Young and Defiant in Tehran Shahram Khosravi "One of the most
methodologically sound and theoretically grounded studies of Iranian
youth produced so far. . . . Highly recommended."--Choice "A lively
and rich text for anybody interested in youth culture, urban and popular
cultures, cultural politics, Muslim cultures, and Middle East studies.
Shahram Khosravi defies popular images of dull Iranian culture and
introduces vibrant features of Tehran life and cultural negotiations.
The book successfully engages and uniquely contributes to ongoing
debates about Islam, modernity, culture, urban spaces, and
resistance."--Anthropological Quarterly 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 ways: 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. Shahram Khosravi is Associate Professor
of Social Anthropology at Stockholm University. Contemporary Ethnography
2007 240 pages 6 x 9 1 map ISBN 978-0-8122-4039-9 Cloth $45.00s £29.50
ISBN 978-0-8122-2068-1 Paper $22.50s £15.00 World Rights Anthropology
Short copy: In this ethnography of contemporary youth culture in Iran's
capital, Shahram Khosravi examines the practices of everyday life
through which young Tehranis demonstrate defiance against the official
culture and the parental generation.
