Iranian Cosmopolitanism: A Cinematic History of Nationalism in the Early Twentieth Century

Despite common narratives that consider it as an ostracized form of entertainment in its early stages in Iran, cinema was in fact a popular communication technology among urban residents in that era. Focusing on the period between 1900s and 1930s, this talk will demonstrate the ways in which Tehran’s diverse urban citizenry endorsed cinema especially for its pedagogical attributes, at a time of governmental decentralization and cinematic precarity.

Open to the public. Light lunch served, RSVP to iran@princeton.edu