2018 Mirhady Lecture: Ali Mirsepassi: The Imaginary Invention of a Nation
Event Information
Description
Drs Fereidoun and Katharine Mirhady Endowed Lecture in Iranian Studies:
Dr. Ali Mirsepassi of New York University: "The Imaginary Invention of a Nation: Iran in the 1930s and 1980s"
Dr. Mirsepassi will argue that a clear shift occurred, from imagining Iran as a modern and cosmopolitan nation, in the post-Mashruteh period, to a new national social imaginary, defined by religious identity and “national” tradition. This shift created a nationally unifying narrative, shared by a substantial majority of Iranians, across political, cultural, and ideological divides, as well as multiple sensibilities. These included secular and religious oppositional currents, and the ruling elites themselves.