Research Paper: Cluster # 2

Nima Naghibi is an Assistant Professor of English at Ryerson University and is interested in Iranian Feminism and Western representations of the Middle East and Andrew O’Malley is an Associate Professor in the English Department at Ryerson University. Their fields help them look at Persepolis in more of humanist or feminist light because of their extensive knowledge on the topics. In The Estranging the Familiar: “East” and “West” in Satrapi’s Persepolis Naghibi and O’Malley argue that Persepolis is a text that tries to bring West and East together by highlighting their similarities and tries to argue that this idea the West has on the East is not completely true. They argue that “two important effects of cartooning: the first enables a focus on specific details; the second is ‘the universality of cartoon imagery. The more cartoony a face is, for instance, the more people it could be said to describe and that “you see it as the face of another but when you enter the world of the cartoon --- you see yourself" (Naghibi & O’Malley 228). Which causes people to look at the book as if they were the child in the book.  They also argue that “Illuminating the similarities between the Western and Islamic worlds is what Satrapi does best. In both worlds, kids grow up and rebel against their parents and society. They try to shape their own identities. The only difference between a girl growing up in Iran is that in Iran, rebellious behavior we take for granted could lead to jail time--- if not worse.” (Naghibi & O’Malley 236). More evidence for this comparison between the West and the East is the two chapters Kim Wilde and The Veil in the artwork on the heading of the chapters. They argue that the compositions of the two headings are similar in features because Satrapi is sending the message that the east symbolized by the Veil and the West symbolized by Kim Wilde are not so different after all. When Satrapi wants to become a prophet Naghibi and O’Malley argue that “ Satrapi appears to be toying with the Western, Romantic notion of the “divine child” here; she also toys with the idealized figure of the innocent child untouched by the tainted adult world. It is worth noting that Marji’s desire to be a prophet is born out of a desire to redress the social inequities she sees around her: “I wanted to be a prophet … because our maid did not eat with us. Because my father had a Cadillac” (Satrapi 5). A six year old is usually not supposed to have an awareness of these sorts of political realities, because the dominant ideology of childhood as a state of innocence renders it an apolitical category” (Naghibi & O’Malley 244). The intended audience are feminist and other scholar interested in researching Persepolis. The composition of the text is used because it is more easily accessible since it is an online article.The source is very relevant because it discusses many things that can help me with my argument.

Typhaine Leservot is an Associate Professor of Letters and Associate Professor of French at Wesleyan University and is interested in French Literature and Maghrebi and Caribbean literature. Typhaine Leservot argues that Satrapi’s narrative is focused more on Occidentalism rather than Orientalism. Leservot argues this with example like “Globalization and media studies confirm the postcolonial portrayal of western influences abroad as always necessarily linked to colonialism and emanating from the West itself ” but a brings up “ this omnipresence of the western paradigm inherited from colonial times seems to have increased in postcolonial times with the omnipresence of western media” (Leservot 117). Leservot even explains that in Persian culture King Fereydun gave his son “Salm, the coward” the west implying that the west is weaker and less than the east. Leservot also claims that “ Satrapi reveals that prior to the Revolution, she was not fed western images encouraging cheap and shallow consumption; rather, she actively interacted with western culture on a very sophisticated level. She read western philosophy, learning both about Descartes and Marx, and drew parallels between Marx and her God (I., “La Bicyclette”).3 The visual juxtaposition of Descartes, Marx, and her God on one double-page creates both a heterogeneous picture of the West where opposing philosophies do occur, and a strong continuum between western and eastern cultures” (Leservot 121). Leservot also claims that when Satrapi and her family know that their vacation to Europe will most likely be their last, “Europe becomes suddenly exotic” (Leservot 122). Satrapi being interested in western culture in Leservot’s view is an example of “the contrast between the two Irans, the westernized elite and middle-class, and the fundamentalist poor” (Leservot 123). Leservot mentions the time a young Satrapi tried her first cigarette, a popular western symbol of rebellion, and she “recounts almost simultaneously how oppressive the regime had become, effectively linking outside pressures with tensions from home…” (Leservot 123). Leservot argues that Satrapi’s novel “is a reflection both of ingenuity and the difficulty of political rebellion in Iran” (Leservot 125) and argues that “ westernization of Iran is more a product, ironically, of Fundamentalist Islam than it is of western neo-colonialism ” (Leservot 127). The audience of the source are people interested in Occidentalism and its application in Persepolis. The use of the composition of the article is to have factual information and apply it to Persepolis. The source is very relevant to my topic because it is a counter argument to my main argument.

