Pamela Karimi

During the reign of the Shah (1941-79), Iran changed dramatically. Buoyed by oil and Western aid such as Truman's Point IV Program (1950-65), Iranians were pushed into a new space and the country became a showcase for the West's efforts in the region. These changes to home life and broader society were not imported wholesale without modification. The private realm became associated not only with "progress" and Westernization, but also raised questions about "authentic" Shiite daily life, indigenous taste, and consumer culture, as well as conventional gender relations. By looking at the roles and opinions of architects, leftists, religious scholars, and the revolutionary elites, this dissertation features the sociopolitical underpinnings and aesthetic ends of domesticity in Iran from 1941 through the first half decade of the Iranian Revolution.