Warring souls

the long version

"In Warring Souls, [Varzi] draws on her experience in Iran in addition to ethnographic research conducted between 1991 and 2000 in Tehran. Varzi examines the construction of identity among Iranian youth in the post-revolution environment and, in particular, the role of propaganda, murals, media, and film in shaping this identity. She explores the way that the state used images to create a truly "Islamic" republic and the effect of this policy on the lives and development of young people under the regime. She argues that, in post-revolution Iran, self-annihilation and self-construction occur in tandem. The author states that this book is about "the intersection of religion, vision, and power, and whether the individual ultimately has the power to turn an image off" (p. 7). . . . Varzi uses interviews and experiences recorded in her own journal of her time in Iran in addition to the journal entries of young Iranian students with whom she formed focus groups to supplement her research. In some cases, mostly concerning the Iran-Iraq war, fictional characters are created through a synthesis of different experiences and accounts to capture the complexity of attitudes and opinions among Iranian youth. Varzi explores the way that the state used images to create a truly "Islamic" republic, and the effect of this policy on the lives and development of young people under the regime." -- Review from H-net website.