In the 1970’s a great power struggle began in Iran, leading to a profusion of civil unrestand mass emigration. In 1941 Iranian monarch Reza Shah, was removed from power by theUnited States and replaced by his son, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, who Westernized thehighly conservative and religious nation.
He continued implementing the Westernized laws setby his father, which were known to “discouraged democratic political expression in the publicsphere” and condemned Islamic fundamentalism (Khosrokhavar 3). The largely conservativecitizens of Iran protested the alterations in multiple movements in response to the westernization,financial failures, and perceived belief that the Shah was being controlled by Western powers forcontrol over Iran’s vast oil supply. January of 1979, the Shah went into exile in Egypt and thedevoted Muslim leader Ayatollah Khomeini assumed power, reinstalling the strict, Islamic law;”The Constitution allows all laws to be revised . by an Assembly of Expert, which isdominated by conservative clergymen” (Khatami 122) .
In 1980, Iraqi troops invaded Iran inhopes of capturing the oil- rich country amidst the Revolutionary turmoil, further contributing toIranian emigration to European countries. The Iran Iraq War continued until 1988. The massexodus resulted in the “forced dispersal, immigration, displacement and establishment ofreconfigured transnational communities”, now known as the Iranian diaspora (Agnew 19). Suchabrupt uprooting of a citizen’s identity and physical connection to their homeland leads to a conflicting sense of identity and belonging in individuals who are involved in the suddentransition.
As a member of the Iranian diaspora, Marjane Satrapi endured many h. . 2010. N.
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