The perils of producing revolutionary moderation: entertainment, style, and the ‘Islamic Che’ in Iran

Abstract

AbstractWhat makes revolutionary media ‘moderate’, and why would a revolutionary state produce moderation? Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork with pro‐regime media producers in Iran, this article examines the attempted creation of a new revolutionary hero, an ‘Islamic Che’, who appeals to younger audiences by creating a moderate style. Iran's regime media makers seek to attract not just youth who protest against the Islamic Republic, but their own children: those they imagined would be their automatic base of support. How do revolutionary states cultivate a base among a new generation willing to defend the existing political structure? This article examines how state media makers imagine ‘moderate style’ as that which can both stay true to the founding principles and be entertaining enough for younger generations. Beyond the example of post‐revolutionary Iran, this article also allows us to think more about the predicament of all states: namely how do they attempt to attract the attention of citizens in a world inundated with easy‐to‐access digital content?