- Hardcover: 344 pages
- Publisher: Stanford University Press (Sep 4 2008)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0804758565
- ISBN-13: 978-0804758567
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.7 x 3.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 635 g
- Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #303,222 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
"Mahdavi's Tehran orgy signals a profound shift in post-revolutionary Iran, as young adults in a young world (two-thirds of the Iranian population consists of urbanites under 30) challenge the regime, although not by anything so political as street rebellion or samizdat pamphleteering. Their preferred methods of protest are sexual adventurism -- the orgy or drug and booze-fuelled party -- and sexual self-expression of a more subtle kind: skimpy underwear, worn beneath the hijab, sends a f..k-you message to the morality police and plants a sly inward smile on the face of the wearer. Passionate Uprisings will...dispel the ignorance in the West about Iran, its people and their tragedy. It should also check any residual sympathy anti-American Westerners may hold for the regime simply on account of its belligerence towards President George W. Bush. This is a cruel regime, loathed by its young citizenry, but it will not prove easy to dislodge." —The Australian
"The book is in essence an academic work but it will attract the general reader with its occasionally titillating subject matter (she does not shy away from describing sexual encounters and orgies). For Mahdavi's thesis is that the changes in sexual practices and in the sartorial choices of Iran's youth indicate a 'revolution' of conscious resistance to the regime." —Financial Times
"Part academic treatise, part titillation, Mahdavi's work argues that the social and sexual practices of the urban young adults 'who comprise two-thirds of Iran's population' constitute a form of political dissent and rebellion. While the punishments for premarital sex, drinking and dancing are severe, the author, a journalist and assistant professor of anthropology at Pomona College, captures a hedonistic, postadolescent and pure pop culture spirit, reflecting the interests and activities of the 'highly mobile, highly educated... underemployed' and secular young Tehranis she followed over a seven-year period." —Publishers Weekly
"Passionate Uprisings offers a unique and amazing look into the ongoing Iranian sexual revolution. That's right—hot sex in the Islamic Republic! Mahdavi documents the secret parties, trysts, and even orgies of rebellious Iranian youth, constantly asking whether a sexual revolution can evolve into a political one. As a close friend of her informants and often a participant in their high-jinks, she's the perfect companion on this unlikely journey—sympathetic, knowledgeable and super-smart!" —Barbara Ehrenreich, best-selling author of Bait and Switch: The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream (2005)
"Passionate Uprisings carves a clear trail through the jungle of ideology about life in modern-day Iran, and breaks new ground to show how sex is used by young people in a Muslim country to resist political oppression. A fascinating book unlike any other." —Sally Guttmacher, New York University
Product Description
There is perhaps no place in the world today where the stakes of partying and having sex are higher than in present-day Iran. Drinking and dancing can lead to arrest by the morality police and a punishment of up to 70 lashes. Consequences for sex outside of marriage can be even more severe—up to 84 lashes, or even public execution.
But even under the threat of such harsh punishment, a sexual revolution is taking place. Iranian youth continually risk personal safety to meet friends, date, and, ultimately, to have sex. In the absence of any option for overt political dissent, young people have become part of a self-proclaimed revolution in which they are using their bodies to make social and political statements. Sex has become both a source of freedom and an act of political rebellion.
With unprecedented access inside turn-of-the century Iran, Pardis Mahdavi offers a firsthand look at the daily lives of Iranian youth. They are given a voice as she tells the stories of their intertwined quests for sexual freedom, political reform, and a better future – but not a future without risk. The sexual revolution is also leading to increased levels of abortion, HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, and ongoing emotional troubles and mental illnesses, with worrying implications for Iranian youth and Iranian society at large.
Passionate Uprisings is a fascinating, ground-breaking, and personal look into a society that is poorly understood—if it is understood at all—by the majority of Westerners today. Mahdavi's narrative provides not only an invaluable insight into the real lives of much of Iran's population, but shows how sexual politics and the youth culture could even destabilize the current regime and change the course of Iranian politics.
But even under the threat of such harsh punishment, a sexual revolution is taking place. Iranian youth continually risk personal safety to meet friends, date, and, ultimately, to have sex. In the absence of any option for overt political dissent, young people have become part of a self-proclaimed revolution in which they are using their bodies to make social and political statements. Sex has become both a source of freedom and an act of political rebellion.
With unprecedented access inside turn-of-the century Iran, Pardis Mahdavi offers a firsthand look at the daily lives of Iranian youth. They are given a voice as she tells the stories of their intertwined quests for sexual freedom, political reform, and a better future – but not a future without risk. The sexual revolution is also leading to increased levels of abortion, HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, and ongoing emotional troubles and mental illnesses, with worrying implications for Iranian youth and Iranian society at large.
Passionate Uprisings is a fascinating, ground-breaking, and personal look into a society that is poorly understood—if it is understood at all—by the majority of Westerners today. Mahdavi's narrative provides not only an invaluable insight into the real lives of much of Iran's population, but shows how sexual politics and the youth culture could even destabilize the current regime and change the course of Iranian politics.
