Injustice, cruelty, and hopelessness are only some of the words to describe how Iranians felt after the miscued presidential election on June 12, 2009. A country enraged and ready to stand up for personal freedom broke out on the streets of Iran as a result of this disputed election. Iranians’ demands for gender equality, political liberty, choice of religion, and personal freedom are rights that all human beings are entitled to. The disappointment was felt and expressed worldwide as protests and silent screams began inside and outside Iran. As bloody images of torture were posted and live bloggers shared their stories, the Iranian authorities immediately shut down all telecommunications to avoid any outgoing messages. The Iranian government’s tactics on shutting down the outgoing information proved to be a tired method as people found a voice in Post Modern communications such as Twitter. Edward Said, Michel Foucault and Clay Shirky, share an interdependent relationship with Iran either directly or indirectly. Said, the father of Orientalism; Foucault, the voice of the radical Power/Knowledge model; and Shirky, the interpreter of Post Modern issues, specifically the Iranian election. The current protests in Iran are a Post Modern phenomenon because it challenges Orientalism.
Orientalism, coined by Edward Said, is a discourse on the West’s view on the Middle East. Said describes Orientalism as “an idea that has a history and a tradition of thought, imagery, and vocabulary that has given it reality and presence in and for the West” (Said, p. 4). Though Orientalist’s are considered academic writers, views on the Middle East can easily be misinterpreted or miscommunicated, therefore, Orientalism can be viewed a positive or a negative incident to the world. Depending on how one studied, researched and learned about the Middle East, Orientalist perspectives are “less preferred by specialists” because it is too general of an assumption and it often represents the European view, not necessarily a true or holistic view (Said, p. 2). The clash between Eastern and Western religions, specifically Christianity and Islam created stereotypes which commonly put Islam in a negative light, dubbed “Anti –Jesus” (Black, 2009). This religious tension was the catalyst of how the modern world viewed the Middle East with stereotypes such as “the barbaric and uncultured Arab” (Black, 2009). Through discourse and thousands of years of Orientalism, there have been various misrepresentations of Iran that is now challenging “the dogmatic generality” of Orientalism (Said, p. 8).
Alongside Edward Said, Michel Foucault is one of the most influential philosophers and thinkers in the second half of the 20th century (Black, 2009). Said borrowed Foucault’s “Power/Knowledge” model, in explaining how powerful discourse is in understanding Orientalism. The Power/Knowledge model believes that “knowledge is power of people” (Black, 2009). Truth is produced in discourse as we use the power of communication and language to reveal this truth (Black, 2009). Truth through discourse was Said’s idea of Orientalism.
Foucault’s model is relevant and applicable to the current protests in Iran. The post modern way of communication through SMS, telephone, and the internet are what brought these millions of people together. Thirty years ago “word of mouth was our only way of communication to meet for the organized protests” says 1979 revolution refugee, Poran Poregbal. Today, the world is more receptive than ever because the West is realizing that Orientalism is not the only lens to define Iran or the “Orient.” Through social mediums like Facebook and Twitter, young Iranians have expressed a new way of thinking, concerning human rights and democracy. The “Culture of the passionate amateur” i.e. the tweeter is an example of a post modern revolution that is currently happening in Iran (Black, 2009). The way it was organized globally was through the voice of the internet, more specifically, Twitter. The participation of millions of men and women in peaceful rallies that were organized by grassroots movements is only one of the ways Iranians are reaching out. The more we communicate our knowledge, the more power we have of making steps towards change. The request for liberty through these protests is in itself challenging the status quo, which is represented by Orientalism. Moreover, the static format of Orientalism is now under question as Iranians are expressing their goals and dreams for a liberal and secular society. From a post modernist point of view, Orientalists have helped the movement of Iran because the Orient, Iran in this case, has been discussed, described, analyzed, taught, and whether the statements have been true or false, it has shed light on today’s crisis(Said, p. 3).
Powerful images, videos and status updates that are shared, are all a part of a new post modern avenue which shows the reality of people’s thoughts and feelings. NYU professor and scholar on Internet issues, Clay Shirky, discussed Twitter and Iran a few days after the disputed elections. Agreeing with Foucault’s Power/Knowledge model, Shirky says that “even if it’s just re-tweeting, you’re aiding the goal that dissidents have always sought: the awareness that the outside world is paying attention is really valuable” (TED Blog, 2009). Re-tweeting is a cry for help as ideas are being shared in hopes for change.