Aref Abu-Rabia is a Professor of Anthropology at Ben-Gurion University and is apart of the department of Middle East Studies.His research interests are on the Middle East and Islamic studies and is crucial for the discussion of Orientalism in relation to Persepolis. In The Veil and Muslim Women in France, Abu- Rabia argues that the veil should not be restricted from public schools in France. Abu- Rabia argues that the banning of the veil is due to that fact that France argues that the veil causes men and women to not be equal, but in actuality the banning of the veil is more about the fear of Islam and the Middle East (Abu-Rabia 93).  Abu- Rabia argues that France tries to make women who wear the veil conform to french society but argues that women should be able to choose what they would like to wear and not be goaded to do differently (Abu-Rabia 95).  Abu- Rabia insists that the restriction of the veil is what causes Muslim women to be oppressed and to no longer have a voice in society or freedom to do what they would like with their lives (Abu-Rabia 97).  Abu- Rabia asserts that one must also realize that women wear the veil for more than one reason. He argues that “The motivations for veiling are varied, ranging from personal safety to religious conservatism, but seldom do they stem from political extremism” (Abu-Rabia 97).  Abu-Rabia also notes that “Many Muslims are aware of the reality that they are on a European continent of Christian civilisation, and that once European civilisation feels threatened, its attitude towards foreigners will become more xenophobic” (Abu-Rabia 98). The intended audience for the text is a French audience mainly concerned with the politics of the veil. The composition of the work was to organize the background on the layers of the debate of the veil in order to give the audience a better understanding of the debate. The source is very useful for the historical/cultural portion of my paper and I can use it to compare it to the veil in the narrative Persepolis.

Ashraf Zahedi is a sociologist who studies Iran and Afghanistan. Her study interests give historical background to my essay that I do not get from other scholars. In Concealing and Revealing Female Hair Zahedi argues that the Veil has been a controversial topic not only in the Middle East but also in the context of western countries. Zahedi contends that In the east the veil is a religious symbol that for some is forced upon them but in the west the veil is interpreted as “ a symbol of women’s oppression, signifying backwardness” (Zahedi 253). Zahedi claims that the veil was not originally a Muslim symbol but was adopted due to the “exposure to the cultures they conquered” and that “the veil signified modesty” (Zahedi 252).  Zahedi also points out the unveiling was difficult for women to so when the Shah had made it mandatory (Zahedi 254). She argues that at this time unveiling gave women more of a voice because people that were veiled were seen as “traditional” and they would not be listened to (Zahedi 256). This brings up the notion of whether to veil or not. Many people question if the veil should or should not be implemented and Zahedi work shows that there are pros and cons to both extremes. Veiling and Unveiling bring different problems to women in different times of Iran’s history. The audience of the source seems to be one that is interested in the history of the veil and would most likely not have gone through the experience of wearing the veil during and after the Iranian revolution. The purpose behind the composition of the work is that it is in a book filled with other works that all talk about the issue of the veil and try to give different perspectives of the controversial topic. The source is very relevant to my artifact in that it will give my paper background about an important topic in the book Persepolis.

Work Cited
            Abu-Rabia, Aref. "The Veil And Muslim Women In France: Religious And Political Aspects." Anthropology Of The Middle East 1.2 (2006): 89-107. Academic Search Complete. Web. 3 June 2016.
             Leservot, Typhaine. "Occidentalism." French Forum 36.1 (2011): 115-130. Academic Search Complete. Web. 3 June 2016.