Week 8

The chapter by Najmabadi discusses the patriotic love one has for one’s vatan or birthplace/ homeland and discusses that the vatan is conceptualized as female beloved of maternal figure. At first, I found the concept odd because love for a mother is very different than love for a beloved, so how does one love his vatan in both ways? On page 109, Ibrahim Bayg explains that as an individual, his love for vatan is “mysto-erotic” but when he is in a group of patriots, brotherhood kicks in, and then the love for a mother is evoked. It was interesting to read that this maternal connection between man and vatan also strengthens fraternal relations and men begin to see themselves as sons of a single female figure. Najmabadi states the significance of the fraternal feeling because it “provides a more comfortable place within the fraternity for Iranian men who continued to be homoerotically oriented and unmoved by the love of a female beloved” (p. 110). I find that statement to a bit unsettling because draws on a conclusion that is not really warranted and is also too general…like a blanket statement.

Another ting interesting in the chapter is that the vatan is often depicted as a mother in visualizations and that the connection is made between the progress of the vatan, and the education of mothers. Knowledgeable women who manage the home well, educate children, cook and sew, will transfer their good habits and love for the nation/ vatan through their breast milk and children will be more prepared to make sacrifices for their country.