Ecotours and politics of fun in Iran: From contested state–society relations to emancipatory nature–society relations

This article shows how nature–society relations in Iran’s burgeoning ecotourism industry are influenced by power-laden state–society relations and the state’s regulation of public space. Based on original research, this article demonstrates that ecotours operate as a means through which young middle-class residents of Tehran practise fun beyond the socio-political restrictions they face in the city’s public sphere. Non-human nature represents a safe setting for these ecotourists to engage in restricted ‘unislamic’ practices of self-expression and socialization. In other words, the non-human nature functions as a zone of transgression. This article provides an example of how the nature–society interface can provide opportunities to defy conservative social norms in a restricted socio-political system and it shows that the influence of political systems on nature–society relations requires more explicit analysis. Moreover, it enhances our understanding of everyday politics in a society where social conducts in the public sphere are heavily controlled.