast
studies department at the University of St. Andrews, UK; Dr. Ron Fuchs,
from the Department of Art History at the University of Haifa and from the
School of Architecture at Ariel University; Dr. Liora Hendelman-Baavur,
fromtheDepartment of MiddleEastern andAfrican History attheTelAviv
University; my editors at Lexington Books—Ms. Sabah Ghulamali, who
embracedthisproject,Mr.BrianHillforhispatienceandprofessionaladvice
and, of course, my new editor, Ms. Nicolette Amstutz, who proved to be
wonderful and diligent and who brought this project to its final stages. Of
vii
viii Acknowledgments
course,Ialsowanttothankmydevoted,legendaryprofessionaleditorSam-
my,Mr.SamuelBeris,whomakesmybooksmorereadable.
Special thanks are also given to all my colleagues who helped me by
stimulating me with good ideas and advice and helping me with technical
matters: to Prof. Alexander Bligh, acting dean of the Faculty of Social Sci-
encesandHumanitiesandthedirectoroftheMiddleEastResearchCenterat
ArielUniversity;toDr.EyalLewinfordaysandnightsoffruitfuldebates;to
Dr.HannaGendel-Guterman whohelpedmewith statistics andSPSS, with-
outwhosehelpIwouldhavebeenlost;toProf.AlbertPinhasov,theheadof
the Authority for Research & Development at Ariel University; and to my
senior research assistant, Ms. Roni Shulman, who again had to “suffer” my
scheduleandmissions.
Mybelovedwife,Mrs.YaelKeinan-Cohen,comfortsmewithheranony-
moussupportandassistanceand,besidesdevotedlytakingcareofme,isalso
a valued partner in my discussions of issues and the shaping of minds and
targets.Mypreciouswife—Ilookforwardtomanyyearsofinformativeand
inquisitive discussions regarding children, food, housing, and, especially,
Islam,Shi’a,andMiddleEasternhistory.OrianneandYair,mychildren,are
always the source of my spirit and happiness in a generation of shaping
identitiesandIamhappythattheyarepartofmyidentityandhopethatItoo
willbepartoftheiridentities.
InthebookofProverbs4:7,itiswritten:“Firstofalliswisdom.Acquire
wisdomandwithallyoupossessacquireunderstanding.”Leadingagroupof
both prominent and young promising scholars is a blessed mission but re-
quiresmuchresponsibility.Icannotguaranteethattherehavebeennoerrors
here and there but the pursuit of wisdom has been worth the effort. These
scholars should be applauded for their efforts and professional work. Any
criticismregardingtheirworkshouldbedirectedtowardsme.