Zancouver: Iranian women migrants in Vancouver B.C., 1978-2007

This thesis examines the migration of Iranian women to Vancouver, B.C., between the period 1978 through 2007. One of the most significant factors influencing this migration was the Iranian revolution of 1978-1979, although Canadian immigration policy also impacted the migration of Iranian women to Vancouver during the last quarter of the twentieth century. This study utilizes oral history interviews with Iranian women to analyze the multiple reasons for their emigration from Iran and subsequent settlement in Vancouver. It demonstrates the internal diversity of Iranians in Vancouver in terms of their reasons for leaving Iran and coming to Canada, their political affiliations, religious beliefs, personal value systems, and attitudes regarding class and status. These differences have resulted in feelings of divisiveness and distrust amongst Iranian women in Vancouver and have inhibited the development of a sense of community based on a shared national background for Iranians in Vancouver to date.