Ep 80: Engagements with the Iranian Left

This episode was recorded in the summer of 2025, before the current protests in Iran. Itsi sat down with Platypus members Stanley Sharpey and Ian Morrison to talk about the history of the Left in Iran and the significance of the Iranian Revolution for the Left. We touch on Ervand Abrahamian’s book "Iran Between Two Revolutions," which was read in the early days of Platypus, along with other works on Iran by writers such as Fred Halliday, Janet Afari, and Kevin Anderson on Foucault and Iran.
We also talk about Platypus panels and articles that address the Iranian Revolution and the Left’s historical response to it, and the millennial Left’s response to the Iranian Green Movement, specifically the panel “The Green Movement and the Left: Prospects for Democracy in Iran.” Ian also reflects on his involvement during this moment, as well as his interview with Homayoun Pourzad, a trade unionist.
Finally, we talk about the changing landscape of the Left from the Obama presidency to our current moment.
--------
"The Green Movement and the Left: Prospects for Democracy in Iran" (3/20/10 panel) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzK9cPxPdVA&t=60s
Against the status quo: An Interview with Iranian trade unionist Homayoun Pourzad - Ian Morrison:
https://platypus1917.org/2010/01/08/against-the-status-quo-an-interview-with-iranian-trade-unionist-homayoun-pourzad/
The Iranian Revolution and Its Implications - Interview with Fred Halliday:
https://platypus1917.org/wp-content/uploads/readings/hallidayfred_iranrev1987_NLR16202.pdf
Revisiting Foucault and the Iranian Revolution- Janet Afary & Kevin B. Anderson:
https://newpol.org/issue_post/revisiting-foucault-and-iranian-revolution/
Foucault and the Iranian Revolution: Gender and the Seductions of Islamism - Janet Afary & Kevin B. Anderson:
https://caringlabor.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/foucault-and-the-iranian-revolution-janet-afary.pdf
-----
www.platypus1917.org