Gender, Madness, Religion, and Iranian-American Identity: Observations on a 2006 Murder Trial in Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Using participant observation, oral history interviews, and a study of court transcripts, Internet chats, and press coverage of a 2006 murder trial of an Iranian-American man in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, we can better appreciate the dynamic intersection of ethnicity, religion, and gender in constr...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2017-08-01
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| Series: | Social Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/6/3/85 |
| _version_ | 1819078193918771200 |
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| author | Camron Michael Amin |
| author_facet | Camron Michael Amin |
| author_sort | Camron Michael Amin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Using participant observation, oral history interviews, and a study of court transcripts, Internet chats, and press coverage of a 2006 murder trial of an Iranian-American man in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, we can better appreciate the dynamic intersection of ethnicity, religion, and gender in constructing the social identity of Iranian-Americans. Brian Hosayn Yasipour, who immigrated to the United States in 1969, was convicted of murder in the third degree for killing his four-year-old daughter in 2001 during a custody dispute with his estranged, Iranian-born wife. He managed to avoid the death penalty. Debates about his guilt in America hinged on assessments of his mental state at the time of the crime and this, in turn, hinged on debates about how normative his actions would have been in Iran. Until his arrest, Brian had led a highly mobile life—moving back and forth between America, where he lived as a Christian, and Iran, where he visited as a Muslim. Was he a calculating Iranian-Islamic patriarch, outraged at the defiance of his wife and the attitudes of American courts toward his paternal rights? Or was he, per the court transcripts, a “white Christian” and survivor of childhood rape back in Iran, who lapsed into madness under the strain of his second divorce? Brian actively blurred these issues in court appearances before and after the murder—often expressing his agency in terms of preserving his imaginary and physical mobility. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T19:09:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8ad2189df54943d6bd19157dc8d5d4f8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0760 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T19:09:13Z |
| publishDate | 2017-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Social Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-8ad2189df54943d6bd19157dc8d5d4f82022-12-21T18:53:14ZengMDPI AGSocial Sciences2076-07602017-08-01638510.3390/socsci6030085socsci6030085Gender, Madness, Religion, and Iranian-American Identity: Observations on a 2006 Murder Trial in Williamsport, PennsylvaniaCamron Michael Amin0Department of Social Sciences-History, University of Michigan-Dearborn, 1270 SSB (Social Sciences Building), 4901 Evergreen Rd, Dearborn, MI 48128, USAUsing participant observation, oral history interviews, and a study of court transcripts, Internet chats, and press coverage of a 2006 murder trial of an Iranian-American man in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, we can better appreciate the dynamic intersection of ethnicity, religion, and gender in constructing the social identity of Iranian-Americans. Brian Hosayn Yasipour, who immigrated to the United States in 1969, was convicted of murder in the third degree for killing his four-year-old daughter in 2001 during a custody dispute with his estranged, Iranian-born wife. He managed to avoid the death penalty. Debates about his guilt in America hinged on assessments of his mental state at the time of the crime and this, in turn, hinged on debates about how normative his actions would have been in Iran. Until his arrest, Brian had led a highly mobile life—moving back and forth between America, where he lived as a Christian, and Iran, where he visited as a Muslim. Was he a calculating Iranian-Islamic patriarch, outraged at the defiance of his wife and the attitudes of American courts toward his paternal rights? Or was he, per the court transcripts, a “white Christian” and survivor of childhood rape back in Iran, who lapsed into madness under the strain of his second divorce? Brian actively blurred these issues in court appearances before and after the murder—often expressing his agency in terms of preserving his imaginary and physical mobility.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/6/3/85IranAmericaimmigrationMuslimfilicidegenderidentitymobilityIslamophobiahomophobia |
| spellingShingle | Camron Michael Amin Gender, Madness, Religion, and Iranian-American Identity: Observations on a 2006 Murder Trial in Williamsport, Pennsylvania Social Sciences Iran America immigration Muslim filicide gender identity mobility Islamophobia homophobia |
| title | Gender, Madness, Religion, and Iranian-American Identity: Observations on a 2006 Murder Trial in Williamsport, Pennsylvania |
| title_full | Gender, Madness, Religion, and Iranian-American Identity: Observations on a 2006 Murder Trial in Williamsport, Pennsylvania |
| title_fullStr | Gender, Madness, Religion, and Iranian-American Identity: Observations on a 2006 Murder Trial in Williamsport, Pennsylvania |
| title_full_unstemmed | Gender, Madness, Religion, and Iranian-American Identity: Observations on a 2006 Murder Trial in Williamsport, Pennsylvania |
| title_short | Gender, Madness, Religion, and Iranian-American Identity: Observations on a 2006 Murder Trial in Williamsport, Pennsylvania |
| title_sort | gender madness religion and iranian american identity observations on a 2006 murder trial in williamsport pennsylvania |
| topic | Iran America immigration Muslim filicide gender identity mobility Islamophobia homophobia |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/6/3/85 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT camronmichaelamin gendermadnessreligionandiranianamericanidentityobservationsona2006murdertrialinwilliamsportpennsylvania |