PRWR 6550 presentation of Iraj Omidvar's article on "Study of Photographs of Iran: Postcolonial Inquiry into the Limits of Visual Representation." Use of images covered under creative commons licensing with credit to Flikr photographer Hamed Saber.

1. Stereotypes.

2. Just a set of ideas.

3. A Study of Photographs of Iran Essay by IrajOmidvar Postcolonial Inquiry into the Limits of Visual Representation

4. In 2002, on the edge of war, how do you present Iran to an American audience of churchgoers, students, and teachers?

5. How do you overcome perceptions and redefine innocent words and images? Iran euro mullah women oil ayatollah Tehran hejab religion freedom Hussein Qur’an

6. If you chose to share images, what kind of pictures would you show? What would you want people to notice? What would you want to conceal?

7. Show the colors? ©Hamed Saber All images courtesy of Flikr with photographer attributed.

8. Show the people? ©Hamed Saber

9. Show the similarities? ©Hamed Saber

10. Show the land? ©Hamed Saber

11. Show the beauty? ©Hamed Saber

12. Show the mosques? ©Hamed Saber

13. Show the urban life? ©Hamed Saber

14. ©Hamed Saber Show the rural life?

15. Show the nomadic life? ©Hamed Saber

16. Re-seeing Iran Which representation of Iran is true?

17. Conflicting Pedagogy Aristotelian Know audience's preferences Establish credibility Abbreviate arguments Correct flawed ideas Stereotypes are an oversimplification of ideas Remedied with accurate information Assumes an agreed-upon social reality Socratic Guided dialogue Raises questions of ideology and values Opportunity for discussion Ambiguous conclusions Recognizes complex influences of society and situation Considers the “other” in understanding what is stereotyped and why Challenges ideological and interpretive frameworks

18. The initial reaction is to counter stereotypes. Statistics and images are chosen to correct misperceptions and offer an alternative, superior perspective. There is no mutual exchange or negotiation of ideas.

19. Statistics Iran Statistics +70 million population +1.5 million university students +85% literacy rate +40,000 villages with electricity Widespread cell phone use Diverse landscapes: mountains; woods; desert 500,000 automotive industry employees Self-sufficient wheat production Points of Intersection Historical events and figures of mutual respect and support prior to 1939 Historical events of invasion and military action post 1939 American invasion and occupation in WWII 1953 American-financed and organized coup d'état of democratically elected premier Iranian hostage-taking of U.S. embassy staff in Tehran U.S. support of Iraq during Iraq-Iran war

20. Iran and the United States have a mixed, violent history; however there is a foundation of respect and peace that can be restored. Iran is progressive, industrious, and modern. It’s people are educated and provided for within their own country. The landscape is diverse.

21. Images The intent is to engage positive similarities, pique cultural interest, and obscure negative differences. Dramatic architecture Modern environments Cars, expressways, parks, stores, homes, families Diverse landscapes Mountains, valleys, forests Industrial settings Manufacturing plants, machinery Women of power and prestige Physicians, dentists, VPs, faculty, election campaigners, protestors Women engaged in public life Driving, voting, playing games, skiing, sky-diving

22. Negotiating Stereotypes.

23. Truth and possibility are uncertain.

24. Who’s looking? The situation of the photographer and the viewer can be just as telling as the photograph itself. ©Hamed Saber

25. If there is no absolute, then where do the stereotypes come from? A dialecticapproach encourages critical discussions that delve deeper into ideological issues and question the value systems of both the subject and viewer.

26. Revised Pedagogy Images are expanded to include more diverse depictions of political figures, living environments, and conditions of society. Moreover, images are analyzed collaboratively to uncover the hidden truths, beliefs, and stereotypes of the subject, photographer, and viewer.

27. ©Hamed Saber

28. ©Hamed Saber

30. Final Thoughts A photo can only say so much, but it can speak so much louder when it is not limited by a single mindset or hidden for fear of judgment. Individuals are complex and imperfect. Imagine the overwhelming intricacy of an entire nation and the many facets required to form a truthful representation of its people.

31. Workshop Select a search term and an image from Flikr. As a class, explore the stereotypical elements of the images. Speculate about the motives and background of the photographer.