ZANCOUVER: THE HISTORY OF IRANIAN WOMEN MIGRANTS IN VANCOUVER 1978-2007 by Nicole Bailey B.A., Simon Fraser University, 2004 THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FORTHE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS In the Department of History ©Nicole Bailey 2008 SIMON FRASERUNIVERSITY Summer2008 All rights reserved. This workmay not be reproduced in whole orin part, by photocopy or other means, without permission ofthe author. Approval Name: Nicole Bailey Degree: Master of Arts Title of Thesis: Zancouver: The History of Iranian Women Migrants in Vancouver 1978-2007 Examining Committee: Chair: Paul Sedra Assistant Professor of History Andrea Geiger Senior Supervisor Assistant Professor of History Felicitas Becker Supervisor Assistant Professor of History Derryl McLean Supervisor Assistant Professor of History Lara Campbell External Examiner Assistant Professor of Women’s Studies Date Defended/Approved: August 5, 2008 ii SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Declaration of Partial Copyright Licence The author, whose copyright is declared on the title page ofthis work, has granted to Simon Fraser University the right to lend this thesis, project or extended essay to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or single copies onlyfor such users orin response to a request from the libraryofanyother university, orothereducational institution, on itsown behalforforoneofits users. 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BennettLibrary Simon FraserUniversity Burnaby, BC,Canada last1"EM8b'I:Summer2007 Abstract This thesis examines the migration ofIranian women to Vancouver, B.C., between the period 1978 through 2007. One ofthe most significant factors influencing this migration was the Iranian revolution of1978-1979, although Canadian immigration policy also impacted the migration ofIranian women to Vancouver during the last quarter ofthe twentieth century. This study utilizes oral history interviews with Iranian women to analyze the multiple reasons for theiremigration from Iran and subsequent settlement in Vancouver. Itdemonstrates the internal diversity ofIranians in Vancouver interms of their reasons for leaving Iran and comingto Canada, theirpolitical affiliations, religious beliefs, personal value systems, and attitudes regarding class and status. These differences have resulted in feelings ofdivisiveness and distrust amongst Iranianwomen in Vancouver and have inhibitedthe developmentofa sense ofcommunity based on a shared national background for Iranians in Vancouver to date. Keywords: migration; Iranian women; Vancouver; gender roles; oral history iii :Jor my mother. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Iwould like to begin by thanking all ofthe Iranian women who shared their personal stories with me and contributed to this project. I would also like to express my gratitude to Dr. Andrea Geigerfor her support and encouragement throughout the past year, Dr. Derryl MacLean for inspiringme to learn about Iranian history and continue on to grad school, and Dr. Felicitas Becker for her commitment to my workand the time she spent with me helping to conceive ofmy initial project. I would also like to thank Dr. Parin Dossa and PoranPoregbal for their insight and assistance in helping me realize this project. And finally Iwould like to thank my amazingly supportive friends and family who have been a constant source ofencouragement and assurance for me throughout this process. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Approval ii Abstract iii Dedication iv Acknowledgements v Table ofContents vi Introduction 1 LiteratureReview 3 Chapter Outlines 7 Methodology 9 Chapter 1: Revolution and Relocation: The Migration ofIranian Women to Vancouver 1978-2007 15 The Revolution 21 Iranians in Vancouver 34 Conclusion 48 Chapter 2: Mountains, Ocean and Opportunity: Reasons For Migration and Settlement in Vancouver, B.C 50 Iranian Migrants in the UnitedStates andCanada 51 LeavingIran 60 Coming to Canada 63 Conclusion 77 Chapter 3: "We are lonely islands, everyone ofus Iranian people." Divisions and Distrust among Iranian Migrant Women in Vancouver 80 ChangingStandards ofAppearance andBehaviour 92 Class, Status andChanging GenderDynamics in Iranian Families 98 Religious &PoliticalAffiliations ShapingDivisions andEngendering Distrust 105 Conclusion 111 Conclusion 114 Bibliography 119 vi INTRODUCTION Following the 1978-1979 revolution in Iran, Vancouver B.c. became home to an increasing number ofIranian migrants. This study examines how the histories ofIran and Canada shaped the reasons Iranian women left Iran, and the reasons they chose to migrate to and settle in Vancouver. Farreaching changes to the prevailing social, political and economic systems in Iran following the revolution meant dramatic shifts in the daily lives ofmany Iranian women. These changes led many women to emigrate, whether in fear for their lives ordue to a more complex combination offactors. The way they experienced these changes differ according to theirreligious views, political ideologies, class and personal familial background. Forexample, women affiliated with dissident political groups, along with religious minorities such as Baha'is, were persecuted under the new regime, while otherwomen encountered obstacles to their personal freedom in different ways, such as through the imposition ofa mandatory dress code. Iranian women who settled in Vancouverduring the period 1978 to 2007 comprise an internally diverse population. Their differing backgrounds and reasons for migrating also creatednew challenges for these women in developing a unified sense ofcommunity in Vancouver based on a sharednational identity. Background The history ofthe Iranianrevolution is important in understanding the various factors that influenced the emigration ofmany men and women from Iran in the years following 1978. The Iranian revolution of1978-1979 led to the fall ofthe Pahlavi 1 monarchy and the establishment ofan Islamic Republic in Iran. The Iranian monarch, Muhammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, was forced to abdicate his throne and flee the country on January 16, 1979, afternearly a year ofpopularuprisings, demonstrations and protests against his regime involving abroad spectrum ofIranian society.1 Following the abdication ofthe Shah, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned from exile in Paris on February 1, 1979, usurped control ofthe Iranian government proclaiming Iranan Islamic Republic, and named himselfthe supreme leader.2 The revolution and subsequent creation ofan Islamic Republic had countless ramifications for Iranian society: of particular interest to this study is how these ramifications impacted the emigration that ensued. Different segments ofIranian society migrated from Iran in the years following the revolution. The reasons varied: many fled due to religious, political or gender persecution; others emigrated due to loss ofemployment, inflation and economic uncertainty; many more left due to the violence and turbulence ofthe revolution and the subsequent Iran-Iraq war; still others leftIranin order to obtain improved access to education for themselves or their children.3 1Ron Kelley, "Chronology ofthe Pahlavi Eraand the Islamic Republic," in Ron Kelley and Jonathan Friedlander Eds. Irangeles: Iranians inLosAngeles (Berkeley: Universityof Califomia Press, 1993), 20-21. 2Nikki R. Keddie in Roots ofRevolution: An interpretiveHistory ofModern Iran (New Haven: Yale UniversityPress, 1981), 258. 3Mitra Shavarini,EducatingImmigrants: Experiences ofSecond-GenerationIranians (New York: LFB Scholarly Publishing, 2004), 30. 2