Cultural Strategy in Practice: A Case Study of Iranian Americans in Los Angeles

We provide an analytic observation of Iranian-Americans in Los Angeles and their strategies to overcome “displacement” and “othering” challenges in a city they now call home. Our focus is on the Iranian community’s efforts to manifest itself by investing in a specific manifestation of “cultural str...

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Main Authors: Hirbod Norouzianpour, David Weiss
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: AP2 2021-12-01
Series:Cadernos de Arte Pública
Online Access:https://journals.wisethorough.com/index.php/CAP/article/view/464
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author Hirbod Norouzianpour
David Weiss
author_facet Hirbod Norouzianpour
David Weiss
author_sort Hirbod Norouzianpour
collection DOAJ
description We provide an analytic observation of Iranian-Americans in Los Angeles and their strategies to overcome “displacement” and “othering” challenges in a city they now call home. Our focus is on the Iranian community’s efforts to manifest itself by investing in a specific manifestation of “cultural strategy” in the form of a permanent art installation—the Freedom Sculpture—and the underlying need for the community to make such an investment in the current political atmosphere. We conclude the article by considering the project’s outcomes, including the impact on the greater Los Angeles community. This sculpture creates an opportunity for Iranian-Americans to publicly tell their stories and talk about who they are; it is a medium through which Iranian-Americans can start a dialogue with other citizens and thereby achieve greater integration. Accordingly, the role of the built environment in fortifying a sense of belonging is discussed, including ways that the environment can help new arrivals overcome certain aspects of an identity crisis.
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spelling doaj-art-c077f62efe0b4de5a8907ca433e354eb2025-08-20T02:40:58ZengAP2Cadernos de Arte Pública2184-61972184-81572021-12-013110.48619/cap.v3i1.464Cultural Strategy in Practice: A Case Study of Iranian Americans in Los AngelesHirbod Norouzianpour0David Weiss1University of New Mexico, United StatesUniversity of New Mexico, United States We provide an analytic observation of Iranian-Americans in Los Angeles and their strategies to overcome “displacement” and “othering” challenges in a city they now call home. Our focus is on the Iranian community’s efforts to manifest itself by investing in a specific manifestation of “cultural strategy” in the form of a permanent art installation—the Freedom Sculpture—and the underlying need for the community to make such an investment in the current political atmosphere. We conclude the article by considering the project’s outcomes, including the impact on the greater Los Angeles community. This sculpture creates an opportunity for Iranian-Americans to publicly tell their stories and talk about who they are; it is a medium through which Iranian-Americans can start a dialogue with other citizens and thereby achieve greater integration. Accordingly, the role of the built environment in fortifying a sense of belonging is discussed, including ways that the environment can help new arrivals overcome certain aspects of an identity crisis. https://journals.wisethorough.com/index.php/CAP/article/view/464
spellingShingle Hirbod Norouzianpour
David Weiss
Cultural Strategy in Practice: A Case Study of Iranian Americans in Los Angeles
Cadernos de Arte Pública
title Cultural Strategy in Practice: A Case Study of Iranian Americans in Los Angeles
title_full Cultural Strategy in Practice: A Case Study of Iranian Americans in Los Angeles
title_fullStr Cultural Strategy in Practice: A Case Study of Iranian Americans in Los Angeles
title_full_unstemmed Cultural Strategy in Practice: A Case Study of Iranian Americans in Los Angeles
title_short Cultural Strategy in Practice: A Case Study of Iranian Americans in Los Angeles
title_sort cultural strategy in practice a case study of iranian americans in los angeles
url https://journals.wisethorough.com/index.php/CAP/article/view/464
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