THE HISTORY OF IRANIAN WOMEN MIGRANTS IN VANCOUVER 1978-2007 by Nicole Bailey BA

135 Pages·2009·4.08 MB·English

ZANCOUVER: THE HISTORY OF IRANIAN WOMEN MIGRANTS IN
VANCOUVER 1978-2007
by
Nicole Bailey
B.A., Simon Fraser University, 2004
THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF
THE REQUIREMENTS FORTHE DEGREE OF
MASTER OF ARTS
In the Department
of
History
©Nicole Bailey 2008
SIMON FRASERUNIVERSITY
Summer2008
All rights reserved. This workmay not be
reproduced in whole orin part, by photocopy
or other means, without permission ofthe author.
Approval
Name: Nicole Bailey
Degree: Master of Arts
Title of Thesis: Zancouver: The History of Iranian Women Migrants in
Vancouver 1978-2007
Examining Committee:
Chair: Paul Sedra

Assistant Professor of History

Andrea Geiger

Senior Supervisor
Assistant Professor of History

Felicitas Becker

Supervisor
Assistant Professor of History

Derryl McLean

Supervisor
Assistant Professor of History

Lara Campbell

External Examiner
Assistant Professor of Women’s Studies
Date Defended/Approved:

August 5, 2008
ii
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Abstract
This thesis examines the migration ofIranian women to Vancouver, B.C.,
between the period 1978 through 2007. One ofthe most significant factors influencing
this migration was the Iranian revolution of1978-1979, although Canadian immigration
policy also impacted the migration ofIranian women to Vancouver during the last quarter
ofthe twentieth century. This study utilizes oral history interviews with Iranian women to
analyze the multiple reasons for theiremigration from Iran and subsequent settlement in
Vancouver. Itdemonstrates the internal diversity ofIranians in Vancouver interms of
their reasons for leaving Iran and comingto Canada, theirpolitical affiliations, religious
beliefs, personal value systems, and attitudes regarding class and status. These
differences have resulted in feelings ofdivisiveness and distrust amongst Iranianwomen
in Vancouver and have inhibitedthe developmentofa sense ofcommunity based on a
shared national background for Iranians in Vancouver to date.
Keywords: migration; Iranian women; Vancouver; gender roles; oral history
iii
:Jor my mother.
iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Iwould like to begin by thanking all ofthe Iranian women who shared their
personal stories with me and contributed to this project. I would also like to express my
gratitude to Dr. Andrea Geigerfor her support and encouragement throughout the past
year, Dr. Derryl MacLean for inspiringme to learn about Iranian history and continue on
to grad school, and Dr. Felicitas Becker for her commitment to my workand the time she
spent with me helping to conceive ofmy initial project. I would also like to thank Dr.
Parin Dossa and PoranPoregbal for their insight and assistance in helping me realize this
project. And finally Iwould like to thank my amazingly supportive friends and family
who have been a constant source ofencouragement and assurance for me throughout this
process.
v
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Approval ii
Abstract iii
Dedication iv
Acknowledgements v
Table ofContents vi
Introduction 1
LiteratureReview 3
Chapter Outlines 7
Methodology 9
Chapter 1: Revolution and Relocation: The Migration ofIranian Women to
Vancouver 1978-2007 15
The Revolution 21
Iranians in Vancouver 34
Conclusion 48
Chapter 2: Mountains, Ocean and Opportunity: Reasons For Migration and
Settlement in Vancouver, B.C 50
Iranian Migrants in the UnitedStates andCanada 51
LeavingIran 60
Coming to Canada 63
Conclusion 77
Chapter 3: "We are lonely islands, everyone ofus Iranian people." Divisions
and Distrust among Iranian Migrant Women in Vancouver 80
ChangingStandards ofAppearance andBehaviour 92
Class, Status andChanging GenderDynamics in Iranian Families 98
Religious &PoliticalAffiliations ShapingDivisions andEngendering
Distrust 105
Conclusion 111
Conclusion 114
Bibliography 119
vi
INTRODUCTION
Following the 1978-1979 revolution in Iran, Vancouver B.c. became home to an
increasing number ofIranian migrants. This study examines how the histories ofIran
and Canada shaped the reasons Iranian women left Iran, and the reasons they chose to
migrate to and settle in Vancouver. Farreaching changes to the prevailing social,
political and economic systems in Iran following the revolution meant dramatic shifts in
the daily lives ofmany Iranian women. These changes led many women to emigrate,
whether in fear for their lives ordue to a more complex combination offactors. The way
they experienced these changes differ according to theirreligious views, political
ideologies, class and personal familial background. Forexample, women affiliated with
dissident political groups, along with religious minorities such as Baha'is, were
persecuted under the new regime, while otherwomen encountered obstacles to their
personal freedom in different ways, such as through the imposition ofa mandatory dress
code. Iranian women who settled in Vancouverduring the period 1978 to 2007 comprise
an internally diverse population. Their differing backgrounds and reasons for migrating
also creatednew challenges for these women in developing a unified sense ofcommunity
in Vancouver based on a sharednational identity.
Background
The history ofthe Iranianrevolution is important in understanding the various
factors that influenced the emigration ofmany men and women from Iran in the years
following 1978. The Iranian revolution of1978-1979 led to the fall ofthe Pahlavi
1
monarchy and the establishment ofan Islamic Republic in Iran. The Iranian monarch,
Muhammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, was forced to abdicate his throne and flee the country on
January 16, 1979, afternearly a year ofpopularuprisings, demonstrations and protests
against his regime involving abroad spectrum ofIranian society.1 Following the
abdication ofthe Shah, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned from exile in Paris on
February 1, 1979, usurped control ofthe Iranian government proclaiming Iranan Islamic
Republic, and named himselfthe supreme leader.2 The revolution and subsequent
creation ofan Islamic Republic had countless ramifications for Iranian society: of
particular interest to this study is how these ramifications impacted the emigration that
ensued. Different segments ofIranian society migrated from Iran in the years following
the revolution. The reasons varied: many fled due to religious, political or gender
persecution; others emigrated due to loss ofemployment, inflation and economic
uncertainty; many more left due to the violence and turbulence ofthe revolution and the
subsequent Iran-Iraq war; still others leftIranin order to obtain improved access to
education for themselves or their children.3
1Ron Kelley, "Chronology ofthe Pahlavi Eraand the Islamic Republic," in Ron Kelley
and Jonathan Friedlander Eds. Irangeles: Iranians inLosAngeles (Berkeley: Universityof
Califomia Press, 1993), 20-21.
2Nikki R. Keddie in Roots ofRevolution: An interpretiveHistory ofModern Iran (New
Haven: Yale UniversityPress, 1981), 258.
3Mitra Shavarini,EducatingImmigrants: Experiences ofSecond-GenerationIranians
(New York: LFB Scholarly Publishing, 2004), 30.
2