Raika Khorshidian, NUIEC Scholar Lecture Series

Country of Origin: Iran
Location: Germany

“Heritage for Resistance vs. Heritage for Propaganda in AI-Truth Era in Iran”

AI image-generation technology is a “game changer” that has revolutionized both speculative art activism and state propaganda. For about five decades, the Islamic Republic of Iran has isolated the country from the rest of the world, mismanaged its cultural heritage, and even deliberately destroyed and looted Iranian heritage. In response, Iranians have become more committed to preserving their tangible and intangible heritage (e.g., celebrating heritage of the policy of tolerance for peoples’ customs and religions). Knowing the importance of heritage for resistance, and in the rise of internal and international crises, particularly since 2025, the Islamic Republic has sought to rebrand itself by exploiting national heroes (e.g., pre-Islamic Shahnameh heroes) and empires (e.g., Sasanian Shahs) to spread its “Death to America, Death to Israel” agenda in order to maintain its power. This lecture aims to shed light on: 1. The heritage of resistance and the resistance of heritage in the current fight of Iranians for freedom and democracy; and 2. The transformation of state propaganda from the unilateral discourse into a relational discourse, through the hijacking and co-opting of symbols, heroes, and the fantasies of dissidents.

Willing to share personal story if needed.