Iranian Diaspora Identities: Stories and Songs

by Ziba Shirazi, Kamran Afary, Ziba Shirazi (Contribution by), Fariba Boghraty (Contribution by), Farrokh Boghraty (Contribution by)

Overview

This book combines oral history, storytelling, and ethnographic research in communication and performance studies into a unique archive of the history of contemporary Iranian diaspora experiences. This book provides an artistic vision of the transformations that Iranian exiles experienced in family, gender, and spiritual beliefs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761871705
Publisher:	Hamilton Books
Publication date:	06/11/2020
Pages:	206
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.07(h) x 0.63(d)

About the Author

Ziba Shirazi is a poet, singer, songwriter and storyteller best known for her poignant songs and storytelling through poetry. Shirazi created the ongoing project of Story & Song, a lyrical storytelling series of performances, set to live music with video projections featuring stories of Iranian diaspora experiences. Kamran Afary is assistant professor of communication studies at California State University Los Angeles and a registered drama therapist (RDT). He is the author of Performance and Activism: Grassroots Discourse after the Los Angeles Rebellion of 1992.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments A Note on Translations, Monologues, and Stories Introduction: Revolution, War, and the Making of an Iranian Diaspora Literature. Monologues 1. My Rite of Passage and Unexpected Fate Ziba Shirazi 2. The Outsider Fariba Boghraty 3. The Pain of Language Barrier Farrokh Boghraty 4. Senior Life Massy Alavi 5. Lost Identity Nasrin Almasi 6. A Girl with an American Husband Shahla 7. Made in America, Delivered in Iran Shahrzad Safinya 8. Unfulfilled Dreams Shervin 9. A Simple Dream Valentina Nazaretian Stories 10 A Dream of Hope Mahvash Dareshi Gheytanchi Levi 11. Asal (Honey) Homayoun Houshiarnejad 12. Living a Full Life Iran 13. A Space to Design Manijeh Teymouri 14. A Small Suitcase for a Great Escape Modjgan Rashtian 15. The Teacher Sorour Nayeri 16. The First Kiss Vida Ghahremani 17. The Doorbell Ring Zohreh In Place of a Conclusion. A Selective Analysis of the Themes of Iranian Diaspora Bibliography Index About the Editors

Editorial Reviews

Starting with a deceptively simple question, 'When and why did you leave Iran?' Ziba Shirazi and Kamran Afary have uncovered a trove of compelling, heartbreaking, loving, and funny stories that belie the western stereotypes of Iranian diaspora and their experience. This compelling work of Shirazi and Afary goes beyond the academic, esoteric, sanitized investigation of culture, migration, and global conflicts to examine the lived experiences of the sojourners’ struggles, triumphs and rebirths authentically by using the Persian cultural bedrock-medium of poetry and storytelling. Iranian Diaspora Identities brings intercultural communication, diaspora studies, immigration research and cultural studies theory alive, providing scholars, students, and instructors a wealth of material to consider, examine, discuss, and explore.

Nancy Grass

A unique collection of engaging and moving migration stories of diverse groups of Iranians to the United States after the Islamic revolution of 1979. Shirazi and Afary provide an informative introduction to the revolution and its subsequent social-political conditions that led many to leave the country. The authors offer an in-depth analysis of the themes of migration and the processes of acculturation and identity transformation that help the reader gain a better understanding of the experiences and challenges of Iranian diaspora in the United States. An important work of oral history and unforgettable stories.

Mehrnaz Saeed-Vafa