Waves of Iranian Immigration in Los Angeles

In addition to New York and Washington D.C., Los Angeles was the hotspot of Iranian immigration in the last 1970's with the Iranian, or Islamic, Revolution. The war between the Iranian monarchy under Shah and a potential Islamic republic under Khomeini influenced the residents of Iran to emigrate to the United States as a modern reservation of escape from the growing economic distress and political repression in Iran. A large population of Iranian citizens migrated to Los Angeles to gain freedom and the advantages of modernization that the city offered in contrary to Muslim values. The Iranian immigration to Los Angeles include three distinct waves of different time periods: from 1950's to 1979 (prior to the 1979 Iranian Revolution), after the revolution, and 1995 to the present time that involves the latest decade. The migration prior to the revolution focuses on Iranians who were in search of better educational and career opportunities offered in the United States, for the number of Iranian adolescents enrolled in American universities dramatically increased from roughly 10,000 to 50,000. Also during this time, the continuation of oil production gave rise to a reviving economy in Iran and a shift from the conventional methods of revenue to a more modernized system of economic stability. During the second wave of Iranian immigration, entrepreneurs and highly-skilled professionals emigrated from Iran in search of better odds at success. Gender roles became more distinct in this time period, when daughters were encouraged to move out of a society characterized by gender restriction. The third and most recent wave of Iranian immigration involved illegally fleeing from the country as refugees and seeking asylums. All three waves of immigration include residents who demonstrated partial assimilation to the American culture as well as  those who showed residency in America as a temporary home.

Because there are three waves of immigration that refer to different times regarding the Iranian Revolution, I decided to focus on the first wave of Iranian immigration. The first wave emphasizes the initial intentions of Iranian immigrants, who epitomize their premeditated Iranian or Muslim beliefs and values compared to the modern, secular lives of Americans. Iranian immigrant teenagers were influenced by the schools who provided education that taught students about self-reliance and independence. These characteristics greatly contrasted with the traditional and family-oriented values of Muslims. In moving toward modernism, these immigrants were also able to enjoy the freedom restricted to females due to gender conflicts in Iran, as they gave birth in America, became naturalized, and acquired educational and professional success. More people at this time became naturalized compared to 1980, when only 10% of Iranian immigrants during post-revolution endured this process. In other words, they never intended to stay in the United States permanently, for thousands of Iranians retreated to their homeland in 1989. In addition, the pre-revolution immigrants assimilated to the American culture by learning English. It is interesting that although they were the same group of immigrants, the Iranian immigration movements are significantly dissimilar to each other, demonstrating completely different methods and levels of acculturation to America. While the pre-revolution immigrants were pleased with assimilation, post-war Iranians migrated back to their homeland after they received education and conditions improved in Iran.