Iran and the Rise of the 21st Century Intellectuals

Our epoch is witnessing the disappearance of the 20th century intellectuals characterized by political totalitarianism, ideological thought and ultra-centralism in all forms of political organization. The question that will be addressed in this lecture is whether the disappearance of 20th century intellectuals implies the end of intellectualism in general. How can one characterize a 21st century intellectual? How did the discourse of postmodern criticism impact the emergence of this new figure? How can the rising intellectual play a fundamental role within dictatorships such as Iran? The emergence of the Social Network in the world has altered the definition and understanding of civil society and power, both in theory and practice. In fact, the 20th century was a century characterized by a “vertical view” while the 21st century is characterized by a “horizontal view”. The social and political movements of the 21st century are evolving without strong and charismatic leadership, without pyramidal political organizations and totalitarian ideologies, which in itself contrasts with the 20th century. This emerging reality is clearly visible in the North African and the Middle Eastern movements. The same situation could be observed in the Iranian Green movement in 2009. This point to a great historical transformation which has altered the reality and role of intellectuals both in relation to political power and social movements. In 2009, Iran experienced this shift, brought about by a new generation of intellectuals that clearly belongs to the 21st century. This lecture will consider this development.