Prior Knowledge Building for Persepolis

What do you remember about Post-Colonialism?

• The Imperialists took over “undeveloped” or “primitive” countries, supposedly to help…

• The Imperialists did do some (kind of) good things, such as…

• More importantly, the Imperialists did lots of bad things, such as…

• Now that the Imperialist age is over, the colonized must struggle with difficult questions, such as…

Marjane Satrapi(1969 - )

• Born to an middle-upper class family in Tehran • Urbanized, educated family that supported Marxism

in Iran• Family was initially hopeful about the Iranian

Revolution, but hopes were crushed as fundamentalism took hold

• Marjane was (and is) a precocious young woman of deeply divided feelings. Frustrated by corrupt rule of the Shah AND conservative Islam, enraged by Western Imperialism AND enamored of Western music & fashion

• Grew up partially in Iran and partially in Vienna, struggling with her identity as an Iranian woman and artist

• Published her autobiographical graphic novel Persepolis in 2000-2003, originally in French

• Currently living in France with her second husband, Mattias Ripa

Pre-Islamic Iran

• Persepolis – In ancient times, Iran was the seat of the mighty Sassanid Empire, ruled by such powerful emperors as Cyrus the Great. They are incredibly cultured and even beat back the Romans.

• In 637-651 CE, an Arab Muslim army gradually conquered Iran, and Iran becomes dominated by Sunni Islam.

• Much of what we think of as “Muslim culture” comes from what the Muslims appropriated from the Sassanids.

Iran 1000-1900

• Iran is repeatedly occupied by outside nations (especially the Sunni Turks, Ottomans, & Uzbeks). Iranians struggle for independence & national identity.

• Iran is eventually reunified by Ismail I of the Safavid Dynasty, who forcibly uses Shia Islam as a means to unite his people against foreign influence.

• For many years, the Safavids are formidable, conquering Afghanistan, driving away the English & Portuguese. However, the later rulers become lazy & corrupt, and Iran gets conquered again in 1722.

• Next comes Nader Shah, a powerful warlord—but he gets murdered by his own people for being a tyrant.

• After civil war, Iran is ruled by the Qajar Dynasty, but the Qajar Dynasty becomes the puppet of Britain, Russia, and France.

Early Modern Iran

• Britain discovers oil in Iran in 1908, fueling greater Imperialist expansion. Iran’s oil is actually owned by BP, and Iran only gets a fraction of the profits.

• The puppet government of Iran is extremely corrupt and powerless.

• And along comes a powerful military man named Reza Shah…

Reza Khan Pahlavi

• Trained as a western-style Cossack cavalryman, Reza is a classic “Strongman” ruler.

• Many historians debate whether or not he was helped into power by British oil interests or simply rose on his own out of a desire to drive out the corrupt Qajar Dynasty.

• Either way, he is a formidable ruler who reigns from 1925-1941, forcing rapid modernization/westernization…which angers the conservative religious leaders.

• During WWII, he tries to assert too much control over oil rights and is ousted in favor of his son, Reza Shah Pahlavi.

Reza Shah Pahlavi

• The new king was not his father. Having been dominated by his father his whole life, the new Shah was terrible at dealing with conflicts: aggressive until faced with resistance, then quickly submissive.

• He also believed that he was touched/chosen by God because of surviving multiple childhood illnesses and an early attempt on his life.

The Last Shah1941-1950s

• At first, he tries to be a hands-off constitutional monarch, but is plagued with a corrupt parliament.

• In the 50s, his prime minister Mohammad Mossaddegh tries to take over the country and nationalize the oil industry.

• The Shah’s reign is saved by CIA interference because America & Britain want cheap oil…which angers the leftist Socialists of Iran.

• The Shah returns to power, thinking he’s back because his people love him so much as a monarch.

• He decides it’s time to really assert himself (and outshine his father) by pushing for maximum modernization…which angers the fundamentalist mullahs on the right.

The Last Shah1960s-1970s

• The Shah secretly discovers he has cancer, which steps up his desperate push to leave a great legacy.

• His reign becomes increasingly criticized by everyone: the religious mullahs, the Marxist socialists, and even the westernized urbanites who want a genuine democracy.

• He angers the West by messing with oil prices, he angers his own aides by jailing ministers who his critics don’t like…

• He stages a totally misguided national pride day where he tries to claim that he is the new Cyrus the Great…

• And then the revolution starts.

The Revolution

• The Shah manages to be such a bad ruler that he unites the far left and far right, resulting in mass protests.

• The Shah’s troops panic and open fire on the protestors, and it is claimed that the Shah ordered them to shoot.

• In 1979, the Shah is finally driven into exile.

• The liberal leftists expect that there will be a period of unrest followed by democracy or even Marxist socialism, but instead…

The Ayatollah Khomeni

• One of the Shah’s greatest critics, the deeply religious Ayatollah Khomeni, takes power, establishing a theocracy where Shia Islam is law.

• He executes the female minister of education, curtails women’s rights, and forbids aspects of Western culture including music & alcohol.

• Under his regime, Iran is soon caught in a hasty war with Iraq (a Sunni nation led by Saddam Hussein). Khomeni’s Iranian military struggles to fight back, even using child soldiers.

Iran under the Ayatollah

• US and Iranian relations get even worse. The US backed Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War (with chemical weapons), and they also provided cancer treatments for the exiled Shah.

• Nevertheless, there is a booming black market for western music, fashions, and booze.

• Liberals (like Marjane’s parents) continue to drink and party in secret, but there is constant risk of arrest by the police.

• There is a sharp divide between public life and private life, and young people like Marjane struggle for self-identity in a country that is itself struggling for identity.