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Most helpful customer reviews
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
A potentially great topic, written so bad. Disappointing!,
By
This review is from: Passionate Uprisings: Iran's Sexual Revolution (Hardcover)
The initial topic has a huge potential for discussions and studies by various people. I've always believed that the level of sexual repression in Islamic countries is a big source of being hateful, holding radical views and not having a stable life. Most famous Jihadists including those who attacked the NYC on Sep 11th 2001 or the attackers in Bombay in India a few months ago had severe sexual repressions. I've always jokingly of course, told my western friends that the west should bomb Iran to freedom not through smart bombs or laser munitions but by dropping tons and tons of Playboy & Hustler magazines or porn DVDs. A sexual revolution in Iran the way it happened in the west in 50s, 60s and early 70s (Sexual freedoms) is a great peaceful way to open up the Iranian society. Having had thoughts like this, I thought Ms. Mahdavi's book (which is more like a college research essay) could tell me how this new sexual uprising is unfolding in Iran. I was terribly disappointed to know that she has based her research on ONLY 7 individuals in Iran and that she has basically done little background check on her subjects. Most of her subjects come from upper middle class or high class families where the social and traditional laws are already lax and less intense and therefore they are not really the problem in today's Iran. Our problem is the lower level parts of the populace where radical and religious views are intense and more deep rooted. She has done nothing to uncover those people. And she has written a book based on talking to 7 individuals through a period of several years. This hardly can be encouraging. I believe the sexual revolution is taking place in Iran, I never dispute that. But Mahdavi's book is not the best way of finding out how it is unfolding within the society. 7 people can not really be a revolutionary movement. Moreover, I think Ms. Mahdavi has tried to paint a rosie image of Iran for the foreign readers especially the liberal ones in the US. I might know why she has done it: That rosie picture could help her return to Iran more often and most likley regime won't bar her from re-entering the country in the future. That's understandable since she would like to study Iran but this approach will not make her any more credible and the picture she has tried to convey to the west is hardly true and close to reality.I am going to wait for the book by Ms. Janet Afary to come out. May be it will be a different and more accurate study of the issue. Sexual Politics in Modern Iran
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4.7 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews) 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Intriguing Inside Account of Iran's Youth,
By Robert L. Moore - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Passionate Uprisings: Iran's Sexual Revolution (Hardcover)
Passionate Uprisings is a surprisingly informative book even for those who have kept up with social trends in contemporary Iran. Its most revealing message is that a large segment of Tehran's population has committed itself to a sexual revolution that packs a political punch.The phrase "sexual revolution" will, for many Americans, conjure up images of the 1960s counter culture also famous for politically relevant sexual transformations. But given the fundamental differences between 21st century Tehran and 1960s America, this comparison will conceal as much as it reveals. Something very few Americans ever faced was the prospect of incarceration and a brutal whipping for a sexual transgression. Furthermore, when Iran's conservative government-backed morality police are in high gear, "sexual transgression" can include such modest actions as wearing lipstick or letting one's hair slip out from under one's head covering. As these references to lipstick and errant locks of hair imply, Iranian women are more vulnerable than are men to assaults by the morality police, but both genders are subject to beatings and imprisonment for supposedly provocative behavior. Even more astonishing than the ruthlessness of the authorities is the courage of the Iranians, particularly young Iranians, as they organize their sexually charged basement parties and gather in public places to flirt with outrageously straightforward intent. And for many of them, these acts of defiance are not only exciting for their own sake, they are also intentionally political. Iranian-American author Pardis Mahdavi had more access to the relatively prosperous northern Tehranis than to Iranians of the relatively poor southern slums, and she is forthright in pointing out this aspect of her research. Being an anthropologist, she relied heavily on participant observation while she lived -- on and off over a period of seven years -- among middle and upper class Iranians. She supplemented the data she gathered in this way with scores of interviews with social workers, doctors, public health providers, and other Iranians representing a variety of ages and social statuses. The material provided in this book covers not only attitudes toward premarital and extramarital sex, but also such rarely investigated topics as the motivations behind the use (or non-use) of condoms and young Iranians' understandings of HIV and other STIs. Passionate Uprisings is a treasure trove of information on current trends in Iranian society. It also has the added benefit of painting a very human picture of the people of Iran -- a welcome feature in light of the tendency of some media sources to demonize this fascinating country. 2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent insider view of Iranian society today.,
By Robert Buehrer - Published on Amazon.com
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This review is from: Passionate Uprisings: Iran's Sexual Revolution (Hardcover)
This book does an excellent job of depicting the level of frustration of a large portion of Iranians today. It goes a long way in helping Westerners understand the anger and protests that erupted after the last elections why so many were willing to risk so much (life & personal freedom) to try to enable change in this very closed and controlled country.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pardis Mahdavi's PASSIONATE UPRISINGS gives a new view to another culture,
By C. A. Webb "Conversations Book Club" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Passionate Uprisings: Iran's Sexual Revolution (Hardcover)
Having interviewed Pardis on my radio show, I was excited to share my thoughts about the book and her overall intention of writing it.PASSIONATE UPRISINGS allows you to see another view of Iran that is not talked about alot, especially in the states. Their views on sex and sexuality are interesting in that in some ways the thoughts of some Iranian people are not that far from some in the states--though the actions might be a stark contrast. Pardis chronicles the experiences she had in trying to understand what was happening in the country, and the people she talked with were able to share the truth that they lived in a way that was honest and raw. This is a book you should definitely read and then find a way to learn more on your own. You might be surprised at what you find. |
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