Moreover, the text was written amongst the trade embargos and sanctions of the years that followed the mid-1990s. (Figure 1: US Military Bases around Iran. The involvement of Western countries in the Middle East was thus increasing at the time Satrapi was writing, and her work, depicting a revolution begun by Western influence on the Shah (See: Persepolis, Satrapi, pages 14-15, 38-39) would have had great resonance with the Iranians of her contemporary world. Indeed, this is a fact perhaps exemplified by the number of US military bases around Iran. This is roughly 10% of the world's total proven petroleum reserves, and Iran is therefore an energy superpower, also claiming precedence as one of the leading members of OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) ( OPEC).Īs Anup Shah states, ‘given the vast energy resources that form the backbone of western economies, influence and involvement in the Middle East has been of paramount importance for the former and current imperial and super powers, including France, Britain, USA and the former Soviet Union.’ (See link: Middle East: Global Issue). Iran’s government states that oil reserves in Iran are third largest in the world, with approximately 150 billion barrels available as of 2007 (being ranked second if unconventional oil reserves – such as the Canadian reserves - are excluded). In an increasingly energy insecure world, oil reserves are of great importance, and thus Iran’s vast primary natural resources can cause large levels of unrest and troubles.
This is often thought to be largely a result of the vast, often untapped, oil reserves found in there. Satrapi’s work was created in an era preceded and followed by large amounts of military intervention and social unease in the Middle East.
It is thus a text composed in an increasingly volatile global environment, one which perhaps paralleled the epoch she was depicting. Marjane Satrapi began to write Persepolis after she finished university in France in 1994, with her friends at the time acquainting her with the graphic novel form. Staff Intranet (Restricted permissions).Undergraduates (Restricted permissions).
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