Cyber-Literature and Virtual Culture in Iran

Since the beginning of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s presidency, increased concerns about the Islamic Republic’s political behavior have aggravated the confrontation between Iran and the international community more than ever. As the relationship between the regime and the international community has become more antagonistic, the Iranian people are increasingly losing their voice and are deprived of their right of self- determination.

The Iranians are now in danger of becoming the losers of a conflict provoked by the regime’s political and ideological agenda. Some observers are convinced that the “problem” of the Islamic Republic can only be solved in the interest of the international community if the initiative for change comes from within Iranian civil society. In order to estimate the possibilities and limitations of change arising from within the Islamic Republic, it is helpful to observe the effectiveness of independent public information dissemination and discourse. The internet era has given Iranian civil society the possibility to explore and participate in alternative spaces for intellectual and political discourse, outside the realm of the regime-controlled media. This paper deals with the internet as the vehicle and instrument of the new, independent Iranian information society.

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