Die Briefmarken Irans als Mittel der politischen Bildpropaganda

Among the modern media which came to Iran during the 19th century, the postage stamp has proven to be a particularly effective instrument of political propaganda. Being contrivable without much effort and permanently present in daily life, stamps were not only able to transmit political messages, but also have developed in their design a complex and memorable iconography. Their importance as an official medium as well as the fact that they allow to comprehend the development of political imagery during the last 150 years without gap have made postage stamps an important historical source. This study examines, in which way the political iconography of Iran has developed in the course of time and how the official iconography reflects the emergence of a modern state in Iran. Beyond the question who determines the issues and directives of stamp propaganda, it also examines in which political and cultural framework the messages and designs of stamps were developed and in which way this framework has influenced the symbolism of postage stamps. Special attention is given to the question which issues and symbols have dominated political iconography under the various political regimes and which changes and continuities in national self-conception have influenced the iconography of postage stamps. Insofar this study not only presents a constitutive description of the issues and methods of political propaganda in Iran from the middle of the 19th century to the present, but also an examination of the political and social history of Iran as reflected by her postage stamps.