“The internet becomes the mode of carriage for all other mediums,” says Shirky. Networks like CNN and BBC receive their first updates and stories through the Internet (Daily Exchange, 2009). During the heavily covered Iranian election, CNN was on Twitter acting as a secondary reporter since all International journalists were banned from Iran only a few days after the election. The post modern phenomenon is not one we observe and gather information from but one that we are involved in and one that supports multi communicating dimensions of social media like Twitter.
Neda Soltani, a 27 year old Iranian female who was shot dead through the heart by militia just days after the election (TIME, 2009). Because she was attempting to represent a post modern, secular young woman who wanted reform, she was murdered. The last 40 seconds of Neda’s life were captured on cell phone video and broadcasted internationally. The idea of having a female protestor with something to say is an image that the brutal Iranian regime has tried to hide. Neda is the face of post modernism and social media. No longer are the filters of main stream media blinding us, we are now seeing a firsthand affair of an innocent woman being murdered. From the streets of Iran, captured on a cell phone, transmitted online and downloaded on my laptop to my apartment in Vancouver in mere seconds, Neda displays the power of the post modern community. Agreeing with Marshall Mcluhan’s “global village,” the world has been contracted into a village through electronic technology (Living Internet, 2009). Her death has now “become the rallying cry of the Iranian rebellion” (Daily News, 2009). The pain and anger I feel after watching that video still pulls at the essence of who I am. She and I are the same people in two different countries, one can freely go to a protest and one is risking everything to support one.
There are no actors, there are no filters, there are no one’s opinions and no one’s biases, it is raw and it is real.
Locally, an independent grassroots movement in Vancouver organized a silent scream where black is worn to mourn, candles are held to hope and silence is remained to “let their voices be heard” (Silent Scream for Iran, 2009). There was something very post modern about attending the silent scream at the Vancouver Art Gallery on July 2, 2009. Sitting there in a calm manner with a feeling of uncertainty of what the future holds for Iran was hopeful yet eerie. Using our positive thoughts and presence as a sign of solidarity, we stand behind a free Iran, where our voices will be heard, where our questions will be answered, where every single Iranian is entitled to equality rights.
Said, Foucault and Shirky have helped Iran either directly or indirectly in shaping the world’s view on its culture, history and politics. Their commitment to analyzing, studying and generating concepts and theories has revolutionized the news feed as we see it today; primarily Twitter. With their continual pursuit of truth, they have enabled Iran to bypass old ways of communication and to acquire the real information for a more informed and globally organized demonstration in support of peace and democracy. In addition, protests and silent screams were made possible on an international level as a result of the internet. “The positive thing about what’s going on now is that Iranian people have learned that they can change the world’s attitude and ask for support because they are able to show a peaceful request for change” (Poregbal, 2009).
As a 22 year old Iranian – Canadian who has never visited my motherland, Iran, I have fear, hope, pride and excitement for the possibility of change. Being exposed to post modern communication and social media’s has interrupted my lifestyle and daily thought process to move to action. Attending the silent scream was the victory to the post modern revolution where 15 minutes of silence gave me an opportunity to reflect on why I was there. I was there for a country I have never been to, I was there for the family I have never met, I was there for the hopes of a reformed nation, and ultimately I was there representing humanity. With the post modern revolution and everyone standing together as one, I hope that one day I can visit a reformed and democratic Iran.
S.B.
Sources:
Black, David. (2009, April 20). Postmodernism and Postcolonial Theory. Presented at Comm365 lecture at Royal Roads University.
Foucault, M. 1978. What are the Iranians dreaming about? Retrieved on June 28, 2009 from http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/007863.html
Kennedy, Helen. June 22, 2009. NY Daily News. Neda young girl brutally killed in Iran becoming symbol of rebellion. Retrieved on June 23, 2009 from http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2009/06/21/2009-06-21_neda_young_girl_killed_in_iran.html?page=0
Living Internet. Marshall McLuhan Forsees The Global Village. Retrieved on July 3, 2009 from http://www.livinginternet.com/i/ii_mcluhan.htm
Poregbal, Poran. July 1, 2009. Interview with Poran regarding Iran.
Said, Edward. Orientalism
Silent Scream for Iran. Retrieved on June 27, 2009 from http://www.silentscreamforiran.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10&Itemid=10
Squires, Robert. Muslim Answers: Orientalism, Misinformation and Islam. Retrieved on June 30, 2009 from http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Quran/orientalism.html
TED Blog. 2009. Q&A with Clay Shirky on Twitter and Iran. Retrieved on July 2, 2009 from http://blog.ted.com/2009/06/qa_with_clay_sh.php
Telegraph UK. 2009. Retrieved on July 1, 2009 from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/5734808/Iran-Tackling-Tehrans-aggression-requires-bold-measures.html
