Passion and Change: How to Read Lolita in Tehran Deconstructs Power In authoritarian systems of government, the way leaders rule over the people leaves citizens with very little power to make change. While pockets of dissent exist, it can be unnerving to realize that dissent only involves dissidents in problems first perpetuated by the rulers themselves: in chaos, people cannot come together, they cannot organize or seek change because all change requires cooperation. Only in education, reform and cultural awareness do people find a weapon that can be used as agents of change. Azar Nafisi, in his multiple roles as educator, cultural agent and dissident, has gone a step further in the process of demonstrating that dissidents can organize, educate and inspire and, in the process, serve as a link of change for those who live it and they experiment. competence inside and outside the classroom. Culture is unique in its role within education. It creates different meaning for each of us: Our experiences within family circles, national borders, and classroom walls shape meaning and ideas, regardless of the topic. Furthermore, as Sonia Nieto (1999) writes, “it is invariably influenced by the environment in which it exists” (p. 133). Teaching English literature in Tehran, a job at best, could, in the turbulent times of revolution, be considered almost blasphemous. Iran, with all its traditions, particularly in literature and religion, naturally does not accept external influence, cultural diversity and dissent well. What Dr. Nafisi was able to do with dissent, cultural diversity, and Western influence through the words of the writers she studied and discussed was nothing short of astonishing. That she was leading...... middle of paper..... By losing those positions, intellectualism is lost, students are lost and the country as a whole is lost. The brilliance of his teaching method corresponds more to Freire's thoughts, “the task of the teacher, who is also a student, is at the same time joyful and rigorous” (Freire, 2005, p. 5). Rigorous, indeed, especially considering the difficult situation he often found himself in. Works Cited John-Steiner, Vera & Mahn, Holbrook (1996). Sociocultural approaches to learning and development. Educational Psychologist, 31, (3/4) 191-206. Freire, Paulo (2005). Teachers as cultural workers: Letters to those who dare to teach. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. Nafisi, Azar (2003). Reading Lolita in Tehran. New York, New York: Random House Nieto, Sonia (1999). The light in their eyes: Creating multicultural learning communities. New York, New York: Teachers College Press.