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this is NOT a drill: An Expedition in Iranian Diaspora Through Photography, Calligraphy and Poetry

Safavi, Arash (2021) this is NOT a drill: An Expedition in Iranian Diaspora Through Photography, Calligraphy and Poetry. Masters thesis, OCAD University.

Item Type: Thesis
Creators: Safavi, Arash
Abstract:

The Iranian diaspora is a young and growing community that came into existence mainly after the Islamic revolution of 1979. In this study, I review historical contexts of the Iranian diaspora while comparing it to the common definition of “diaspora”. The Iranian diasporic community shows many of the common features of diasporas, however, it does not have a unified and united relationship. This community includes a multiplicity of genders, sexual orientations, religions, ethnicities, regions, political beliefs, and socioeconomic backgrounds, making it an intersectionally diverse community. The members of the Iranian diasporic community maintain an internal hierarchical relationship among themselves while congregating to form a community. Through qualitative research methodology, archival research, self-reflection, practice-based research, participant observation and a series of informal conversations, I investigate the underlying reasons for this divided and separating relationship. This diversity and separation create many different and even contradictory stories for its members. In this project, I seek to reflect upon Iranian Canadian diasporic subjects' stories in visual forms using photography, typography, and calligraphy in Canada's culturally diverse society. Furthermore, I revisit the art of translation within diaspora to argue for the complexity of the concept of diaspora and how hybrid translation can help members come closer together. I demonstrate how storytelling within diaspora assists the community in restructuring its lost cultural identity and establishing a social space to belong, in the time of spatial and cultural dislocation.

Date: 3 May 2021
Divisions: Graduate Studies > Interdisciplinary Art, Media and Design
Date Deposited: 03 May 2021 16:03
Last Modified: 20 Dec 2021 20:45
URI: https://openresearch.ocadu.ca/id/eprint/3329

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