Discussion by Rustin Zarkar (PhD candidate, NYU MEIS) and Kiana Karimi (PhD candidate, NYU Performance Studies).
On January 16th, 1979, the last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, kissed a handful of Iranian soil before boarding a plane, never to return. This moment was the culmination of a decades-long struggle against autocracy and monarchism by actors from diverse intellectual traditions. Even though supporters of Ayatollah Khomeini monopolized state power in subsequent years, the leftist and women’s struggle were significant forces in bringing about a revolutionary moment.
For the 40th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution, this talk will explore the friction and convergence of these movements that continue to reverberate in the contemporary politics in Iran and the diaspora. Held on 17 February 2019.