Imagined Cyber Communities, Iranians and the Internet

Abstract

The post information age will remove the limitations of geography.—Nicholas Negroponte, Being DigitalThe internet has been a continually changing forum for communicating that has been taken up by diaspora communities to maintain connections with their countrymates all over the world. In that capacity, the technology has been an easy and innovative avenue for cultural expression. Iranians, for instance, have established on-line magazines, newsgroups, media and business directories, human rights organizations, student groups, academic organizations and book publishers for a transnational community. Who goes to these sites and why?

Hyperlinked Dutch-Iranian Cyberspace

“…The theoretical context here is the notion that prolonged exile does not diminish but may or actually does increase van den Bos Hyperlinked Dutch-Iranian Cyberspace 'interest or involvement in home country politics' (Guarnizo et al [2002: 29] for American cases; Østergaard-Nielsen [2003: 1-2] for German cases). This, together with the fact that most Iranians in the Netherlands have come as political refugees (Verkuyten and Nekuee, 1999: 287), and that Iranian diasporic and transnational cyberspace at large is often political (see Nazeri, 1996;Spellman, 2004a: 959), would lead one to presuppose a dominant political presence in Dutch-Iranian cyberspace: a great many sites, displaying great variety as to content, that are well interconnected as well as closely related to other Dutch-Iranian sites.…”

“…For reasons such as these, usages of Internet technology in Iran are widely perceived as exceptional in the Middle East context (Rahimi, 2003: 102, 110). Internet practices among Iranian diaspora communities, however, remain largely unexplored; although Nazeri (1996) and Graham and Khosravi (2002) are major exceptions. This is despite indications that Internet technologies provide a crucial communication forum for the (transnational) Iranian diaspora (Spellman, 2004a: 947).…”

Landmarks for ‘Nowhereland’: scratching the surface of transnational Dutch‐Iranian hyperlink networks

“…Østergaard‐Nielsen 2003: 1‐2 for German cases). This, combined with the facts that most Dutch‐Iranians came to the Netherlands as political refugees (Verkuyten & Nekuee 1999: 287), and that Iranian webspace at large is often political (see Nazeri 1996; Spellman 2004 a : 959; 2004 b : 46), led to the presupposition of a dominant political presence in Dutch‐Iranian cyberspace manifesting itself in a great many sites displaying substantial variety as to content which were well interconnected and closely related to other Dutch‐Iranian sites.…”

“…Kivisto 2001: 554‐5; van Amersfoort 2001: 5, 51). Among these communication means, one may include the Internet, which has ‘been taken up by [Iranian] diaspora communities to maintain connections with ... countrymates all over the world’ (Nazeri 1996). Spellman, writing of Iranian communities in London, observed that ‘Internet‐based news groups and chat rooms have ... become an important forum for communication between Iranians living in [Iran] and between Iran and the Iranian Diaspora’ (2004 a : 947; cf.…”

“…For reasons such as these, usages of Internet technology in Iran are widely perceived as exceptional in the Middle East context (Rahimi 2003: 102, 110). Internet practices among Iranian diaspora communities, however, remain largely unexplored (although Nazeri 1996 and Graham & Khosravi 2002 are major exceptions) and the transnational dimension of on‐line networks remains understudied. This is curious, given the indications that Internet technologies provide a crucial communication forum for the transnational Iranian diaspora (Spellman 2004 a : 947).…”