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Resumo

This article examines the Iranian student movement in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s, focusing on the Confederation of Iranian Students (CIS), the largest and most influential Iranian student organization abroad. It argues that the CIS’s anti-Shah activism became increasingly racialized during this period, as members began to frame their struggle in terms of a broader fight against white supremacy and imperialism. This racialization was driven by several factors, including the growing influence of Third World liberation movements, the rise of Black Power and other radical social movements in the United States, and the Shah’s own efforts to portray himself as a bulwark against communism and a friend of the West. By adopting a racialized discourse, the CIS was able to forge alliances with other anti-imperialist groups and gain greater legitimacy for its cause. However, this racialization also had its limitations, as it sometimes obscured the specific political and economic grievances of Iranian students and led to tensions with other Iranian exile groups. The article concludes by suggesting that the CIS’s experience offers important insights into the complex relationship between race, politics, and exile in the late twentieth century.