Description
Book SynopsisAn eloquent ethnographic account of the beliefs and experiences of young, middle-class, urban Iranians who have grown up in the period since Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution
Trade Review“
Warring Souls is an outstanding and nuanced addition to the literature on contemporary Iranian culture, media, and society.”—Hamid Naficy, author of
An Accented Cinema: Exilic and Diasporic Filmmaking“A lovely piece of writing,
Warring Souls is one of the first credible accounts of secular Iranians in their twenties, the post-Revolution generation.”—Michael M. J. Fischer, author of
Mute Dreams, Blind Owls, and Dispersed Knowledges: Persian Poesis in the Transnational Circuitry“Inside and outside the pulse of war in Iran, close up and far away, Roxanne Varzi weaves her spell; two parts anthropology, one part poetry and film theory, three parts a soaring imagination and a big heart. How could you not reach out for a book which situates itself at the intersection of religion, vision, and power, asking whether the individual ultimately has the power to turn the image off? A tour de force.”—Michael Taussig, Professor of Anthropology, Columbia University
“[
Warring Souls] is an excellent ethnographic study and worth recommending for academics as well as laymen interested in post-revolutionary Iranian society, in general, and Iranian youth, in particular.” -- Razi Ahmad * Iranian Studies *
“[T]he book is successful as a portrayal of turn-of-the-century Iranian culture. The author’s extension of her studies from urban, secular, middle-class youth to veterans of the Iraq war, the testimonials of martyrs, and films and visual images, as well as to literature and intellectual traditions, give this book both a breadth and a depth not matched by other accounts of contemporary Iran. How to study culture on a national scale, and present the results effectively, have long bedeviled anthropologists. Hence, to have done this so well is no small achievement.” -- Patricia J. Higgins * American Anthropologist *
“Varzi’s analysis of Iranian culture and creative application of Western theories bring to the fore mystical, mythological, historical, and sociological characters of Iranian culture and psyche. Her engaging language weaves the dispersed narratives of her subjects with diverse Persian cultural designs, psycho-historical elements, and literary traits into a sophisticated cultural portrait.” -- Ali Akbar Mahdi * Middle East Journal *
“Warring Souls is the most interesting book analysing youth cultures in post-revolution Iran that I have read. . . . [It] is a tour de force that presents novel theoretical perspectives regarding the influence of the Islamic revolution, the Iran–Iraq War and the media (especially visual media) on today’s urban middle-class youth’s culture, lifestyle and future prospects. . . .
Warring Souls is an outstanding addition to the anthropological literature on Iranian youth in a schizophrenic age with lost hopes and paradoxical signals from the leaders of society.” -- Firouz Gaini * Social Anthropology *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ix
Prologue: The Journey xiii
Introduction. Divination: An Archeology of the Unknown 1
1. The Image and the Hidden Master 23
2. Mystic States: Martyrdom and the Making of the Islamic Republic 44
3. Shooting Soldiers, Shooting Film: The Cinema of the Iranian Sacred Defense 76
4. Visionary States: Inhabiting the City, Inhabiting the Mind 106
5. Shifting Subjects: Public Law and Private Selves 131
6. Majnun's Mask: Sex, Suicide, and Semiotic Malfunctioning 155
7. The Ghost in the Machine: (Just War?) Remainders and Reminders of War 175
8. Reforming Religious Identity in Post-Khatami Iran 194
Conclusion. Mehdi's Climb 209
Epilogue 214
Notes 219
Works Cited 263
Index 269
