ABSTRACT
This chapter surveys the historical progression of various Jewish stereotypes that prevailed in Iranian society and popular thought in the twentieth century as reflecting on Iranian self-perceptions. Iranian Jews have traditionally seen themselves as autochthonous Iranians residing in their homeland. Anna Triandafyllidou, whose studies research the relationship between identity and immigration, has reviewed various theories of nationalism, and contends that those whom society designates as other have a significant role in forging the concept of a national identity. the chapter shows that Jewish stereotypes in Iran are caused by, and are reflections of, the political and social transformations that took place in Iran during the twentieth century. The 1967 War was viewed very negatively by the Muslim world, and Israel was now perceived to be a colonial power in the Western mold, working against the anti-colonial ideals with which Iran identified. Images, motifs, and depictions of Iranian Jews were affected by changing historical circumstances.
