“We Were Striving For Our Revolution” — Navigating Harms in the Pursuit of Change

Abstract

The death of Zhina-Mahsa Amini on September 16, 2022 ignited widespread protests against the oppression in various parts of Iran. The response from the Islamic Republic (IR) to these protests has been characterised by extreme violence since their inception in September 2022. This raises the question of how and why individuals continue to protest and resist such oppression despite facing them persistently. To explore this question, we conducted qualitative interviews with individuals who participated in the protests of 2022–2023. The research focused on the protesters’ perceptions and their strategies for coping with the oppression they faced. We used the evolving HARM-concept to investigate the profound consequences of suffering on the protesters’ ability to act. The evaluation of the interviews revealed that community-feeling played a crucial role in their decision to resist. The interviewees reported various forms of everyday resistance and how they dealt with the ongoing oppression. It turned out that community-feeling could influence perceptions of HARM and expand the possibilities of dealing with injury. Additionally, factors such as mental endurance and vulnerability appeared to change individuals’ perceptions and handling of injury.