Reverberations of Dissent

Beneath the ever-changing and unstable political climate of Iran lies a rich youth culture centered around rock music. Reaching beyond a social historical and political overview of music Bronwen Robertson looks deeper and seeks to decipher how members of the underground scene invent and express different versions of 'being Iranian ' through the production and distribution of their music. Robertson spent a year undercover in Tehran conducting research and interviews within this complex and fascinating culture. <br /><br />While the author explores each individual's relationship to their music she also demonstrates how the underground scene as a whole becomes an expression of collective and anti-authoritarian identities. Robertson discusses concepts ranging from inspiration and ingenuity to the notion of being 'global ' and how these musicians perceive their political and artistic impact. This illuminating work demonstrates that rock music a global genre gains significance as it is performed in a local context disrupting pre-conceived notions of what it means to be 'Iranian.'Â