Advisor / tutor: Doreen Mende

Independent reviewer: Morad Montazami

Arnhem, June 2013

Abstract

Memories give shape and foundation to one's behaviour and their perspective. They help the person judge, analyse and make decisions. But what happens when those memories and experiences are recognized not only by one person but by many? What happens when instead of an individual, a group of people as a collective conscious, recall and talk about exactly the same memories that all of them have in common?
In this inquiry, you will read about the effects of a contemporary revolution and a war, and their effects on a generation who grew up dealing with the issues of an era of transition. You will also find out how nostalgia can consciously turn into a part of the culture of a heavily populated generation. You will read about the generation of post-revolution Iran in the 1980s. The necessity of the inception of this text comes from the personal concerns of an artist dealing with memory, nostalgia, society and images coming from the generation discussed in the text.
In writing this thesis I have used articles about Iranian society and I have gained a lot from the author Svetlana Boym. In gathering information for this thesis I have worked with questionnaires, interviews and publications to feed my knowledge about my questions and also as proof of my hypothesis.