Iranians in Texas: Migration, Politics, and Ethnic Identity

An exploration of the link between politics of migration, prospects of integration, and ethnic identity among Iranian immigrants and their descendants in the United States, spanning from the 1970s to the present day. Thousands of Iranians fled their homeland when the 1978–1979 revolution ended the fifty-year reign of the Pahlavi dynasty. Some fled to Europe and Canada, while others settled in the United States, where anti-Iranian sentiment flared as the hostage crisis unfolded. For those who chose America, Texas became the fourth-largest settlement area. Iranians in Texas culls data, interviews, and participant observations in Iranian communities in Houston, Dallas, and Austin to reveal the difficult, private world of cultural pride, religious experience, marginality, culture clashes, and other aspects of the lives of these immigrants. Examining the political nature of immigration between Iran and the United States and social, cultural, and economic life for Iranian immigrants and their American-born children, Mohsen Mostafavi Mobasher incorporates his own experience as a Texas scholar born in Iran. In this revised edition, two new chapters and a new introduction and conclusion provide updates on what has happened in the Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations, including the Iran nuclear deal and resulting controversy, the Muslim ban, and the global protests over the death of twenty-two-year-old Mahsa Amini for not wearing a hijab. Bringing to life a unique immigrant population in the context of global politics, Iranians in Texas overturns stereotypes and echoes diverse voices.

Table of Contents:
Foreword by Nestor Rodriguez Preface Preface to the New Edition Introduction Introduction to the New Edition 1. The Paradox of Migration: Neither Happy in Exile nor Looking Forward to Returning Home 2. To Be or Not to Be an Iranian: Politics, Media, and the Paradox of National Identity 3. Double Ambivalence and Double Detachment: The Paradox of Living in the United States 4. To Be an Iranian, American, or Iranian American: Family, Cultural Resistance, and the Paradox of Ethnic Identity among Second-Generation Iranian Americans 5. Exile and the Paradox of Gender, Marriage, and Family 6. States, Foreign Policy, and the Paradox of Inclusion: U.S.-Iran Diplomatic Negotiations since Obama and the Predicament of Iranian Americans 7. Exile and Political Activism: The Paradox of National Allegiance and Political Loyalty Conclusion Afterword Appendix. Research Methodology Acknowledgments Notes References Index