RESEARCH Doc

Constructing an Axis of Evil: Iranian Memoirs in the “Land of the Free”

A major phenomenon in recent decades within Orientalist discourse is the indigenous Orientalism that can be seen in the works of some scholars, writers, and thinkers. These writers are sometimes referred to as “captive minds,” “brown sahibs,” or what Malcolm X would call the “house Negro.”1 Defined by their intellectual bondage and dependence on the West and, at times, likened to pop psychologists in their writings about the “natives,” their western counterparts believe them because, as native informants, they are seen to be in a position to produce authentic representations of the Oriental psyche. This paper offers a brief study of memoirs written by members of the Iranian diaspora in western countries over the past decade, particularly in the United States. Among these writers are Azar Nafisi, Marjane Satrapi, Roya Hakakian, Afshin Molavi, and Azadeh Moaveni, and others. A few books with thriller-like titles, such as Prisoner of Tehran (Marina Nemat: 2008) or Living in Hell (Ghazal Omid: 2005), will not be studied. In the eyes of many Iranian intellectuals, such writers are often viewed as examples of the Iranian intellectual comprador class or members of the gharbzadeh (a term made current by Jalal Ale-Ahmad, the Iranian critic and intellectual, that can be rendered in English as westernized, west-struck, or westomaniac), rather than as intellectuals.rs.

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Tour d’horizon: An Iranian optic on the Middle East and its prospects

Almost a year ago, in a well-remembered Friday prayer sermon delivered on February 4, 2011, Ayatollah Khamenei spoke at length, in Arabic, about the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt....

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Is Ezekiel's War Armageddon? Will Britain, the United States, and Saudi Arabia engage in the epic BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON against Russia, Turkey, Iran, Libya and Ethiopia, on Israel's soil? Will armies of the Spirit of Antichrist be Russian-equipped Muslims coming to destroy Israel and support a newly-established Palestinian State? ...

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For most, Christmas Day is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ or at least a holiday to get cosy with all the family and tuck into a juicy turkey with all the trimmings. ...

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The possible implosion of Iran's theocratic regime due to economic pressure reminds one of the quote: "It's the economy, stupid." ...

The world is not enough! Small open economies and regional dependence

The last decades have been characterized as the globalization era. The share of the total trade to world GDP has increased significantly, while liberalization of economic policies and financial markets have boosted financial integration. This has led to rapid economic growth in many regions of the world, starting with the US and Europe, extending now through much of Asia, parts of Africa and South America....

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